Boys basketball: Tars Villa-fied

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - There was no gray area for the team in gray jerseys

Saturday night at Newport Harbor High.

The gray-clad Sailors, led visiting Villa Park early, trailed by two

at halftime and after three quarters, led by three early in the fourth

and were tied at 49 with 3:36 left in the semifinals of the George

Yardley Summer Cage Classic.

But the Spartans, with a little longer resume and a little more

experience in games that can make reputations, prevailed, 59-51.

The defeat, sealed by some careless passes a technical foul and enough

missed layups to make Sailor supporters grimace with regret, is yet

another stumble on Newport’s road to becoming one of the elite programs

in Orange County.

“You’re either ahead, or your behind, and we’re behind,” said Newport

Coach Larry Hirst, who politely declined to ponder whether another close

loss to the Spartans, who eliminated the Tars in last year’s CIF Southern

Section Division I-A quarterfinals, was any boys basketball badge of

honor.

“Villa Park shot the ball well (two crucial fourth-quarter

three-pointers) and made its free throws,” said Hirst, whose team lost

for the first time this summer and will play tonight at 5:30 for third

place. “But that’s why you invite these kind of teams to your tournament.

Villa Park is still one of the elite teams in Orange County and we’re

still playing catch-up.”

Senior Tony Melum paced the Tars with 29 points and nine rebounds,

while senior point guard Greg Perrine chipped in 11 points, six rebounds

and four assists.

Junior Nedim Pajevic had 10 rebounds and eight points, but it was not

enough to overcome Villa Park, which had four players in double figures.

A Pajevic layin knotted the score with 3:36 left, but Lloyd Cotton

turned an intercepted pass into a layin to spark a 10-2 Spartan run and

propel them into the tonight’s 7:30 title game.

Earlier Saturday, Newport Harbor rolled past Rancho Verde, 71-45, in

the quarterfinals.

Hirst benched all five starters seconds into the game for listless

play and, they apparently got the message. When they returned minutes

later, they went on a 20-2 run to bury the Mustangs.

Melum had 17 of his game-high 25 points by halftime and frontcourt

starters Jamie Diefenbach and Pajevic finished with eight points apiece,

as did starting guards Perrine and Chase Cameron.

Diefenbach added 13 rebounds and five blocks, while Melum had 10

boards and Perrine dished out eight assists.

The Sailors, who lost in last year’s tournament final to Mater Dei,

were without returning starter Erik Peterson Saturday.