Taft @ Jefferson

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

Haeckel 3, Jones, Mode, & Parker finish with a pair.

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.