California high school basketball game ends in bench-clearing brawl

An exciting high school basketball matchup on Monday night night featuring one of California’s top recruits ended in ugly fashion, with both benches clearing in a postgame brawl.

The matchup between visiting Inglewood and San Bernadino’s Aquinas had been a tense showdown all game, but things boiled over after a late basketball by an Inglewood players — which ultimately didn’t count anyways. Leading by 13 points in the final second, Inglewood was dribbling out the clock amid pressure from Aquinas, with a Sentinels player ultimately driving to the basket for a trick layup as time expired.

A member of the Aquinas team didn’t take kindly to play, and began jawing with the Inglewood bench as the clock hit zeroes. That quickly escalated though, with pushing and shoving from Inglewood’s players bringing Aquinas players and coaches off their bench.

Inglewood coach Jason Crowe, the father of five-star recruit and Missouri signee Jason Crowe Jr., attempted to intervene. But he and an Aquinas player were shoved to the ground as the melee ensued.

The fracas ultimately made its way over to the opposite sideline, with fans and family members also getting involved. Crowe told Sports Illustrated that the tensions had been brewing for most of the second half after Aquinas coaches were allegedly talking to trash to some of his players.

“One of the Aquinas assistant coaches was talking [trash] to our players,” Crowe said. “So the temperament and tone of the game changed. Up until then it was an exciting atmosphere.”

Inglewood, one of the state’s top teams, was coming off a 77-point win last week over Lawndale and has routinely dominated teams with its high-octane offense, led by Crowe Jr.

“I think Inglewood thought we were going to lay down,” Aquinas coach Daryl Pegram said. “They thought they were going to impose their will on us and we didn’t allow that to happen.”

Crowe Jr. scored a game-high 43 points, and is averaging nearly 44 per game on the season. His impressive performance — and another important win for Inglewood — was marred by the scuffle, though.

As of Wednesday, no suspensions for players or coaches involved have been announced.

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