The Taft of Woodland Hills boys basketball team on Tuesday night team picked up right where it left off from Monday night in an uninspired sloppy victory against Ventura in a Division I first round state playoff game.
Fortunately for the Toreadors, they didn't end Tuesdays quarterfinal game against Dominguez of Compton in the same fashion.
After trailing 15-0 at the outset, the Toreadors staged a gutty comeback and beat the fifth-seeded Dons (26-7), 54-52, to advance to Thursdays regional semifinal at top-seeded King of Riverside.
"We are not done playing," an excited Terran Carter of Taft said. "We want to keep going. We have some unfinished business to take care of. We just stayed focused and never worried. Our coach didn't worry and we knew he would guide us the right way."
Michael Williams has been Taft's go-to-guy the last three games with 82 points but Carter stepped to the forefront to lead the Toreadors.
Carter had 16 points and 13 rebounds and showed a presence down low rarely seen from the burly forward headed to CSUN next year.
Carter got position on the undersized Dons and had six points in the third quarter to help Taft finally catch Dominguez at 41-41 by the end of the period.
"It was my night," Carter said. "I stepped up. I wanted our team to move on."
Taft was down 19-6 after one quarter but made up most of its deficit in the second quarter as Pierson Williams scored seven of his 11 points and Dominguez forward Norvelle Pelle received a costly technical foul after he fouled Carter on a shot attempt.
Carter made both free throws, Michael Williams made both technical foul shots and Pierson Williams made a jumper from the top of the key for a big six point swing. Taft only trailed 30-27 despite the big early hole and a 1 of 10 shooting performance in the first quarter.
"Their aggressiveness and quickness got to us early," Taft coach Derrick Taylor said. "But we didn't panic. There was no need to. Games settle into rhthyms. We felt we could score and we just needed to get some stops. We made adjustments, went to a zone and that really bailed us out. When you play a national schedule like ours you don't panic. Just buckle down and get it done."
Taft finally took its first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter on a Carter lay-up.
Dominguez stayed close but Justin Hawkins made a basket and then a huge 3-pointer with 2:38 remaining giving the Toreadors a lead they would not surrender.
Hawkins had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Keala King had 17 points to lead Dominguez. Marcus Moody had 11 and Myron Green had 10 including a 3-pointer that ied the game at 48-48 before Hawkins made his for Taft.
The Dons hurt themselves going five of 14 at the free throw line including one for six in the fourth quarter.
"We just couldn't finish the game out," Dominguez coach Duane Cooper said. "We couldn't make free throws and we knew they were going to make a run. We just couldn't weather it."
Taft will need no motivation Thursday night against King. The Wolves ruined Taft's season last year with a 78-77 regional semifinal victory at Taft.
"We are just trying to survive this gauntlet," Taylor said. "Thank god we have a day off now."