Boys basketball: Sailors sizzling

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Conventional wisdom didn’t look so smart against

the Newport Harbor High boys basketball team Saturday night.

With enough coaches to fill a minivan scribbling scouting notes along

the top row of the bleachers, the Sailors’ 44-36 nonleague victory over

visiting Fountain Valley likely produced as much shaken confidence from

future Sea View League opponents as frustration from the fired-up Barons.

As the final eight minutes unraveled, so did the best-laid plans to

sag off supposed offensive soft spots Erik Peterson and Steven Young,

both of whom drilled pressure-packed three-pointers to help keep the

Barons at bay.

Peterson’s three ball broke a 30-30 tie with 5:11 left in the game.

The 6-foot-3 junior also sank two free throws with 38 seconds left and

earned postgame praise for his defense from Coach Larry Hirst.

Young, a 6-2 senior, connected from beyond the arc with 2:59 left,

lifting the Tars to a 37-33 lead that was all they would need.

Young also netted a pair of fourth-quarter foul shots and added two

rebounds and a steal in the decisive period, in which the Tars took

control of a game that featured six lead changes and three ties.

The vital contributions from Peterson and Young, as well as sophomore

reserve Nadim Pajevic (four points), complimented the work of Sailor

standouts Aaron Yarnal, Tony Melum and Greg Perrine.

“As the season goes farther and farther along, teams are focusing more

on taking away our first and second options,” Hirst said. “That’s why

it’s important to get some strong play from the rest of our top seven.”

Hirst said Peterson’s post defense was pivotal to a strong Newport

defensive effort. Fountain Valley hit just better than 25% of its

field-goal attempts (12 of 47). The Barons, who committed four of their

10 turnovers in the final 5:28, including two on charging fouls, were 1

of 10 from the field in the first quarter and 2 of 11 in the fourth.

Young and Perrine took charges for the Tars.

“I told our kids during a timeout about midway through the fourth

quarter that this is what our league is going to be like every single

night,” Hirst said. “I wanted to see if they were going to pass the

test.”

The Tars (14-3), ranked No. 7 in Orange County, passed by limiting

Fountain Valley (9-7) without a field goal the final 4:55.

Newport also picked up more points at the free-throw line, netting 16

of 21 to the Barons’ 9 of 12.

Yarnal had 11 of his game-high 13 points in the first three quarters,

including an athletic three-point play which gave the hosts a 29-27 at

third quarter’s end.

Melum chipped in 10 points and six rebounds, while Perrine, the junior

point guard, had a team-high seven rebounds, as well as five points, two

assists and one steal.

“He was our floor general out there tonight,” Hirst said of the 5-11

Perrine.

The win was the sixth straight for the Sailors, who open Sea View

action Wednesday at Irvine High.

Matt Ball and Zach Wheatley paced Fountain Valley with nine points

apiece.

NONLEAGUE

Newport 44, Fountain Valley 36

Score by Quarters

Fountain Valley 5 12 10 9 - 36

Newport Harbor 13 5 11 15 - 44

Fountain Valley - Ball 9, Wheatley 9, Edmunds 7, Fendon 5, Clark 5,

Torres 1.

3-pt. goals - Ball 1, Fendon 1, Edmunds 1.

Fouled out - Ball.

Technicals - none.

Newport Harbor - Yarnal 13, Melum 10, Peterson 7, Young 5, Perrine 5,

Pajevic 4, Diefenbach 0, Cameron 0, Hill 0.

3-pt. goals - Peterson 1, Young 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.