Girls basketball: Sailors fall to Hawks

Tony Altobelli

LAGUNA HILLS - Costly turnovers and two hot shooting Hawks were too

much to overcome for Newport Harbor High’s girls basketball team in

Tuesday’s 51-22 Sea View League loss to host Laguna Hills.

Megan Aaker led the Hawks with 20 points, while Ann Bubriski added 12 for

the Hawks (9-9, 1-1 in league).

Freshman Athena Vasquez led the Sailors (3-14, 0-2 in league) with seven

points, while senior Nicole Ashton and junior Molly Weedn chipped in with

four apiece.

A swarming Hawks full-court press rattled the Sailors from the beginning,

enabling Laguna Hills to jump out to a 19-2 first quarter lead on 13

Sailor turnovers.

Newport tried to fight back, going on a 7-0 run to start the second

quarter, cutting the lead to 10.

Laguna Hills shut down Newport in the final 4:30 of the second quarter

and took a 22-9 lead at the half.

After a scoreless second quarter, Aaker responded with nine third-quarter

points, including the first seven points of the third quarter, stretching

the Hawks’ lead to 20.

Newport, which limited its mistakes in the second quarter, got bit by the

turnover bug again in the second half, causing easy hoops for Laguna

Hills.

The Hawks led by as many as 30 before Vasquez scored five of her seven

points down the stretch.

Newport Harbor Coach Jason Sorrell refused comment on the game, but said,

“I have nothing to say. It’s nothing personal, but I’m pretty upset that

it’s taken 17 games for you guys (the Daily Pilot) to finally come to one

of our games. I understand that we’re not doing all that good, but I was

hoping for a little more support from our community newspaper than this.”

The Sailors host Woodbridge Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Laguna Hills 51, Newport Harbor 22

Newport Harbor 2 7 6 7 - 22

Laguna Hills 19 3 15 14 - 51

Newport Harbor - Vasquez 7, Weedn 4, Ashton 4, Gerlach 3, Castillo 2,

Woller 2, Moore 0, Mikami 0, Sondel 0, Gallardo 0, Brooks 0.

3 pt. goals - None.

Fouled out - None.

Laguna Hills - Aaker 20, Bubriski 11, Ch. D’Alessandro 6, Bengard 4, Co.

D’Alessandro 3, Owens 3, Beebe 2, Elizondo 2.

3 pt. goals - Aaker 2, Owens 1.

Fouled out - None.