Boys basketball: Harbor boys host Gahr in II-AA opener

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Gahr High, which visits Newport Harbor tonight at

7:30 in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA boys

basketball playoffs, wound up tied for third in the San Gabriel Valley

League.

But, as a review of the Gladiators’ roster reveals, Coach Kurt Ruth’s

squad could have moonlighted on the side in a 6-foot-2-and-under

recreation league.

Gahr (18-8) has no player taller than the aforementioned standard, which,

of course, is welcome news to Newport senior standout Dustin Illingworth.

A 6-foot-4 post, who tonight becomes the first Newport Harbor varsity

player to play in the postseason four straight years, Illingworth is used

to looking up at his inside rivals.

But Illingworth, as well as 6-6 sophomore Tony Melum, will have no such

challenge tonight.

The Gladiators, however, figure to be no soft touch. Half of their losses

(two each) came to league rival and nationally top-ranked Dominguez of

Compton, as well as Orange County power Brea Olinda (20-6).

Gahr, hoping to hand Harbor its 13th loss in 22 first-round games, is

paced by 6-0 senior guard Romalice Reed, who averages 15.9 points and 8.4

rebounds per game.

Tajuan Jackson, a 6-2 junior center, contributes 15.5 points and 7.2

rebounds per contest, while Justin Rhoane, Noel Chase and Hamed Yazarlou

combine to average nearly 22 points.

Coach Larry Hirst’s Tars (17-8), who finished second in the Sea View

League, are paced by Illingworth’s 19.9 ppg, while junior guard Aaron

Yarnal chips in 15.4 ppg.

Illingworth, playing in a school-record 105th varsity contest, enters

with 1,287 career points.

Tonight’s winner will advance to Tuesday’s second round against the

Brea-Torrance winner.