Boys’ basketball: Long Beach Poly beats Taft
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In a game that featured tough man-to-man defense from start to finish, Long Beach Poly was able to make its free throws in the final minutes and defeated Woodland HIlls Taft, 55-48, in the championship game of the Fairfax tournament.
Ryan Anderson had 15 points to lead the Jackrabbits. Kevin Johnson had 17 points for Taft.
Earlier this month, Taft beat Poly in the USC tournament. The two schools were tied, 41-41, with just over four minutes left after Taft had fallen behind by 11 points in the first half.
Poly’s defense did a good job neutralizing the 6-foot-10 Johnson and forward Brandon Perry inside. Taft guard Spencer Dinwiddie provided some offensive support, but Poly’s balance was too much to overcome.
‘It was big-boy basketball,’ Taft Coach Derrick Taylor said.
In other Fairfax games, Dorsey defeated Santa Monica for third place, 55-54.
Loyola defeated Gardena Serra, 43-34; Orange Lutheran defeated Fairfax, 43-34; Harvard-Westlake defeated Pasadena, 62-56; Crenshaw defeated L.A. Price, 82-79, with Isaac Hamilton scoring 28 points and having 10 rebounds and 10 assists; Mater Dei defeated St. Bernard, 75-69.
-- Eric Sondheimer