Sailors outpace Trojans

Rick Devereux

It was a night to make history for the Newport Harbor High boys

basketball team.

The Sailors knocked off visiting University High, 89-75, in a

fast-paced CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoff game Friday.

It was the most points by a Tars’ team since they scored 94 points

six years ago.

More importantly for Newport Harbor, it was the first playoff

victory since 2002.

“This [win] was a program-builder,” said Coach Larry Hirst. “We

haven’t won a playoff game since these seniors were freshmen.”

The Trojans, the Pacific Coast League runners-up, set an up-tempo

pace from the start, creating turnovers with a full-court trap.

University took a 14-3 lead midway through the opening quarter before

the Sailors converted a field goal.

“We weren’t in panic mode [in the first quarter],” Hirst said. “We

missed a lot of open shots. It was the first playoff game for a lot

of these players, it was a packed house and we had a lot of

adrenaline pumping before the game. I think we were our own worst

enemy. But we settled down.”

Once Newport was able to break the full-court trap, the Sailors

charged forward.

“We have been practicing against [the trap] all week,” senior

Brett Perrine said. “It took us a little while to get used to it, but

[breaking the press] definitely was a big reason [for the win].”

Perrine scored a career-high 35 points, mostly from inside the

paint. The 6-foot-6 forward dominated the boards. University’s

tallest player is 6-4 forward Steve Crooks, one of only eight players

6-foot or taller. The Tars boast 14 such players.

CIF Division II-AA

First round

Newport Harbor 89,

University 75

Score by Quarters

*--*

University 21 12 14 28 -- 75

Newport 15 25 26 23 -- 89

*--*

University -- Bisbee 2, Nobe 10, Ghaffarzadeh 0, Shin 11,

Lalehzadeh 24, Kazempour 0, Crooks 9, Wen 19, Bryant 0, Heffenan 0.

3-pt. goals -- Nobe 1, Lalehzadeh 2, Wen 4.

Fouled out -- Shin.

Newport Harbor -- Nasca 8, Orth 5, Perrine 35, Young 24, Slater 7,

Jackson 2, Heenan 8.

3-pt. goals -- Perrine 1, Slater 1, Heenan 3.

Fouled out -- Young.