Boys basketball: Clashing styles

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Tonight’s CIF Southern Section Division I-A

second-round boys basketball playoff game between host Newport Harbor

High (20-6) and Pacific from San Bernardino (19-6) is a classic matchup

in several respects.

1) It’s a 7:30 battle between Pacific’s free-wheeling up-tempo style

(77.6 points per game) and Harbor’s more structured, defensive-minded

approach (58.6 ppg).

2) It’s Inland Empire against Orange County.

3) It’s the Pirates against the Sailors.

Mascot mayhem and geography aside, Newport Coach Larry Hirst believes

his team’s more-methodical game gives his team a solid chance to become

only the third team in the school’s 71 varsity seasons to win two playoff

contests.

“We’re going to try to keep the score low,” said Hirst, who guided a

Sailor squad ravaged by illness to a 55-50 first-round home triumph over

Santa Fe. That win allowed the Tars to reach the 20-win plateau for only

the third time ever, the second under Hirst, who is 95-42, 4-4 in the

postseason, during his six-season tenure.

“I don’t know a lot of their opponents, but I know the style of play,

in general, in Riverside and San Bernardino is more up-tempo,” Hirst

said. “I know, in their losses, they haven’t scored as much (55.8 ppg).”

The San Andreas League co-champions, who have advanced to at least the

I-A semifinals the previous five seasons, needed a three-pointer with

eight seconds left to stave off upset-minded Riverside Poly, 65-64, in

Friday’s opening round.

Coach Scott Smith’s Pirates, on a nine-game winning streak, are led by

6-foot-2 senior guard Donnell Jury and 6-6 senior center Chris Adams.

Jury came into the postseason averaging 26.8 points and seven

rebounds, while Adams was chipping in 20 points and 12 rebounds per

contest.

The duo combined for 33 points against Poly, which fell victim to 6-2

junior Anthony Bradley’s three-pointer. Poly missed a layup as time

expired to keep the Pirates alive.

Newport, in its school-record-tying fifth straight postseason, is led

by senior guard Aaron Yarnal (15.8 ppg) and 6-6 junior center Tony Melum

(17.8 points and more than 11 boards per game).

Yarnal, a third-year varsity performer, scored a game-high 22 points

Friday, including the team’s last two field goals in the final 80 seconds

to erase a 50-49 deficit.

Hirst said Newport’s starting five would also include junior point

guard Greg Perrine, junior forward Erik Peterson and 6-8 sophomore Nedim

Pajevic (14 rebounds Friday).

Tonight’s winner will meet either No. 3-seeded Villa Park (22-4) or

St. John Bosco (19-8) in Friday’s quarterfinals.