Boys’ Basketball: Sailors go big at home

At this early stage in the high school boys’ basketball season, some teams aren’t at full strength because of football.

Newport Harbor doesn’t find itself in this position. The Sailors’ football season ended three weeks ago in the first round of the CIF Southern Section West Valley Division playoffs. The early ouster allowed a handful of football players to join Coach Bob Torribio’s basketball team in time for the winter season.

The Sailors’ opponent on the court Tuesday wasn’t as fortunate. Rancho Alamitos played without three big men because the school’s football season wrapped up on Saturday in the Southern Division finale.

Newport Harbor capitalized on the Vaqueros’ lack of size. Garrett Davis attacked the interior, finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds in the Sailors’ 64-36 rout at home.

Everything seemed to go in for Davis, a 6-foot-4 senior, in the nonleague matchup. He made 10 of 13 shots, and two of those misses came on three-point attempts. The power forward eventually got his three-point play with 1 1/2 minutes to go in the third quarter.

As he did all night, Davis delivered in the paint. Even when the Vaqueros fouled him, Davis was successful. A foul sent him to the free-throw line, where Davis converted the three-point play to put Newport Harbor up, 52-23.

Davis’ most exciting play came midway through the second quarter. He stole the ball, and dribbled toward the right side before dunking the ball. Davis’ first slam in a game forced Rancho Alamitos to call a timeout. The turnover was the Vaqueros’ ninth, and they wound up with 20 turnovers.

“He had a great week last week for us,” Torribio said of Davis’ performance at the Godinez tournament, where the Sailors went 3-2. “It was a completely different situation last week, every night he was battling 6-7 [and] 6-8 [players]. Tonight was kind of a game for him to … not be expected to defend for 32 minutes. He got to guard a guy on the wing for a little bit. He got to catch his breath for once … and he took advantage of it.”

The Sailors put the game away at the start of the third quarter, going on an 8-0 run to take a 44-22 lead. Nate Harding, Davis, Andrew Laidlaw and Collin Pipkin each scored on layups.

Pipkin, a sophomore point guard, had some nice passes to Davis, finding him near the baseline, and twice he found Harding down low. Harding made both shots, getting fouled each time, and he converted one three-point play at the charity stripe to finish with seven points.

When Rancho Alamitos clogged the paint with a zone defense, the Sailors (4-2) moved the ball around well. Charlie Stassel buried three of six three-pointers, giving him 11 points. Laidlaw, who finished with eight points, had the team’s other two threes.

Newport Harbor, which shot 53% through the first three quarters, limited Rancho Alamitos’ scoring chances, even though the Sailors played without Joey Faris for the second straight game. Torribio said Faris, the team’s best defender, has an ankle injury, and he expects the senior back Monday, when the Sailors open the Oxford Academy tournament against La Puente Bishop Amat.

Before the tournament, the Sailors play host to Capistrano Valley Christian (4-0) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Torribio wasn’t worried about his team playing on consecutive nights. The Sailors handled Rancho Alamitos (1-4) with ease, only Matthew Bautista finished in double figures (19) for the Vaqueros.

“They’re in the situation Newport Harbor’s usually [during this time of the year] because they’re missing their football guys still,” Torribio said of the Vaqueros, who played without four football players. “[Their football team] just [lost] in the CIF finals last weekend [to Garden Grove, 35-0].

“I’ve been on that end many times, [saying], ‘OK. Wait until our football guys get here and we’ll be all right.’ We had our football guys tonight and it went our way.”

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Nonleague

Newport Harbor 64, Rancho Alamitos 36

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Rancho 6 – 10 – 7 – 13 — 36

Newport 17 – 15 – 20 – 12 — 64

Rancho – Bautista 19, Valencia 8, Holloway 5, Rodriguez 4.

3-pt. goals – Bautista 1, Valencia 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

Newport – G. Davis 21, Stassel 11, Laidlaw 8, Harding 7, Pipkin 6, Benter 3, Frye 2, Gaddis 2, Norris 2, C. Davis 2.

3-pt. goals – Stassel 3, Laidlaw 2.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.