The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The Wilson boys’ lacrosse team picked up another win in the first game of a doubleheader at Millikan on Tuesday afternoon, relying on a hat trick from Ivan Van Divort in a 6-2 win over Compton.
The Bruins are now 4-1 in the Moore League and sit at second place as they approach the midway point of the season.
“We’ve just been getting punched in the face in every game we’ve played so this game we really just tried to focus on setting a good tone and coming out with our intensity,” said Van Divort, who’s been battling through injury the past couple of games. “I’ve felt better recently. I’ve just been trying to rely on my experience and get back into the flow.”
“We had some flashes but unfortunately we’re gonna have to go back to the drawing board and find a plan that gets our guys engaged from the start,” added Wilson coach Warren Wright, who is eager to see more from his team despite the win. “We’re looking for a complete game from our team and we haven’t had that yet.”
Alongside the three goals from Van Divort, fellow junior Cash Riordan chipped in a pair of goals, one in each the first and second quarters. The Bruins found their final goal in the fourth quarter from Devin Rud and outshot Compton 32-9.
Wright was especially happy with the way his defense played on Thursday, and gave credit to goalie Ryan Bruce for his energy from inside the goal.
“Our defense played phenomenal,” he said. “We had a couple of lapses that led to some goals but these guys just played great. We have two injuries to our defense right now that we’re working through but I’m just proud of the way they’re banded together. [Bruce] is one of the best goalies in the state and he’s really the one keeping us in some of these games.”
Compton received a pair of goals from Noe Perez who was a big offensive spark for the Tarbabes with scores in the third and fourth quarters. Compton coach Keith Parkman was happy with Perez’s production and is looking to find more contributors as they head to the midway point in league play.
“He’s done a great job. Last year he carried for us and this year he’s carrying for us but we just need to support him,” Parkman said of Perez. “Lacrosse isn’t a one man sport. We need a full team effort and that he can take a break with other guys stepping up. We’re gonna fix that so he doesn’t have to handle that so much.”
Compton still sits at third place in the Moore League following the loss with a record of 3-2. The Tarbabes finished in third place last year to claim a playoff spot, and Parkman is looking to finish the season out with a similar result.
“We just need to come out and handle the second half of Moore League play well. We have one more game before we restart Moore League play, so our goal right now is to figure out what went wrong today and what’s gone wrong recently and then go from there. I’m pretty confident and I’m excited for the future.”
Both teams will continue league play on Thursday as the Tarbabes matchup against Millikan, meanwhile Wilson will host Downey.
“We’re gonna play some teams where if we take our foot off the gas they’re gonna run us off the rope. So we’re hoping we learn a lesson before midseason,” said Wright. “I keep warning them that the second half of the Moore League season is when everyone gets their second look at us and it’s gonna be tough.”
