Sailors induce Knights’ fall

Barry Faulkner

Sometimes making your own breaks can best be accomplished by making

your opponent break down.

Hoping to break into the upper echelon of the Sea View League in

Friday’s league boys basketball opener, visiting Newport Harbor High

did exactly that in a 57-50 triumph over Foothill.

“I think our kids are starting to believe our ball pressure pays

dividends,” said Newport Harbor Coach Larry Hirst, whose team has now

won five of its last six to improve to 9-7.

“We were really, really nervous about [the Knights’] shooters.

They got shots up, but I think they were a little farther out than

they’re used to. And I think we had a hand up on 90% of them.”

The Sailors defense did more than affect Foothill’s shooting as

the Knights committed 21 turnovers, including 12 in the first half,

when the Sailors took a 30-24 lead.

Still, shooting helped the Knights (8-9) stay close, as they hit

10 of 17 field-goal attempts in the first two quarters (58.8%) and

were 15 of 27 from the field through three periods (55.6%).

The Knights capitalized on a brief shooting slump by the Sailors

to open the second half with an 10-0 run that gave them a 34-30 lead.

But the Sailors, who missed their first seven second-half

field-goal attempts, answered with a 7-0 spurt of their own in the

final 2:50 of the third quarter, capped by a three-point bank shot

from the top of the key as the buzzer sounded by junior guard Tony

Yaghjian.

Newport’s Dennis Heenan sank a 16-foot jumper on the inbounds play

to open the fourth quarter to up Harbor’s lead to 39-34 and the

visitors relied on composure, timely defense and clutch free throws

to create some momentum heading into Wednesday’s early showdown at

league favorite Aliso Niguel.

The Sailors, who netted 5 of 6 first-half foul shots, dropped in

11 of 12 in the final 7:08 to hold the Knights at bay. Junior Dennis

Heenan was 6 of 6 in the final 30 seconds and senior Brett Perrine

accounted for the other five fourth-quarter free throws.

Senior Taylor Young, however, was at the center of the victory for

the Sailors. The 6-foot-3 forward, a returning first-team all-league

and Newport-Mesa Dream Team honoree, produced a game-high 17 points,

despite missing about five minutes of the second half due to foul

trouble.

Young also paced the Sailors with six steals and six rebounds and

was ever present at crunch time.

Young, who finished 7 of 10 from the field, drained a

three-pointer with 4:39 remaining to put the Tars up, 46-39.

After Foothill cut it to 46-43, he banked in a putback to up the

lead to five.

Young’s well-placed entry lob to Perrine led to two Perrine free

throws with 1:08 left and Young’s diving steal with 1:00 left helped protect the lead and the victory.

Heenan, who chipped in five rebounds, had 13 points off the bench,

while Perrine finished with nine points and five boards.

Senior Alex Orth had seven points and his physical brand of

defense clearly frustrated his Foothill foes.

“The league opener is always tough,” Hirst said. “We do a lot of

scouting and had a lot of preparation. But, to their credit, I think

our players absorbed the defensive scheme [assistant coach] Bryan

Cottriel put together for them.”

Foothill, coached first-year head man Rusty Van Cleave, a former

Estancia High assistant, finished 50% from the field.

Sea View League

Newport Harbor 57, Foothill 50

Score by Quarters

*--*

Newport 15 15 7 20 -- 57

Foothill 12 12 10 16 -- 50

*--*

Newport Harbor -- Young 17, Perrine 9, Koon 6, Slater 2, Orth 7,

Heenan 13, Yaghjian 3, Nasca 0, Stevens 0.

3-pt. goals -- Heenan 1. Young 1, Yaghjian 1, Orth 1.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

Foothill -- Banales 7, Bradtke 9, Fullmer 11, Reiten 4, Andrews 8,

Visbal 5, Gonzalez 4, Martin 2.

3-pt. goals -- Fullmer 1, Visbal 1, Bradtke 1.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.