State Playoffs: Damien Execution Too Much For Inglewood

<p>LA VERNE — Wednesday's CIF State Playoff Division I first round game between Damien and Inglewood featured contrasting styles on both ends of the floor. Damien brought a more balanced style of offense with ball movement, player movement and extra passes that led to wide open shots and, defensively, the Spartans had their focus on stopping the state's all-time leading scorer, [player_tooltip player_id='1956461' first='Jason' last='Crowe, Jr.'], and did everything they could to force the ball out of his hands.</p>   <p>Inglewood attempted to speed Damien up with its full court pressure defensively. Offensively, the Sentinels were led by the above-mentioned Crowe, whose ability to make shots from all three levels of the floor makes him one of the toughest covers the state has ever seen.</p>   <p>Damien won out in the end with an 84-65 victory that saw the Spartans connect on 14 of their 28 three-point field goal attempts and advanced to the quarterfinal round against Crespi. Below we break down the top performers from the game.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Best Scorers: [player_tooltip player_id='1956481' first='Eli' last='Garner'], Damien | [player_tooltip player_id='1956461' first='Jason' last='Crowe, Jr.'], Inglewood</h4>   <p><em><strong>On Garner:</strong></em> The 6-foot-5 wing has a versatile scoring arsenal and it was on full display in this game as he finished with a team-high 25 points on an efficient 8-for-12 from the field, 3-for-6 from three and 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Garner is a consistent perimeter shooting threat with fluid and balanced mechanics and the ability to use screens to create space for open looks.</p>   <p><strong><em>On Crowe:</em></strong> California's all-time leading scorer had 34 points in his final high school game and finished his career with 4,718 points - a record that likely won't be touched for a long, long time. Crowe is a prolific scoring point guard whose deep left-handed shooting ability and savvy driving and finishing ability underscore how he was able to earn the top spot on the state scoring list. Crowe went 10-for-23 from the field, 3-for-6 from distance and 11-for-12 from the free throw line in the loss.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Best Passer: [player_tooltip player_id='1956521' first='Elijah' last='Smith'], Damien (pictured)</h4>   <p><strong><em>On Smith:</em></strong> Smith was one of the most important players on the floor as his ability to take care of the ball, limit turnovers and stay calm with high IQ decisions under pressure allowed the Spartans to carve up the Inglewood pressure. The 5-foot-9 senior dished out a game-high nine assists but was also responsible for so many other baskets with hockey assists and simply making the right play at the right time. Smith added 13 points as he just missed tallying a double-double.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Best Shooter: Zaire Rasshan, Damien</h4>   <p><strong><em>On Rasshan: </em></strong>After the game Rasshan said he hadn't seen that many open looks in a long time and he cashed in on five three-point shots - most off the catch with a ton of time and space. When the 6-foot-2 junior shooting guard has any sort of daylight behind the arc, the shot is going up and it goes in at a high percentage. Rasshan scored 24 points in the win.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Best off the Bench: Sammy Franco, Damien</h4>   <p><strong><em>On Franco: </em></strong>The 6-foot combo guard provided a spark off the bench on both ends of the floor. Franco knocked down three three-pointers and spent a lot of time guarding Crowe. There really is no stopping Crowe but Franco did a really nice job of closing the space on Crowe and forcing him into the double teams. </p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Highest Upside: [player_tooltip player_id='2815160' first='David' last='Conerly'], Inglewood</h4>   <p><strong><em>On Conerly:</em></strong> There aren't many prospects in Southern California's junior class who have the combination of size, length and fluid athleticism that Conerly has. The 6-foot-6 wing is a quick-twitch slasher and finisher in transition, has the ball skills to create in isolation in half-court offense and can knock down open three's off the catch with time and space. Conerly scored 12 points in the loss.</p>

LA VERNE — Wednesday's CIF State Playoff Division I first round game between Damien and Inglewood featured contrasting styles on both ends of the floor. Damien brought a more balanced style of offense with ball movement, player movement and extra passes that led to wide open shots and, defensively, the Spartans had their focus on stopping the state's all-time leading scorer, Jason Crowe, Jr. Jason Crowe, Jr. 6'3" | PG Inglewood | 2026 State #13 Nation CA-S , and did everything they could to force the ball out of his hands.