Boys basketball: Sailors fall short

Tony Altobelli

BUENA PARK - In three of the four quarters played, Newport Harbor

boys’ basketball team flustered and confused Downey in the second game of

the Buena Park Coyote Classic Thursday night.

It was that other quarter that cost the Sailors.

The Vikings scored 26 of their 60 points in the third quarter alone

and managed to pull out a 60-59 win over the Sailors.

“Throughout the year, defense is gonna carry us,” Coach Larry Hirst

said. “Tonight, we could not defend anyone.”

Senior Dustin Illingworth had a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds,

while junior Aaron Yarnal added 18 points for the Sailors (1-1), but it

was not enough against the Vikings (2-0).

Newport had two chances to win the game, but with five seconds

remaining, Ronald Jermon swatted away a Newport jumper and Illingworth’s

alley-oop shot at the buzzer rolled in, then out.

“That play was designed to do any one of two things,” Hirst said. “To

possibly get penetration by Aaron or Greg (Perrine) or if they help on

defense, dish it to Dustin. It just didn’t fall for us.”

With the score tied at 58, Downey’s Steve Sawyer made a running

eight-footer from the baseline with a minute remaining.

Off a Sailors’ miss, Illingworth grabbed the rebounded and was fouled

on the attempt. He made his first free throw, but missed the second,

forcing the Sailors to stop the Vikings on the next possession, which

they did.

With no Downey player taller than 6-foot-3, Newport consistently went

to the post, where Illingworth was very effective, making 8 of 14 shots.

“We just take what the defense gives us,” Hirst said. “In our first

game Magnolia gave us the perimeter, so used Aaron a lot. Tonight, it was

the post.”

Newport jumped out to a 19-14 lead after the first quarter and led by

as many as nine in the first half, but a late Vikings’ surge kept the

game within reach.

“Anytime we get up on a team, the focus is on our defense,” Hirst

said. “We just couldn’t put them away.”

Illingworth and Yarnal scored 29 of the team’s 30 second-half points

for the Sailors.

With the Sailors up, 34-31, Downey outscored the Sailors, 15-9, during

a five-minute stretch of the third quarter to take the lead away from

Newport.

Despite tying the game three different times in the fourth quarter,

the Sailors could never regain the lead the rest of the game.

Joe Frias led the Vikings’ attack with 20 points, including 6 of 8

from the free-throw line, while Rene Herrera added nine points.

Next up for the Sailors is Sunny Hills tonight at 8 in day three of

the Coyote Classic.

BUENA PARK COYOTE TOURNAMENT

Downey 60, Newport Harbor 59

Newport Harbor 19 10 18 12 - 59

Downey 14 10 26 10 - 60

Newport Harbor - Illingworth 27, Yarnal 18, Spinger 4, Perrine 4,

Rorden 4, Murray 2.

3 pt. goals - Perrine 1.

Fouled out - none.

Downey - Frias 20, Herrera 9, Sawyer 6, Jermon 6, Lucero 6,

Zoumberakis 5, Simioli 4, Phinisee 4.

3 pt. goals - Frias 2, Herrera 1, Zoumberakis 1.

Fouled out - Phinisee.