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Calvin Haynes Final Home Game

By Sean Ceglinsky, Staff Writer

All it took for Larry Drew to get the ball in is hands Friday night was a simple hand clap. On occasion, he needed to do it twice to let his teammates know that it was time for him to take over, but rarely did it take three times.

The Taft High sophomore point guard dominated the City Section semifinal game from the opening whistle to the final buzzer, scoring a career-high 29 points to lead the host Toreadors of Woodland Hills to a 71-54 victory over Sylmar and into the championship game.

"The game was in slow motion," Drew said. "I felt like I could do whatever I wanted."

Third-seeded Taft (23-5) will face fourth-seeded Westchester of Los Angeles - a 79-63 winner Friday over top-seeded Fairfax of Los Angeles - on March 4 at the Sports Arena.

"We're going to the dance," Taft coach Derrick Taylor said.

Sylmar (19-8) opened a 7-2 lead early on only to watch Taft go on 19-4 run over the next eight minutes, keyed by Drew, of course, who scored 13 points in the first 12 minutes. A Calvin Haynes layup gave the Toreadors a 38-26 halftime lead.

"Drew hit big shot after big shot," Sylmar coach Bort Escoto said. "He's an outstanding player."

Taft, top-ranked by the Daily News, extended the advantage to as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter. The Spartans were resilient, though. Mat Hankins and John Austin sparked a 9-0 to cut the deficit to 11 points with 5:09 remaining.

Ultimately, Drew proved to be too much. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including several key free-throws down the stretch and finished 7 of 11 from the field, 13 of 15 at the free-throw line with nine rebounds and six assists.

"Not many players can carry a team like Larry does," Taylor said. "He understands the game. He knows when to pick his spots. He's a leader's leader."

With Taft's Anthony Edwards and Oscar Bellfield in trouble for most of the game, Justin Hawkins provided a spark off the bench on both ends of the floor. The freshman scored 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to go along with five blocks.

"His basketball IQ is very high," Taylor said.

Hankins scored nine points in the second quarter, had 12 at intermission and finished with 20. Austin was held to one basket in the first but scored eight in the fourth.

Calvin Haynes, a senior, had 18 in his final home game.

Sean Ceglinsky, (818) 713-3607

sean.ceglinsky@dailynews.com

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