Farmar Answers Call for Taft in Every Way

The Woodland Hills Taft boys’ basketball team leaned on Jordan Farmar all season.

But never more than during the City Section and Southern California Regional playoffs, when Farmar seemed to hoist the Toreadors onto his shoulders and carry them through the closing minutes of every game.

Farmar made three-point baskets, driving layups and numerous pressure free throws down the stretch, lifting Taft to its first City title and taking it further into the postseason than many expected.

Taft Coach Derrick Taylor, who has been following high school basketball in the Southland since the 1970s, compared Farmar to some of the best to play in the region.

“How fortunate were we to have an opportunity to coach him and to play with him?” Taylor said. “We ended up playing with an all-time great who had a magical year for us.”

Even without his clutch playoff performances, Farmar, The Times’ player of the year, accomplished enough during the regular season to be considered one of the top seniors in the Southland.

Farmar, a 6-foot-2 guard who signed with UCLA in November, gave a late-night Pauley Pavilion crowd an example of his resourcefulness at the Pangos Dream Classic in early January.

Trailing by one point with 2.8 seconds remaining against West Valley League rival Reseda Cleveland, Farmar drew a blocking foul, then made both free throws with no time remaining, giving the Toreadors a 61-60 league victory.

That victory proved important when the City playoff brackets were selected. Taft, which finished tied with Cleveland for the league title, won a coin flip and was seeded third. The Cavaliers were seeded fifth.

After a relatively easy victory over North Hills Monroe in the opening round of the City playoffs, Farmar scored 23 points in a 69-66 victory over Los Angeles Crenshaw. He made one of two free throws with nine seconds remaining, then Taft won as the Cougars missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer.

Farmar scored 29 points and made two free throws with 13 seconds left the following week to secure a two-point victory over L.A. Dorsey. That victory advanced the Toreadors to the City final, where Farmar scored 29 points and made four free throws down the stretch to secure the 64-60 victory.

“It was a great experience,” said Farmar, who averaged 27.5 points this season. “To experience the last couple seconds of all those games, seeing the look on my teammates faces ... that’s what it’s all about.”

Farmar continued his remarkable play in the Southern California Regional playoffs, scoring 36 points in a quarterfinal victory over Mission Viejo. In the semifinals against Etiwanda, Farmar did all he could to bring the Toreadors back from a 10-point deficit with 2 1/2 minutes to play. He scored 27 of the final 29 points for Taft, including 20 points in the fourth quarter. His two free throws with eight seconds remaining gave the Toreadors a 54-53 lead.

But Farmar said he made a mistake after a timeout on the ensuing possession.

Instead of guarding Etiwanda’s speedy point guard, Darren Collison, he stayed with shooting guard David Carter, only to watch Collison dribble the length of the floor and make a game-winning layup with one second remaining.

Farmar has since traveled to all-star games in Chicago and Washington and played in an international showcase in San Antonio. He’s working on adding weight before he begins at UCLA.