State Basketball: Jason Crowe Jr. Leads Lynwood to Division V Title

With NBA Corridor of Famer Paul Pierce sitting behind the bench smiling by way of his fashionable sun shades, the group of gifted freshmen from Lynwood Excessive, led by Jason Crowe Jr., from 14 years previous, he placed on an NBA-like present on the Sacramento home. Kings on Friday afternoon to win the Division V boys’ basketball state championship 89-58 over Tollhouse Sierra.

It might be the beginning of one thing large as Lynwood began with 4 freshmen.

“We set a purpose earlier than they go away to be within the Open Division,” Lynwood coach Jason Crowe Sr. mentioned afterward.

His son, averaging 34 factors, scored 36 within the win. Crowe Jr. made a 3-pointer from nicely previous the highest of the important thing within the third quarter that may have had LaMelo Ball cheering. One other freshman, Chace Holley, scored 24 factors on 10-for-13 capturing.

Crowe Sr. referred to as his son “the most effective participant within the state” and admitted that he is likely to be sounding “a little bit of a LaVar Ball-ist.”

“We preserve hoping he doesn’t have a giant sport,” he mentioned. “He doesn’t do it. It’s been superb to look at.”

Crowe Jr. dedicated his third foul within the second quarter and his father didn’t take away it to keep away from a attainable fourth foul within the first half. He went out briefly however got here again quickly and didn’t commit one other foul.

“He knew he would make it,” Crowe Jr. mentioned. “He knew he couldn’t make one other foul. He and I’ve a bond, we will belief one another.”

Crowe’s 36 factors ties the Division V state report and trails solely Glendora’s Tracy Murray (64 factors), Cloverdale’s Craig McMillan (37) and Santa Margarita’s Klay Thompson (37) for probably the most in a title sport. Crowe completed the season with 1,293 factors, the third-best in state historical past.

Logan Kilbert scored 19 factors for Sierra, a small faculty of 315 that obtained police escort from native police. It was Lynwood’s first males’s state title.