MaxPreps Southern California boys basketball rankings

The rankings come out a day early this week, so no Monday contests are factored in, as they normally would be.

What we're seeing in this week's edition is that league play means different things to different teams. Whereas we get titanic matchups earlier in the season at tournaments and showcase games, some leagues simply aren't very deep and that means that some of the better teams are playing risk-free contests.

But then there are those who are in the brutal leagues like the Trinity, the South Coast and the Inland Valley. Teams in those leagues aren't getting too many easy dates on the schedule.

Three teams drop out, and a few big-name squads had to take slight hits after losing to other big-name programs.

MaxPreps Southern California Boys Basketball Rankings

1. (1 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 18-0, 4-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 1 state, 4 national

Just another week for the Monarchs, the top team in the Xcellent 25. They blasted Orange Lutheran 79-59 Friday night, but the most notable win was their other contest: A 79-67 triumph over St. John Bosco that featured 25 points each from Stanley Johnson and Elijah Brown. A trip to Servite and a home game against JSerra Catholic await. We don't expect either of those to be much of a problem.

2. (2) Long Beach Poly, 15-1, 4-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 3 state, 10 national

First, let's get the not-so-interesting stuff out of the way. The Jackrabbits completed their three Moore League games in three days stretch last week with three big wins, as they eclipsed Millikan 85-68 and then Compton 65-49. They go to Lakewood on Monday. Now comes the good stuff: A trip to Springfield, Mass., and the Hoophall Classic, where national power Whitney Young (Chicago) awaits on Saturday. The Jackrabbits dropped one spot in the Xcellent 25 to No. 4.

3. (3) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), 19-0, 2-0
Division: Southern Section IV-AA
Freeman Rankings: 2 state, 8 national

In one of the season's biggest games, the Knights played a great game to beat St. John Bosco on Saturday night, 74-63 and moved to No. 8 in the Xcellent 25. Ognjen Miljkovic scored 23 points and added eight rebounds while Lamond Murray Jr. had 18 points and 10 rebounds. They played without Larry Taylor III as well. And on Friday, they beat Serra 58-34, including a 32-11 second half despite trailing by two points in the third quarter. Bishop Montgomery also won 74-44 over Bishop Amat. La Salle (Pasadena) and St. Bernard (Playa Del Rey) await this week in Del Rey League play.

4. (5) Loyola (Los Angeles), 13-2, 3-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 4 state, 22 national

The Cubs blasted St. Francis 70-33 after a 25-3 first quarter in their only contest of the week. Nine players scored in the rout. But this coming week will be a gut-check in the Mission League. Crespi comes to town Monday, then Harvard-Westlake comes Wednesday before a Friday contest at Alemany. Harvard-Westlake handed the Cubs one of their losses this season.

5. (6) Centennial (Corona), 17-1, 2-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 5 state, 33 national

The Huskies avenged two tough losses from last year when they thumped crosstown rival Corona, 84-59. The game was tied at the half but Centennial found another level in the second half, and was led by 20 points from Sam Finley. Then they followed that up with a 70-29 laugher at Norco. King (Riverside) and Roosevelt (Eastvale) come calling this week in Big VIII League play. They moved to No. 20 in the Xcellent 25.

6. (4) St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 11-3, 3-1
Division: Southern Section III-A
Freeman Rankings: 6 state, 40 national

Two losses in a week and they're still in the rankings? You bet. The Braves fell to Bishop Montgomery on Saturday, 74-63, and lost to No. 1 Mater Dei 79-67. No shame in either of those losses. A small drop has to happen here, but not much. Bosco crushed Servite 61-38 earlier in the week, and a noteworthy stat line from the Servite win was Daniel Hamilton's 12 assists to go with zero points. Darien Williams scored 16. The Braves head to Springfield, Mo., to take part in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions this week, and are 25th in the Xcellent 25.

7. (8) Etiwanda, 12-2, 2-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 9 state, 55 national

Before besting Beverly Hills 60-37 on Saturday, the Eagles were road warriors, taking down Upland 53-44 and Los Osos 59-40 in Baseline League play. Alta Loma, Rancho Cucamongo and Eisenhower (Rialto) await this week. They've won 10 straight now, so look out Baseline League opponents.

