By Olivia Krueger, Sports Editor
Coming off a near win against Los Alamitos, the Barons’ boys varsity basketball team hoped for a different outcome against the Newport Harbor Sailors. Unfortunately, despite good passing, excessive fouls and missed opportunities lead to the 39-56 Barons defeat.
Only minutes into the first quarter, the entire Fountain Valley starting lineup was benched due to the quick 2-8 score deficit. The new lineup continued showed signs of struggling as they missed two baskets, but finally turned the offense around with a layup from junior Adam Beerck and two extra points from senior Noah Tran.
Neither the Baron defense or offense were able to execute their plays and five fouls were given throughout the quarter. The first quarter ended with senior Camron Mansouri hitting a two-point shot at the buzzer to make the score 10-18.
The second quarter began on a high note as junior Severo De La Riva hit a two-point shot and a steal by Mansouri, but was followed by missed scoring opportunities and a Sailors’ layup.
Halfway into the quarter, Newport Harbor received their first team foul and De La Riva scored four points in a row to show a possible shift in momentum. But the Sailors quickly regained dominance and sunk a shot from the 3-point line to leave the score 18-30 at halftime.
Back from halftime, the Sailors had tight control on the ball and were easily able to evade the Barons’ defense to make a layup at the beginning of the third quarter. However the Barons responded with a pass from Beerck to senior Mark Volkert to score the Barons’ first 3-pointer of the game.
The Sailors yet again break up the Barons’ defense and demonstrate a perfectly executed alley oop to further frustrate the team. The defense continued to struggle as they allowed Newport to shoot an unguarded 3-pointer to end the third quarter 27-45.
The fourth quarter bagn in Fountain Valley’s favor as Newport committed three straight fouls and freshman Jeremiah Davis picked up two extra points and a block. Senior Josh Gray was twice able to maneuver through the Newport defense for a lay up and to pick up an extra point.
However, even with Newports excessive fouling and Fountain Valley’s highest scoring quarter, the Barons fell to Newport 39-56.
“I think our team was not mentally prepared for the intensity that NH brought. Our team felt more disappointed than angry, and our mentality will change in future games. We’ve learned our lesson and we’re ready to change.” said Gray.
