SANTA ANA The eligibility case of Corona del Mar water polo goalie Martin Babovic has moved to overtime.

An Orange County Superior Court judge heard arguments and testimony for most of Tuesday before extending the preliminary injunction hearing to Wednesday. Judge Steven L. Perk told the courtroom that he would have a decision Wednesday.

“I know what your arguments are,” Perk told the attorneys. “Somebody is not going to happy.”

Babovic, a senior foreign exchange student from Serbia, is seeking to play for the Sea Kings’ varsity. The touted goalie is not eligible to play varsity because his transfer has been determined to be athletically motivated, Scott Donald, an attorney for the Southern Section, told the judge.

James Watson, the father of the family hosting Babovic, testified that his family was not specifically seeking to host a water polo player.

Morning session

SANTA ANA Does anyone know where the pool is here at Orange County Superior Court?

Maybe the basement floor opens like that scene from It’s a Wonderful Life and a 50-meter drink magically appears. Man, the pool at Santa Ana Valley is so easy to find.

Ok, so there is no pool here but there is a lot of discussion about water polo as Corona del Mar foreign exchange student Martin Babovic’s eligibility case is being heard before Superior Court Judge Steven L. Perk. The senior goalie from Serbia wants to be eligible to play for the Sea Kings’ varsity.

The latest: the court is on break until 1:30 p.m. and there is no decision. There have been some interesting testimony, opinions from Perk and of course, some intriguing folks in the courtroom.

Corona del Mar principal Fal Asrani is on the stand as a witness for Babovic. Well-spoken and organized, she confirmed prior testimony that Corona del Mar staff and coaches did not have pre-enrollment contact with Babovic.

Before Asrani, Babovic’s host father, James Watson, took the stand and was OK. He was strong on the point that he and his family were not looking for a water polo player when they signed on to be a host family. They were looking for compatibility, though, and that is one of the area CIF went after him on. Watson has two sons who play water polo (one at CdM) and the family stated early on that it has an interest in aquatic sports, among other interests.

The Southern Section said in court today that Babovic is ineligible for varsity competition because his transfer is athletically motivated.

Perk seems very interested in giving Babovic a decision and I would not be surprised if that comes down this afternoon. The judge was critical of the communications of the Southern Section and Corona del Mar on procedure . Perk said they should have communicated much better: CdM should have appealed to the state , and the section could have advised the school better. And all the while, Perk said, Babovic “sits here without a ruling.”

Perk is pretty thoughtful.

Remarkably, Southern Section commissioner Jim Staunton was not here this morning but state CIF executive director Marie Ishida is. The section and state have two attorneys before the judge while Richard Bridgford is doing the arguing for Babovic.

Bridgford is the father of Mission Viejo quarterback Allan Bridgford.

He has plans to call Foothill athletic director Vince Brown to the stand next. Foothill, for those scoring at home, has two foreign water polo players (one cleared, one not), so Brown’s testimony could be very interesting. For all intensity in the pool, I guess these water polo rivals really are tight.

Section assistant commissioners Kristine Palle and Scott Raftery also are here. I’ll get an update posted as soon as possible.

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