Crowe, Platinum teams head Thursday Classic highlights

• Tweet

• Tweet

LA VERNE, CA – These are the highlights of Thursday’s Day I of the eighth edition of The Classic at Damien . . .

Well, where to begin?

*Central California power Clovis North of Fresno, along with Sandra Day O’Connor of Phoenix and Layton Christian Academy of Utah, pulled off tight first-round wins to join five of Southern California’s 10 best teams in a power-packed group of Platinum Division quarterfinals Friday in Damien’s Athletic Center.

*And, in the most anticipated first-day game of the event – and, for that matter,  anywhere else in High School Hoops Land Thursday – Jason Crowe, Jr. and his Inglewood High teammates delivered the goods in their Gold Division, 88-84 win over the L.A. City Section’s best team, Chatsworth, 88-84.

The 6-foot-4 Crowe (pictured, courtesy Greg Stein Media), more than lived up to his status as one of the nation’s top players in the Class of 2026, reaching deep into his offensive repertoire to score an event-record 55 points – 34 of those coming after intermission – as the Sentinels overcame a fourth-quarter deficit as well as the 34-point effort of another of the nation’s best, 6-5 senior Alijah Arenas.

Action in the nation’s top high school event running over the next four days resumes Friday morning in The Classic’s eight 16-team divisions, with play held in Damien’s Athletic and Event Centers, as well as at other near-by facilities.

The Platinum’s championship quarterfinals begin at 4 o’clock in the Athletic Center, when Redondo Union (11-1 after its 93-78 decision over Sacramento’s Destiny Christian in the first game played on campus Thursday morning) faces La Mirada (11-2 after its come-from-way-behind, 76-72 decision against Dallas Parish Episcopal).

The teams are No.’s 5 and 8, respectively, in the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30.

No. 1 St. John Bosco (12-zip after grinding out a 54-47 decision against one of Arizona’s best Phoenix Sunnyslope) takes on No. 10 and 13-0 Heritage Christian (which pulled away from Corona Centennial, 77-65, after a 31 deadlock at intermission) follow at 5:30 in the other upper-bracket quarter.

Coach Matt Dunn’s Braves (which got 22 points from junior Christian Collins and 19 from senior Elzie Harrington Thursday night) are – barring any sort of calamity – “locks” to return to the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs in February.

The other three programs in the half of the bracket would see their already justified Open aspirations amped with victories Friday night.

By way of wins over Southern California teams Thursday, 9-1 O’Connor (57-52 over the host Spartans, despite trailing by as many as seven points in the second half) and 6-4 Layton Christian (52-51 against No. 6 Santa Margarita) will play in a “non-Southern Section quarterfinal” at 7.

And, in the 8:30 finale Friday night, No. 2 Roosevelt (12-1) – which opened defense of its 2023 Platinum championship here Thursday by way of the Mustangs’ 84-63 win against two-time, Gold Division winner Danville San Ramon Valley – plays Clovis North at 8:30.

The Broncos are 13-1 after edging Los Alamitos Thursday, 63-60, in the Event Center as a potential score-tying 3 by the Griffins’ Trent Minter was off.

There is also a batch of potentially compelling Gold quarterfinals in the Event Center Friday, notably the 6:30 p.m. showdown matching Crowe-led, No. 20-ranked Inglewood (12-2) and No. 19 Canyon of Anaheim (9-2, after getting 29 points from Orange County’s best player, Brandon Benjamin, in the 71-56 decision over Prescott of Arizona).

Other Gold quarters pit No. 28 Campbell Hall (8-2/68-52 over Redwood) and Village Christian (7-3/74-37 over Northeast of Florida) at 3:30; No. 23 Crespi (10-4/66-55 vs. Liberty of Arizona) at 5; and Glendale (AZ) Ironwood (7-0/63-56 against No. 27 Rancho Cucamonga) vs Rolling Hills Prep (11-3/69-52 against Crean Lutheran) at 8.

In other Platinum highlights from Thursday:

*Redondo Union (its only loss came by four points to Roosevelt last week in Las Vegas during a Tarkanian Classic semifinal) couldn’t do much, successfully, to contain Destiny Christian senior guard Jaylen Valdez (35 points, including seven 3s).

But the Sea Hawks’ depth and multiple ways to attack the Lions’ defense more than compensated for Valdez’s effort.

Six Redondo players scored in double figures, junior S.J. Madison leading the way with 23 points (16 in the second half) while seniors Hudson Mayes added 21 (including two 3s) and Brayden Miner 12 – all via catch-and-shoot 3s.

*La Mirada trailed by 16 at intermission but sophomore Gene Roebuck scored 31 points and senior Julien Gomez added 27 with the duo combining for 21 in the fourth quarter to secure the Matadores’ Friday game with Redondo.

*The Heritage Christian senior forward duo of Tae Simmons and Dillan Shaw was too much for the Huskies to overcome while dropping to 4-10.

The San Diego State-bound Simmons (31) and future Saint Mary’s Gael Shaw (29) combined for 60 points with Simmons muscling his way to 11 rebounds.

*Santa Margarita led by a double-figure margin in the first half before succumbing to the LCA duo of UNLV-bound Tyrin Jones and Eastern Washington signee Alan Gballou.

Eagles’ junior Brayden Kyman got a clean looking at a potential winning 3-point jumper from the left wing, but it was off at the buzzer.

*San Ramon Valley sprinted to an 11-point advantage in the first quarter before Roosevelt’s “Big Three” once more why Brayden Burries, Issac Williamson and Myles Walker have that moniker.

Burries scored 33 points while Williamson added 20 and Walker 18, and applied immense defense pressure on SRV’s dribblers, passers and shooters over the final three quarters.

*And, while insuring that a non-California team will be in the Saturday night semifinals, UCSB-bound Michael Simcoe (16 points) and junior Ryan Parsley (15, all on 3s) led O’Connor past the Spartans.