Newport Harbor wins Century Elks Holiday Classic

Reporting from Santa Ana —  The Newport Harbor High boys’ basketball team is on a run of historic proportions.

Sailors coach Bob Torribio said that he has enjoyed every moment of the season, even the one loss that his team has suffered thus far.

Newport Harbor set a school record with its 14th consecutive win in defeating Sunny Hills 67-54 on Saturday night in the championship game of the Century Elks Holiday Classic.

The previous record of 13 straight wins had been established during the 2015-16 season.

Senior forward Dayne Chalmers had a team-high 17 points to go with four rebounds and three assists. He had eight first-quarter points as the Sailors (18-1) jumped out to a 21-12 lead at the end of the opening period.

The Sailors displayed balance throughout their lineup, with six players providing at least two field goals. All six of those players also made at least one three-pointer.

“We have a lot of pieces on our team, and we just fit well together,” Chalmers said. “I think that our chemistry and how we play together is really important for us, and it’s been working, so we’ll keep doing it.”

Junior shooting guard Robbie Spooner had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Senior center Will Harvey added 16 points and five rebounds, giving the Sailors three players that scored in double figures.

“Our team does a great job of distributing the ball,” Spooner said. “That’s what it comes down to. We play as a team. We play really hard on the defensive end, which gets us out in transition and easier buckets.

“It really starts on the defensive end with our hustle. I don’t know how many steals that we had tonight, but that helped us on the offensive end.”

The Sailors had seven steals against the Lancers (12-8), and their length made it tough on Sunny Hills to get into the paint. Senior forward Luke Hosozawa had a game-high 23 points for the Lancers, but he only scored seven points after halftime.

Senior point guard Sam Barela had nine points, six assists and two steals. The steady hand of Newport Harbor’s backcourt was named the MVP of the tournament.

In regards to being named MVP, Barela said that it was a team award and that “a lot of guys could have deserved it.”

Chalmers and Spooner also received all-tournament selections from Newport Harbor.

“They all play so well together because they’re all so unselfish,” Torribio said. “When you’re unselfish and competitive, and you can make some shots, you’re going to have some good nights.

“We just kind of have had some good nights so far this season, and we’re going to try to keep it going.”

Newport Harbor now has tournament titles in the St. Margaret’s Tartan Classic and the Century Elks Holiday Classic to its credit.

The Sailors will return to the court on Jan. 4 to host Huntington Beach in a Sunset Conference crossover game.

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Century Elks Holiday Classic

Newport Harbor 67, Sunny Hills 54

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Sunny Hills 12 – 15 – 12 – 15 — 54

Newport Harbor 21 – 14 – 16 – 16 — 67

SH – Hosozawa 23, Kim 10, Park 8, Canela 7, Cal 6.

3-pt. goals – Kim 2, Park 2, Canela 2, Hosozawa 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

NH – Chalmers 17, Harvey 16, Spooner 14, Barela 9, Firey 6, Darrow 5.

3-pt. goals – Firey 2, Harvey 2, Spooner 2, Chalmers 1, Darrow 1, Barela 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

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