Sailors run out of gas

Steve Virgen

Newport Harbor High Coach Jen Thompson has her girls basketball

team motivated to reach the CIF Playoffs, but there is still at least

one problem to correct.

“We’re still learning about pressure situations and how to handle

it,” Thompson said after the Sailors lost their Sea View League

opener to visiting Foothill, 49-41, Thursday.

Newport (9-7) fell behind, 40-29, with 7:35 left, after the

Knights (12-3) completed a 9-0 run in a 4:11 span. However, the

Sailors went on a 7-0 run to pull the deficit to 40-36 with 3:56

left. That’s when the pressure situation came, and that’s when

Newport didn’t respond.

The Sailors committed four turnovers down the stretch and Foothill

went on a 9-5 burst to hold on to the win.

“We came out slow in the third quarter,” Thompson said. “We didn’t

get out on their shooter (Jenna Horton, who scored 20 points). She

was hitting three-pointers. We didn’t respond to that.”

Horton nailed a school-record five three-pointers. She went 3 for

3 from beyond the arc in the third quarter, helping Foothill build a

38-29 lead.

Newport’s leading scorer was junior Jillianne Whitfield, who

contributed 19 points, including 10 in the first quarter, when the

Sailors earned a 14-9 advantage. Whitfield also grabbed nine rebounds

and shot 4 of 6 from the free-throw line. She scored Newport’s first

seven points.

“She played well,” Thompson said of Whitfield. “She’s a strong

player. She was driving to the basket and she stepped up for us.”

Newport junior Athena Vasquez scored eight points, recorded four

steals and grabbed five rebounds.

“I thought we had a good first half,” Thompson continued. “We were

playing good defense, our shots were falling and we were just

hustling.”

The Sailors created several turnovers in the first half, as their

full-court pressure defense caused problems for the Knights. Yet,

Foothill, a new entry of the Sea View League, stayed with Newport.

There were six ties in the first half.

The score was, 9-9, with 45 seconds left in the first quarter, but

Newport got a quick basket from senior Lindsey Woller. Then, 13

seconds later, Woller drew an offensive foul, allowing one last

possession for Newport. Whitfield took advantage and hit a bank-shot

well behind the three-point line to beat the first-quarter buzzer.

The Knights tied the game three times in the second quarter, at

14, 16 and 18, until Whitifeld scored three straight to give the

Sailors a 21-18 lead. But, Foothill closed out the half with a 7-0

run to grab a 25-21 halftime lead.

“A couple of years ago they weren’t playing like this,” Foothill

Coach Vince Namba said. “They have made so much progress here. When

they come to our place I’m sure they’ll know what to do with us and

I’m sure it will be a dogfight again.”