Newport Harbor boys' basketball beats Edison as teams share Surf League title

Newport Harbor’s Ryan Miller, left, grabs a rebound over Edison’s Luke Serven during a Surf League game on Wednesday in Newport Beach.

By Matt SzaboStaff Writer

Feb. 5, 2020 10:34 PM PT

An excellent team effort by the Newport Harbor High boys’ basketball team was followed by a coin flip Wednesday night.

Coach Bob Torribio was more interested in the former than the latter.

Needing a win to earn a share of the Surf League title, Newport Harbor clamped down defensively against visiting Edison in the league finale. And, on senior night, two seniors carried the load offensively.

Senior forward Robbie Spooner scored all 18 of his points in the second half and senior forward Luke Bashore added 16 points, and the Sailors earned a 50-29 victory over the Chargers.

Edison (17-11, 4-2 in league) was trying to win the outright league title, but the Chargers will share it with Newport Harbor (22-6, 4-2). Additionally, Edison coach Rich Boyce said that Newport Harbor won a postgame coin flip to earn the league’s No. 1 designation into the CIF Southern Section Division 2AA playoffs, which begin next week.

Newport Harbor’s Luke Bashore, left, blocks the shot of Edison’s Trey Wilborn, center, who runs into Newport Harbor’s Robbie Spooner during a Surf League game on Wednesday.

Torribio said he didn’t want to hear about the coin flip results until Thursday. He wanted time to celebrate the team’s third straight league title. After all four of the league’s teams shared it last year, the Sailors earned another split of it this year after holding Edison to a season-low 29 points.

“It’s easier to guard Edison when you’re making some shots,” Torribio said. “It’s hard to guard them when you’re not very efficient offensively and they get to run out on you. They’re so good, they’re so well-coached, they have so much firepower. The key is being patient and not turning the ball over. If you can guard them in the half-court, hopefully you catch them on an off night.”

Newport Harbor never trailed after the first quarter and outscored the Chargers 17-8 in the decisive third quarter. Spooner, who made none of his seven shots in the first half, made four three-pointers in the second half.

“I have confidence in myself, my teammates have confidence in me and I know I have the green light,” he said. “I’m not going to stop shooting.”

Newport Harbor’s Levi Darrow (11) pulls up for a short jumper as Luke Bashore (40) trails behind during a Surf League game against Edison on Wednesday.

Bashore scored 14 points in the first half for Newport Harbor, which got six points each from senior guard Ryan Miller and junior point guard Levi Darrow. Junior guard Luke Barnes provided a spark off the bench with a team-high eight rebounds, as well as three blocked shots.

“It’s the end of the year, right?” Torribio said. “The juniors are seniors and the seniors are college kids now. Barnes showed that tonight. He’s real long, and he’s a real intelligent basketball player. Tonight, he proved that he’s ready to go for his senior year and into the playoffs.”

Junior forward Connor Collins led Edison with 10 points, and junior guard Jackie Kwok had eight, including two three-pointers.

Boyce said it was perhaps difficult for his team to get up for the final league game, knowing that it already had clinched a share of the league title. Edison scored just 13 points in the second half.

“We had that kind of attitude for a couple of days of practice,” he said. “They’re high school kids, and sometimes they won’t play well. It was one of those nights. Not much we can do about it. We can’t cry over it; we’ve just got to get better.

“It’s a good league. It’s always competitive. You know you’ve got to bring it every night if you want to win, and we didn’t bring it tonight.”

Both teams await the release of the CIF playoff brackets on Sunday.