Scouting the MSL boys water polo championship

MSL championship

Who: Palatine (19-10) vs. Buffalo Grove (18-10)

When: 6 p.m. Wednesday at Palatine

Outlook: The Pirates and Bison haven't met this season, but common opponents suggest it could be a close match. Palatine completed an unbeaten run through the MSL West by twice beating second-place Schaumburg by a single goal; Buffalo Grove lost to Schaumburg by a single goal. It's difficult to game-plan against the Bison because they feature such a well-rounded scoring attack from Glen Bernard, Ian Rodriguez, Dan Striev and Matt O'Rourke. "We still don't have that one guy that people prepare for," said BG coach Scott Kopecky. "I think teams scout us and try to contain one guy from the game they saw, which opens up opportunities for our other guys." Another key for Buffalo Grove is Victor Sanyn, who typically draw the opponent's top scorer. Palatine's leading scorer is senior Brad Ferris, but the Pirates have also shown the ability to spread the scoring wealth with players such as Jeremy Stanton, John Giuliano, Dylan Weissmann and Kamil Mulawa, and Dan Sommerfeld has been solid in goal. Last weekend, Buffalo Grove went 2-2 at Conant's tournament with victories over the hosts and Maine West; Palatine went 0-4 against a field of terrific teams at Stevenson's tournament after winning the title at Glenbrook South the previous weekend. "We're a little beat up from recent games," said Palatine coach Joe Grzybek, "but as I reminded our guys, none of our goals revolve around what happens in the regular season. Our biggest concern is producing four solid, confident quarters and getting back on track."