Boys basketball: Sailors advance to quarterfinals

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - There were moments it seemed like summer league,

but other times Newport Harbor High’s Sailors looked in peak form Friday

night.

For their effort -- defeating Calabasas, 62-45, in the second round of

the George Yardley Summer Cage Classic -- the host Sailors get a rematch

of an earlier championship game.

The Tars will square off today against Rancho Verde in the Yardley

Classic quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. Rancho Verde advanced with a 64-57 win

over Katella.

The tournament’s semifinals are tonight at two locations, with the

title game slated for Sunday at Newport Harbor at 6 p.m.

Three weeks ago, Newport Harbor beat Rancho Verde, 67-59, in the

Rancho Verde Tournament final.

“That game was real close,” Newport Harbor Coach Larry Hirst said.

To advance against Calabasas, which defeated Edison in the first

round, the Sailors rode the shoulders of Tony Melum (18 points), Nedim

Pajevic (nine rebounds and six assists) and Greg Perrine (15 points and

four steals), while Chasen Cameron and Chad Rorden netted second-half

three-pointers for the Tars.

“(Calabasas) was a better test for us (than the first round),” said

Hirst, whose team defeated Morro Bay, 87-55, in the opening round Friday.

“I thought it was good when we came out and got some (scoring) spurts.

You need to have those spurts, because you have some down moments. It was

a typical summer basketball game. We overcame ourselves.”

Newport Harbor’s initial spurt lasted most of the first quarter as the

hosts built a 19-4 lead. Melum scored 10 of his points in the period.

The Sailors’ biggest lead of the first half, 31-15, came after two

Melum baskets and a steal and subsequent layup by Cameron.

In the third quarter, Perrine heated up, netting all three of his

field-goal attempts, including a three-pointer with 4:15 on the clock, which was followed by teammate Ben Boyd’s putback to give the Tars a

42-22 edge.

Early in the fourth, Cameron canned a three for the hosts’ largest

lead, 51-28.

GEORGE YARDLEY SUMMER CAGE CLASSIC

Second round

Newport Harbor 62, Calabasas 45

Score by Quarters

Calabasas 6 11 9 19 - 45

Newport Harbor 19 12 17 14 - 62 Calabasas - Verrillo 4, Saunders 14, Saee 2, Wilson 9, Malatesta 3,

Rager 6, Hoffman 7.

3-pt. goals - Wilson 1, Malatesta 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technical fouls - Coach Russell White, Calabasas bench.

Newport Harbor - Perrine 15, Melum 18, Pajevic 2, Rorden 4, Boyd 3,

Cameron 7, Diefenbach 4, Fortier 2, Glassic 2, Rothwell 2, Tully 2.

3-pt. goals - Perrine 2, Cameron 1, Rorden 1.

Fouled out - None.

Technical fouls - None.