Boys basketball: Newport gets off to good start

Joseph Boo

NEWPORT BEACH -

They’re tall.

That’s probably the best way to describe Newport Harbor High’s boys

basketball team for the upcoming 2000-2001 season. Only one player on its

current 12-man roster is listed under six feet.

But height doesn’t mean much unless a team plays hard. The Sailors did

on Friday, at least for two quarters, and that’s what pleased Newport

coach Larry Hirst the most in his team’s George Yardley Summer Cage

Classic opener against Katella at Newport Harbor.

The Sailors batted the Knights around like those 50-foot waves did the

Andrea Gail in “The Perfect Storm.” At the end, Newport stood atop a very

impressive 67-39 victory.

“We were having trouble getting intense in previous summer games,”

Hirst said. “Today, we were pretty good in playing with a lot of

intensity. We had about 16-18 minutes where we played with a lot of

intensity. That’s the most we’ve showed all year.”

After a sluggish first quarter, where Newport was down, 15-12, the

Sailors outscored Katella, 23-2, in the second to emphatically put the

game away. They opened the quarter with a 19-0 run before Katella got a

field goal 6:36 into the quarter.

Tony Melum, Newport’s 6-5 junior forward, was in midseason form and

single-handedly outscored Katella in the first half. He had 19 points to

give his team a 35-17 halftime lead. Melum twice stole the ball in the

passing lane and took it all the way for a big dunk. He ended up with 23

points.

One of Newport’s two returning starters, All-Sea View League guard

Aaron Yarnal, also played well. He had 16 points, hitting four shots from

behind the three-point arc.

“Tony and Aaron are two players we’ll be counting on this year,” Hirst

said.

The rest of Newport’s tall players had their way against the shorter

Katella team. Junior forward Erik Peterson, who stands 6-3, chipped in

seven points, along with 6-6 sophomore Nedim Pajevic.

The only player who is under six feet on Newport’s roster, 5-11

sophomore guard Chasen Cameron, scored four points. Greg Perrine,

Newport’s other returning starter, and Jamie Diefenbach, had two points

each.

GEORGE YARDLEY SUMMER CAGE CLASSIC

First Round

Newport Harbor 67, Katella 39

*--*

Katella 15 2 14 8 - 39

Newport Harbor 12 23 20 12 - 67

ET

*--*

Katella - Tyson 13, Espinosa 10, Alva 8, Ywakiem 4, Parker 2, Avery 2.

3 pt. goals - Tyson 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.

Newport Harbor - Melum 23, Yarnal 16, Peterson 7, Perrine 2, Young 0,

Pajevic 7, Cameron 4, Diefenbach 2.

3 pt. goals - Yarnal 4.

Fouled out - None.

Technicals - None.