MaxPreps Xcellent 25
1. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 38-0. Last week: 2. The Warriors defeated then No. 4-ranked Montrose Christian, 69-63, before a standing-room crowd as Keith “Tiny” Gallon had 20 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. Junior guard Doron Lamb scored 15 points and senior forward Glenn Bryant blocked five shots. Senior guard Lamont Jones had six assists and three steals. Jones had 21 points and five assists during a 101-73 rout of Covenant Christian (Marietta, Ga.).
2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 30-1. Last week: 1. The Monarchs were shocked by Riverside King, 71-56, in the finals of the Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs, but both teams advanced to this week’s Southern Regional. David Wear was high with 15 points, followed by Gary Franklin with 13 and Tyler Lamb with 12.
3. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 24-3. Last week: 3. The Celtics launched the Parochial B state playoffs with a 73-37 rout of Jersey City St. Mary. Guards Dexter Strickland and Kyrie Irving led the way with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
4. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 30-0. Last week: 5. The Pilots did not play last week.
5. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) 20-2. Last week: 4. The Mustangs suffered their second loss – both to Oak Hill – by a 69-63 margin despite 24 points by Mouphtaou Yarou. Junior Terrence Ross chipped in with 14 points.
6. Strake Jesuit (Houston, Texas) 37-0. Last week: 7. The guard-oriented Crusaders nipped Houston Chavez, 59-58, on a free throw by Wes Williams with 5.9 seconds left to win the Class 5A regional. Senior guard Joey Brooks continued to dominate with 29 points. Tim Frazier scored 23 points and Brooks 20 during a 56-46 semifinal victory over Elkins, while Brooks scored 24 and Steven Rogers 19 in a 67-37 quarterfinal win against Alief Taylor. Big game: Friday vs. DeSoto in the Class 5A state semifinals.
7. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 25-0. Last week: 8. The Royals poured in 70 second-half points to crush Robbinsdale Armstrong, 119-88, after leading by just one point at halftime. Royce White led six players in double figures with 26 points. White paced five players in double figures with 20 points during a 100-72 rout of Minnetonka.
8. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 30-2. Last week: 12. The Comets edged Woodland Hills Taft, 60-55, to give coach Ed Azzam hits 10th Los Angeles City Section Division I championship. Juniors Jordin Mayes and Kareem Jamar scored 18 and 12 points, respectively.
9. Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) 19-1. Last week: 9. The Yellowjackets were idle last week.
10. LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) 29-3. Last week: 10. The Rattlers have completed their season.
11. Northland (Columbus, Ohio) 22-1. Last week: 11. The Vikings defeated Columbus Whetstone, 64-50, in the semifinals of the Division I district tournament. Sophomore guard Trey Burke set the pace with 17 points, while juniors J.D. Weatherspoon and Jared Sullinger each chipped in 15. Big game: Saturday vs. Westerville North for the district title.
12. Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 24-2. Last week: 14. The Wildcats defeated state No. 4-ranked Indianapolis North Central for the second time, 73-68, before a capacity crowd of 2,700 to win the Class 4A sectional title. Junior Dominique Ferguson scored 21 points and sophomore Ryan Taylor 14 and three others reached double figures. The four-time state champs flashed their power in the quarterfinals with 11 dunks and a 40-18 rebound advantage during an 86-47 rout of Indianapolis Broad Ripple. Jeff Robinson scored 22 points and Michael Chandler chipped in with 15.
13. St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) 23-2. Last week: 13. The Gray Bees did not play last week.
14. Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 26-1. Last week: 15. The Wildcats stretched their winning streak to 26 games with a 54-52 victory over South Holland Thornwood to capture the Class 4A regional crown. Junior guard Reggie Smith was high scorer with 23 points. In the semifinals, Thornton eliminated Lincoln-Way Central, 76-33.
15. South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) 27-3. Last week: 16. The Hornets raised their winning streak to 13 games by rolling past Washington County, 90-67, in the Class AAA state quarterfinals. Derrick Favors led the way with 30 points, Andre Malone had 20 points and Nick Watkins dished out 13 assists. Earlier, Favors amassed 23 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks during an 87-44 rout of Cairo. Malone added 22 points, while Watkins had 16 points and 11 assists.
16. Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) 24-1. Last week: 17. Peyton Siva exploded for 35 points (12-of-19 from the field), six assists and four steals during a 74-66 victory over talented Bellevue before a capacity crowd to win the Class 3A district title. Vonchae Richardson scored 19 points as the Quakers defeated Seattle Prep, 67-41, in the semifinals.
17. South (Bloomington, Ind.) 22-0. Last week: 18. The Panthers overcame a 25-19 halftime deficit to defeat East Central, 52-41, in the Class 4A sectional championship game. Sophomore guard Dee Davis was high with 16 points. Junior center Erik Fromm had 11 points, eight rebounds and three blocks during a 48-34 semifinal victory over Bloomington North.
18. Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.) 22-3. Last week: 19. The Raiders routed Archbishop Molloy, 96-64, in the Class AA intersectional quarterfinals as senior guard Durand Scott scored a season-high 25 points to go with seven assists. Jermaine Sanders added 18 points, while Kadeem Jack had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
19. King (Riverside, Calif.) 27-2. Last week: Not ranked. The Wolves shocked previously No. 1-ranked Santa Ana Mater Dei, 71-56, for their 18th straight victory to win the Southern Section Division I-AA championship. Senior Kawhi Leonard dominated with 11 points, 20 rebounds, six blocks and three steals. Tony Snell and Taylor Cunningham each added 16 points.
20. Pershing (Detroit, Mich.) 19-1. Last week: 20. The Doughboys defeated Catholic League champion Warren DeLaSalle, 82-75, to win the Operation Friendship championship. Juniors Keith Appling and Juwan Howard scored 24 and 23 points, respectively, while senior Derrick Nix had 13 points and 15 rebounds.
21. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 28-3. Last week: 23. The Stags ran their winning streak to 13 games by nipping Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), 62-61, before an overflow crowd of 4,500 to win the WCAC tournament championship. The score was tied 11 times and the lead changed hands on 12 occasions. Naji Hibbert scored the winning basket on a layup. Sophomore guard Quinn Cook was high with 13 points as four players reached double figures.
22. Holmes (Covington, Ky.) 31-2. Last week: 22. Ricardo Johnson scored 15 points as the Bulldogs defeated Newport Central Catholic, 47-38, in the regional semifinals. Junior Elijah Pittman sparked a 41-34 victory over Union Ryle in the quarterfinals with 11 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Big game: Tuesday vs. Florence Boone County for the regional crown.
23. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 24-4. Last week: 24. The Friars used balanced scoring to rout Hawthorne Christian, 88-33, and St. Joseph’s, 80-30, in the Parochial B state tournament. Jamee Jackson scored 15 points in the first game, while Dominic Cheek had 14 in the second contest. Big game: Today vs. Paterson Catholic.
24. Ames (Iowa) 23-0. Last week: 25. The Little Cyclones blew past Des Moines Roosevelt, 75-42, to win the Class 4A substate. Scoring in double figures were Doug McDermott (16), Bubu Palo (15), Harrison Barnes (14) and Jesse Pritchard (14). Big game: Wednesday vs. Iowa City West in the Class 4A state semifinals.
25. Coral Reef (Miami, Fla.) 27-4. Last week: Not ranked. The Barracudas overcame an early 15-3 deficit to defeat then No. 21-ranked Orlando Olympia, 69-60, to win their first Class 6A state championship. They made only nine turnovers (Olympia had 20) and shot 61 percent during a 49-point second half. Charles Hankerson, a 6-foot-5 junior, led the champs with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Senior Jerron Granberry had 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Dropped Out: No. 6 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 26-2, lost to Newark Memorial, 36-33, in the North Coast Section Division I semifinals; No. 21 Olympia (Orlando, Fla.) 28-5, lost to Miami Coral Reef, 69-60, in the Class 6A state championship game.
Past Weeks: Jan. 5 / Jan. 12 / Jan. 20 / Jan. 26 / Feb. 2 / Feb. 9 / Feb. 16 / Feb. 23 / March 2
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