High school basketball rankings: NIBC St. James Invitational shakes up this week's MaxPreps Top 25 rankings

By Jordan Divens Jan 20, 2021, 9:00am

Top-ranked Montverde Academy extends win streak to 40 after five wins over ranked opponents.

The biggest week of the 2020-21 high school basketball season further solidified the top of the national rankings as No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) and No. 3 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) each showed at the St. James NIBC Invitational why they're a step ahead of the pack.

The top-ranked Eagles defeated five ranked opponents in Northern Virginia, headlined by wins over Sunrise Christian Academy 58-52 and IMG Academy 55-51 in two high-octane battles. The defending national champions also extended their win streak to 40 games over the weekend, knocking off No. 5 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 8 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) and No. 20 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) at the event.

Sunrise Christian Academy and IMG Academy swap places after the Buffaloes' resilient 69-62 victory over the Ascenders on Monday afternoon. The Sunflower State power overcame an early double-digit deficit to pull out the win behind 26 points, four rebounds and three assists from Tennessee signee Kennedy Chandler and 17 points and six steals from Baylor signee Kendall Brown.

The Peach State moves a third team into this week's top 25 as No. 25 Grayson (Loganville) joins No. 17 Milton and No. 18 Pace Academy (Atlanta) to tie Florida with the most teams in the national rankings this season. Indiana, Texas and Virginia each feature two nationally ranked teams.



As 37 states have now started their seasons around the country, the national rankings continue to take shape while adaptations around the country allow teams to compete in this unique season.
Jalen Duren, Montverde Academy
Jalen Duren, Montverde Academy
Photo by David Rosenblum
MaxPreps Top 25 High School Basketball Rankings

Record: 15-0 | Last week: 1
Junior center Jalen Duren established himself as a legitimate National Player of the Year candidate after dominating play at the St. James. He averaged 15.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks over seven games against the nation's best.

Record: 11-1 | Last week: 3
Along with their aforementioned signature win over No. 3 IMG Academy, the Buffaloes also notched victories over No. 8 Wasatch Academy, No. 20 La Lumiere and No. 21 Paul VI. Senior guard Kennedy Chandler was one of the top performers at the event, averaging 13.3 points, 6.4 assists and 3.6 steals.

Record: 13-2 | Last week: 2
Despite narrow losses to the top two teams in the nation, the Ascenders proved they have the weapons necessary to compete for their second GEICO Nationals crown in the past three seasons.

Record: 2-0 | Last week: 6
Although the Stags wins at the St. James NIBC Invitational will not count on their official record, the WCAC powerhouse looked impressive in a pair of double-digit victories over club teams Blue Magic (John Marshall) and Baltimore Panthers (St. Frances Academy).

Record: 13-1 | Last week: 4
The Warriors went 6-1 at the St. James NIBC Invitational. Junior wing MJ Rice had a strong showing in Northern Virginia, averaging 18 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 7
NJSIAA season begins on Jan. 26.



Record: 2-0 | Last week: 10
Opened their season with a pair of dominant wins over the weekend, defeating their first two opponents by an average of 54.5 points.

Record: 15-3 | Last week: 9
The Tigers went 4-3 at the St. James NIBC Invitational, but those losses came to Top 5 opponents Montverde Academy, Sunrise Christian Academy and Oak Hill Academy. Senior center Fousseyni Traore played at an elite level, averaging 14.4 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 8
The Philadelphia Catholic League is scheduled to begin play later this month.

Record: 17-0 | Last week: 12
COVID-19 concerns wiped out an opportunity for the Dragons to boost their national standing in a major way with contests scheduled against No. 1 Montverde Academy and No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy at the St. James NIBC Invitational.

Record: 13-2 | Last week: 13
Oklahoma-bound senior guard CJ Noland surpassed 1,500 career points in the Runnin' Indians 89-68 triumph over Mansfield last week.

Record: 16-1 | Last week: 14
Senior Alabama State commit Juan Reyna paced the Panthers in their 77-57 win over Mansfield on Saturday night, finishing with a game-high 20 points.

Record: 3-1 | Last week: 16
The first year program continues to struggle with scheduling issues, with three more games planned at this time.

Record: 13-0 | Last week: 18
Five-star senior Hunter Sallis chipped in 28 points and 10 rebounds in an 87-48 victory over Lincoln Northeast (Lincoln, Neb.) on Saturday night.



Record: 13-0 | Last week: 15
Seven of their 13 games have been decided by five points or fewer, including a pair of narrow victories this weekend over Pike (Indianapolis) 64-62 in overtime and Warren Central (Indianapolis) 59-56. The Wildcats have a highly-anticipated showdown against unbeaten Homestead (Fort Wayne) on Saturday.

Record: 14-2 | Last week: 19
A highly anticipated Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup against No. 18 Pace Academy had to be called off due to COVID-19 concerns. The Eagles carry a 12-game winning streak into the stretch run, currently sitting as favorites to capture their first state title since 2011-12.

Record: 14-1 | Last week: 21
After a season opening loss to Sandy Creek (Tyrone), the Knights have been dominant winning 14 consecutive games by an average of 28 points per outing.

Record: 25-2 | Last week: 25
After starting the season at No. 5 in MaxPreps Preseason Top 25 rankings, the Crew begin to ascend the national rankings again after winning 15 consecutive games to close out regular season play.

Record: 3-4 | Last week: 20
Despite starting the season with a sub .500 record, each of the Lakers four losses came against Top 10 opponents, including a one-possession loss to No. 5 Oak Hill Academy.

Record: 3-2 | Last week: 5
The Panthers struggled to compete at the St. James NIBC Invitational, falling to Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) 86-72 and No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy 73-58.

Record: 9-3 | Last week: 22
A big-time matchup awaits this group Friday at the Archbishop Carroll Showcase against unbeaten Mater Academy Charter (Gardens, Fla.).

Record: 13-0 | Last week: 23
Outscoring opponents by an average of more than 20 points per contest this year, including a signature win over Shadow Creek (Pearland) last month.


Record: 12-0 | Last week: NR
The Purple Wave move into the national rankings for the first time this season, boosted by a win over a Houston (Germantown) team that knocked off No. 20 Paul VI handily over the weekend.

Record: 15-3 | Last week: NR
Climb into the national rankings for a second consecutive season after extending their win streak to seven games over the weekend. The Rams' three losses came against ranked opponents.

Record: 0-0 | Last week: NR
Season is expected to begin later this month.