Sports
Hollywood Hoops No Match for Taft
The 16th-seeded Sheiks are dominated in all phases of the game in Thursday night's playoff opener in Woodland Hills as No. 1 Taft proves why it is one of the country's most talented teams.
As the Hollywood High boys basketball team was being run out of the gym by Woodland Hills Taft on Thursday night, it wouldn't be surprising if the same thought was running through the heads of every Sheiks player on the court.
We won our league ... and this is our reward?
Hollywood's stay in the Los Angeles City SectionDivision I playoffs was brief as the 16th-seeded Sheiks were unable to keep pace with the mighty No. 1 Toreadors in a 111-29 loss at Jim Woodard Court in Woodland Hills.
Unpleasant finale aside, the Sheiks (11-6, 11-1) completed a successful season that included the program's first Central League championship in several years.
"We saw an elite team out there today," first-year Hollywood coach T.C. Twardak said. "We were happy to play them. Hopefully we can keep on winning at Hollywood and not have to play them in the future and have a team we can compete with a little better."
Twardak believes Hollywood is in an unfair position the way the playoff system is currently configured. Taft entered the playoffs ranked fourth in the state and 23rd in the country.
"Taft's coach (Derrick Taylor) hit it on the head—it's the City's fault for doing that," Twardak said. "I don't want to put any faults on anybody or anything like that, but it's unfortunate that you have kids who work their butts off all year that have to go through this."
It was clear from the opening tip that Taft was at another level in every facet of the game. Center Kevin Johnson is six feet 10 inches, one of five players on the Toreadors taller than 6 feet 4 inches. They also have speed, quickness and a disciplined defensive system that thrives on traps and pressing.
Taft went on rolls of 21-0 and 26-0 in the first half, building its lead to 70-12 after just two quarters, even while resting its starting five for stretches.
Hollywood, meanwhile, went multiple possessions without getting off a shot, turning the ball over 27 times in the game. Most shots attempted were contested three-pointers and they didn't even get to the line until Kedeem Talley sunk two free throws with 6:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.
"They pressured us and showed they're No. 4 in the state for a reason," said guard Daniel Gampe, who will have visions of the pressure Taft defense in his head for weeks. "They're good defenders, they're very athletic. We tried to do what we could do."
Taft rested its regulars for longer stretches in the second half, and Hollywood showed some fight by putting up some points. Senior guard Kevin Hapes led the Sheiks with 11 points and seven rebounds despite getting in foul trouble early.
"We knew they were going to be good with their height, they're just big," Hapes said. "We got to play a great team and we competed. That's all we wanted to do."
Senior point guard Spencer Dinwiddie led the way for the Toreadors (24-2, 10-0), scoring 14 of his 17 points in the first half. Senior guard Khiry Williams added 13 in a balanced attack.
The rough night couldn't obscure a season of progress for the Hollywood program, however.
"I'm glad we were strong enough to turn the season around for Hollywood High and we came out here and showed them we could compete," said guard Everett Cain, playing his final varsity game after three seasons. "We practiced hard and competed against a team with Division 1-type talent. We can be proud of that."
