Girls basketball: Newport wins!

Joseph Boo

NEWPORT BEACH - There Ocean View High laid on Newport Harbor’s

girls basketball team’s schedule, like a rest stop bathroom in the

Sailors long and arduous road trip. The 1-16 Seahawks are, sadly, like

Charlie Brown against a football, an eminent loss.

Newport, which is in the midst of a 4-16 season, didn’t have room to

sympathize with the Seahawks. The Sailors took full advantage of the

opportunity visiting Ocean View provided and got a 42-29 nonleague

victory Tuesday.

“This is definitely a game we thought we should win,” Newport Harbor

Coach Gregg Savage said. “Both teams are in the same situation, and after

watching tapes of them, we knew if we played hard and executed, we would

have an opportunity to win.”

This is Newport’s first victory since a 32-31 win over Rubidoux in the

Costa Mesa Christmas Classic, and it broke an eight-game losing streak.

The Sailors defeated Ocean View with a solid up-tempo offense and

rebounding. Newport shot 20-for-55 from the floor and grabbed 46

rebounds.

Newport point guard Athena Vasquez got a game-high 13 points, and Evita

Castillo grabbed 16 rebounds for the Sailors.

“Evita did a good job rebounding and getting points,” Savage said, “and

Athena was really pushing the ball up the court.”

Ocean View did find its share of shots, and when Kristin Graves, who led

the Seahawks with 12, hit a three-pointer, the game was tied, 10-10, with

5:25 left in the half.

“Defensively, we were trying new things,” Savage said. “We rarely use man

or press, so we were a little sloppy.”

After that tie, the Sailors went on a 9-0 run to close the first half.

The run extended to 17-0 in the third quarter, as the entire Newport

starting lineup of Vasquez, Castillo, Molly Weedn, Lisa Ashton and Lauren

Gallardo, scored baskets to start the half.

“We hit our shots and ran the plays well,” Savage said. “After the girls

took a double-digit lead, I thought they gained some confidence.”

Ocean View did close the gap to 28-22 in the third, but the Sailors

outscored the Seahawks, 14-6, the rest of the way.

In addition to her 16 boards, Castillo had 12 points. Gallardo scored

seven and had nine rebounds. Weedn grabbed seven rebounds, three

offensive, and scored two. Nicole Ashton had four points. Lisa Gerlach

and Lindsay Woller each scored two off the bench.

“I thought everybody who got their minutes played well,” Savage said.

Nonleague

Newport Harbor 42, Ocean View 29

Score by Quarters

Ocean View 7 6 11 5 - 29

Newport Harbor 10 9 15 8 - 42

Ocean View - Graves 12, Valeski 10, Vy Truong 4, Baldwin 0, Rogers 0,

Valenzuela 3, Robinson 0, Nguyen 0.

3-pt. goals - Graves 2, Valenzuela 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.

Newport Harbor - Vasquez 13, Castillo 12, Gallardo 7, Ashton 4, Weedn 2,

Gerlach 2, Woller 2, Brooks 0.

3-pt. goals - None.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.