Sailors are oh so close

NEWPORT BEACH — Newport Harbor High’s guards chased, grabbed and shoved Edison sharpshooter Kyle Boswell as if he was some fugitive on the court.

Michael Helfrich and Taylor Friend, responsible for Boswell, looked glued to Boswell. The only thing glued tighter was the Band Aid above center Kyle Caldwell’s left eye, covering a cut suffered in a previous Sunset League game.

Wherever the Edison sophomore went, they were on his tail.

But with the game on the line Wednesday night, Boswell called for the ball around the three-point line. Once the pass came he backed up, leaving him all alone with Helfrich. Far away from the basket, Boswell didn’t settle for another dazzling jumper. He penetrated from up top before going to his right for a layup that the 6-foot-9 Caldwell swatted away.

With the Sailors going nuts, Caldwell was called for goal-tending, quieting the home crowd and giving Boswell the game-winning basket with 20.2 seconds left. The Chargers walked away with a 63-62 league win after Newport Harbor missed its last two shots, neither of which Caldwell attempted.

That wasn’t as stunning as the performance turned in by Boswell. He elevated his game each time it called for him to do so, scoring 14 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter.

With Helfrich and Friend in foul trouble with four fouls each, sharing the duty of containing Boswell appeared frustrating. One substituted for the other when one picked up a quick foul, making it seem like each spent as much time on the court as if either was in the 10-items-or-less-checkout line at the grocery store.

At least none of the seniors stood in Boswell’s face when he nailed a three-pointer while being fouled eight seconds into the fourth.

Boswell converted the four-point play at the free-throw line, a signal that the Chargers (10-8, 2-0 in league) were on their way to charging back. They had trailed since the 2:13 mark in the second quarter until Boswell knocked down his second three-pointer in the fourth, giving Edison a 54-53 lead and forcing Newport Harbor Coach Larry Hirst to shake his head on the sideline.

Newport Harbor is 0-2 in the competitive league. Last year, it won its first four league games before finishing tied for second place with Edison at 5-5.

Before the week started, Hirst told his Sailors (10-7) to get ready for a long week at home. Next is a league game Friday against vastly improved Fountain Valley (10-7, 0-2), followed by Saturday’s Battle of the Bay against Corona del Mar (11-5), the defending CIF Southern Section Division III-A champion.

“There’s nothing more that we can do. We had a hand in his face,” said Hirst of defending Boswell. “He was on fire. We knew he scored his share of points, but we tried to make him work hard for every point.

“I give Boswell credit, not only can he shoot the ball, but he’s also very good at drawing the foul. That’s truly a gift.”

Boswell made sure to wrap it up for Edison late. He missed matching his career-high by two points, but he accounted for 14 of the Chargers’ 20 points in the final quarter.

Even when Newport Harbor helped Helfrich out late with Caldwell sliding away from the paint, Boswell buried a three-pointer over someone eight inches taller with 2:03 left to put Edison ahead, 61-57.

Caldwell, who finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, said he figured afterward that Boswell “missed like three or four shots.”

Boswell actually missed more, converting 13 of his 22 shots.

“I knew they were going to watch my shot,” said Boswell, who went into the game averaging 22.7 points per game. “They were face-guarding me the whole game. Their job was just not looking at the ball.”

The Sailors couldn’t down the stretch, as every time Boswell shot he bailed his team out with money shots.

Sunset League

Edison 63, Newport Harbor 62

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Ed – K. Boswell 32, Ferraro 10, Capriccio 10, Eberts 7, Viles 2, Garrity 2.

3-pt. goals – K. Boswell 3.

Fouled out – Eberts.

Technicals – None.

NH – Caldwell 24, Helfrich 9, Volz 7, Kuhns 7, Friend 7, Whiteside 6, Galey 2.

3-pt. goals – Friend 2, Helfrich 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.