Boys basketball: Tars visit Brea for II-AA clash

Barry Faulkner

BREA OLINDA - For years, Newport Harbor High boys basketball

coaches have begun their preleague schedule without the services of

several athletes still taking part in the football playoffs.

Now, Larry Hirst, in his fifth season as the school’s hoops helmsman, is

making a habit of forcing his spring coaching colleagues to wait their

turn for his athletes, as well.

When the Sailors (18-8) visit Brea Olinda (21-6) tonight, for a CIF

Southern Section Division II-AA second-round game at 7:30, they’ll be

attempting to win a second playoff game for only the third time in the

program’s 70-season history.

The Tars won twice in last year’s playoffs, en route to the II-AA

quarterfinals, where they would venture again with a victory over the

well-rounded Wildcats. The only other time Harbor won two playoff

contests was 1985.

It won’t be easy against the Orange League champions, who finished the

regular season ranked No. 10 in Orange County. The Wildcats handled

Torrance, 80-68, in Friday’s first round, have won five straight and 11

of their last 12.

Harbor opened its fourth straight postseason Friday with a 53-45 home

triumph over Gahr, a team Brea has defeated twice this season (79-74 and

70-62).

“It’s a typical Brea team,” Hirst said. “They can all shoot the ball,

including their center. We went and watched them play a league game (Jan.

26), when we had a bye, and they were good. They’re well-disciplined,

they execute well and they play good defense.”

Hirst knows of Terry’s work firsthand, having lost to the Wildcats last

season, 61-36, in the championship game of the Edison Holiday Festival at

the Anaheim Convention Center. It’s the most lopsided loss in the Tars’

last 66 games.

The Sailors will hope to slow Brea down with defense. The Wildcats are

averaging 73.3 points per game and have scored at least 80 eight times,

with a high of 103.

Harbor is averaging 50 points as a team and has exceeded the 60-point

mark only three times, with a high of 84.

Hirst said his team will also need to break out of a late-season funk,

which has seen them lose three of their last seven.

“With the exception of a (60-50 win over Aliso Niguel Feb. 11), I think

our kids would tell you we’re not playing our best basketball right now,”

Hirst said.

The Tars are paced by 6-foot-4 senior Dustin Illingworth, a four-year

varsity performer averaging 20 points and nearly eight rebounds per game.

Junior guard Aaron Yarnal (15.2 ppg) has also been a key, while 6-6

sophomore center Tony Melum is contributing 8.8 points and 4.6 rebounds

per contest.

“They key for us all year has been having two guys who average about five

or six points step up and score 10,” Hirst said.

The Sailors could be without senior forward Sean Rorden (4.9 ppg), who is

questionable with an unspecified foot injury.

Brea is paced by the guard trio of Ryan Wilbur, a 6-5 senior, 6-5 junior

Ryan Moore and 6-2 junior Landon Lewis. The trio averages a combined 49

points and 19 rebounds per game.

The Wildcats also feature 6-6 senior Kirt Reimer (six points and six

boards per game) and senior Chase Ulicny (six points and six assists per

outing).

Tonight’s winner would meet either second-seeded Chaparral (25-3) or

Valencia (13-14) in Friday’s quarterfinal.