Rondae Jefferson and Chester beat Lower Merion for the Pennsylvania Class AAAA state title over the weekend, finishing the season on a 58-game win streak.
Photo by Paul Burdick
Eight members of the next-to-last edition of the Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard wrapped up their seasons with state titles last week. Just one rankings-eligible team has a game – potentially game
s – remaining on the schedule as
Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) heads to the National High School Invitational beginning Thursday.
Top-ranked
St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) will be crowned national champion for the second year in a row after beating
Plainfield for the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title on Tuesday. The Friars finished the season on a 65-game win streak.
No. 5
Chester (Pa.) made a statement in the Pennsylvania Class AAAA final, dismantling
Lower Merion (Ardmore) – Kobe Bryant's alma mater – to notch its 58th win in a row. Wondering how an undefeated team in the Keystone State's largest classification doesn't garner national championship consideration? Through no fault of their own, the Clippers simply didn't play the kind of schedule that the rest of the Top 10 faced.
No. 20
Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) knocked off
Montour (McKees Rocks) for Pennsylvania's AAA title, getting 17 points from sophomore
JaQuan Newton.
In California, No. 6
Mater Dei (Santa Ana), No. 22
Salesian (Richmond) and No. 23
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) all captured state titles in convincing fashion. For Mater Dei, it was a record ninth CIF crown under head coach Gary McKnight. Mitty returns to the rankings for the first time since December after blasting
La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) in the Division II final. The Monarchs may have been an
Aaron Gordon bout with mono away from challenging for a perfect record.
In the Upper Midwest, No. 12
Dunbar (Dayton, Ohio) and No. 15
Sexton (Lansing, Mich.) finished off dominating campaigns with championships. Sexton trounced
Lakeshore (Stevensville) by 35 in the Great Lakes State Class B final, getting yet another masterful performance from Michigan State-bound guard
Denzel Valentine (15 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists).
Read on for a complete look at this week's rankings.
Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard1. (No. 1 last week) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (32-0)Season complete. Non-Public B champions. Tournament of Champions titlists.
2. (2) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (39-2)Season complete. Class 5A state champions.
3. (3) Milton (Ga.) (28-4)Season complete. Class AAAAA state champions.
4. (4) Simeon (Chicago) (33-1)Season complete. Class 4A state champions.
5. (5) Chester (Pa.) (32-0)Season complete. Class AAAA state champions.
