Compiled By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
About the Rankings: MaxPreps already provides the most comprehensive high school sports ratings with the MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard, a computer model developed by Ned Freeman. Now, it’s time to get the human element involved.
Each Monday, senior writer Dave Krider will run down the top 25 boys basketball teams in the country – weighing record, quality wins and losses and other factors to determine the best of the best.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 28-0. Last week: 1. The Monarchs opened Southern Section Division I-AA tournament action with a 75-48 victory over San Clemente. Junior guard Gary Franklin scored 26 points, while classmate Tyler Lamb had seven steals and four assists. Franklin scored 24 points in an 85-52 rout of Upland. David Wear added 23 points, while Travis Wear had 15 points and 14 rebounds.
2. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 35-0. Last week: 2. The Warriors routed Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 104-75, as Keith Gallon and Lamont Jones each scored 19 points. Gallon also was high with 12 rebounds. Doron Lamb contributed 16 points, six assists and six steals.
3. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 21-3. Last week: 3. The Celtics crushed Union Catholic, 82-38, in the second round of the Union County Tournament. Dexter Strickland led the way with 18 points, while Kevin Boyle had six steals and five assists. Missing 6-foot-7 sophomore star Michael Gilchrist (possible broken foot), they then routed Roselle, 75-37, in the quarterfinals as junior guard Kyrie Irving poured in 24 points.
4. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) 19-1. Last week: 4. Mouphtaou Yarou had 22 points and 12 rebounds and Isaiah Armwood had 17 points during a 76-52 victory over Ballou (Washington, D.C.).
5. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 29-0. Last week: 5. The Pilots defeated God’s Academy (Dallas, Texas), 74-51, before a crowd of 4,800 at Southern Methodist University. Despite needing stitches in his lip, senior guard Avery Bradley scored 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Junior guard Cory Joseph added 10 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. The expected opponent, Duncanville, was forced to play a tie-breaker to determine the top seeding in District 7-5A.
6. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 25-1. Last week: 6. The Spartans raised their winning streak to 21 games with a 47-23 victory over California High as John McArthur scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Senior point guard Brandon Smith dished out five assists and his eight points put him over 1,000 for his career. Earlier the Spartans defeated San Ramon Valley, 71-49, behind Smith (19 points, seven assists and seven steals) and Beau Levesque (16 points).
7. Strake Jesuit (Houston, Texas) 32-0. Last week: 7. Joey Brooks scored 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting during a 71-61 victory over Houston Stratford. The Crusaders are Houston’s first team since Milby in 2004 to finish the regular season with an untarnished record.
8. LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) 29-2. Last week: 8. DeMarcus Cousins amassed 35 points and 13 rebounds as the Rattlers handed Eufaula its second loss, 70-65, to win the Class 5A regional. The 6-10 superstar scored 15 of his team’s 19 points in the fourth quarter to help overcome a five-point deficit in the final two minutes. The Rattlers won despite shooting just 16-of-39 from the free throw line. Cousins made only 7-of-19. In the semifinals, Cousins had 23 points and 13 rebounds as the Rattlers routed Wilcox Central, 94-59, to break a 14-year-old 5A regional scoring record. Big game: Friday vs. Birmingham Parker in the 5A state semifinals.
9. Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) 18-1. Last week: 9. The Yellowjackets were unable to hold an 8-point, fourth-quarter lead and lost a tough 73-67 decision at unbeaten South (Bloomington, Ind.). Junior Ray McCallum and sophomore Amir Williams each scored 17 points. DaShonte Riley had 12 rebounds and Williams had 11. Earlier they defeated Flint Northern, 81-73, as Donnavan Kirk and Jordan Dumars each scored 15 points.
10. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 21-0. Last week: 10. Royce White scored 30 points and pulled down 10 rebounds during a 101-74 rout of Robbinsdale Armstrong. Mike Broghammer backed him with 22 points and 11 rebounds. The Royals also crushed Columbia Heights, 102-68, as Trent Lockett led six players in double figures with 23 points.
11. Northland (Columbus, Ohio) 19-1. Last week: 11. The Vikings defeated Eastmoor Academy, 62-56, to win their third consecutive Columbus City League championship. Junior Jared Sullinger dominated with 31 points and 23 rebounds, while classmate J.D. Weatherspoon added 17 points.
12. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 27-2. Last week: 12. The Comets opened the Los Angeles City Section Division I playoffs with an 80-35 rout of Carson. Dominique O’Connor led the way with 15 points and eight assists. Jordin Mayes added 14 points and six assists.
13. St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) 22-2. Last week: 13. The Gray Bees routed Upper Room Christian (Dix Hills, N.Y.), 100-43. Aaron Brown led six players in double figures with 20 points.
14. Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 19-2. Last week: 14. Stephan Van Treese scored 20 points and Dominique Ferguson 17 during a 74-56 victory over Plainfield. The Wildcats also defeated city foe Howe, 95-65, with a dominating 53-27 advantage on the boards. Sophomore Ryan Taylor scored 17 points and Ferguson 16 as five players reached double figures.
15. Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 23-1. Last week: 15. The Wildcats raised their winning streak to 23 games with a 72-54 victory over South Holland Thornwood. Trevell Rivers set the pace with 17 points and 11 rebounds – four of them quickly converted into dunks.
16. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 24-3. Last week: 16. The Lions launched their Los Angeles Section Division I playoffs with a 92-51 rout of West Adams as Jordan Weathers pumped in 25 points. Renardo Sidney had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Solomon Hill contributed an impressive 16 rebounds and 10 assists.
17. South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) 24-3. Last week: 17. Derrick Favors had 34 points, Andre Malone had 24 points and Nick Watkins dealt out 14 assists during a 104-45 rout of Spalding to capture the Class AAA region title. Earlier Favors scored 26 points and Watkins handed out 13 assists as the Hornets stung Woodland-Stockbridge, 77-26.
18. Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) 21-1. Last week: 18. Peyton Siva scored 20 points and Chris Holmes 15 as the Quakers won the Metro League title with a 71-56 victory over city foe Rainier Beach. They avenged their only loss (62-60) with a 63-45 victory over Bainbridge in the semifinals as Siva scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
19. South (Bloomington, Ind.) 19-0. Last week: Not ranked. The Panthers handed No. 9 Detroit Country Day its first loss, 73-67, before a capacity crowd of 3,000. Senior guard Jordan Hulls led the way with 27 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore running mate Dee Davis added 18 points. One night earlier, the Panthers rolled past Indianapolis Perry Meridian, 91-46, to win the Conference Indiana title. Sophomore Spencer Turner was high with 17 points, including 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.
20. Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.) 19-3. Last week: 20. The Raiders rolled past Fresh Meadows St. Francis Prep, 80-49, as James Stukes had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Durand Scott scored 21 points during a 60-48 victory over Bronx All Hallows. Shane Southwell had eight rebounds and six assists.
21. Pershing (Detroit, Mich.) 18-1. Last week: 21. The Doughboys avenged their only loss (78-77) with a 79-58 victory over Detroit Southeastern before a crowd of 5,138 to capture their first Public School League title in 13 years. Junior Juwan Howard set the pace with 22 points and three others reached double figures.
22. Olympia (Orlando, Fla.) 25-4. Last week: 22. The Titans handed Melbourne its third loss, 75-38, in the Class 6A region quarterfinals as Jordan McCoy and Jamel Marshall each contributed 16 points and eight rebounds. Big game: Tuesday vs. Orlando Dr. Phillips in the semifinals.
23. Holmes (Covington, Ky.) 27-2. Last week: 23. The Bulldogs defeated Independence Simon Kenton, 55-47, behind JaMel Riley’s 15 points. Elijah Pittman had 20 points and Jeremiah Johnson had 10 rebounds in a 72-50 victory over Hebron Conner.
24. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 24-3. Last week: 24. The Stags gained revenge for a 10-point loss by beating Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), 68-65. Sophomore guard Quinn Cook pumped in 25 points and Naji Hibbert added 13. Earlier they defeated Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.), 64-53, before an overflow crowd. Cook also scored 25 points – 19 in the second half - on that occasion.
25. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 20-4. Last week: 25. The Friars were idle last week.
Dropped out: Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) 25-3, lost to Miramar, 54-53.
Past Weeks: Jan. 5 / Jan. 12 / Jan. 20 / Jan. 26 / Feb. 2 / Feb. 9 / Feb. 16
Click here for MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard
