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PASADENA —A lot has changed since 2011.
That’s the last time Taft boys basketball coach Derrick Taylor won a City title.
“The (high school basketball) landscape has changed a lot,” said Taylor. “There are pop-up prep schools and private schools that public schools can’t compete with. I’ve got a few (NCAA) Division I guys on this team, but I used to have seven to nine of them on one team.”
Taylor, who recently claimed his 500th career win, has coached the likes of Jordan Farmar, Spencer Dinwiddie and Larry Drew – all reached the NBA.
The names that highlight Taylor’s roster in 2023 are Keyon Kensie, Adam Grissom, Bishop Brooks and Souljah Niles, all of whom helped the legendary coach get a chance to claim a City title again after defeating Westchester 55-46 in the City Open Division semifinal at Pasadena City College Saturday night.
The Toreadors (20-10) will take on Fairfax (68-58 winners over Birmingham) in the final on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Pasadena City College at 7 p.m.
It will be the first Open Division final appearance for the program since the division was created in 2015 and Taft’s first City final appearance since 2012 when Jason Hart coached the Toreadors to a Division I crown.
“It’s important. I’m a competitor. It’s been a while,” said Taylor, who won City titles in 2004, 2008 and 2011. “You win so much, you get addicted to winning – it’s an addiction. It would be nice to win it.”
Kensie and Brooks led the Toreadors with 15 points apiece. Niles, who scored 13 points, provided the game-winning moments on back-to-back baskets with two minutes to play. After a layup to give Taft a 46-45 advantage he followed with an dramatic old-fashioned 3-point play to balloon the lead to 49-45 with 1:26 to play.
“Souljah is that guy for our team,” Kensie said. “We can count on him to give 100 percent every time.”
Niles dished to…
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