DIVISION III-AA : Sailors Get Easy Victory

Genevieve Evarts and Gina Heads wiped their faces and walked to the sideline slowly as they had so many times before.

This time, however, things were different.

The Newport Harbor High senior guards had played their final home game, and Sailor Coach Shannon Jakosky was not going to let the moment go unnoticed. Jakosky grabbed her charges before they reached the bench and embraced them as their fans applauded.

It was a picturesque ending to a picture-perfect game for Newport Harbor, which routed visiting El Dorado, 59-32, Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Division III-AA girls’ basketball playoffs.

The Sailors (21-6) advanced to their third consecutive berth in the division semifinals. Newport Harbor will play Newbury Park Saturday night at a site to be determined.

The Sailors, as usual, were led by their standout backcourt.

Evarts, the team’s leading scorer with a 16-point average, scored a game-high 19 points and Heads had 15 points and five steals. Their defense played a big part in the Sailors’ limiting El Dorado to three points in the second quarter.

“My two seniors are something,” Jakosky said of Evarts and Heads. “Those two young ladies have accomplished a lot.”

Newport Harbor led by 10 at halftime, 25-15, and was not challenged in the second half. The Sailors’ lead grew to 39-21 with 2 minutes 50 seconds left in the third quarter on a layup by Melissa Schutz (12 points). Newport Harbor outscored El Dorado in the fourth quarter, 17-6.

“Our man defense really slowed them down,” Heads said. “Shannon told us that would happen and it did.”

Said Evarts: “This is so awesome. We want to go all the way this time.”

The Golden Hawks, who were second in the Empire League, finished the season 18-8.

El Dorado was hurt by center Shanna Renken’s foul trouble. Renken, who committed three fouls in the first quarter, watched much of the game from the bench and scored only five points.

“We started slow and we lost our best player real early,” Golden Hawks Coach Gary Raya said. “It was just too much to overcome.”

Jamie Nebeker scored 12 points for the Golden Hawks.

In another Division III-AA game:

Brea-Olinda 85, Magnolia 15--The top-seeded Ladycats (27-0) led by 50 at halftime. Lee Moulin had a season-high five three-pointers and scored a game-high 17. Nicole Erickson had 16 for Brea-Olinda, which plays unseeded Torrance Bishop Montgomery in the semifinals Saturday.