8. (10) Pacific Hills (Los Angeles), 13-2, 4-0
Division: Southern Section IV-A
Freeman Rankings: 14 state, 76 national

The Bruins have rifled off three straight road wins in the Alpha League, including 71-68 at Windward and 61-53 at Campbell Hall. The Windward win came after a three-point halftime deficit. The good news is they have some home games coming up. The bad news is Brentwood School is one of those games (Thursday) and on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day it's West Ranch (Valencia). Paraclete (Lancaster) comes on Tuesday as well.

9. (11) Brentwood School (Los Angeles), 15-1, 3-0
Division: Southern Section IV-A
Freeman Rankings: 18 state, 133 national

The Alpha League matchup we're excited to see is finally here, as Brentwood will head to Pacific Hills on Thursday. The last week featured a 71-65 win over Sierra Canyon and a 75-40 triumph over Crossroads. Campbell Hall also comes to town Tuesday.

10. (12) Westchester (Los Angeles), 14-5, 2-0
Division: Los Angeles City Section I
Freeman Rankings: 16 state, 87 national

Venice was no match for Westchester on Friday Night, as the Comets rolled to a 81-37 victory in their only game of the week. Now comes three straight road games in the Western League: Palisades, Hamilton and Fairfax.

11. (13) Santa Monica, 13-4, 2-0
Division: Southern Section I-A
Freeman Rankings: 24 state, 182 national

The Ocean League schedule got off to an exciting start when the Vikings held off Inglewood, 58-57, after taking an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter. Then it got boring when they whacked Culver City, 78-52 on Friday. Beverly Hills and Morningside come calling this week.

12. (14) El Camino Real (Woodland Hills), 16-2, 2-0
Division: Los Angeles City Section I
Freeman Rankings: 11 state, 67 national

The Conquistadors looked great in the SDLA Showdown, taking out Lincoln (San Diego) 60-42 behind 17 points from Michael Thomas and 16 from Julian Richardson. They dominated 81-52 over Cleveland and 77-39 over Birmingham in the West Valley League earlier in the week, so all told that is 10 straight wins. Chatsworth and Granada Hills come calling this week.

13. (17) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 15-2, 3-0
Division: San Diego Section III
Freeman Rankings: 19 state, 135 national

The Dons obliterated Scripps Ranch 75-47 and University City 75-28 in the Western League, and coupled with the win over St. Augustine last week, it keeps them as the highest-ranked San Diego Section team. Xavier Williams scored 25 points in the Scripps Ranch victory. Lincoln and Mission Bay are league games coming up, and Monday will feature a contest against Army-Navy (Carlsbad), a team that is having a great season.

14. (19) Village Christian (Sun Valley), 16-2, 2-0
Division: Southern Section V-AA
Freeman Rankings: 50 state, 363 national

Village Christian easily took care of Whittier Christian and Valley Christian (Cerritos) in the Olympic League, now Maranatha and Sylmar (nonleague) come calling. The defending Division V state champions are getting 19.4 points per game from junior Bryan Alberts. Going forward, it is going to be interesting to see how to rank the Crusaders because they play in a Division V league.

15. (9) Bullard (Fresno), 13-2
Division: Central Section I
Freeman Rankings: 8 state, 40 national

It's no secret that Bullard's local schedule isn't on par with the other teams in the rankings. And so it would seem that a loss would bump the Knights. Well, their 85-74 loss Saturday was to Sheldon (Sacramento), ranked No. 16 in the state, so it's reason to move down but not out. Their other game this past week was an 88-45 win at Clovis. Madera South and San Joaquin Memorial await before an LA adventure with Dorsey. Big wins over NorCal teams early in the season are also keeping Bullard on the list.

16. (20) West Ranch (Valencia), 12-4, 2-0
Division: Southern Section I-A
Freeman Rankings: 20 state, 153 national

The Wildcats ended Hart's unbeaten start with a 70-63 triumph in the Foothill League, then followed it up Friday with a 62-48 triumph over Canyon. Saugus and Golden Valley come calling next, then a big-time matchup against Pacific Hills.

