Edison downs Tars

Bryce Alderton

Newport Harbor High boys basketball coach Larry Hirst’s ties to

Edison run deep, but, for one night, he wanted his team to make the

march onward.

It didn’t happen as the visiting Chargers -- coached by Rich

Boyce, the former Estancia head man and close friend of Hirst --

ended Newport’s season with a convincing 61-47 wild-card victory

Wednesday to advance to the first round of the CIF Southern Section

Division II-AA playoffs.

The Sailors (14-12), the Sea View League’s third-place team, led,

15-10, at the end of the first quarter, but the Chargers (13-10), an

at-large squad from the Sunset League, outscored them the rest of the

way, 51-32.

“It was a tough matchup for us [Wednesday night],” Hirst said. “We

knew they had shooters and that has been our nemesis the whole year.

Teams that shoot the ball well all year caused us the most problems.”

The Chargers shot 22 of 36 from the field (61.1%), including 8 of

15 from three-point range (53.3%). Anthony Reid led Edison with 15

points, including five three-pointers.

Sophomore Dennis Heenan led the Sailors (14-12) with 13 points

while junior Taylor Young added a double-double (11 points, 10

rebounds) to go with 10 points by Brett Perrine.

But the Sailors, playing in their first wild card game in Hirst’s

nine seasons, couldn’t sustain any offensive consistency and found

themselves in severe foul trouble.

Young played the final 13 minutes, 51 seconds with four fouls

while starting senior center Chad MacBeth fouled out with 1:31 left

in the third quarter.

Newport trailed, 40-31, when MacBeth fouled out and Edison went on

a 7-2 run to close the third period, capped by a 23-foot threeball

from Joe Ziemann at the buzzer.

The Sailors got to within 50-37 on an Alex Orth layup, but then

went scoreless the next 3:22 and the Chargers had a comfortable 55-40

lead with 3:10 remaining.

“It was just one of those games,” Hirst said. “Every time we had a

break or a chance to be in the game, something went the other way.”

The Sailors jumped to a 7-0 lead, getting two three-pointers from

Heenan in that span, and built their largest lead at 15-7, before the Chargers went on a 21-4 run during the first half to take a 28-21

lead. Newport went 6:39 without a field goal in that span.

“We played hard, got in the passing lanes and hit shots when we

needed to hit them,” said Boyce, who commended the Sailors for

showing grit until the end. “We played hard and they played hard.

Larry had them ready.”

Hirst played and coached at Edison and saw many familiar faces in

the stands.

“I coached most of [the Chargers’] older brothers,” Hirst said.

“The hardest thing is seeing familiar faces in the stands and on the

court.”

Perrine added three blocks while MacBeth tallied six rebounds

before fouling out.

“I’m proud of the guys who wanted to be here until the end,” Hirst

said. “These kids can hold their heads high.”

Newport battled despite losing one of their starters who was

academically ineligible and going through most of the season without

Jamie Diefenbach, a 6-foot-8 senior who tore the anterior cruciate

ligament in his left knee in December.

*--*

CIF Division II-AA Wild Card

Edison 61, Newport Harbor 47

Score by Quarters

Edison 10 21 16 14 -- 61

Newport 15 6 12 14 -- 47

Edison -- Reed 15, Feducia 2, Marcin 5,

Ziemann 4, Lipold 6, Golden 5, Wright 9,

Brinker 0, Farmer 2, Gage 8, White 5. 3-pt.

goals - Reed 5, Gage 1, Wright 1, Golden 1.

Fouled out -- Marcin. Technicals -- None.

Newport -- Slater 1, Young 11, MacBeth 2,

Heenan 13, Orth 10, Perrine 10, Hunter 0,

Gausewitz 0, Holbrook 0, Allee 0. 3-pt. goals

-- Heenan 3. Fouled out -- MacBeth.

Technicals -- None.

*--*