Newport Christian boys’ basketball finds ‘strength’ in first playoff appearance

Newport Christian surpassed internal expectations this season, and that sped up the maturation process for a boys’ basketball program that had yet to participate in a postseason.

In its third season of eligibility, Newport Christian punched its ticket, earning a spot in the CIF Southern Section Division 4A draw, perhaps higher than some would have expected coming into the season.

Newport Christian validated the ratings with a win in its playoff debut, and in its first postseason game at home, the Seahawks stayed with the competition for much of the contest.

Freshman guard Elijah Azucena scored a team-high 21 points, but Newport Christian fell to Hacienda Heights Wilson 59-46 on Friday in the second round.

After falling behind 11-2 midway through the first quarter, Newport Christian coach Ryan Thompson called a timeout to send a firm message.

“It felt like, at the beginning, we weren’t quite ready for their level of physicality,” Thompson said. “At the level we play, we don’t see a lot of that, and the refs let some stuff go because it was a little higher level than what we’re used to, as far as that physicality. …

“My message to the guys was one word: ‘strong,’” he added. “Strong passes, strong rebounds, strong dribbling. Everything you do has to be strong. If it’s not strong, they’re going to eat it up, and our guys really listened to that after the first two or three minutes. I feel like we matched that intensity the rest of the game and got ourselves back into that game.”

The Express League champion Seahawks closed the gap to 13-10 on a Kamal Benitez three on the final possession of the first quarter.

Newport Christian (16-2), which beat Riverside California School for the Deaf 71-61 in the first round, rallied to take the lead for much of the second quarter. The struggles that had been born from the Wildcats’ full-court press had seemingly vanished.

Wilson (18-12) found another way to do damage in the second half, leaning heavily on junior forward Duncan Quirarte in the high post and counting on junior center Josiah Lewis to clean up the rest. The Wildcats outrebounded the Seahawks 22-9 after halftime.

Quirarte’s hook shot in the paint gave the Wildcats a 50-40 lead with 4:20 remaining, but the Seahawks suddenly found the range from distance once more. Back-to-back three-pointers by Elijah Azucena and senior Caleb Azucena, his brother, made the score 50-46 with 3:18 on the clock, but that would be it for Newport Christian.

Senior guard Ethan Shigamora provided the dagger three from the top of the key after Quirarte and Lewis combined for three successive offensive rebounds. Shigamora scored a dozen points — all from the three-point line.

“We were just doing our job,” said Quirarte, who had a team-high 23 points to go with six rebounds and two steals. “We’re trying to get the rebound. The second-chance points, that really helps us out.”

Lewis, who finished with eight points and 13 rebounds, punctuated the victory for the visitors with a dunk in the final minute.

“We kind of switched it up into a 3-2 [zone], putting Lewis at the top, and I think his length that last two or three minutes kind of changed the sequence right there for us,” Wilson coach Willie Allen said. “It kind of got him out, we got a steal, and then I think that’s when he threw one down.”

Freshman forward Jeremiah Oregon, the cousin of the Azucena brothers, contributed five points, eight rebounds and six assists. Elijah Azucena added four rebounds, four steals and four assists. Benitez, a senior forward, pulled down seven rebounds.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the mental strength, the physical strength, and just the team strength that they showed,” Thompson said.

CIF Southern Section Division 4A playoffs

Wilson 59, Newport Christian 46

Wilson 13 - 16 - 14 - 16 — 59

Newport Christian 10 - 18 - 8 - 10 — 46

W — Quirarte 23, Chow 12, Lewis 8, Shigamora 7, Esguerra 3, Hung 4, Ramos 2.

3-pt. goals — Shigamora 4, Romo 1.

Fouled out — None.

Technicals — None.

NC — E. Azucena 21, C. Azucena 17, Oregon 5, Benitez 3.

3-pt. goals — E. Azucena 3, C. Azucena 1, Oregon 1.

Fouled out — None.

Technicals — None.