Boys basketball: Newport slowed by Aliso Niguel

Tony Altobelli

NEWPORT BEACH - In a battle of two of the top teams in the Sea View

League, even one offensive outburst can be the difference.

Such was the case Wednesday night as the Aliso Niguel High boys

basketball team used a 10-0 run in the second half to outlast host

Newport Harbor, 53-52.

“It came down to intensity,” Newport Coach Larry Hirst said. “Their

offensive pressure was stronger than our defensive intensity. We gave up

way too many easy shots down low and it came back to haunt us.”

Senior Aaron Yarnal led the Sailors (16-5, 2-2 in league) with 19

points, while Tony Melum added 17 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

While the starters scored 49 of the Sailors’ 52 points, it was a lack

of defensive awareness by the first five that left Hirst upset.

“Our starters have to do a better job of defensive communication out

there,” Hirst said. “We wanted Aliso to earn its points from the outside

and that just didn’t happen out there.”

Zach Zanolli scored 17 points to lead the Wolverines (13-9, 2-2),

while Brandon Sievers added 14. The duo scored 14 of the team’s 15

fourth-quarter points, including four clutch free throws in the final 20

seconds, to keep the Sailors at bay.

“Our defense has been our bread and butter all season long,” Hirst

said. “Tonight, we didn’t do what we had been doing the past 15 or 16

games.”

Newport led after one quarter, 15-13, but Aliso grabbed control with

six straight Zanolli foul shots.

Newport tied the game with a 7-3 run on baskets from Yarnal, Melum and

junior Greg Perrine (nine points), but Aliso answered with a 6-0 spurt to

regain control.

Late in the third quarter, Aliso held a three-point lead, but Yarnal

and Melum each hit two free throws to give Newport a 35-34 advantage.

That’s when Aliso grabbed the reins for good.

Four points in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter, followed by

a 6-0 run to start the fourth, gave the Wolverines a 44-35 edge.

The lead grew to 11 thanks to a basket by Zanolli and a three-pointer

by Sievers. With only two minutes left in the game, all appeared to be

lost for the Sailors.

But Newport crawled back into it with a three-pointer by Yarnal and

baskets by Erik Peterson, Melum and Perrine, cutting the deficit to 49-47

with 57 seconds left.

The Wolverines used most of their 35-second shot clock before taking

their attempt. Following a miss and a scramble for the loose ball, an

Aliso player smartly gained control and called timeout before Newport

could get a jump ball on the play.

The extra possession took more time off the clock for Aliso and when

Sievers hit two free throws with 10 seconds left, the Wolverines’

four-point lead appeared to be enough.

The Sailors then got a bolt of life when Melum was fouled on a

three-point attempt with four seconds left. He hit two of the three foul

shots, forcing Newport to quickly foul Zanolli to stop the clock.

Zanolli calmly nailed his two free throws to ice the game. Newport’s

Chase Cameron hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Both Newport and Aliso are two games behind undefeated Woodbridge in

the Sea View League standings after the first round of league play.

“We thought, going into league play, that it was going to be a

four-team race to keep up with Woodbridge and it’s just that,” Hirst

said. “We’ve got Irvine on Friday and our first game with them was close

down to the end (a 60-53 Newport win). There’s no more easy ones from

here on out.”

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Aliso Niguel 53, Newport Harbor 52

Score by Quarters

Aliso Niguel 13 15 10 15 - 53

Newport Harbor 15 9 11 17 - 52

Aliso Niguel - Zanolli 17, Sievers 14, Ibel 9, Alconcel 7, Lamela 4,

Garcia 2.

3 pt. goals - Sievers 2, Zanolli 2.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.

Newport - Yarnal 19, Melum 17, Perrine 9, Peterson 4, Cameron 3, Young

0, Pajevic 0, Diefenbach 0.

3 pt. goals - Yarnal 2, Cameron 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.