Taft’s Skeleton Crew Pulled Its Weight Against Cleveland

The sorriest guy on the Taft campus this week is Donte McFrazier, who picked the wrong day to stay home from school. McFrazier, a 6-2 senior forward on the basketball team, called in sick Wednesday and missed Taft’s 69-68 upset of Cleveland that deprived the Cavaliers of the Valley League championship.

“He sure isn’t sharing the feeling, but all the other guys are feeling great,” Taft Coach Jim Woodard said Thursday.

McFrazier is expected to play in tonight’s first-round City Section 4-A Division playoff game against San Pedro at Gardena High, but his absence Wednesday left Taft with an eight-player roster for the Cleveland game. Last week, Yomo Smith left the team to work with the track team.

Beating Cleveland with a skeleton crew made Taft’s victory all the more impressive, and Woodard was particularly effusive about the play of Dedan Thomas. The 5-11 junior guard scored 12 points and dished out a school-record 20 assists to give him 131 for the season, another school record.

Although he played all but one minute and took on Cleveland’s rotation of four guards, Thomas committed just one turnover.

“That was a spectacular game by Dedan,” Woodard said. “He controlled the tempo by blasting past the defense when he had to and slowing up and moving the ball around when he had to. He didn’t have the spectacular assists, the no-look, behind-the-back passes, but he was getting the ones that get the job done.”

Woodard, who was still walking on air Thursday, said his team’s victory celebration was actually a tribute to Cleveland.

“It’s everybody’s big game to play Cleveland, and everybody gets up for them because they’re so good,” he said. “That’s the price they pay for success.”

Bombs away: In one three-minute stretch during Wednesday’s Taft-Cleveland game, the teams combined for seven three-point baskets with no misses. Cavalier guard Michael Gray, who scored what could be the fastest 25 points of any player this season, hit five of the shots.

In the final 92 seconds of the third quarter, Gray hit three consecutive three-point shots, and Taft’s Tony Moten and Cleveland’s Adonis Jordan also coverted from long range. Gray hit two more three-point shots in the first 90 seconds of the fourth quarter.

“When Michael gets to heating up, you know it’s trouble,” said Taft’s Quincy Watts, who scored 28 points.

Gray was held scoreless the rest of the game.

Satisfied coach: Attending Wednesday’s game was Cal Coach Lou Campanelli, who was watching his recruit, Cleveland forward Richard Branham. The 6-5 senior signed a letter of intent to play at Cal before the season.

Campanelli must have had his doubts during the game’s first three quarters when Branham scored just four points. But with the game on the line, Cleveland forced the ball in low to Branham, who bulled his way to four baskets.

He finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Rough ride: Westlake Coach Greg Hess was cycling to a league meeting in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday night when he sideswiped a dog.

Hess and the dog were sent sprawling to the pavement. The first-year coach wound up with a sore right shoulder and “a bent right quarter panel.”

His bike, on which he has logged more than 8,000 miles as his primary mode of transportation, suffered a bent frame and must be replaced. No word on the dog.

Said Hess, wryly: “They’ve been waving blue and orange in front of their German shepherds in Thousand Oaks. It worked. He got me.”

Westlake’s school colors are blue and orange.

Funny, it’s usually Simi Valley that has to call off the dogs.

Wrestling finals: A strong contingent from Valley League wrestling champion El Camino Real highlights the league finals at 10 a.m. Saturday at El Camino Real.

Varsity and junior varsity finals are scheduled for 4 p.m. The top four wrestlers from each weight class advance to the City Section finals Feb. 27.

Starting over: A year has passed since the celebrated return of one-time Cleveland Coach Greg Herrick to the high school coaching ranks and the current Hart coach says he is no faith healer.

“Most people in the community thought I was a magician, and I’m not a magician,” Herrick said after completing his inaugural season at Hart with a 13-9 overall record, 5-5 in league play.

Going into Foothill League play Hart was picked by many to win the league, despite a new coach and several inexperienced players. Herrick still is puzzled why.

“I think the expectations were a lot greater than the reality in this case,” Herrick said. “I’m a new coach bringing in a new philosophy and it takes time. I tried to tell everybody that, but it’s the first time nobody ever listened to me.”

Still, Herrick sees the potential for a bright future in his program.

“We’ve got a lot of hope,” he said. “The prognosis for the future is good. And we’ve got enthusiasm. At least I hope we’ve got enthusiasm.”

Golden ray of hope: Although Canyon struggled through a 3-17 season and finished last in the Golden League, sophomore Clint Beauer gave Coach Greg Hayes reason to look forward to next season.

Beauer, a 6-3 sophomore, averaged 7.7 rebounds in league play and grabbed 13 against Antelope Valley. In his last four games, Beauer grabbed 49 rebounds.

Staff writers Tim Brown, Vince Kowalick and Brian Murphy contributed to this notebook.