Mater Dei Outlasts Taft
March 14, 2010
Jack Pollon
The Taft of Woodland Hills boys' basketball was trying to do something only two different schools have done at Mater Dei High's Meruelo Athletic Center Saturday in a Div. I state playoff regional semifinal.
That would be win on the Monarch's home court.
While the Toreadors battled valiantly and never went away, they ultimately came up short in a 75-73 loss.
Taft's season ended but Mater Dei moves on to next week's southern regional championship game against Westchester of Los Angeles at USC's Galen Center on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Taft only trailed 69-68 and had the ball with about one minute remaining but couldn't generate a good shot and Spencer Dinwiddie missed a long-range 3-pointer.
On Mater Dei's ensuing posession, UCLA-bound Tyler Lamb drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing putting the Monarchs (32-1) up by four points.
Taft had one final chance when Bryce Jones made a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds remaining and Gary Franklin missed the front end of a one-and-one with 2.4 left on the clock.
However, with no timeouts, De'Andre Daniels missed a half-court heave that glazed the left side of the backboard.
"It was a an absolutely great basketball game, we just came up on the short side," Taft coach Derrick Taylor said. "You have to make plays in the most critical of moments and not that we didn't do that, Mater Dei made one or two more than us."
Taft led by four at halaftime and battled back from a four point deficit in the fourth quarter thanks largely in part to stelalr outside shooting.
Pierson Williams, who only had one basket in the City championship game one week ago exploded for 24 points, including six 3-pointers.
Daniels added 17 points, USC-bound Bryce Jones had 12 and Spencer Dinwiddie had 11.
Dinwiddie made three 3-pointers.
Lamb finished with 19 points and Franklin had 19 as well.
Katin Reinhardt had 15 and Keala King had 10 for Mater Dei.
Only Kevin Love's Lake Oswego's (Oregon) team and Fairfax have won at Mater Dei.
Taft came as close as anybody could hope.
Taft has never advanced past the regional semifinals, losing to Etiwanda in 2004, King High in 2008 and King again in 2009.