Boys Roundup : Height Makes the Difference in Newport Win

Estancia High School Coach Joe Reid said the thought occurred to him at the start of the fourth quarter with his team deadlocked with Newport Harbor, 46-46, in the battle for first place in the Sea View League.

“I was watching the players line up for the jump ball and said to myself, ‘Both these teams have guts and great determination, but the final factor is going to be height,’ ” he said.

Reid was right. Newport Harbor utilized its height advantage to control the boards and block two key shots in the final 30 seconds to gain a 60-55 victory in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 1,200 fans in the Sailors’ gym.

Forward Alan Fraser was a force on the boards, scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. More importantly, he rebounded five missed shots and turned them into baskets against the smaller Eagles.

Fraser and reserve center Dean Sorenson, who both stand 6-feet 6-inches, also prevented Estancia center Scott Clements from scoring inside twice with the game on the line in the final minute.

The long and short of the outcome is that the Sailors gained sole possession of first place in the eight-team league with a 9-1 record with four games remaining. Two-time defending league champion Estancia slipped to second place with an 8-2 mark.

Estancia managed to stay close throughout the game with some excellent free throw shooting. The Eagles were 21 of 26 from the foul line with Adam Lockwood hitting 10 of 11 attempts. Meanwhile, Newport Harbor’s inability to make free throws in the final minute nearly cost the Sailors the game.

Forward Rob Mase missed the front end of four consecutive one-and-one opportunities but each time Estancia failed to capitalize. Guard Chuck McGavran finally wrapped up the victory with a driving layup at the buzzer as the capacity crowd spilled out onto the court.

“We make those free throws and we ice it, that’s it,” Newport Harbor Coach Jerry DeBusk said. “That was one of the better games I’ve ever been associated with. I don’t know what the difference was, but we had the will to win.

“I’ve never had a team win 20 games (the Sailors have won 18), win the league and make the playoffs in the same year. If we continue to play like this, we’ll do it.”

ESTANCIA (55)--Lockwood 18, Mooney 5, Clements 24, Van Doren 2, Stamps 6.

NEWPORT HARBOR (60)--Mase 15, Fraser 21, Beech 2, McGavran 12, James 3, A. Lee 2, M. Lee 2, Sorenson 3.