Top-ranked St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) blew by four in-state opponents last week, but the victories came with a potentially steep price.
During a 62-46 win over Union on Tuesday, star junior Michael Gilchrist suffered a knee strain that could keep him out of action for two weeks. The timing is especially tough for Gilchrist and the Celtics, who will meet No. 7 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) next Monday at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Findlay Prep has won 53 of its last 54 games.
Michael Gilchrist, St. Patrick
File photo by Todd Shurtleff
Gilchrist is MaxPreps.com’s No. 1 player in the 2011 class and was averaging around 13 points per game for head coach Kevin Boyle this winter.
Back to the Hoophall Classic for a moment, where 10 of this week’s Xcellent 25 will take the court over the weekend. In addition to the St. Patrick-Findlay Prep clash, the highlights include No. 3 Northland (Columbus, Ohio) facing No. 15 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and No. 5 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) taking on No. 17 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).
The Bass Pro Tournament of Champion in Springfield, Mo., will also be an event to watch starting Thursday. No. 12 Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) will try to fend off a field that includes Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), White Station (Memphis, Tenn.), Sagemont (Weston, Fla.) and United Faith Christian Academy (Charlotte, N.C.).
Read on for this week’s Xcellent 25 High School Boys Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
Xcellent 25 National High School Boys Basketball Rankings
1. (No. 1 last week) St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), 8-0
In addition to the injury-stained win over Union, the Celtics cruised to three other victories over in-state opponents. Linden (64-44) and Westfield (76-38) were no match for St. Patrick, while Duke-bound senior guard Kyrie Irving scored 30 points to lead a 78-52 win over state-ranked Trenton Catholic on Sunday
2. (2) Yates (Houston, Texas), 17-0
The Lions sparked controversy last week by beating Houston’s Lee High School 170-35, breaking the state record for points in a game and setting off a national debate over sportsmanship in the process. Yates bookended that win with lopsided victories over Houston Austin (139-51) and Houston Sharpstown (124-87).
3. (3) Northland (Columbus, Ohio), 4-0
National Player of the Year candidate Jared Sullinger hit 13 of 14 field goal attempts and finished with 31 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Vikings past Columbus East, 103-67. Northland will meet No. 15 Oak Hill Academy Saturday at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.
4. (5) Bloomington South (Bloomington, Ind.), 10-0
The Panthers notched consecutive win No. 36 with a 66-51 win over rival Bloomington North in their only contest of the week. Matt Carlino, beginning to show up big in the scoring column after transferring from Arizona during the summer, led the way for Bloomington South with 18 points.
5. (5) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 14-0
The Stags barely survived against a pair of Washington Catholic Athletic Conference opponents last week. Tuesday against Olney Good Counsel, Indiana commitment Victor Oladipo scored a team-high 19 points to help DeMatha battle back from a 10-point deficit in the second half and escape with a 54-52 win. Two days later against Forestville Bishop McNamara, junior guard Quinn Cook took the scoring lead with 19 points as the storied program once again overcame a second-half deficit to notch a 63-61 victory. DeMatha will meet No. 17 Mater Dei next Monday at the Hoophall Classic.
6. (6) Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.), 8-0
After a grueling early-season schedule that included a four-game sweep at the City of Palms Classic, the Cougars regrouped with a pair of blowouts. Sophomore stud Kyle Anderson scored 18 points to lead Paterson Catholic on Thursday in a 92-34 win over Lodi. Junior guard Myles Mack set the pace a day earlier in an 89-48 thumping of Manchester Regional. A battle-tested St. Frances Academy squad from Baltimore, Md., will provide a stiff test Sunday at the Hoophall Classic.
7. (7) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 20-1
The Pilots rolled West Virginia contenders Huntington Prep and Mountain State Academy over the weekend despite the departure of third-leading scorer Jabari Brown, who left the program to enroll at a school in his hometown of Oakland, Calif. Cory Joseph pumped in a game-high 18 points against Huntington Prep (61-47), while Croatian Marko Petrovic led head coach Michael Peck's squad with 22 against Mountain State Academy (79-54).
8. (8) Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.), 16-0
Inclement weather wiped out the Golden Wildcats’ only contest of the week.
9. (10) Ames (Iowa), 7-0
With North Carolina head coach Roy Williams in the stands to watch his future star Harrison Barnes, Ames struggled a bit to get past West Des Moines Valley on Tuesday, 77-58. Barnes led the way with 27 points. Saturday night against Ankeny, Barnes and Doug McDermott combined for 52 points to lead the Little Cyclones to an 80-50 rout of Ankeny. Ames’ slimmest margin of victory this season was the 19-point cushion against Valley.
10. (11) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), 9-0
The Yellowjackets cruised to easy wins over Roseville and GlenOak of Canton, Ohio, but like No. 1 St. Patrick, got some bad news on the injury front. Senior guard Ray McCallum delivered big against Roseville in a 68-43 win, posting 28 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. A night later in an 88-54 triumph over the Buckeye State squad, McCallum added 18 more points. Amir Williams, a 6-11 junior, is expected to miss three weeks after suffering a knee sprain against Roseville. That development is especially disappointing with Michigan’s game of the year on the schedule for Saturday – Detroit Country Day vs. defending Class A state champion Detroit Pershing.
