Tars hold off Lancers

Barry Faulkner

The Newport Harbor High boys basketball team locked in on defense

and spaced out on offense to earn a 62-61 overtime victory over

Orange Lutheran Tuesday in the opening round of the Holiday

Basketball Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Trailing, 29-25, at halftime, the Sailors (5-1) increased their

defensive intensity, while also finding a way to feed 6-foot-8 senior

center Nedim Pajevic at the offensive end. Newport outscored the

Lancers, 19-8, in the third quarter, eventually pushed the lead to

47-37, then hung on to force overtime, before prevailing in the

five-minute extra session.

Pajevic, smothered in the first two quarters by an active,

physical and sagging Lancer defense, was scoreless at halftime. But,

finding seems in the defense created when Newport Harbor perimeter

players widened out around the three-point arc (from where they

connected four times in the first half), Pajevic hit 5 of 6

field-goal attempts in the third quarter to spark the rally.

“Our shooting kept us in it the first half, then, in the third

quarter, we started getting our (defensive) stops,” Newport Harbor

Coach Larry Hirst said. “We just had better spacing in the second

half, so we were better able to get he ball inside to Nedim.”

Pajevic also scored four of the Sailors’ seven points in overtime,

including their only field goal, to finish with a team-high 18

points. He sank 8 of 10 field-goal tries and both of his free throws

after intermission.

After a full-court trap helped Orange Lutheran turn a 51-43

deficit into a 53-51 lead, Pajevic pulled the designated hosts even

with a layin on an assist from Chad Rorden with 2:42 left in

regulation.

After the Lancers (4-2) regained the lead 20 seconds later,

Pajevic rolled a seven-footer around the rim and in with 1:07 left in

regulation and Andre Pinesett rebounded two subsequent Orange

Lutheran misses to force overtime.

Pajevic answered two Orange Lutheran free throws with two of his

own to open overtime, then, after the two teams exchanged single free

throws, converted a Chase Cameron feed into a basket for a 60-58 edge

with 2:45 left in overtime.

Pajevic, playing with four fouls, blocked a shot to help foil the

ensuing Lancer possession and Brett Perrine netted a free throw with

1:48 left to expand the lead to three.

After trading possessions, Orange Lutheran used 20 seconds off the

clock before scoring with 13 seconds left. The Lancers then allowed

Newport to drain eight more seconds, before freshman guard Todd

Lowenthal was fouled in the front court. With both teams in the

double bonus, Lowenthal made the second of two foul shots to make it

62-60, but the Sailors fouled Lancer senior Nathan Klitzing as he was

receiving a pass on the perimeter with one second left.

Klitzing swished the first free throw, but came up short on the

second and the clock expired in the ensuing battle for the rebound.

The win advances the Sailors to Thursday’s 3 p.m. quarterfinal

against El Toro, which hammered Magnolia Friday to improve to 8-0.

The Chargers defeated Newport Harbor, 57-44, Saturday in the title

game of the Bill Reynolds Tournament at Vanguard University.

Brett Lowenthal came off the bench to score 12 points, including

two three-pointers for the Sailors, while Pinesett added 10 points,

returning to the starting lineup for the first time in three games.

Sean Luecke paced the Lancers with 20 points, while Klitzing

scored 15.