MaxPreps Top 25 high school boys basketball rankings

Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 2 last week) Whitney Young (Chicago), 17-1
The Dolphins dismantled then-No. 4 Long Beach Poly 85-52 over the weekend at the Spalding Hoophall Classic to punch their ticket to the top of the rankings. Can Tyrone Slaughter's team can hold on to that spot with rival Simeon on the schedule Saturday?

2. (3) Lone Peak (Highland, Utah), 15-1
The Knights blew past Aaron Gordon and Archbishop Mitty at the Spalding Hoophall Classic en route to an 81-46 win. The remainder of Lone Peak's schedule will be played against in-state teams.

3. (5) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 13-0
After a 60-54 win over Tift County (Tifton, Ga.) at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, the next big threat to St. Anthony's 78-game win streak will come Feb. 1 against rival St. Benedict's Prep (Newark).



4. (6) DeSoto (Texas), 24-1
The Eagles are in for a challenging week with games against Cedar Hill and South Grand Prairie, who own a combined record of 38-8.

5. (7) Simeon (Chicago), 15-2
With an impressive win over storied Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) on Monday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, Simeon appears to be putting its early-season struggles behind. That progress will be tested Saturday against No. 1 Whitney Young.{PAGEBREAK} 6. (8) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.), 20-0
With all due respect to the teams remaining on Bishop Montgomery's schedule, the Knights probably won't get another serious test until the Southern Section playoffs.

7. (9) Germantown (Wis.), 14-0
The Warhawks will have their hands full Saturday against Dominican, which features Marquette signee Duane Wilson Jr. and 6-foot-9 super sophomore Diamond Stone.

8. (10) Lake Oswego (Ore.), 17-0
The good times continue to roll for the Lakers, who cruised past Three Rivers League rival West Linn 81-59 on Friday night.

9. (1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 20-1
For the second year in a row, a long trip east spelled doom for the Monarchs. Last year it was a loss to Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone, N.J.) at the Cancer Research Classic. Monday it was St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) damaging Mater Dei's national championship hopes with a 58-44 victory outside of Cleveland.

10. (4) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 17-2
The Jackrabbits aren't used to getting beat up like they were Saturday against Whitney Young at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. In fact, Poly has only suffered two double-digit losses against Xcellent 25-eligible opponents in its last 117 contests.{PAGEBREAK} 11. (11) Olympic (Charlotte, N.C.), 15-0
The Trojans carry some impressive streaks into the stretch run of the regular season. Olympic has won 52 regular season games against conference foes in a row and 31 straight at home.



12. (12) Iowa City West (Iowa), 13-0
After a close call last weekend against Sun Prairie (Wis.), the Trojans responded by thrashing Keokuk by 43 points and Waterloo East by 44.

13. (13) Midwest City (Okla.), 13-0
Like Iowa City West, the Bombers were in blowout mode last week with a 79-28 win over Southmoore and a 91-50 victory over Del City.

14. (14) Pershing (Detroit), 12-0
The Doughboys trailed by 18 points but rallied for an 81-74 win over Monte Morris and Beecher on Friday. Pershing has trailed in the second half in three of its last four outings.

15. (NR) Math Civics & Sciences (Philadelphia), 16-0
We would have looked like geniuses if we had taken a "keep an eye on us" email from the MC&S coaching staff a little more seriously before the season. The Mighty Elephants are on top of the food chain in the Keystone State after an impressive weekend that included double-digit victories over Penn Wood (Lansdowne) and Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions winner Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.). MC&S also has impressive wins over South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) this season.{PAGEBREAK}

16. (17) Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.), 16-1
Scoring balance is a theme in the Xcellent 25 and the Tigers illustrate the point with four players averaging double figures: Richard Lee (14.3), Lance Tejada II (12.0), Kahlil Thomas (11.8) and Darrion Allen (10.9). Senior shooter Dallas Cameron also chips in with 9.7 points per outing.

17. (18) Columbia (Decatur, Ga.), 17-1
The Eagles have been living in the danger zone recently with close calls against Marist (Atlanta) and Chamblee. Grady (Atlanta) and South Atlanta are both capable of making it another nervous week.



18. (19) Omaha Central (Neb.), 15-2
Showdowns with Omaha South and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) are ahead in the next three weeks.

19. (20) Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 19-1
The CIF Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs are going to be brutal. In addition to Centennial, the bracket will feature No. 9 Mater Dei, No. 10 Long Beach Poly, Chino Hills, Etiwanda, Loyola, Mission Viejo, Orange Lutheran and at least a handful of other teams that would love to create an argument for inclusion in the state's new Open Division state championship format by getting hot late.

20. (21) North Little Rock (Ark.), 16-1
Weather wiped out a recent NLR contest against Searcy, which will be made up Jan. 29. The Charging Wildcats dominated Marion 81-41 in their last outing.{PAGEBREAK}

21. (23) Park Tudor (Indianapolis, Ind.), 13-1
The Panthers are 79-16 (.831) with a pair of state titles since Ed Schilling took over in 2009-10. Juniors Trevon Bluiett and Troy Spears and sophomore Dwayne Gibson give Park Tudor three big-bodied guards/wings that are tough to match up with.

22. (24) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 17-3
The Gaels own a 30-game win streak against Nevada opponents not named Findlay Prep (Henderson). Losing by just nine points to No. 1 Whitney Young at the Beach Ball Classic is also a positive given the Chicago school's dominance over ranked foes in recent weeks.

23. (NR) Wenonah (Birmingham, Ala.), 22-1
Led by the high-scoring trio of Justin Coleman, Derrunya Wilson and Isaiah Maston, the Dragons have been on the cusp of Xcellent 25 inclusion for the past three weeks. Wenonah's only loss came in December to No. 17 Columbia.



24. (NR) West Charlotte (N.C.), 14-1
Future North Carolina Tar Heel Kennedy Meeks is putting together a winning high school basketball resume, leading West Charlotte to a 67-10 record since his sophomore year.

25. (NR) Chester (Pa.), 12-3
The Clippers are back after a strong week that included a win at the Spalding Hoophall Classic over another team trying to battle its way into the national rankings in Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.).

Dropped out: No. 15 last week Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), No. 16 Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.), No. 22 Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem, N.C.), No. 25 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)