Newport takes step back against Titans

Chris Yemma

One step forward and two steps back.

Season-wise, that is the case for the Newport Harbor High boys

basketball team. After an overtime win against Sanger Tuesday, the

Sailors stumbled to host Tesoro Thursday, losing, 47-28, in the

Plyocity North/South Challenge at El Toro High.

One step forward and...”this was like three steps back,” Sailors’

Coach Larry Hirst said. “I think overall we were pretty disappointed

with our starting five’s kind of lackadaisical approach.”

Thursday’s game will go down as a 19-point loss for the Sailors

(4-6), but in reality, Newport did pose a challenge for the Titans

(6-5).

With almost three quarters played, the Sailors were only down,

26-22, having their way inside and getting to the free-throw line.

But Tesoro scored the next four points in the final 1:44 of the third

quarter to have an eight-point edge entering the fourth.

And that’s when the momentum completely shifted to the Titans’

bench.

“Our starting five has got to set the tempo for us,” Hirst said.

“Defensively we only gave up 16 points in the first half, but then we

gave up [14] points in the third quarter.”

Tesoro opened the fourth with a 9-2 run en route to a 17-point

quarter -- the highest point total for either team in any period. The

Sailors were held to just six points in the final quarter.

“Sometimes we just fall apart,” said senior guard Alex Orth, who

scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting to lead Newport. “We played

really well in the first half, but sometimes our offense just isn’t

going.”

Orth is one of three players the Sailors regularly count on for

scoring. The other two -- seniors Taylor Young and Brett Perrine --

were heavily contained by Tesoro.

Young, playing in foul trouble the majority of the game, scored

seven points and fouled out with 4:08 remaining. Young had a

game-high 21 points in Tuesday’s win against Sanger.

But the Titans zoomed even closer in on Perrine. The 6-foot-5

senior, who usually leads the team in scoring and had 12 points

Tuesday, was held to two points as Tesoro constantly pressured him.

“I just don’t think our starters were focused [Thursday night],”

Hirst said. “They set the table for us and it didn’t seem like they

were ready, mentally or emotionally.”

Newport combined to shoot 21% from the field, while the Titans

shot 24.2% and drained 31 points in the second half. The second half

was the biggest factor toward the outcome of the game. Newport only

trailed, 16-15, after junior Robert Koon nailed a three-pointer at

the halftime buzzer. But premonitions of what was to come in the

second half appeared in the first 16 minutes. During the final 6:30

of the second quarter, the Sailors’ only points were at the hands of

Koon just before the buzzer. “They had a good second half and we

pretty much just beat ourselves -- that’s how we keep losing,” Orth

said. “They just blew us out in the second half.”