Boys’ Basketball: Solid finish for Sailors

The return of the George Yardley Tournament proved to be beneficial for the Newport Harbor High boys’ basketball team in more ways than one.

The Sailors finished a solid fourth out of 16 teams. In addition, the tournament ran smoothly, said assistant coach Jason Carey.

Carey said the 15 teams, including Mater Dei, Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Estancia and Sage Hill, plan to return to the summer tournament next year. The Yardley tournament returned this season after a one-year absence.

El Toro won the championship Sunday after beating Edison. Scores were not provided.

Nic Sargeant scored 31 points to lead the Newport Harbor High boys’ basketball team past Mater Dei’s “B” team, 60-58, in the first round Friday night.

Caleb O’Neil added eight points and Garrett Davis led Newport with 10 rebounds in the impressive win.

Newport Harbor fell to El Toro in the semifinals Saturday and lost to Mission Viejo in the third-place game Sunday.

“El Toro and Mission Viejo are two great teams,” Carey said. “It was a great test for us. We got to see where we are at. It was good for the kids. It was good for them to see what it’s like. They did really well. We are very pleased with the personal results and we are pleased with how the tournament went in general ... It was a long weekend, but well worth it. I’m glad everything went smoothly.”

CdM, Costa Mesa and Sage Hill each went 1-3 in the tourney, while Estancia finished 0-4, Carey said.

Newport Harbor will play in the Bolsa Grande tournament this weekend and then play in the Palm Springs tournament the following weekend. The Sailors will close July with the Sage Hill tournament.

— Steve Virgen