Boys’ lacrosse: Semel gives Palos Verdes a chance at redemption

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As the final seconds ticked off the clock, and the final horn sounded, Palos Verdes’ players stormed the field in celebration. Nolan Semel scored the tie-breaking goal from 15 feet out with 1:23 left and the top-seeded Sea Kings held off second-seeded Oak Park, 8-7, to win the North Division title Wednesday and advance to the Southern Section’s ‘unofficial’ final for the second time in a row.

‘I had a short stick on me, it was man-on-man, and I used my one-on-one moves to get a clear shot,’’ Semel said. ‘We played Oak Park once before and they’re a good, scrappy team.’’

Alex Richardson scored four goals for Palos Verdes, the Bay League champion. The Sea Kings move on to play defending champion Foothill at 7 p.m. Friday at Trabuco Hills High in a rematch of last year’s title game.

Brett Zeolla scored the first four goals for Oak Park but was held scoreless in the second half.

-- Steve Galluzzo