Girls Basketball: Taft 50, Chatsworth 37

Danielle Tyler picked the right time to get hot for the Taft of Woodland Hills girls basketball team Wednesday in a key West Valley League game against defending City champion Chatsworth.

Tyler scored all 12 of her points in the third quarter, including three 3-pointers to lead Taft in a 50-37 victory.

Taft (12-6, 6-1) remained in a first place tie with El Camino Real of Woodland Hills pushing Chatsworth two games back with three games left in the regular season.

Taft led 21-13 at halftime before Tyler made a 3-pointer and a basket to begin the second half and give the Toreadors a 13-point lead.

"The last game we had against them and the first half in this game I didn't shoot very well," Tyler said. "I just kept shooting hoping they would eventually fall."

Tyler was one of four players who scored in double figures.

Skyy Lewis had 12 points, UNLV-bound point guard Rmanii Haynes had 11 and Amari Hampton contributed 10.

Lewis had six points in the third quarter helping Taft take a 16 point lead, Haynes made a 3-pointer with 6:15 remaining to push the lead back to 16 and Hampton had a basket and two free throws a short time later to extend the lead to 20.

More importantly than the balanced scoring effort, Taft was able to hold high scoring guard Monica Jackson to 16 points, a figure well under her 33 points average coming in.

"The game plan was to play a box and one defense and then trap her once she got the ball across half court," Tyler said. "Coach (Mark) Drucker wanted to let their other players have to step and beat us."

It didn't happen for the Chancellors (9-9, 4-3).

Jasmine Wooton scored 11 points but six other players who suited up combined for only 10 points.

"We have made a point the last two or three weeks to really step up defensively," Tyler said.

The game got off to a very slow start as both teams shot under 20% in the first quarter. Taft was missing shot after shot from the perimeter and Chatsworth was hard pressed to get good looks at the basket because Jackson left the game for over five minutes with an injured finger on her shooting hand.

Jackson returned and made a 3-pointer to give Chatsworth a 10-7 lead at the beginning of the second quarter but Hampton made a 3-pointer from the top of the key, Lewis made two baskets, Haynes made a 3-pointer and freshman Ahlisha Henderson made three of four free throws and Taft was suddenly up by 11 points.