17. (21) Sonora (La Habra), 17-2, 3-0
Division: Southern Section III-AAA
Freeman Rankings: 48 state, 337 national

The Raiders just keep on winning. Buena Park fell 78-64 to Sonora and Fullerton went down 79-40. Troy and Sunny Hills are on the schedule next week, so if Sonora wins those, it's likely that the Freeway League title is the Raiders' to lose.

18. (22) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad), 13-3
Division: San Diego Section II
Freeman Rankings: 42 state, 303 national

The Mavericks defeated Valley Center 52-44 and Del Norte 69-45 this past week, another testament to the fact that they are rolling. The Avocado West League schedule begins against Vista, then against Rancho Buena Vista. El Camino (Oceanside) could prove to be a formidable foe.

19. (7) Mission Viejo, 16-2, 1-1
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 8 state, 53 national

The 60-58 home win against Aliso Viejo was a scare. The 73-72 setback at El Toro was what sent the Diablos tumbling down the rankings. We said the South Coast League was deep, and it's already proving correct. El Toro also beat Tesoro, so maybe that's the team to beat in the SCL. Mission Viejo goes to Capistrano Valley Monday, Laguna Hills Wednesday and Tesoro Friday.

20. (25) Westlake (Westlake Village), 16-2, 6-0
Division: Southern Section II-A
Freeman Rankings: 28 state, 197 national

The Warriors are looking very good up in the Ventura County area, holding a 6-0 record in the Marmonte League and holding wins over two of the three teams chasing them for the title. Westlake dispatched Thousand Oaks 86-76 and Royal (Simi Valley) 60-53 this past week, and both victories are solid. Calabasas looms this week, and if the Warriors win that one, they have a stranglehold on the league. They've also made a significant jump in the Freeman Rankings.

21. (15) Chaminade (West Hills), 13-4, 1-2
Division: Southern Section III-A
Freeman Rankings: 33 state, 231 national

The Eagles earned a tight win over Crespi Friday, 64-61. But they also lost to Harvard-Westlake 58-46. Both teams have been unranked, but are definitely among the better teams in Southern California. Notre Dame, Alemany and St. Francis await this week and that should be a chance to earn three league wins and stay in the rankings.

22. (NR) JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano), 11-4, 2-2
Division: Southern Section IV-AA
Freeman Rankings: 13 state, 74 national

The reason we dropped the Lions from the rankings was more due to their schedule than their talent. Getting Mater Dei and St. John Bosco back-to-back in the Trinity League will equal two losses for most any team. Beating Servite and Santa Margarita was expected, and it got JSerra back in the rankings. Their Freeman Rankings number is lofty, and they'll get a really good test this coming week when they face Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei.

23. (NR) Tustin, 17-2, 4-0
Division: Southern Section III-AAA
Freeman Rankings: 37 state, 248 national

The Tillers are making the Empire League schedule look like a breeze. In four victories they haven't won by less than 15. Add in a win over Village Christian, and there is plenty of reason to believe they belong. Western and Kennedy lurk this week as the final teams in the Empire League that the Tillers haven't played.

24. (NR) Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley), 13-4, 5-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 45 state, 329 national

The Mustangs knocked JW North down in the rankings with a 55-52 triumph in Inland Valley League play, and that moved them to the drivers' seat with a 5-0 record. They also beat Arlington (Riverside) 64-61. If it weren't for two losses to Compton in the early going, Rancho Verde would have been a rankings mainstay already.

25. (16) JW North (Riverside), 15-3, 4-1
Division: Southern Section II-AA
Freeman Rankings: 27 state, 195 national

A loss to Rancho Verde hurt the Huskies but they got right back on the winning side by beating Riverside Poly 77-42. A trip to Arlington (Riverside) and a game against Palisades on Monday are the next tussles on the schedule. If JW North wants to win the IVL title, it's going to likely need a victory against Rancho Verde in the rematch, which will be Feb. 1. Their signature win thus far is over Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco.

Dropped out: No. 18 Hart, No. 23 Orange Lutheran and No. 24 Serra.