Newport Harbor girls' basketball blows out Savanna in home opener

Newport Harbor's Cydney Jover takes a shot over Savanna's Keayanah Labastida in a nonleague game on Tuesday in Newport Beach.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Nov. 19, 2019 11:54 PM PT

Nobody likes to celebrate a birthday alone.

The Newport Harbor High girls’ basketball team earned its second win in as many nights, giving starting point Cydney Jover multiple reasons to be in a celebratory mood.

On her 15th birthday, Jover had a team-high 13 points to lead the host Sailors to a 46-18 win over Savanna on Tuesday night in a nonleague game.

The Sailors improved to 2-0 on the season, having beaten Pacifica 51-37 on the road on Monday. After the home opener, the Sailors sung “Happy Birthday” to Jover.

Jover referred to her team as “family,” and her team’s quick start in the win column is exactly what she expected with myriad returners in the fold for Newport Harbor.

“It’s good because we started off with a good start last year, and we wanted the same this year,” Jover said. “We have a feeling that we will make it to playoffs this year, and I think we’re heading that way.

“Our team connection is really strong, and nothing can break us. There’s no beef. We just have a lot of chemistry between all of the girls.”

Newport Harbor’s returners include senior power forward Chloe Swanson, junior center Willa Rath and sophomore small forward Emma Fults. All three made their presence felt in the paint.

Swanson finished with six points, 15 rebounds and four steals. Rath had four points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, and Fults chipped in with four points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Newport Harbor's Emma Fults battles with Savanna's Chantyl Perry in a nonleague game on Tuesday.

Emma Coatsworth added five points and eight rebounds. She is one of three players on the team with a volleyball background, the other two being Swanson and Fults.

“It’s a skill I’ve acquired from volleyball, and it’s transferred over into basketball,” Swanson said of her rebounding prowess. “The repetitive jumping, jumping in volleyball and then jumping in basketball, it’s just translated over.”

Fiona Lin contributed eight points and two steals. Genevieve Perry scored six points, and Selena Muller had five assists.

Sailors coach Jillian Angell wanted to emphasize fast starts to avoid falling behind early in games. Against Savanna (0-1), she saw her team conclude the first quarter with a 13-0 lead.

Working with largely the same group as last season, the strategy has not changed for the Sailors. The objective is to play through the team’s post players.

“Our biggest thing is … focusing on points in the paint, getting it to my post [players], and being able to pull Emma [Fults] or Willa out at the [small forward position] and still be big,” Angell said. “Then, that will open up Cydney, Genevieve and Fiona for the three-pointers.”

Newport Harbor led 19-0 before Keayanah Labastida scored on a fastbreak layup to get the Rebels on the board with 5:13 to go in the second quarter.

Savanna played the Sailors evenly in the third quarter. The Rebels continued to compete the rest of the way, led by Chantyl Perry and Genesis Ramirez.

“Those are my two physical girls,” Rebels coach Isiah Emaguna said. “They know that I depend on them a lot. Unfortunately, they were in foul trouble, and it took a little bit longer to get them going.

“I’m looking forward to them learning from this lesson tonight.”

Perry had a team-high 11 points to go with seven rebounds and two steals. Ramirez had two points, 10 rebounds and three steals.

Monique Nevarez and Labastida also recorded three steals apiece for the Rebels.

Savanna pressed on defense until the final horn, which falls in line with what Emaguna wants to see.

“My method to it is that you have to work hard,” Emaguna said. “Put in the effort and the energy. Those are my two things that I always preach. Effort and energy, no matter what.”