11. (12) St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), 9-1
Junior guard Myck Kabongo scored 19 points and distributed six assists as Danny Hurley’s Gray Bees pasted Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), 95-63. St. Benedict’s Prep faces Academy of the New Church (Bryn Athyn, Pa.) on Saturday at the Dan Finn Classic in Jersey City.
Evan Nolte, Milton
File photo by Jim Redman
Evan Nolte, a 6-7 sophomore, scored 23 points to help Milton open Region 6B-AAAAA play with a 73-52 win over Marietta Walton. The Eagles are headed to Springfield, Mo., this week for the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions. Chaminade of St. Louis – featuring star junior guard Bradley Beal – is Thursday’s opponent.
13. (14) Christ School (Arden, N.C.), 17-1
The Greenies averaged 92.3 points per game in three easy wins last week. Christ School has featured a balanced attack all season and the stats reflect that with eight players averaging between 7.4 and 12.7 points per game. Future South Carolina Gamecock Eric Smith (12.7) leads the way with juniors Damarcus Harrison (12.4) and Tony Kimbro (12.3) also averaging double figures.
14. (15) Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.), 11-2
The Comets did not play last week.
15. (16) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 18-1
The Warriors did not play last week but return to action Saturday at the Hoophall Classic against No. 2 Northland.
16. (17) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.), 10-1
The Saints lit up the scoreboard in wins over Philadelphia West Catholic (104-53), Warminster Archbishop Wood (86-75) and Philadelphia Bishop McDevitt (77-41). LaSalle signee Tyreek Duran, a 6-1 guard, averaged 20 points per outing in the three-game sweep.
17. (18) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 13-1
The Monarchs appear to be hitting stride after an early loss to Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.). Arizona State signee Keala King scored 22 points as Mater Dei opened Trinity League play by thumping a solid Orange Lutheran program, 82-46. Head coach Gary McKnight’s bunch also victimized Westminster, 91-64.
18. (19) Federal Way (Wash.), 10-0
It was a big week for the Eagles highlighted by a 137-70 drubbing of Kentlake on Tuesday and an 83-56 thrashing of Kentwood on Saturday. Division I-bound studs Cole Dickerson and Isiah Umipig led the way against Kentlake with 35 and 30 points, respectively. Dickerson, who is averaging 25.5 points per game and will play at the University of San Francisco next year, added 33 against Kentwood.
19. (20) Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), 9-1
Senior guard Terrence Ross, who made news recently by opening up his recruitment after committing to Maryland, topped the 20-point mark in wins over District of Columbia foes Cesar Chavez (74-53) and KIMA (70-57). Duke signee Josh Hairston notched a game-high 30 points against KIMA.
20. (21) Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.), 15-1
Providence has held 12-straight opponents to 57 points or less and seven of those teams were limited to 45 points or fewer. Last week’s wins included Jacksonville Bishop Kenny (60-31), Fernandina Beach (68-57) and Jacksonville Trinity Christian (82-55).
21. (22) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 13-1
The Gaels, fresh off a tournament victory at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina, averaged 83.6 points per game in comfortable victories over Las Vegas Western, Pahrump Valley and Las Vegas Sierra Vista.
22. (23) Bellaire (Texas), 21-1
University of Texas commitment Sheldon McClellan, a 6-5 junior, put up 24 points in a 91-48 Monday beatdown of Houston Chavez. Five Cardinals – led by McClellan’s 14 points – scored in double figures Friday as Bellaire pushed past Houston Westside, 86-39.
23. (25) Plymouth Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.), 9-0
The Colonials continued to click in easy wins over Willow Grove Upper Moreland (82-44) and Fort Washington Upper Dublin (74-45). C.J. Aiken, a 6-10 senior headed to St. Joseph’s, averaged 21.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in those contests as Plymouth Whitemarsh remained unbeaten and untested. The Pennsylvania power is beating teams by an average margin of 33 points per game.
24. (NR) Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.), 11-0
For those not convinced of Ridgeway’s strength following its 111-93 spanking of Joe Jackson and White Station back on Dec. 18, the Roadrunners provided an encore. In front of 3,500 fans in one of America’s best high school basketball cities, Ridgeway pummeled White Station for the second time this season on Saturday, this time by an 89-52 score. Senior guard Marterrace Brock led the way with 20 points, while University of Memphis-bound big man Tarik Black added 15. Another statement opportunity is on the slate for next Tuesday against Todd Mayo and Germantown.
25. (10) Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.), 11-1
A disappointing loss doesn’t erase a month’s worth of solid wins for the Dolphins. Whitney Young was stunned by Muskegon Heights (Mich.) at the Sportsmanship and Violence Prevention Classic on Saturday, 69-66, despite 24 points from Purdue-bound Anthony Johnson. But wins over Columbia of Georgia, Simeon and the tournament title at the Proviso West Holiday Classic still give head coach Tyrone Slaughter’s team one of the nation’s better resumes.
Dropped out: No. 24 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)
