Sailors pull away from Panthers

Barry Faulkner

Coach Larry Hirst chose to interrupt his Newport Harbor High boys

basketball team’s procession to its fourth straight victory Friday

night with a pointed halftime announcement.

“Let’s just say we had a little heart to heart at halftime,” Hirst

said after his Sailors (4-0) pulled away following the inspiring

intermission to defeat Orange, 63-46, in the final pool-play game of

the Bill Reynolds Tournament at Newport Harbor High.

The victory, which came after the Tars led just 30-26 at halftime,

propelled the hosts into tonight’s championship game against El Toro,

which improved to 6-0 by topping Peninsula Friday. The title clash

will be at 7:30 at Vanguard University, where both El Toro Coach Todd

Dixon and Hirst played for the tournament’s namesake, who constructed

a 353-185 record at then-Southern California College.

Friday’s Harbor win allowed Hirst to best former college teammate,

Andre Smith, who had his Panthers (2-2) clicking offensively in the

first two quarters.

“They were getting most of their points on penetration or

penetrating and pitching to their outside shooters,” Hirst said. “And

that’s not OK with us. So, we talked to the kids about our defensive

toughness (at halftime).”

The results were quickly apparent as the Sailors opened the third

quarter with a 10-2 run and eventually outscored the Panthers, 20-8,

in the period, holding them to just 3 of 11 from the field.

Nedim Pajevic, a 6-foot-8 senior center, led the winners with 17

points and senior guard Chad Rorden netted four three-pointers to

finish with 14 points. But senior guard Chase Cameron, who did not

score until midway through the third quarter, was, Hirst said, the

key to the victory.

“I hate to use the old cliche, but Chase’s senior leadership

really showed again tonight,” Hirst said of his 6-0 returning

starter, who amassed 12 rebounds and 10 assists to go with his four

points. “He was playing hard when things weren’t going so well for us

and he played even harder when we were making our run. He was our

catalyst.”

Pajevic scored eight points in the opening period, which finished

in a 16-16 tie, and added nine in the third quarter to pace the

offense. He was 6 of 9 from the field, 3 of 4 from the foul line and

also had seven blocks and five rebounds, despite sitting out most of

the second quarter for defensive transgressions.

Rorden had three of his three-pointers before halftime and hit the

first of back-to-back bombs (along with Pajevic) to cap the

aforementioned 10-2 run to start the second half. Rorden was 4 of 7

from beyond the arc, en route to his career-high scoring output.

Brett Lowenthall, a 6-6 junior forward, added six points in his

first varsity start, while his brother, freshman Todd Lowenthal, led

all scorers off the bench with eight points, including 6 of 6 from

the foul line.

Senior forward Nick Glassic chipped in five points and five boards

and Hirst praised the energy provided by junior reserve guard Robert

Hunter, who made both of his field-goal attempts and added a steal

and an assist in limited minutes.

Two Rorden three-pointers lifted the Tars to a 24-19 edge with

4:17 left in the first half, but Orange, keyed by 6-6 senior forward

Patrick Sanders, answered to knot the game at 24.

Rorden’s pass to Todd Lowenthal produced a back-door layup to

trigger a 6-0 Harbor run, which allowed them to take a lead into the

break.

Brett Lowenthal’s layin with 6:51 left in the game upped the lead

to 20 and the Sailors, without Andre Pinesett, a junior who had

started the first three games but suffered a mild knee injury in

Thursday’s practice, cruised into the title game.

The Sailors have advanced to the championship game each of the

first two years of this event, but lost both times, including a 53-41

setback to El Toro in 2000. Newport lost in last year’s final, 64-58,

to Martin Luther King of Riverside.

Sanders, averaging 18 points coming in, finished with 24 points

for the Panthers, who figure to be a top-three finisher in the Golden

West League, which includes Costa Mesa and Estancia.

Hirst said he wasn’t looking forward to dueling Dixon’s El Toro

unit.

“The good part about this tournament is having all your friends in

the same gym,” Hirst said. “But it’s better to have them in the

stands than on the other bench, when the game starts.”

Bill Reynolds Tournament

Pool play

Newport 63, Orange 46

Score by Quarters

Orange 16 10 8

12 -- 46

Newport 16 14 20

13 -- 63

Orange -- Sanders 23, Sandoval 0, Collins 10, Reeves 10,

Ramirez 2, Gama 1.

3-pt. goals -- Reeves 2.

Fouled out -- none.

Newport Harbor -- B. Lowenthal 6, Glassic 5, Pajevic 17,

Rorden 14, Cameron 4, T. Lowenthal 8, Perrine 4, Hunter 4, Soza 1,

Hernandez 0, Hanley 0.

3-pt. goals -- Rorden 4, Pajevic 2.

Fouled out -- none.