UP AND COMING:Newport Harbor junior varsity earns two tournament championships

Playing seven games in eight days didn’t faze the Newport Harbor High junior varsity boys’ basketball team.

In that time frame, the Sailors won two tournaments, beating teams by double-digit margins.

First, Newport Harbor won the Segerstrom Tournament, defeating Saddleback, 57-28, in the championship game on Dec. 2. Ned Lyon led the Sailors with 15 points. The victory capped a 4-0 run for Newport.

The Edison Tournament championship also proved to be for the Sailors’ taking. This time it was junior Niko Hernandez, who scored 13 points to lead the Sailors to a 53-37 victory over host Edison on Dec. 6.

Coach Gary Anderson said Hernandez has the potential to be called up to the varsity. It would be a fitting welcome-back present for Hernandez. He went to Newport Harbor as a freshman, but moved to Chino Hills for two years and is now back, which makes Anderson happy.

Hernandez, a point guard, is one of seven Newport Harbor players who have been key for the Sailors this season. The others include RJ D’Cruz, Danny Miller, Jason Jacobi, Alex Rios, freshman Cecil Whiteside and Lyon.

“On any given night, it’s one of the seven guys who can lead us in scoring,” Anderson said. “It’s rare that someone has scored in the 20s.”

Newport’s JV team remains undefeated at 8-0.