CdM boys basketball team captures Surf League showdown against Newport Harbor 59-53 in front of a packed house

Corona del Mar’s Jack Stone heads to the basket as Levi Darrow of Newport Harbor tries to stop him Friday night.

It had everything that two top 20 Orange County high school crosstown basketball rivalry game could want: a capacity crowd, big shots, great defense, aggressive rebounding and the outcome wasn’t decided until the final seconds. 

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Jack Hamilton’s 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in the game propelled Corona del Mar to a 59-53 win over Newport Harbor in a Surf League game Friday night at Newport High. The Sea Kings have won 10 of their last 11 games.

Dayne Chalmers three-point play cut the Sea Kings lead to 54-53 with 44 second to play. After working the clock and using a timeout, Hamilton got the ball and drilled a 3-pointer to give CdM a 57-53 lead. John Humphreys added two free throws with five seconds remaining to seal the victory. 

“The play was called for me during the timeout and I was nervous,” said Hamilton, a 6-0 senior guard. “I was thinking if I hit this, it could be a game winner. It is the biggest shot of my career, but we know we have to play these guys again and we also know there are no easy games in this league.”

Jack Stone led the Sea Kings with 22 points and Hamilton added 11 points. Humphreys had nine points and eight rebounds and Ethan Garbers scored six points and pulled down nine rebounds.

Sam Barela led Newport Harbor (21-3, 1-2) with 15 points, Chalmers had 13 points and nine rebounds and Levi Darrow added 11 points. The Sailors had won 17 of 18 game entering Friday’s contest.  

“What a game,” said CdM Coach Ryan Schachter. “Down the stretch we executed, played good defense, got stops, Jake hit big shots and Garber’s got some huge rebounds. It was our best game since last season. We faced adversity all season long and our guys were ready for anything.”

Trailing 29-24 at halftime, the Sailors (17-6, 2-1) started the third quarter off on a 12-2 run, sparked by the spirited play of Chalmers and Barela. Chalmers’ bucket gave Newport Harbor a 36-31 lead with 4:51 to play in the quarter. But CdM countered and went on a 11-4 run to end the quarter. Stones’ basket capped the Sea Kings scoring surge as they lead 42-40 after three quarters.

“It’s a great big win for us,” said Garbers. “We have faith in each other and we have one mission and that is to win league.”

With the packed house crowd screaming at each possession, Will Harvey made one of two free throws with 2:27 to play to give the Sailors a 51-50 lead. However, Hamilton nailed a 3 and Stone sunk a basket as CdM retook the lead 54-40 with 1:08 left and setting the stage for a dramatic ending.

“We got defensive stops, rebounded and most importantly we were focused,” said Sea Kings guard Connor Schim. 

Despite the loss, Newport Harbor coach Robert Torribio seemed to appreciate the great effort and the excitement the game produced.

“Give them credit (CdM), they made big shots when it counted,” said Torribio. “It’s a great rivalry and when neighborhood kids get together, it’s always competitive and it usually comes down to the final seconds. It was a lot of fun.” 

The Sailors led 16-11 after the first quarter, but CdM rallied in the second quarter behind Stone and Adam Garza’s effort to take a 29-24 halftime lead.

-Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone