By Dean Backes
MaxPreps.com
Just when Bishop Miege looked as if it had earned a promotion to the top spot in the Kansas 5A boys basketball rankings, Jacob French, Brandon Ubel and the rest of the Blue Valley West basketball team stopped the Stags.
This contest looked like a blowout on paper, but it was arguably the best game Friday in the Kansas City Metro.
Bishop Miege brought a spotless 12-0 record into the contest Friday at Blue Valley West and had won games over Class 6A second-ranked Shawnee Mission Northwest (78-57), Blue Valley Northwest (79-51) and St. Thomas Aquinas (50-27) in the Stags last three outings.
The Jaguars, however, were just 4-7 at tip-off and had already lost to the Stags a month earlier by a score of 61-32. In that game, Bishop Miege held Jaguar coach Donnie Campbell's top players Jacob French and Brandon Ubel to 16 points collectively.
French (28) and Ubel (24) were on fire this time around, combining for 52 of Blue Valley West's 61 points. Trevor Releford led the way for Bishop Miege with 26 points, while Justin McCay threw in 17 points.
Miege's loss coupled with McPherson's 54-53 loss to Maize, its first loss of the season as well, strengthened Topeka Highland Park's lead over the Stags and Bullpups in the latest 5A rankings of the 2009 season.
Lansing (11-3), Kansas City-Harmon (12-4) and Salina Central (10-4) moved up four spots to fill in the 5A rankings at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 following losses to Great Bend (10-5), Liberal (11-3), Hays (11-4) and Andover Central (10-5).
Topeka Hayden, Class 4A's season long No. 1, fell victim to Washburn Rural by a 72-64 count and dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten as well. The Wildcats fall one notch behind undefeated and top-ranked Hesston (15-0).
Topeka Highland Park (5A, 14-0), Hesston (4A, 15-0), Wichita Collegiate (3A, 15-0), Hutchinson Trinity (3A, 14-0), Galena (3A, 15-0), Olpe (2A, 15-0), Colony-Crest (1A, 16-0), Hanover (1A, 16-0), Quinter (1A, 16-0) and Kensington-Thunder Ridge (1A, 16-0) all remain unbeaten.
Below is a look at the latest Kansas boys and girls basketball rankings.
Kansas Boys Basketball Rankings
Top 15
1. Topeka Highland Park (14-0)
2. Wichita Heights (14-1)
3. Shawnee Mission Northwest (13-2)
4. Olathe East (12-2)
5. Bishop Miege (13-1)
6. Wichita Southeast (13-2)
7. Olathe South (12-2)
8. McPherson (13-1)
9. Wichita East (10-4)
10. Leavenworth (8-4
11. Hesston (15-0)
12. Goddard (11-3)
13. Derby (11-3)
14. Topeka Hayden (13-1)
15. Sumner Academy (14-1)
Class 6A
1. Wichita Heights (14-1) 2
2. Shawnee Mission Northwest (13-2) 3
3. Olathe East (12-2) 4
4. Wichita Southeast (13-2) 1
5. Olathe South (12-2) 5
6. Wichita East (10-4) 6
7. Leavenworth (8-4) 7
8. Goddard (11-3) 9
9. Derby (11-3) 8
10. Maize (9-5) 10
Class 5A
1. Topeka Highland Park (14-0) 1
2. Bishop Miege (13-1) 2
3. McPherson (13-1) 3
4. Lansing (11-3) 8
5. Kansas City-Harmon (12-4) 9
6. Salina Central (10-4) 10
7. Great Bend (10-5) 6
8. Liberal (11-3) 4
9. Hays (11-4) 5
