Boys basketball: Sailors pound Irvine

Joseph Boo

NEWPORT BEACH - How impressive was Newport Harbor High’s boys

basketball team’s 66-50 Sea View League victory over visiting Irvine on

Friday? After the game, the mother of a Newport cheerleader came up to

Sailors Coach Larry Hirst and expressed her gratitude for a job well

done.

“I’m embarrassed,” Hirst said. “That never happened to me before. Nobody

came up to me and said that on Tuesday.”

Tuesday was Newport’s 54-49 nonleague loss to archrival Corona del Mar.

Looking to rebound from that game, the Sailors (11-5, 1-0 in league)

turned in a performance that can only be called a smash revival, getting

the lead up to 24 points in the third quarter before coasting to victory.

“Coming off a loss to CdM, playing at home in the first league game of

the season, that all adds up to a huge win,” Hirst said.

Irvine (5-12, 0-1) came into the game determined to stop Newport center

Dustin Illingworth or go down trying. The Vaqueros usually went down.

Illingworth scored 18 points, hitting two three-point plays in the first

half even though Irvine double-and triple-teamed him for most of the

game.

“I can’t make claims on how good he is,” Hirst said. “It takes three guys

to stop him. And when three guys did collapse on him, he was unselfish

enough to kick the ball out.”

Sean Rorden was the main benefactor of Irvine’s double-teams. He hit two

three-pointers and scored 10 points. Aaron Yarnal added 15 points, most

of them coming off of his six steals. Tony Melum gave his best Yarnal

impersonation on one play, getting a steal and finishing with a dunk. He

ended up with 10 points.

Newport pushed the tempo right from the beginning, and led, 18-8, in the

first quarter. The lead grew consistently to 24 points before the fourth

quarter became a formality.

The fact that it was a home win for Newport had importance to Hirst.

“We definitely have to win every league game at home,” he said. “On the

road, we have to let things fall as they may. In our league, everybody’s

capable of beating anyone.”

That may be the case, but as Irvine found out painfully, some beatings

are worse than others.SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Newport Harbor 66, Irvine 50

Score by Quarters

Irvine 12 12 12 14 - 50

Newport Harbor 20 17 21 8 - 66

Irvine - Guinn 8, Bosshart 7, Schiesel 5, Derries 5, Patton 2, Spear 0,

Hazlett 15, Carter 8, Silva 0, Banes 0.

3-pt. goals - Hazlett 3.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - Spear, Derries.

Newport Harbor - Illingworth 18, Yarnal 15, Rorden 10, Perrine 4,

Reynolds 2, Melum 10, Martin 4, Murray 0, Knutti 2, Spigner 1,

Staudenmann 0, Cook 0, Redoutey 0, Ready 0.

3-pt. goals - Rorden 2.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.