MaxPreps Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings

1. (No. 2 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 19-0
Following a 79-67 win over Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) on Monday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., the Monarchs are in familiar territory: The top. A showdown in two weeks with No. 19 Whitney Young – a winner at Hoophall over then-No. 3 Oak Hill Academy – just got a lot bigger.

2. (5) Rainier Beach (Seattle), 15-0
There will be readers and fans in an uproar that this spot didn't go to No. 3 Curie. But Rainier Beach and Curie have a common opponent and the results lean heavily in the Seattle school's favor. Curie beat Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 66-62 at the Chicago Elite Classic back on Dec. 7. Twenty-three days later the Vikings also faced Gorman and ran away with a 95-67 victory in the championship game of the Les Schwab Invitational. Beach received so-so reviews in a 65-60 win over Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) at the Hoophall Classic, but the Knights came in red hot with recent wins over two nationally ranked WCAC rivals.

3. (8) Curie (Chicago), 16-1
The Condors shocked the world Monday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, taking down then-No. 1 Montverde Academy 73-69. Senior power forward Cliff Alexander may have established himself as the frontrunner for National Player of the Year honors by taking over the game late and finishing with 30 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. Curie is unbeaten this season with Alexander in the lineup.

4. (1) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 18-1
After winning the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions in impressive fashion, the Eagles may have run out of gas late in the fourth quarter against Curie. Montverde Academy's setback on Monday marks the second year in a row it has lost on "Big Monday" at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. The good news is the Eagles bounced back a year ago to win the National High School Invitational and the now-defunct Academy Top 10 national title.



5. (4) White Station (Memphis, Tenn.), 16-1
The Spartans went toe-to-toe with then-No. 1 Montverde Academy for 24 minutes in the final of the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo., before falling 73-60. White Station dispatched No. 8 Paul VI impressively in the semifinals of the event.{PAGEBREAK} 6. (6) Northside Christian Academy (Charlotte, N.C.), 18-1
NCA continued its dominance over in-state opponents this season with big wins over Metrolina Christian Academy (Indian Trail) and Christ School (Arden) last week.

7. (7) Arsenal Technical (Indianapolis), 13-1
Tech has been tough to slow down in recent weeks, topping the 80-point mark in seven of its last eight outings.

8. (11) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 16-3
Despite a loss to No. 5 White Station in the semifinals of the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions, head coach Glenn Farello has to be happy with his young Panthers coming out of the long weekend. The Panthers blew out Willard (Mo.) and Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) at Bass Pro in Missouri, then traveled to Massachusetts for a win over storied St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.

9. (13) Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.), 19-3
While many of the nation's elite teams were in Missouri or Massachusetts for big showcases, the Stallions were back home in Florida making a statement. Providence blew out two of the state's best teams at the Wally Keller Classic, beating Norland (Miami) 68-44 and Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) 76-55.

10. (15) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), 15-2
Jalen Coleman came up big for the Lakers in a 65-55 win over No. 12 Our Savior New American at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, putting up 28 points to lead all scorers.{PAGEBREAK}

11. (3) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 23-2
For the second year in a row at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, Oak Hill Academy fell to a team from Chicago. Last year it was Jabari Parker and Simeon. This year, Jahlil Okafor and No. 19 Whitney Young got the Warriors 53-50.



12. (9) Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), 13-2
After starting the season 11-0, the Pioneers have lost two of their last four outings including a 65-55 loss to No. 10 La Lumiere at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.

13. (16) Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.), 19-0
The Spartans will be tricky to weigh in the national rankings going forward. GAC hasn't faced a team that has appeared in the Xcellent 25 this season, but is crushing opponents by an average margin of 25 points per game and has won 37 games in a row overall.

14. (18) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 21-3
Looks who's back after a rough stretch in December. The Pilots beat Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) 73-44 at the Spalding Hoophall Classic and Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio) 56-44 earlier in the weekend at Flyin' to the Hoop.

15. (19) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), 18-1
The Aztecs hammered three of the Top 10 teams in Arizona (according to the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings) by a combined 69 points last week.{PAGEBREAK} 16. (20) Apple Valley (Minn.), 15-1
The Eagles have won 10 in a row since an early December loss to No. 19 Whitney Young. Apple Valley is averaging 92.8 points per game in those 10 victories.

17. (22) Loyola (Los Angeles), 16-1
The Cubs outscored Crespi (Encino) 30-11 in the fourth quarter on Monday en route to a 75-55 victory. Four players are averaging 10 or more points per game for Loyola this season, led by junior guard Max Hazzard (15.9) and 6-foot-11 senior Thomas Welsh (15.1).

18. (21) Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.), 12-2
Carroll dominated action at the Burger King Classic in Erie, beating Cathedral Prep (Erie) 47-35 and thumping St. Rita (Chicago) 64-38 in the final.



19. (23) Whitney Young (Chicago), 12-4
A week ago, the Dolphins re-entered the rankings with a bit of trepidation on our part due to the four losses on their resume. But Whitney Young justified the move with a big win over No. 11 Oak Hill Academy at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.

20. (25) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), 17-4
Rob Fulford's Express have key wins this month over No. 12 Our Savior New American and then-No. 24 Prime Prep on Saturday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.{PAGEBREAK}

21. (NR) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 13-1
The Cadets' only loss came against No. 8 Paul VI on Dec. 12. St. John's has been a buzzsaw since that setback, winning nine of 11 contests by double digits. A rematch with Paul VI was scheduled for Tuesday night but weather will shift that showdown to another date.

22. (NR) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 15-1
The young Stags team broke through with a surprisingly lopsided 73-45 win over Karl Towns and St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.) at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. A battle with No. 21 St. John's in WCAC play is scheduled for Thursday.

23. (NR) Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.), 6-1
Perhaps we should have exercised more patience with the Huskies after a loss to No. 16 Apple Valley earlier this month. The setback came following a weather-induced 21-day layoff and the Kansas school led much much of the way in that one. Head coach Ed Fritz's squad is 54-3 over the past three seasons.

24. (NR) Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, Va.), 12-0
Transfer Marcus Evans has been huge for the Dolphins, who have quality wins over St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) and Benedictine (Richmond, Va.). Collegiate will face No. 12 Our Savior New American in two weeks at the Battle of the Bay in Atlantic City, N.J.



25. (NR) Garfield (Seattle), 14-0
Garfield loaded up on talented transfers in the offseason and has picked up steam in recent weeks – including a 72-57 win over rival Franklin (Seattle) on Monday. Washington State-bound senior guard Tramaine Isabell – who led Lakeside to the 3A title game as a junior – leads the storied Seattle program in scoring at over 22 points per game. Federal Way transfers Brayon Blake and DeeShawn Tucker are also double-figure scorers.

Dropped out: No. 10 last week Germantown (Wis.); No. 12 St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.); No. 14 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.); No. 17 Carmel (Ind.); No. 24 Prime Prep (Dallas)