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CIF-SS Basketball Wrap-Up presented by gearUP: What to know after the first week of action

A recap of the week's top performances, notable headlines and scores from high school basketball in the CIF Southern Section sponsored by gearUP

Tarek Fattal

Notre Dame guard NaVorro Bowman Jr. drives to the basket against Santa Margarita at the Trinity-Mission League Challenge in Pauley Pavilion.
Notre Dame guard NaVorro Bowman Jr. drives to the basket against Santa Margarita at the Trinity-Mission League Challenge in Pauley Pavilion. / Greg Fiore

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

gearUP is a proud sponsor of the CIF Southern Section basketball rankings and the CIF Southern Section Basketball Wrap-Up. gearUP is the easiest way to outfit your team with the best brands, offering premium apparel, game-changing support, and direct-to-athlete shipping in two weeks or less. Start your gearUP team store today!

Every Monday, 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 the opening week of basketball after the season officially started on Monday, November 17.

LATEST TOP 25 RANKINGS

Sierra Canyon remains the No. 1 team in the land after coming into the season the preseason No. 1-ranked team due to its influx of impact transfers. The biggest impact transfer is Brandon McCoy Jr., who dazzled in his Trailblazers debut Saturday evening at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.

Brandon McCoy Jr.
Brandon McCoy Jr. throws down a dunk in his Sierra Canyon debut against JSerra at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, November 22. / Greg Fiore

Redondo Union, Crean Lutheran, and Crespi move up after the first week of action. Orange Lutheran joins the fold after a 4-1 start under new coach Nate Klitzing.

RECORD WATCH

Inglewood guard Jason Crowe Jr. set the all-time scoring record in the CIF Southern Section in the season opener in front of former NBA player Paul Pierce, Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo. The Missouri commit scored 43 points in a win over Lynwood to become the section's all-time leading scorer.

Jason Crowe Jr.
Jason Crowe Jr. (center) poses with (L-R) former Boston Celtics NBA champions Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen and Paul Pierce. / Inglewood Basketball

After Crowe's first three games, he's just 172 points away from breaking California's all-time scoring mark set by Santa Maria St. Joseph's Tounde Yessoufou.

FRESHMAN GETS UCLA OFFER AFTER ONE GAME

Long Beach Millikan freshman guard Quali Giran has been on the radar since the summer, but it's unlikely anyone thought he'd scare No. 1 Sierra Canyon in his first-ever varsity game.

Quali Giran
Long Beach Millikan freshman basketball player Quali Giran has been offered by UCLA after a breakout performance against Sierra Canyon. / Quali Giran/X

The crafty guard took Sierra Canyon to the brink with an impressive 31 points, including four 3-pointers. Sierra Canyon, which was without its impact transfers (who were not yet eligible), ended up winning the game on a late 10-0 run to win 67-65. But Giran's performance was the talk of the town Wednesday night.

He ended up getting offered by UCLA less than 48 hours later.

TOP 5 GIRLS TEAMS TO WATCH

The girls basketball in the CIF Southern Section will just as entertaining at the top. These are the top five teams to watch and each team's best players.

Sierra Canyon: 5-star guard Jerzy Robinson and Oregon commit Emilia Krstevski is a 6-foot-4 center that is a four-year starter.

High school girls basketball, Sierra Canyon HS, Chatsworth California
Sierra Canyon incoming junior Jerzy Robinson (left) averaged 22.5 points and 10.8 rebounds last season for the 31-3 Trailblazers. / Photo: Andy Holzman

Mater Dei: Kaeli Wynn just committed to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley. Wynn is a Top 40 prospect joined by fellow standouts Harmony Golightly and Amiah Lewis.

Ontario Christian: Led by national recruit Kaleena Smith, the Knights are the defending CIF Southern Section Open Division champs looking to make noise once again.

Etiwanda: Coach Stan Delus is the best girls coach in California after leading the Eagles to a third straight CIF State Open Division title. Guards Arynn Finley and Andrea Alamo are top players to watch.

Corona Centennial: The Huskies are expected to be an Open Division contender after standout sophomore Sydney Douglas, a 6-foot-5 forward, transferred in from Ontario Christian.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

BRANDON MCCOY DUNKFEST

JOE STERLING BUZZER BEATER

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Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
TAREK FATTAL

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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