Showdown assured

Barry Faulkner

Those Newport Harbor High boys basketball players set to attend

tonight’s Winter Formal, can do so with a sense of accomplishment,

after the Sailors defeated host Laguna Hills, 51-38, Friday. The win

sets up a first-place showdown with Woodbridge in the Sea View League

finale Wednesday at Newport Harbor.

But, after the Hawks seized a 12-9 first-quarter lead Friday,

Sailors Coach Larry Hirst began to wonder if Laguna Hills would

escort the Tars (16-8, 8-1 in league) out of its share of the league

lead.

“I think some of our guys were more worried about the color of

their date’s corsage for (tonight’s) Winter Formal, than on getting

the ball to the right people,” Hirst said.

“But the good thing about our guys, tonight, was that they

realized they weren’t playing well in the first quarter and they

snapped out of it. Some teams get into a funk in the first quarter

and stay that way the whole game.”

The Sailors snapped off the first 12 points of the second period

to take a 21-12 lead and held a 31-20 halftime cushion, thanks to

five first-half three-pointers.

Chad Rorden (two), Andre Pinesett, Chase Cameron and Todd

Lowenthal all connected from beyond the arc before intermission,

helping the visitors hit half of their 22 field-goal attempts and

take control.

The other part of the winning equation for the Sailors was the

inside tandem of 6-foot-9 senior Nedim Pajevic and 6-6 junior Brett

Lowenthal. Pajevic paced the victors with 16 points, 18 rebounds and

six assists, while Brett Lowenthal added 10 points to lead the

remaining starters.

Brett Lowenthal will have to continue to carry a heavy load, since

sophomore forward Brett Perrine learned this week he will miss the

remainder of the season with a torn right ACL, sustained in the Jan.

31 win at Aliso Niguel.

“It’s huge to have (Brett Lowenthal) stay productive, so (opposing

teams) can’t double- and triple-team Nedim,” Hirst said. “With the

tough preseason schedule we had, the turmoil that came with the

disruption of our lineup (6-8 junior Jamie Diefenbach tore his ACL in

the fall and won’t play this season, while 6-8 senior George

Fedorovtsev transferred to Capistrano Valley over the summer), if

you’d have told me we’d be 8-1 in league at this point and playing

Woodbridge for the league title, I’d be happy with that. I’m very

proud of this group; not so much from a physical standpoint as much

as their character.”

After the uncharacteristic start, Newport settled down and

executed on both ends the final three periods. Offensively that meant

utilizing Pajevic, who has dominated inside against smaller league

foes.

Pajevic triggered a solid second-half start for the Sailors,

assisting on Brett Lowenthal’s layup, then scoring two inside buckets

of his own. Brett Lowenthal then added two inside baskets to round

out the Tars’ 10-point quarter.

“It’s OK for us to run things through Nedim, as long as our other

four guys are active,” Hirst said.

Laguna Hills’ ability to counter Pajevic inside was diminished by

the unavailability of 6-5 junior Karter Stone, who watched the game

in street clothes from the bench.

Brett Tillotson, a 6-6 junior, matched up most often with Pajevic,

scoring a team-high 11 points and collecting five rebounds. Stone,

replaced in the lineup by his brother, 6-4 freshman Zane Stone, leads

the Hawks (8-14, 3-6), averaging 15 points per game.

Rorden finished with eight, while Pinesett and Cameron added seven

points apiece.

Newport’s only league loss was a 57-36 drubbing at Woodbridge. The

Warriors (20-5, 8-1) defeated Foothill, 62-53, Friday to avenge its

only league setback. Newport Harbor defeated Woodbridge in the

regular-season finale to claim the Sea View crown last season.

“We’re glad to be playing at home (Wednesday),” Hirst said.