Girls basketball: Sailors, bit by flu bug, fall to University

Amara Aguilar

The Newport Harbor High girls basketball team is sick and tired of

being sick and tired.

With three starters suffering from the flu or cases of the cold, the

Sailors fell to University High of San Diego, 54-44, in the first round

of the Costa Mesa Winter Classic Wednesday at Costa Mesa High.

“We’re a little sick right now,” Newport Harbor Coach Jen Thompson

said. “We have three of our starters who are sick right now and some of

our subs are sick too so that hurt us today because the energy was a

little bit lower.”

Despite being ill, sophomore starter Jillianne Whitfield hit two

three-pointers in the first half. Her second three-pointer gave Newport a

12-11 advantage with 7:30 left in the second quarter.

University regained the lead a minute later, but the Sailors kept

pace, taking an 18-16 lead on a jumper by Whitfield with 4:34 left in the

half.

University’s Mikki Weber answered with a layup, Stephanie Geonanga hit

a two-pointer and then made a free throw to put University ahead, 21-18.

“I thought we came together and played very well as a team,”

University Coach Chris Zunno said. “We moved the ball well and we didn’t

back down when they started coming at us. They were a feisty group and we

didn’t back down.”

The Dons took a 27-21 lead at the break and never trailed in the

second half.

“At the beginning it didn’t look like we were into it and that could

be that (players) are sick too and it’s going around, but they did a

great job running the offense,” Thompson said. “We got a lot more shots

out of our offense than we have been in previous games, but we need to

talk on defense.”

The Sailors left University players open on several occasions and the

Dons took advantage.

With no one guarding her, Kim Vance went in for a layup to give the

Dons a 42-32 lead with 7:06 remaining in the game.

Newport Harbor replied with field goals from Evita Castillo and Athena

Vasquez to cut University’s lead to 42-36 with 5:32 left.

It was the closest the Sailors would get to the Dons.

“We did a great job effort-wise,” Thompson said. “If we were all

healthy and at 100%, I think that we would have been able to run a little

bit more. It hurts us a little bit when five out of 11 girls are sick and

a couple of them can’t play because they’ve got the flu.”

Whitfield contributed with a game-high 16 points, including two

three-pointers.

“Everybody is a little slow today because everyone has been sick,”

Whitfield said. “We’ve been doing really good on our defense in other

games, but today we were a little bit slower.”

Castillo piled up 14 points for the Sailors, who dropped to 2-11.

“That team from San Diego is a really good team and for us to be in

the game that long is a confidence booster for us, so I think we are

coming along and it’s showing,” Castillo said.

The Dons (3-8) were led by Weber (15 points), Alexis Castro (15

points) and Tiffany Jensen (10 points).

Costa Mesa Winter Classic

First round

University of San Diego 54, Newport Harbor 44

Score by Quarters

Newport Harbor 10 11 10 13 - 44

University 9 18 13 14 - 54

Newport Harbor - Castillo 14, Whitfield 16, Campbell 4, Woller 3,

Vasquez 2, Miller 2, Swigart 2, Stoltz 1, Fulce 0, Rangel 0, Linsday 0.

3-pt. goals - Whitfield 2.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.

University - Jensen 10, Brooks 2, Geonanga 5, Vance 5, Weber 15,

Bitterlin 2, Castro 15.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.