CIF-SS Basketball Wrap-Up: From Inglewood to Record Books at Hoophall Classic

Inglewood High's Jason Crowe Jr. set the Hoophall Classic scoring record against a local standout.

Inglewood's Jason Crowe Jr. signing autographs at the 2026 Panini Hoophall Classic. / Tarek Fattal

Welcome to the 'CIF Southern Section Basketball Wrap-Up'.

Every week, High School on SI senior reporter Tarek Fattal will recap the CIF Southern Section's best basketball performances, notable headlines and scores - and of course - an updated boys basketball Top 25 rankings.

This week's wrap-up covers a record-setting performance on the national stage, an all-girls-basketball day for the first time at the Hoophall Classic, a local player's dreams of being a McDonald's All-American, and of course, the latest computer rankings.

JASON CROWE JR. SETS HOOPHALL SCORING RECORD

Why are we not surprised?

The 5-star Missouri commit Jason Crowe Jr. is the most prolific high school scorer in the country, and it was on display Saturday night when he tallied 48 points on 17-of-37 shooting in an 81-80 victory over Notre Dame (CT) in front of a standing-room-only crowd in Blake Arena at Springfield College.

Inglewood High's Jason Crowe Jr. scored record-setting 48 points in an 81-80 win over Notre Dame (CT) at the 2026 Hoophall Classic. / Tarek Fattal

"There's nobody that can do what he does," Inglewood coach (and father) Jason Crowe Sr. said.

• STORY: Missouri 5-star commit Jason Crowe Jr. sets Hoophall Classic scoring record

HOOPHALL HOSTS FIRST, ALL-GIRLS DAY ON NATIONAL STAGE

For the first time ever, the Hoophall dedicated a full day to girls basketball. All six games on Friday were matchups between nationally-renown girls' programs, highlighted by some of the country's best players including Kaleena Smith, Jerzy Robinson and Savannah Swords.

Ontario Christian's Kaleena Smith is the No. 1 recruit in the 2027 class. / Hoophall Classic

UConn coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley were on hand.

STORY: Kaleena Smith, Jerzy Robinson highlight Hoophall's first-ever, 'all-girls' day

MAXI ADAMS HOPES TO BE McDONALD'S ALL-AMERICAN

Sierra Canyon star Maximo Adams, a North Carolina commit, hopes his Hoophall Classic performance helps him to be a 2026 McDonald's All-American.

Sierra Canyon's Maxi Adams gave an impressive performance in a victory over Columbus (FL) in the 2026 Hoophall Classic. / Hoophall Classic

Adams sits ranked No. 24 overall in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.com and No. 25 in the ESPN rankings. The game and its committee members select 24 players for the event, splitting the selections into two teams of 12 for the 'East' and 'West' squads.

STORY: Maxi Adams Hopes Hoophall Performance Boosts McDonald's All-American Dream

The North Carolina commit was stellar in Sierra Canyon's dominant 75-58 win over Columbus with 24 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes. He was 9 of 14 from the field including four 3-pointers. He also added two assists and two steals.

TOP 25 EXPERT RANKINGS

There will be two rankings published every week in the CIF Southern Section as it pertains to boys and girls basketball. There are the traditional expert rankings, which is a Top 25 compiled by a reporter, and there are the computer rankings, which are used to place teams come playoff time.

Here are the latest expert rankings as of Jan. 18.

EXPERT: BOYS TOP 25 RANKINGS | GIRLS TOP 25 RANKINGS

COMPUTER RANKINGS

The playoff divisions are beginning to take shape with just a couple more weeks left in the regular season, including the section's top field: the Open Division.

As teams are vying for league placement, which will determine their playoff eligibility, working in the background is CIF's 'competitive equity' model that uses computer rankings to determine where teams should fall come playoff time. The computer will determine which division and where within that division a team should be placed based on the results from the current year.

COMPUTER: BOYS BASKETBALL | GIRLS BASKETBALL (as of Jan. 21)

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