Jaden Bailes, JSerra’s leading scorer, was being patient. He had just eight points going into the fourth quarter Tuesday night in a Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal playoff game against Rolling Hills Prep at North Torrance. The Lions were clinging to a seven-point lead.
That’s when Bailes decided to go into Stephen Curry mode. He made three consecutive threes to ignite a 15-0 surge that left Rolling Hills Prep helpless. The Lions pulled away for a 66-49 victory that only took 71 minutes to complete. The Lions (22-12) are a 12-loss team that’s looking pretty good with no fellow Trinity League teams left in Division 1. They do have to figure out a way to contain high-scoring Jason Crowe Jr. of Inglewood in Friday’s semifinals at JSerra.
Bailes certainly can make shots with Crowe if given the opportunity.
“They were doubling him on everything and I told him to be a playmaker,” JSerra coach Keith Wilkinson said.
Said Bailes: “I was confident the ball was going to come back to me. It’s a collective team effort. Lanes started opening up and I took advantage.”
Bailes finished with 19 points, Earl Bryson had 18 points and Godschoice Eboigbodin had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Kawika Suter scored 16 points for Rolling Hills Prep, which trailed by five points at halftime and 41-34 after three quarters.
Friday Open Division quarterfinal games: Crespi at Harvard-Westlake, Santa Margarita at Sierra Canyon, Corona Centennial at Notre Dame, La Mirada at Redondo Union.
Harvard-Westlake 83, Santa Margarita 62: After losing three of their last four games, the Wolverines have come back big time in the Open Division playoffs, winning their pool with an impressive road win. Joe Sterling and Pierce Thompson each scored 22 points and Amir Jones 21.
Redondo Union 69, Corona Centennial 57: Chris Sanders scored 22 points to help Redondo Union win its pool and move on to a quarterfinal home game Friday against La Mirada.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 69, St. John Bosco 60: The Knights won their Open Division pool and will host Corona Centennial on Friday. NaVorro Bowman Jr. scored 20 points and Zach White had 14 points.
Sierra Canyon 95, Corona del Mar 65: Maxi Adams had 25 points and Brandon McCoy 23 for the 24-1 Trailblazers, who won their pool and will play host to Santa Margarita on Friday.
Inglewood 82, Fairmont Prep 69: Jason Crowe Jr. finished with 45 points to help Inglewood reach the Division 1 semifinals and assure Crowe will be in the state playoffs.
Mater Dei 82, El Dorado 72: Luke Barnett led the way with five threes and 26 points and Zain Majeed added 25 points to advance the Monarchs into the Division 2 semifinals.
Crean Lutheran 83, Village Christian 58: The top-seeded Saints routed Village Christian to move into the Division 1 semifinals, where it will face Rancho Christian, a 71-62 winner over Long Beach Millikan.
As the high school boys’ basketball playoffs begin this week, these are the players who have reached or exceeded expectations to be at the top of their game during the regular season.
Let’s offer a salute for rising up:
Jason Crowe Jr., Inglewood: In each of his four seasons, Crowe has gotten better. Already the state’s all-time scoring leader with more than 4,000 points, he’s learned to draw fouls with his aggressiveness and increased strength instead of relying on three-point shooting. He leads the state, averaging 43.8 points.
Christian Collins, St. John Bosco: The best uncommitted player in California has been a model of consistency. The 6-foot-9 senior remains focused and hungry with each game, raising his skills and intensity to be a prime MVP candidate.
Kaiden Bailey, Santa Margarita: The Georgia Tech commit has truly become an outstanding point guard, ready to score if needed and pass if needed. When he went scoreless against St. John Bosco, he found another way to contribute with eight assists. The ability to recognize what is required will be key to his future success.
Joe Sterling, Harvard-Westlake: His three-point shooting skills are fantastic. The Texas commit is also learning to use his strength inside when needed. He faced adversity at the end of the regular season when his team lost three out of four games, so let’s see how he responds in the Open Division playoffs.
Brandon McCoy, Sierra Canyon: Give McCoy credit. He’s gotten better in his senior year even though he was already a top college prospect. Maybe it’s because he’s healthy. He’s jumping better and has become more explosive and versatile for the No. 1 team in California.
Cherif Millogo, St. Francis: Few knew what kind of influence the 7-4 center would have after transferring from Boston and missing a year because of a knee injury. He’s been a breath of fresh air. His skills are tremendous, along with his smiles and friendliness to fans and teammates alike.
Kevin Keshishyan, Los Altos: A 6-7 junior, Keshishyan entered this week averaging 20.4 points and 8.2 rebounds, proving his summer development was no fluke.
Eli Garner, Damien: It’s his fourth year playing on varsity and his best. He’s a scorer, rebounder and defender. Whatever coach Mike LeDuc asks of him, he delivers.
Devin Wright, Redondo Union: The son of former 12-year NBA player Dorell Wright has come on strong with big games against quality opponents, signaling the Sea Hawks have a fourth option to join SJ Madison, Chris Sanders and Chace Holley.
Gene Roebuck, La Mirada: The junior guard is averaging 22.4 points and kept his team competitive against one of the toughest schedules this season.
Maxwell Scott, Corona del Mar: A junior guard, Scott is close to automatic from three-point range when left open. He’s helped the Sea Kings reach the Open Division playoffs for the first time in school history.
NaVorro Bowman Jr., Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: He’s stamped as the best guard from the class of 2027. His shooting and scoring skills are elite. His strength keeps growing.
Will Conroy Jr., Village Christian: As a freshman, Conroy leads his team in scoring at 27.5 points a game and leads his team when games are close, showing poise beyond his age at 15 years old.
Jaden Bailes, JSerra: The transfer from San Diego St. Augustine keeps performing big in big games by making clutch shots.
Dylan McCord of Thousand Oaks has been one of the top three-point shooters this season.
(McCord family)
Dylan McCord, Thousand Oaks: The senior guard has made 113 threes while averaging 22.5 points. He set a school record with 10 threes in a single game.
Kamrynn Nathan, Elsinore: The junior guard is averaging nearly 25.2 points a game for the only unbeaten team left in the Southern Section.
Ethan Hill, Brentwood: Only a sophomore, he looks like a 6-7 football player yet can throw around his body in basketball. Once he gets the ball inside, the options are either watch him score or foul him.
Phillip Reed, Palisades: The freshman guard will be the player to watch as the Dolphins go for a City Section Open Division championship. His scoring skills and ability to find open teammates will be key to the Dolphins’ development.
Richie Ramirez, Mater Dei: He’s been an important addition as a junior guard, averaging 22.5 points a game.
Cayman Martin, Crespi: He played junior varsity last season as a sophomore after moving from Japan and has been a revelation with each game.
