Boys basketball: Sailors clamp down on Hawks

Tony Altobelli

LAGUNA HILLS - Newport Harbor High’s boys basketball coach Larry

Hirst knew that it Wednesday’s Sea View League clash with Laguna Hills

was going to be a defensive struggle and he was right.

But it was the Sailors who were most stingy, holding the Hawks scoreless

for the final two minutes of the game and hanging on for a 45-40 win

before a rowdy Hawks-heavy crowd.

“Both teams really stress defense,” Hirst said. “It was going to come

down to who could make the most defensive stands and we were able to do

that.”

Dustin Illingworth led the Sailors’ attack with 20 points including 10

for 14 from the free-throw line. He also managed to pull down nine

rebounds against the tall timbers of the Hawks’ interior.

Aaron Yarnal chipped in with 10 points, with five of those points coming

on second and third-quarter buzzer-beaters.

“It’s pretty ironic that in a couple of our losses, the other team hit

shots at the buzzer that turned out to be the difference,” Hirst said.

“It was that case for us tonight.”

Laguna Hills (9-8, 0-2 in league) took a 30-29 lead over Newport (13-5,

2-0) with 1:15 remaining in the third quarter after trailing for most of

the game.

But in that final minute of the third, the Sailors went on a 7-0 run,

including a Yarnal three-pointer at the buzzer.

Two Illingworth dunks in the fourth highlighted the offense in the fourth

as the Sailors never lost the lead.

Marshall Houser had 11 points for Laguna Hills, while Kade Stone chipped

in with nine.

Next up for the Tars, they host Woodbridge Friday night at 7:30.SEA

VIEW LEAGUE

Newport Harbor 45, Laguna Hills 40

Newport Harbor 10 13 13 9 - 45

Laguna Hills 9 12 9 10 - 40

Newport Harbor - Illingworth 20, Yarnal 10, Rorden 5, Perrine 4, Melum 4,

Reynolds 2.

3 pt. goals - Yarnal 2, Rorden 1.

Fouled out - None.

Laguna Hills - Houser 11, Stone 9, Lee 8, Homyak 8, Anderson 2, Lua 2.

3 pt. goals - Homyak 2, Lee 1.

Fouled out - Homyak.