PREP WATER POLO PLAYOFFS : El Toro Edges Villa Park, 8-7

El Toro’s last-second steal preserved an 8-7 victory over Villa Park in a Southern Section Division I first-round water polo game Thursday at Corona del Mar High.

The two-time defending Division I champion Chargers (16-11) extended their playoff winning streak to 23 games, spoiling Villa Park Coach Jeff Ehrlich’s bid for his 400th victory in 21 seasons at the school.

Another milestone was reached as Allen Basso led El Toro with five goals, giving him 134 for the season to break J.P. Mathot’s single-season school record of 132 set in 1992.

Basso, one of only two seniors on the team, scored three goals in the first quarter as the Chargers built a 5-1 lead. However, Villa Park (20-8) cut the lead to one on Philip Johnson’s goal with three minutes left in the first half.

El Toro, ranked ninth in Orange County, took an 8-4 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but again the sixth-ranked Spartans rallied to within one on Peter Cornue’s fifth goal with 1:05 left.

After a Charger turnover, El Toro’s Shane Lindstrom was able to steal the ball from Aaron Waldrip in front of the goal with seven seconds left.

El Toro will play host to third-seeded Long Beach Wilson in the second round Tuesday.