10. Andover Central (10-5) 7
Class 4A
1. Hesston (15-0) 2
2. Topeka Hayden (13-1) 1
3. Sumner Academy (14-1) 3
4. Wichita Trinity Academy (14-1) 5
5. Girard (14-1) 6
6. Andover (12-2) 4
7. Kingman (12-2) -
8. Basehor-Linwood (11-3) 7
9. St. James Academy (13-3) 9
10. Parsons (11-3) -
Class 3A
1. Wichita Collegiate (15-0) 1
2. Hutchinson Trinity (14-0) 2
3. Galena (15-0) 3
4. Sabetha (13-1) 4
5. Sedgwick (14-1) 5
6. Holcomb (13-2) 6
7. Kansas City Christian (12-2) 8
8. Southwestern Heights (11-3) 7
9. Phillipsburg (11-3) -
10. Rossville (11-3) -
Class 2A
1. Olpe (15-0) 1
2. WaKeeney-Trego (16-1) 2
3. Republic County (14-1) 3
4. Syracuse (13-1) 4
5. West Elk (12-2) 6
6. Berean Academy (12-3) 5
7. Meade (14-3) 7
8. Salina Sacred Heart (12-4) 9
9. Nemaha Valley (11-4) 8
10. Central-Burden (9-4) -
Class 1A
1. Colony-Crest (16-0) 1
2. Hanover (16-0) 2
3. Quinter (16-0) 3
4. South Gray (15-1) 4
5. Kensington-Thunder Ridge (16-0) 5
6. Macksville (14-2) 7
7. Blue Valley-Randolph (14-2) 8
8. Tribune-Greeley County (16-1) -
9. Baileyville B&B (13-4) 10
10. Quivira Heights (13-2) -
Kansas Girls Basketball Rankings
Top 15
1. Washburn Rural (16-0)
2. Wichita Heights (14-1)
3. Wichita Bishop Carol (14-1)
4. Olathe South (13-2)
5. Bishop Miege (14-2)
6. Shawnee Mission East (12-3)
7. Shawnee Mission West (11-3)
8. Holton (15-0)
9. St. Thomas Aquinas (11-3)
10. Paola (15-0)
11. Liberal (13-1)
12. Concordia (15-0)
13. Salina South (12-2)
14. Goddard (10-4)
15. Andover Central (12-3)
Class 6A
1. Washburn Rural (16-0) 1
2. Wichita Heights (14-1) 2
3. Olathe South (13-2) 3
4. Shawnee Mission East (12-3) 6
5. Shawnee Mission West (11-3) 5
6. Olathe Northwest (10-4) -
7. Goddard (10-4) 8
8. Blue Valley (9-6) 4
9. Junction City (9-5) 9
10. Olathe East (11-4) 10
Class 5A
1. Wichita Bishop Carroll (14-1) 1
2. Bishop Miege (14-2) 2
3. St. Thomas Aquinas (11-3) 3
4. Liberal (13-1) 4
5. Salina South (12-2) 5
6. Andover Central (12-3) 10
7. Lansing (13-3) 8
8. Shawnee Heights (10-4) 6
9. Wichita Kapaun Mount Carmel (11-4) 7
10. Emporia (10-4) 9
Class 4A
1. Holton (15-0) 1
2. Paola (15-0) 2
3. Concordia (15-0) 3
4. Cheney (14-1) 4
5. Haven (13-1) 5
6. Andover (13-1) 6
7. Buhler (12-2) 7
8. Fort Scott (12-3) -
9. Scott City (11-3) -
10. Rose Hill (10-4) 8
Class 3A
1. Rock Creek (13-0) 1
2. Thomas More Prep Marian (14-0) 2
3. Norton Community (12-1) 4
4. Jefferson County North (13-0) 5
5. Southwestern Heights (14-0) 6
6. Wichita Collegiate (13-2) 3
7. Central Heights (11-3) -
8. Jayhawk-Linn (14-1) 7
9. Garden Plain (12-3) 10
10. Cherryvale (12-2) 8
Class 2A
1. Olpe (14-1) 2
2. Moundridge (14-1) 3
3. Cedar Vale-Dexter (13-1) 4
4. Pittsburg-Colgan (11-2) 1
5. Osborne (11-4) 6
6. St. Marys (11-3) 10
7. Lebo (12-4) 9
8. Clifton-Clyde (13-3) 5
9. LaCrosse (11-4) 7
10. Washington County (12-5) -
Class 1A
1. South Gray (16-0) 1
2. Centralia (14-1) 2
3. Hoxie (15-1) 3
4. Argonia (15-0) 4
5. South Barber (14-2) 5
6. Dighton (14-2) 7
7. Quivira Heights (15-1) 8
8. Rolla (14-1) -
9. St. John (13-2) -
10. St. Paul (14-2) -