Boys basketball: Perrine is fine in Tars win

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - The only missing ingredients were a three-point

swish and a better ovation when he left the game for the final time with

11 seconds left.

But Newport Harbor High senior boys basketball standout Greg Perrine

wasn’t about to complain about his unexpected, yet unmitigated return to

the Sailors’ lineup Wednesday night against nonleague visitor Edison

(4-2).

A little more than four months -- no less than 134 often excruciating

days -- after he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament the final week

of the summer schedule, the 6-foot-1 point guard not only started, but

led the Tars to a 57-46 come-from-behind triumph in his first game this

season.

Perrine, a third-year starter who earned second-team All-Sea View

League honors last season, then blossomed into a college prospect over

the offseason before getting hurt, finished with a team-high 14 points

and six assists. He hit 4 of 8 field-goal attempts, including his first

two, and drained 6 of 7 foul shots. He also collected three rebounds,

three steals and one blocked shot.

“I thought he looked pretty good,” Newport Coach Larry Hirst, who had

downplayed talk of Perrine returning before late February, if at all,

managed to say with a straight face.

“I think the adrenaline may have been flowing a little on some of his

shots (0 for 3 from three-point range), but I think even that proves he

was ready.”

Perrine, cleared to practice full speed only last week, sprinted,

slashed, leaped and cut through stop signs Hirst set before him, hoping

to ensure he was absolutely, positively fit, before stepping back into

game action.

“The doctor cleared him, our trainer cleared him, his parents cleared

him and he had two real good days of hard practice (Monday and Tuesday),”

Hirst said.

Perrine, who exhausted himself with thrice-weekly rehabilitation

sessions that followed reconstructive surgery, said he was just pleased

the Sailors, who went 5-2 without their floor leader, earned the victory.

A swarming zone defense, implemented by Hirst at halftime, was one

leading reason the Tars outscored the Chargers, 33-16, to turn around a

30-24 halftime deficit.

But Perrine’s nine second-half points and clearly surging confidence

were also huge positives for the hosts.

Even Edison Coach Rich Boyce, formerly at Estancia, said he was

gratified by Perrine’s return.

“Even though he hurt us, it was good to see Perrine out there,” Boyce

said.

Perrine gave Newport rooters a brief scare when he got up gingerly

after falling during a third-quarter layup. He quickly signaled for a

replacement and limped slightly to the bench.

He returned to action, however, and later said it was only a “tweak”

that scared him more than anything.

He returned to the game and clinched the victory with four free throws

in the final minute, before exiting to muffled applause.

Maybe the Newport rooters had already grown accustomed to his

presence.

NONLEAGUE

Newport Harbor 57, Edison 46

Score by Quarters

Edison 16 14 5 11 - 46

Newport Harbor 18 6 15 18 - 57

Edison - Furniss 9, Braun 6, Nehrig 8, Roquemore 15, Donegan 2, Huff

6.

3-pt. goals - Huff 2, Roquemore 1.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.

Newport Harbor - Melum 11, Peterson 7, Pajevic 6, Perrine 14, Cameron

8, Diefenbach 8, Rorden 2, Pinesett 1, Boyd 0, Melgar 0.

3-pt. goals - Cameron 2.

Fouled out - none.

Technicals - none.