Edison ends Newport Harbor’s 17-game winning streak

Edison High struggled to move the ball in the first half of its boys’ basketball showdown Wednesday night with visiting Newport Harbor, so coach Rich Boyce had a little talk with point guard Kaden Headington at the break.

The Chargers were a different team from that point.

Headington scored 19 of his 20 points in the second half while dishing to teammates and orchestrating an effective attack as the Chargers rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit to end Newport Harbor’s 17-game winning streak with a 58-51 Surf League triumph.

Edison’s defensive prowess was key throughout the meeting of last season’s Sunset League co-champions. The Chargers held the Sailors (21-2, 1-1 in league) to 31% shooting — and just 23% from beyond the arc — and forced them into two lengthy droughts that enabled Edison (17-7, 2-0) to take command and sole possession of first place in the league.

“I challenged Kaden a little bit at halftime, because that’s not the way he should be playing,” Boyce said as his team celebrated in its locker room. “The first half we were very stagnant, we didn’t move, and that’s one of the things we talked about at halftime.

“When we’re moving, we’re hard to defend, because we have guys who can shoot and guys who can drive. When we stand around, we can be beaten by anyone.”

Newport Harbor, which had last lost to Villa Park on Nov. 30, shot poorly all night, but it jumped to a quick 10-4 lead in the first quarter. The Sailors, ranked No. 9 in the CIF Southern Section Division 2AA poll, held the Chargers scoreless for five minutes in the second quarter to open a 24-13 advantage.

Edison trimmed the deficit to five by halftime. Then it used a 15-0 run through most of the third quarter — with Headington penetrating for a basket, hitting a pair of three-pointers, and scoring on the break — to take a 34-25 lead with about two and a half minutes to go in the period.

Newport Harbor High’s Dayne Chalmers (34) drives for a layup during a Surf League game at Edison on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Newport Harbor, behind a three-point play by Dayne Chalmers to end the drought and an alley-oop from Levi Darrow’s feed to start the fourth quarter, got within three, fell behind by seven, then nearly caught up, at 45-44, as Will Harvey and Sam Barela made back-to-back three-pointers.

Barela then forced a turnover, and Chalmers went to the free-throw line with a chance to give the Sailors the lead. He missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Edison’s 8-0 run over the next three minutes all but decided things. The Chargers made eight of 10 free throws down the stretch and Newport Harbor could only close the deficit to three before Aiden Garnett and Headington each made two free throws in the final 10 seconds.

“We should all just save ourselves the energy [in the Surf League],” Boyce said, “and put two minutes on the clock and a tie game, and go home early.”

“To compete in the Sunset League — excuse me, Surf League — you’re going to have to score 60-plus points,” said Sailors coach Bob Torribio, whose team hosts rival Corona del Mar in the Battle of the Bay on Friday at 7 p.m. “Fifty-one’s just not enough points to get you where you want to be in this league. ... Their shots went in. We got good looks, they didn’t go in.”

Chalmers and Harvey led Newport Harbor with 17 points apiece, and Harvey added a dozen rebounds. Barela scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and pulled down seven boards.

Jack Horton, a force all night for Edison, scored 16 points, and Connor Collins grabbed 10 rebounds.

Boyce credited his defense.

“That carried us, because in the first half we weren’t moving, we couldn’t make a shot, but our defense kept us in the game and gave us a chance,” he said. “When we finally woke up offensively, we were right there in the game because of the defense.”

Newport Harbor High’s Dayne Chalmers (34) looks to shoot but is double-teamed during a Surf League game at Edison on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Surf League

Edison 58, Newport Harbor 51

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Newport Harbor 14 – 10 – 6 – 21 — 51

Marina 11 – 8 – 16 – 23 — 58

NH – Chalmers 17, Harvey 17, Barela 12, Spooner 3, Darrow 2.

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

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

E – Headington 20, Horton 16, Garnett 8, Strauss 5, Luna 5, Collins 4.

3-pt. goals – Horton 4, Headington 3, Luna 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

SCOTT FRENCH is a contributor to Times Community News. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottJFrench