Taft looking to duplicate Fairfax’s state title run of last season

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Taft is halfway home. The Toreadors wore down defending champion Fairfax, 65-55, on Saturday to win the 2008 City boys’ basketball championship. Now they want the other crown the Lions won last season: the state championship.

‘The main thing is to re-focus and not look past anyone,’ said Taft Coach Derrick Taylor, as his team prepared for Monday’s Southern California Regionals first-round game against visiting Southern Section I-A semifinalist Chino Hills.

‘But I’m not worried. We have a good, mature group of kids.’

Taylor admits he doesn’t know too much about Chino Hills, but suspects the Huskies don’t have a deep file on the Toreadors either.

‘This is sort of like a preseason tournament,’ Taylor said. ‘You don’t know much about the teams you face, you just play. You have to solve the puzzle as you go along.’

-- Mike Terry