A local pair of champs

Connor Turnbow-Lindenstadt and Jackson Seybold III helped lead the Orange County Water Polo team to first place in the boys’ 12-and-under division of the Commerce Holiday Invitational at Santa Ana Valley High.

Turnbow-Lindenstadt is a seventh-grader at Corona del Mar Middle School and Seybold is a fifth-grader at Harbor View Elementary.

OC Water Polo outscored opponents, 78-27, winning six games to claim the championship out of 24 teams.

Lions take second

The Pacific Soccer Club Lions, a Newport Beach-Costa Mesa boys’ under 11 club soccer team, concluded its inaugural season with a second-place finish in the Coast Soccer League.

Good skill development and team play helped the Lions finish 9-2-1.

Players include: Lucas Mowery, Jack Pitchess, AJ Stefano, Colin Ensminger, Bennet Ward, Blake Vaughan, Caleb Ricketts, Scott Ryder, Eann McKasson, Max Moore, Conor Houlihan, Sam Barella, Sean Waterman, Zander Adelsohn and Joe Fuller.

The Lions are coached by Jason Mowery, Mark Ensminger, Matt Adelsohn and Peter Pitchess. Tryouts for next year’s Lions will be held in March 2011.

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Tar Heels avenge loss

The Newport-Mesa Tar Heels boys’ eighth-grade basketball team avenged last week’s stunning loss to the Irvine Bruins with a 38-31 win at Newport Coast Community Center.

A slow start for both teams kept the game close while the Tar Heels worked their way into rhythm defensively in the first quarter.

The second period was better for the Tar Heels, as they produced 17 points led by the stellar play of Riley Gaddis (11 points, seven rebounds, two steals) and Caleb O’Neil (eight points, seven 7 rebounds) and the astute defensive play of Max Stanley.

Newport led for the rest of the game and never looked back even when the game got close again in the final period.

Augie Miller (six points, seven rebounds, 12 blocks), Logan Miller (two points, two assists, two rebounds), Kevin Fults (four points, five rebounds), Justin Hess (two points, three rebounds) and Cole Norris (three points, five rebounds) rounded out the scoring for the Tar Heels, who play again in January.

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Heels open with win

The Newport-Mesa Tar Heels boys’ eighth-grade team opened the season with a win over the visiting Villa Park Panthers, 56-51.

After a very slow start, down by 13 in the first quarter, the Tar Heels came alive with stifling defense and consecutive baskets in the second period from Kevin Fults (12 points, eight rebounds).

In the third period, the Tar Heels put heavy pressure on the ball causing five Panthers turnovers and leading to easy baskets from Riley Gaddis (10 points, three assists) and Charlie Evans (seven points, three steals).

In the final period Newport put away the Panthers for good with Max Kline leading the way with nine points in the period and a game-high 16 points and five steals.

Logan Miller and Max Stanley ran the offense and played key roles in the win while Augie Miller (seven points, eight rebounds) and Caleb O’Neil (six rebounds) also played well.

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