Two top-ranked teams collided with playoff seeding on the line, and this one delivered every ounce of drama it promised. The Tigers had dominated the previous matchup, rolling past the Lions 63–37, but Jefferson came in determined to flip the script. 

The Lions struck first, jumping out to an early lead behind the sharpshooting of Genevieve Orton and the Saad sisters. Jefferson controlled the tempo, knocked down shots from all over the floor, and carried a 33–23 advantage into halftime. 

Taft refused to fade. The Tigers roared back in the third quarter, tightening their defense and chipping away at the deficit to trail just 44–40 heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter turned into a nail-biter. Taft surged ahead 52–51 with three minutes remaining, but Jefferson answered. Orton helped reclaim the lead with 40 seconds left, and Luella Campbell followed with a clutch basket to push the Lions ahead 58–55.

Ari Hunter kept the Tigers alive, battling for a loose ball and converting a tough bucket to cut the deficit to one with 18 seconds remaining. After Orton missed a pair of free throws, Taft had its chance. Layla Jones’ shot missed, but Hunter came up with the rebound, and coach Tolan called a timeout to set up one final play.

With 0.8 seconds on the clock and the game on the line, the ball found Olivia Davis. Her shot rimmed out, the buzzer sounded, and Jefferson escaped with a thrilling one-point victory.

Laney Lee led the Tigers in scoring with 22-points.

A. Zalewski 8, Davis 6, Hunter & Lupo 6

Taft boys basketball put together a dominant performance, cruising past Jefferson 58–27 in a lopsided victory. The Tigers started the game down 5-points, but found control the game, using relentless defense and balanced scoring to keep Jefferson on its heels throughout the night.

James Tolan led Taft with 13 points, while Ezra Serrato added 12 as the Tigers consistently stretched the lead and never allowed Jefferson to find a rhythm. With control on both ends of the floor, Taft dictated the pace and turned the matchup into a decisive win.

Taft hosts Dayton on Friday night at 6:00pm. Seniors will also be recognized. 

Lady Tigers started the game strong, making quick baskets and pushing their tempo. Each team scored 15 in the second quarter, and Blanchet closed the gap by the end of the third, 46-42. In the 4th quarter, the Tigers outscored Blanchet 13-4 to seal the win, 59-46. 

L. Lee (17), O. Davis (14), A. Lupo (10)

Despite being down eight at the end of the first quarter, the Tigers bounced back and took the second quarter, thanks to three-pointers by Michael Taylor, to lead 32-26 at halftime. The Tigers continued to rally in the third quarter, capped by a buzzer-beater by Jorge Cruz, to lead 46-45. The fourth quarter went back and forth, and the teams were tied at 56 with 3 minutes to play. An untimely foul on a made 3-pointer by Sam Mosar of the Cavaliers put the Cavs ahead, 61-58. Ezra Serrato split a pair from the charity stripe to make it a 2-point game, but it wasn’t enough for the Tigers to come back. Final score, 64-59 - Blanchet. 

K. Tolan (17), J. Tolan (14), Michael Taylor (13) 

The Tigers looked to avenge themselves against Salem Academy after only putting up 27 points in a game on 12/30 and lost by 59. 

Leading by five with 2-minutes left in the 4th, it was looking great for the Tigers. In those two minutes (which was really like 10 minutes), Kol & James Tolan and Ezra Serrato fouled out (24-13 foul calls) and it was up to the Tigers bench to help close the game out. The lead quickly vanished as turnovers and violations put the Crusaders in the lead, 60-57 with 30-seconds remaining. Crusaders struggled to convert their free throws in the stretch, but a foul ruled intentional on Jorge Cruz gave the Crusaders extra free throws and possession which sealed the game for Salem Academy. Final score, 62-57.

J. Tolan (23), K. Tolan (11), Serrato (8), Taylor & Cruz (7)

Tigers - 4-6 (7-11), Salem Academy - 9-1 (14-3)

Last time these teams faced each other (12/30) it was all Taft from the tip off, winning by 50 (65-15).

Tonight the Tigers picked up where they left off in dominating fashion. Laney Lee put up 17pts in the 1st quarter, they added another 14 points by half (37-11). In the 3rd, the Tigers stacked on another 21 and slowed down in the 4th as Coach Tolan went to the bench to finish the game. Final score, 66-22.

Lee (23), A. Zalewski (13), Lupo (10).

Tigers - 9-1 (14-5), Salem Academy - 0-10 (2-15)