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.) 22-0. Last week: 1. The Monarchs crushed Anaheim Servite, 102-57, but lost 6-foot-8 senior Andy Brown for the year due to a knee injury. David Wear led the way with 19 points and Tyler Lamb added 16. Lamb stepped up with 27 points, including seven threes, as the Monarchs followed with a 90-54 victory over JSerra Catholic.
2. Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 30-0. Last week: 2. The Warriors notched five victories in six days as 6-9, 320-pound senior Keith “Tiny” Gallon averaged 18 points and 9.4 rebounds. Junior guard Doron Lamb had 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists during a 101-57 rout of Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.), while he produced 19 points, six rebounds and four assists in an 89-60 victory over Mountain State Academy (Beckley, W.Va.).
3. St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) 19-0. Last week: 3. The Gray Bees were idle last week as they prepared for two of their biggest games of the year. They will take on No. 7 Elizabeth St. Patrick Wednesday at Rutgers University, then travel to California to challenge No. 1-ranked Santa Ana Mater Dei on Saturday.
4. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) 15-1. Last week: 4. The Mustangs nipped Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 52-50, in their only outing. Mouphtaou Yarou was high with 18 points, including 12-of-14 at the free throw line, and Terrence Ross added 12 points.
5. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 24-0. Last week: 5. The Pilots journeyed to Orlando, Fla., last week and notched three victories to win the Montverde Academy Invitational. They handed talented Orlando Christian Prep its third loss, 62-58, in the championship game. Senior guard Avery Bradley scored 23 points – including a 15-foot jumper and two free throws with one second left – to supply the winning margin. D.J. Richardson added 18 points and Victor Rudd had 16.
6. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 21-1. Last week: 6. Jordin Mayes averaged 17.5 points during lopsided victories over city opponents LACES (75-30) and University (84-43). Junior forward Dwayne Polee had 12 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks and senior guard Dominique O’Connor had eight assists against LACES. Big games: Friday vs. No. 18 Fairfax and Saturday vs. Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.).
7. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 15-2. Last week: 7. The Celtics avenged one of their defeats with an 86-60 rout of Burlington Life Center, which had upset them, 59-57, on Jan. 6. Junior guard Kyrie Irving scored 13 of his 20 points during a dominating 29-9 second quarter. Senior guard Dexter Strickland scored 15 points, while sophomore center Michael Gilchrist contributed 14 points and nine rebounds. Irving drilled 5-of-6 3-pointers in the first quarter en route to a 22-point effort during a 99-55 rout of Lawrenceville. Strickland added 19 points. Big game: Wednesday vs. No. 3-ranked Newark St. Benedict’s at Rutgers University.
8. Strake Jesuit (Houston, Texas) 27-0. Last week: 8. Senior guards Joey Brooks and Tim Frazier averaged 22.5 points and 15 points, respectively, during victories over Houston opponents Memorial (59-39) and Northbrook (72-19).
9. LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) 24-2. Last week: 9. The Rattlers made 30-of-38 free throws en route to an 85-74 victory over Huntsville Lee. DeMarcus Cousins accumulated 25 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five blocks in just 23 minutes. The Rattlers will open Class 5A Area Tournament action Friday against Mobile Citronelle.
10. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 18-1. Last week: 11. The Spartans ran their winning streak to 14 games by routing San Ramon California High, 68-35, and Livermore, 73-27. John McArthur led a balanced attack in the first game with 15 points. In the latter contest, point guard Brandon Smith paced five players in double figures with 14 points and also dished out 10 assists. Big game: Saturday vs. Compton Dominguez.
11. Northland (Columbus, Ohio) 13-1. Last week: 10. The youthful Vikings were handed their first loss, 67-61, in overtime by once-beaten Canton Timken, ending a 58-game regular-season winning streak. They committed 28 turnovers, including five in overtime. Junior Jared Sullinger scored 17 points and pulled down 25 rebounds, while sophomore guard Trey Burke added 15 points. Junior J.D. Weatherspoon scored 21 points in a 59-42 victory over Columbus East.
12. Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) 20-1. Last week: 12. Junior Travis Elliott scored 17 points and senior guard Bryan Bynes added 15 during a 74-39 rout of Coral Gables.
13. Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) 13-0. Last week: 13. The Yellowjackets defeated Flint Powers, 71-63, and Taylor Kennedy, 72-51. Junior guard Ray McCallum set the pace with 20 points against Flint Powers and Bennie Fowler added 14.
14. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 15-0. Last week: 14. The Royals crowned St. Paul Cretin-Derham Hall, 92-58, with five players reaching double figures. Royce White was high with 17 points and Raymond Cowels added 16. Big game: Tuesday vs. New Hope Robbinsdale Cooper, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A.
15. Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 15-2. Last week: 16. Junior Dominique Ferguson poured in 27 points during a 67-52 victory over Greenwood Center Grove. The Wildcats also defeated Fishers, 55-38, behind Stephan Van Treese’s 16 points. Big game: Friday vs. Carmel.
16. Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 20-1. Last week: 24. The Wildcats raised their winning streak to 20 games with victories over Calumet City T.F. North (53-38) and Chicago Fenger (87-80). Junior Reggie Smith scored 18 points (11 in the fourth quarter) against North and 20 against Fenger. Michael Buckner scored 18 points off the bench and Jay Parker added 17 against Fenger.
17. Olympia (Orlando, Fla.) 20-3. Last week: 20. Dexter Fields averaged 18.5 points during victories over Orlando Edgewater (70-32) and Apopka Wekiva (68-47), while Sherwood Brown set the pace with 16 points during a 70-55 victory over Orlando University.
18. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 17-3. Last week: 21. Lance Bailey made the winning free throw to nip Palisades, 84-83, but Renardo Sidney dominated with 37 points and 12 rebounds. Solomon Hill contributed 18 points. Sidney scored 30 points during an 82-44 rout of Los Angeles Hamilton. Big games: Friday vs. No. 6-ranked Westchester and Saturday vs. Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.).
19. South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) 18-3. Last week: 23. The Hornets stung Jackson, 84-55, behind Derrick Favors’ 23 points.
20. Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) 14-1. Last week: 15. The Quakers suffered their first loss, 62-60, to Bainbridge on Paul Weese’s 3-pointer with 6.8 seconds left. Senior point guard Peyton Siva was held to 12 points and 3-of-11 shooting. Siva bounced back with 27 points, four assists and three steals during an 81-44 rout of city foe Chief Sealth. Chris Holmes added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
21. Holmes (Covington, Ky.) 20-1. Last week: 25. The Bulldogs nipped Covington Scott, 67-66, in overtime for their 19th consecutive victory. Ricardo Johnson was high with 17 points, while Jeremiah Johnson added 15. Earlier in the week, they defeated Union Ryle, 55-41, and Burlington Cooper, 58-20.
22. Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.) 12-2. Last week; 17. The Raiders were upset by Bronx St. Raymond’s, 46-45, between victories over Flushing Holy Cross (53-43) and Brooklyn Jefferson (56-41). Durand Scott scored 17 points against Holy Cross and 14 against St. Raymond’s. James Stukes was high with 15 points against Jefferson. Big game: Friday vs. St. Raymond’s.
23. Pershing (Detroit, Mich.) 12-1. Last week: 18. The Doughboys suffered their first loss, 77-76, in overtime against Detroit Southeastern despite 35 points by Keith Appling and 20 by Juwan Howard, both juniors. They rebounded with an 89-58 rout of Detroit Finney as Appling produced 29 points and eight assists. Howard added 17 points and 12 rebounds.
24. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 16-3. Last week: 19. The Stags were upset, 55-54, in overtime by Wheaton Good Counsel on a 3-pointer by Ben Hazel with four seconds left. Marcus Rouse led with 17 points and Quinn Cook added 14. Naji Hibbert scored 17 points and Rouse 16 in a 69-65 victory over John Marshall (Richmond, Va.).
25. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 16-3. Last week: 22. The Friars were upset by Lincroft Christian Brothers Academy, 50-42, despite 15 points by Dominic Cheek and 14 by Devon Collier. Earlier in the week, they defeated South Amboy Cardinal McCarrick, 43-38, and Burlington Life Center, 67-53. Derek Williams scored 18 points against Burlington Life Center.
Dropped out: None.
Past Weeks: Jan. 5 / Jan. 12 / Jan. 20 / Jan. 26
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