Taft faces Etiwanda; Loyola defeats Harvard-Westlake

No. 3 Woodland Hills Taft (17-2) vs. No. 10 Etiwanda (16-4)

Tonight at Los Angeles Fairfax High, 8

Why it matters: The featured game of the Fairfax State Preview Classic is a rematch of a game won by Taft, 63-61, on Dec. 30 in the championship of the Modesto Christian tournament. The Toreadors have won 12 consecutive games and are led by Nevada Las Vegas-bound guard Justin Hawkins and senior guard Michael Williams. Etiwanda’s four losses have come against teams ranked in the top eight in the Southland by The Times, and all were by five points or fewer. Both teams are in a back-to-back situation, with Taft having played Granada Hills and Etiwanda having played Rancho Cucamonga on Friday night.

-- Ben Bolch

FRIDAY’S RESULT

Los Angeles Loyola 91, North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake 88

Leading contributors: Junior guard Jordan Gathers scored 27 points for Loyola and 6-foot-9 Carl Hoffman had 18 points. Junior forward Damiene Cain scored 25 points, with Austin Kelly and Erik Swoope getting 20 points apiece for Harvard-Westlake.

The scoop: Three weeks after losing to Harvard-Westlake on their home court, the Cubs got their revenge, ending the Wolverines’ 11-game win streak. “We slowed down, limited our turnovers and finished,” Gathers said.

Why it matters: Loyola took over first place in the Mission League and helped its playoff seeding in Southern Section Division II-A, where the Cubs are ranked No. 3 behind Rialto Eisenhower and La Mirada.

Records: Loyola 16-5, 9-1; Harvard-Westlake 16-6, 8-1.

-- Eric Sondheimer