SEA VIEW LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Newport Harbor Survives

Newport Harbor High School survived a frantic comeback attempt by Corona del Mar for a 54-51 Sea View League victory Friday night at Newport Harbor.

With 10 seconds to go in the game, Corona del Mar trailed, 54-51. But Sea King point guard Mark Flint’s watched his three-point attempt bounce off the rim. Newport Harbor’s Ian Long rebounded.

Long, a 6-foot 7 senior center, fought off several Sea Kings as the clock ran out. A minor scuffle ensued, caused mostly by the 100 or so fans who ran onto the court.

“That was a typical Newport-Corona game,” Newport Harbor Coach Bob Serven said. “It (the scuffle) was a crappy way to end the game, though . . . those fools in the stands.

“But this is a great crowd. We’ve had some intense games together.”

Corona won the last meeting between the teams, 57-54, which might explain why the Sea Kings (13-8 overall, 4-2 in league play) seemed to be caught off guard in the first quarter.

Newport Harbor, led by Eddie Martinez’ 14 first-half points, used an intense zone defense to hold off the Corona del Mar early. Especially in the middle, where Sea King center Jeff Jackson was pressured all night by Long.

Corona del Mar, which trailed, 33-27 at halftime, opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run. Mark Flint scored on two consecutive baskets, and then Warren Johnson’s turnaround jumper tied the game, 33-33.

But Newport Harbor went on a 9-0 run to push its lead to 45-35 at the end the third quarter.

Corona del Mar outscored Newport Harbor, 16-9, in the final quarter and had cut Newport Harbor’s lead to two points on a three-pointer and a steal and layup by Johnson.

But Corona del Mar couldn’t find the range on the final play.

“We gave it a shot, (but) we had a couple of shots we should’ve made,” Sea King Coach Paul Orris said. “We don’t have anything to hang our heads about though. We’ll be back.”

Martinez led Newport Harbor (15-6, 4-2) with 19 points and Paig Parrish added 17. Both players made two three-pointers.

Flint and Johnson each scored 14 to lead the Sea Kings, and Jeff Jackson had 13.