DOWNEY — Inglewood’s Jason Crowe Jr. put the exclamation point Monday night on the MLK Showcase hosted by St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy.
After Los Alamitos’ boys basketball team tied Inglewood with 17.8 seconds left on a Tyler Lopez 3-pointer, Crowe got the ball at the opposite foul line and drove it the length of the court, weaving his way to the basket to score a left-handed scoop lay-up with 5.4 seconds remaining.
It was the game-winning basket for Inglewood in a 92-90 victory, the Sentinels’ 10th consecutive win.
“It was a tough game. I’m just glad we were able to get the win tonight,” said Crowe, who led all scorers with 26 points. “I was just trying to get the best shot available and try to draw a foul. Luckily, I was able to get all the way to the rim and make a lay-up.”
The game had 22 lead changes.
Inglewood (20-6) took a 24-17 lead after one quarter thanks to 10 points by Andre Nickerson Jr. Los Alamitos took a 44-42 lead at halftime behind Samori Guyness and Wes Trevino, who had seven points apiece in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, Inglewood’s Parker Jefferson and Danaus Cockrell stepped up to score a combined 21 points to give Inglewood a 65-61 lead going into the fourth.
In the fourth, Cockrell hit two early 3-pointers and Crowe scored eight points to increase the Sentinels’ lead to 11 points with 3:52 remaining.
Los Alamitos would make one final push. Liam Gray scored 11 of his team-high 20 points in the period to pull the Griffins close at 90-87 with 1:13 to play.
After a defensive stop, Los Alamitos worked the ball around and Trent Minter (12 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists) found Lopez for the game-tying 3-pointer.
Crowe, who scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half, made sure Inglewood got the victory and kept its winning streak going.
“Credit to them (Los Alamitos), they fought hard as a team,” said Jefferson, who recorded a triple-double (20 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists). “They are very well coached. It was a good test for us getting ready for playoffs.
“He (Crowe) makes big plays. That’s what he does. Everyone’s kind of surprised but I’m used to it.”
Inglewood coach Jason Crowe Sr. echoed Jefferson’s comments.
“It was a great, competitive showcase game. They are a going to be a dangerous team come playoff time,” he said. “Parker and Danaus stepped their games up tonight and hit some big shots for us. We are lucky we got him (Jason Crowe Jr.). He plays to win. In the situation of winning time, he did what he had to do.”
This is the first time since the 2015-16 season that Inglewood has reached the 20-win mark.
