Sailors edged in defensive battle

Loss to El Toro in semifinals will enable Newport Harbor to see most of the football team’s title game.NEWPORT BEACH -- If the Newport Harbor boys’ basketball team defeated El Toro in the semifinals of the Bill Reynolds Classic on Friday night, it would have played in the championship game tonight at 7:30 p.m. and missed the football team’s CIF title game.

It was a trade-off the Sailors would have been willing to make.

“We hope we have to miss the football game,” Newport Harbor Coach Larry Hirst said before the game. “That would mean we’re in the championship game.”

The Sailors came close to making it happen, but a 14-0 run to open the third quarter was enough for El Toro to emerge with a 48-40 victory at Newport Harbor High.

As it is, the Sailors will play in the tournament’s third-place game at 6 p.m. today at Fullerton High, then rush to the football team’s title game against Placentia Valencia at Orange Coast College, which will already be in progress.

“Hopefully, we’ll have our priorities straight on which is more important,” Hirst said.

Newport Harbor (3-1) switched from a zone to a man-to-man defense to keep El Toro’s outside shooters at bay, and had some success. When the Chargers went inside to Utah-bound 7-foot-2 center David Foster, a swarming Sailors defense double- and triple-teamed him. The Sailors held Foster to 12 points and 10 rebounds.

But El Toro (4-0) opened the game with a 9-0 run and the third quarter with a 14-0 run.

“I think our spurt in the third quarter was the difference,” El Toro Coach Todd Dixon said.

After El Toro’s 9-0 opening run, the Sailors responded with a 10-0 burst, highlighted by two three-pointers by Dennis Heenan, who had a game-high 18 points

After the Chargers’ third-quarter spurt, the Sailors responded with a 9-0 run. Heenan’s 12-foot jump shot pulled Newport to within seven points early in the fourth quarter.

“Things got a little physical in the third quarter and we missed some key free throws in the fourth,” Hirst said. “But we kept scratching and clawing.”

After Parker Stevens took a charge with 4:04 left in the game, Heenan knocked down a three-pointer to again pull the Sailors to within seven, but that was as close as they’d get. A jump-hook by Foster and a three-pointer by Drew Burns -- El Toro’s only one of the game -- widened the lead once again.

“We have good outside shooters, but we weren’t hitting our threes tonight,” Dixon.

“We were trying to mix it up on defense, trying to keep their shooters on their heels,” Hirst said. “I think we got them to hesitate a bit, but sometimes that got us out of rebounding position.”

Heenan led Newport with six rebounds. Foster had six blocked shots for El Toro.

Bill Reynolds Classic

Semifinals

El Toro 48,

Newport Beach 40

Score by Quarters