Aim High Elite wins tourney title

The Aim High Hoops Elite Basketball Club’s boys’ 12U team won the SPK Bad Boys of the Beach title in its division last weekend in Harbor City.

Going undefeated heading into the championship game, Aim High displayed a solid performance by defeating Team Loyalty Basketball, 54-4, South Bay Basketball, 42-20, and a come-from-behind victory against 5 on Five, 38-33, before matching up with MOC in the championship game.

The tile game featured the aggressive defense by Aim High to beat MOC, 64-44, to take home another championship trophy for the season.

The club was led by the stellar play throughout the tournament by Luke Vafiadis (12.5 points, 10 rebounds), Mikey Ruiz (7.5 points, three rebounds and four steals), Shan Dharod (6.5 points, 5.5 assists), Kyle Hatch (five points, three steals and 2.5 assists), Chris Cox (six points, 7.5 rebounds), Nick Ursini (four points, four steals and two assists), Sebastian Hooshmand (six points, five rebounds and two blocks) and Turner Maza (two points and three steals).

Dharod hit four three-pointers in the final minutes, while the backcourt combination of Ruiz and Hatch took care of business on the defensive end and Vafiadis with Cox dominated the boards for Aim High to overcome an 11-point deficit to send Aim High into the title game.

Contributing off the bench, Ursini, Maza and Hooshmand provided key minutes and depth throughout the weekend tournament for Aim High.

The Aim High Hoops Elite boys’ 12U were coached by Daniel Lim and will play next in the SGV Tournament July 9-10.

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Team makes solid debut

For the first time in Newport Beach Little League history, Newport Beach fielded a 9-year-old team in the District 55 All-Stars Tournament.

The 12 players were chosen from the Newport Beach League American Division of six teams. Aliso Viejo was the host of the tourney in which Newport Beach came out hitting, defeating Central Irvine, 15-3.

Pitchers Christian Schwartz, Braiden Hook and Caden McMackin performed at a high level and were backed by a stellar defense of center fielder Luke Joyce, second baseman Griffin Snider, shortstop David Adelsberg, catcher Nolan Rhodes and third baseman Dominic WIlliams.

In the second game, Newport Beach American faced off with its counterpart Newport Beach National. Players and parents from both sides are good friends and showed excellent sportsmanship in a nailbiter, with Newport National winning, 7-6.

Pitchers Williams, Hook, Chris Rosensitto and Joyce once gain pitched well, but it was Newport Beach National lefty Matt Duma who kept the hot hitting American team in check.

Liam Ganion was just one of many batters who hit the ball hard.

Newport American then faced Northwood and with Williams on the mound and fine defense displayed by shortstop Shane Premer, outfielder Michael Etchandy, third baseman Ganion and first baseman Schwartz, Newport American kept it close. However, Northwood took the lead, 5-3, in the fourth inning. Newport American scratched back a run in the bottom half. In the bottom of the fifth inning, with a runner on second base and two outs, left handed hitter Hook lined a double into the right center field gap, driving in the tying run. After stealing third base, Hook scrambled home on a wild pitch to put Newport American up 6-5. Then Joyce, Ganion, Schwartz, Rhodes, Williams joined the hit parade. Premer came into the game with the bases loaded to nail down the victory. Newport won 11-8.

The NBLL American team then faced eventual District 55 champion Aliso Viejo. Pitchers Schwartz, Hook, Ethcandy, Rosensitto, MacMackin, Premer and MacMackin all pitched valiantly, but the big bats of Aliso Viejo won this battle. RBI hits were contributed by Hook, MacMackin, and Joyce.

The team was managed by Reed MacMackin and assisted by Schwartz and Ganion.

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OCC to run hoops camps

Orange Coast College will offer a pair of Youth Skills Basketball Camps for boys and girls from July 11 to July 15.

A morning session will be tailored for players ages 7 to 12, while teens age 13 to 17 can sign up for the afternoon camp. Camp directors are Steve Spencer, OCC’s men’s head basketball coach, and assistant coach Yee Tran. Each camper should wear basketball shoes, t-shirt, shorts and bring a water bottle. Basketballs will be provided.

Registration for the camp is $125 and $75 for an additional sibling. The registration includes a camp T-shirt.

For more information contact Tran at (714) 376-3400 or email him at dcoast24@hotmail.com. There is also information at https://www.orangecoastcollege.edu/, at the athletics site for men’s basketball, and the link, “basketball camp.”

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