Boys basketball: Melum muscles Newport into CIF I-A quarterfinals

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - As if his career-high 32 points and 17 rebounds

weren’t already enough, Newport Harbor High junior center Tony Melum

managed to find two meaningful words to describe both the postgame

celebration and the method that created it Tuesday night at the Sailors’

gym.

“Wild abandon,” said Melum, who was actually referring to the way he

crashed the boards. But, those who witnessed the Sailors’ 72-69 overtime

victory over Pacific in the second round of the CIF Southern Section

Division I-A boys basketball playoffs, could not have described the scene

any better.

A spent but appreciative Newport Coach Larry Hirst, who rubbed the

sides of his neck with his hands, as if to push the blood supply back

toward his brain, said it was among the school’s biggest wins ever.

“In 71 seasons, there may be a few that meant more,” Hirst said. “But,

since the one against Santa Margarita (a 50-47 Sea View League home win

over the powerful Eagles in 1998), this is the biggest game since I’ve

been around (six seasons).”

The victory advanced the Tars (21-6) to Friday’s quarterfinal at No.

3-seeded Villa Park (23-4), which topped host St. John Bosco, 68-47,

Tuesday.

It was indeed a super-sized effort for the 6-foot-6 Melum, who somehow

kept scoring, even as one and two Pirate defenders attached themselves to

his arms or butted him torso to torso whenever he got the ball in the

paint.

Melum, however, said his 18-point second half, followed up by scoring

5 of 9 Sailor points in the extra session, was the least he could do

after helping create a 27-22 halftime deficit.

“I did absolutely nothing (actually seven points and seven boards) in

the first half and I don’t have any trouble saying so,” Melum said. “What

I’m here to do is bang guys down low, get the other team in foul trouble,

and free up outside shots for (Aaron Yarnal) and (Greg) Perrine. In the

second half, that was what I was looking to do. Scoring was just icing on

the cake.”

Melum muscled for inside baskets in the Sailors’ set offense and

converted in transition, including a crowd-pleasing slam dunk with 2:16

left in regulation. But, he created most of his points by bounding

relentlessly toward the offensive glass, tipping in or following his

teammates misses to continually keep the Pirates (19-7) from pulling

away.

Melum, of course, had help. Senior Aaron Yarnal scored 17 points and

Perrine, a junior point guard, senior guard Steve Young and sophomore

Nadem Pajevic all drilled crucial three-pointers in the second half.

The 6-8 Pajevic’s running improvised underhand bank shot from about

six feet pulled the hosts even at 69 with 1:15 left, after they had

already blown a four-point overtime lead.

On Pacific’s next possession, prolific senior guard Donnell Jury, whom

his coach said has received recruiting interest from Oregon and UC Santa

Barbara, had his 16-foot jumper blocked by Perrine. Young rebounded with

41 seconds left and Perrine fed Melum inside for a layin to give Harbor a

71-69 lead with 22 seconds left.

After Jury, who scored 28 points, including drilling 13 of 15 fouls

shots, missed a long three-pointer, Pacific’s 6-6 senior center Chris

Adams (21 points and eight rebounds) stepped on the sideline while racing

Perrine for the long rebound.

Melum, who dribbled the ball out of bounds on Harbor’s final

fourth-quarter possession to help force overtime, was fouled while

attacking the basket and hit the front end of the double bonus with 12

seconds left.

Jury’s last-second three-point attempt from the right wing bounded off

the far side of the rim and the spirited Harbor faithful had plenty to

celebrate.

“As a coach, you tell your kids to believe and you talk to them about

matchups, preparation, and understanding what the coaching staff is

trying to do to give them a chance to win,” Hirst said. But, against a

team that has been to the CIF I-A semifinals five years in a row and

whose average margin of victory this year had been about 20-some-odd

points, this was a heck of an effort. I’m very proud of my team.”

Pacific ended the first half on a 12-0 run to overcome a 22-15

deficit. Newport pulled ahead at the end of the third and beginning of

the fourth, but needed Young’s three-point shot to pull within 62-61 with

1:47 left. A Pacific player appeared to tap a rebound into the Newport

basket for a field goal credited to Melum with 0:48 left in regulation,

then Jury missed the second of two free throws with 30 ticks remaining,

to maintain the deadlock.

CIF DIVISION I-A PLAYOFFS

Second round

Newport Harbor 72, Pacific 69 (OT)

Score by Periods

Pacific 11 16 17 19 6 - 69

Newport Harbor 11 11 21 20 9 - 72

Pacific - Jury 28, Adams 21, Kinser 7, Davis 4, Muhammed 4, Easley 3,

Bradley 2.

3-pt. goals - Kinser 1, Jury 1.

Fouled out - Adams, Kinser.

Technicals - none.

Newport Harbor - Melum 32, Yarnal 17, Perrine 7, Pajevic 7, Young 5,

Peterson 4, Diefenbach 0.

3-pt. goals - Perrine 1, Young 1, Pajevic 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.