Boys basketball: Tars can’t get over hump, 73-55

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - The proverbial hump got one year older for the

Newport Harbor High boys basketball team Friday, as visiting Woodbridge,

with a 73-55 triumph, clinched at least a share of the Sea View League

crown the Sailors have sniffed so consistently the last four seasons.

The loss dropped the Sailors, ranked No. 9 in Orange County, to 18-6,

4-3 in league, while Woodbridge, ranked fifth in the county, improved to

20-4, 6-0.

Harbor, with just one league game remaining, Friday at Aliso Niguel,

would wrap up second place with a victory over the Wolverines. It would

be the fourth straight second-place finish for Newport.

“I think that just goes to show how strong the league has been,”

Harbor Coach Larry Hirst said of the his team’s run on runner-up status.

“It’s nice to always be in the hunt. It’s not frustrating that we haven’t

gotten to that next level.”

Woodbridge ensured it will be at least 11 years since the Tars’ manage

another league title, shooting splendidly, defending well and finishing

with authority.

The Warriors made 14 of 23 field-goal attempts (61%) in the first half

and forced 11 Harbor turnovers, en route to a 35-25 lead.

Newport, executing some of Hirst’s halftime adjustments, pulled to

within 39-35 with 4:50 left in the third.

With Aaron Yarnal, Tony Melum and Eric Peterson sharing the 19

third-quarter points for the hosts, Woodbridge took a vulnerable 51-44

lead into the final period.

Harbor whittled it to 61-55 with 2:39 remaining, but the Warriors, who

earned their third Sea View championship in five years, scored the final

12 to create what Hirst considered a deceiving final margin.

Melum finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Yarnal got 12 of

his 17 points after halftime and finished 8 of 14 from the field.

Harbor hit 9 of 13 field-goal attempts in the third quarter, but

netted just 5 of 17 the final eight minutes to finish 24 of 52 (46.2%).

Woodbridge, which won the turnover battle, 16-13, finished 30 of 55

from the field (54.6%).

Senior Tashaan Forehan-Kelly paced the winners with 25 points. He came

in shooting nearly 55% from the field for the season and drained 10 of

13, including two shots that were blocked. He also sank all three of his

foul shots, helping junior point guard Patrick Haddan, a Mater Dei

transfer, finish with eight assists.

Haddan added 10 points, while senior Danny Lambert, the coaches’

Co-Most Valuable Player in the Sea View last season, chipped in 15 points

and a team-high eight rebounds.

The Warriors benefited from 10 layups before intermission.

“I thought we had a good game plan defensively, but we could never

seem to get all five guys on the same page,” Hirst said. “I don’t know if

we just weren’t good enough defensively to stop them, or they were just

much better than us.”

Hirst said his squad will go to work on Aliso Niguel, which edged the

Tars, 53-52, in the first round at Harbor.

“We have a week to get ready,” Hirst said.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Woodbridge 73, Newport Harbor 55

Score by Quarters

Woodbridge 17 18 16 22 - 73

Newport Harbor 11 14 19 11 - 55

Woodbridge - Forehan-Kelly 25, Lambert 15, Haddan 10, Wheeler 9,

Koeller 7, Burgess 4, Edmondson 3.

3-pt. goals - Forehan-Kelly 2, Koeller 1, Edmondson 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.

Newport Harbor - Melum 19, Yarnal 17, Perrine 7, Peterson 7, Pajevic

5, Young 0, Diefenbach 0.

3-pt. goals - Perrine 1, Peterson 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.