MaxPreps Top 25 high school boys basketball rankings

Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 18-0
The Monarchs survived another tough week in the Trinity League with wins over No. 25 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) and Orange Lutheran. Mater Dei will head to Ohio for a game against perennial state power St. Edward (Lakewood) next Monday.

2. (4) Whitney Young (Chicago), 13-1
After chewing on the decision for a couple weeks, the Dolphins have accelerated past a pair of rock solid programs to take the No. 2 spot. In its last five games, Whitney Young has faced teams from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia in addition to Illinois and won each contest by 20 points or more. The latest victim was then-No. 10 White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) on Saturday at the Penny Hardaway Hoop Fest.

3. (2) Lone Peak (Highland, Utah), 12-1
Trailing at the half Saturday against Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.), the Knights rallied for a 63-59 win at the Brandon Jennings Invitational. Another important test will come over the long holiday weekend against Aaron Gordon and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) as part of the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.

4. (3) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 15-1
The Jackrabbits have won eight games in a row since losing to Montverde Academy (Fla.) at the City of Palms Classic. That streak will be tested Saturday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic against No. 2 Whitney Young.



5. (5) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 10-0
The Friars have allowed just 26.8 points per game in their last five outings, including totals of 23, 15 and most recently 25 on Saturday in a 29-point win over Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft). St. Anthony's national-best winning streak stands at 75 games.{PAGEBREAK} 6. (6) DeSoto (Texas), 22-1
Terry Maston provided 17 points Friday night in a 62-58 double overtime victory over Duncanville as DeSoto avenged its only loss of the season. The Eagles have won 17 games in a row.

7. (8) Simeon (Chicago), 11-2
Senior star Jabari Parker provided 21 points and six rebounds Saturday in a nail-biting 55-53 win over then-No. 7 Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.). A win over Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) on Monday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic would put much of the Wolverines' early-season struggles in the rear view.

8. (13) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.), 19-0
What an incredible rise for head coach Douglas Mitchell's program. The Knights made their Xcellent 25 debut Jan. 1 and climb to No. 8 this week after a statement win over No. 25 St. John Bosco (Bellflower).

9. (11) Germantown (Wis.), 13-0
Ten of Germantown's 13 victories have come by 20 points or more. The Warhawks' three-headed monster of Luke Fischer (20.9 points per game), Jake Showalter (13.8) and Lamonte Bearden (13.3) has been tough to stop.

10. (12) Lake Oswego (Ore.), 15-0
Going back to mid-January of last year, the Lakers have won 27 of their last 28 games, including a 51-38 victory over Canby on Friday night.{PAGEBREAK}


11. (15) Olympic (Charlotte, N.C.), 14-0
The Trojans kept their unbeaten streak alive Friday night with a heady buzzer beater by junior guard C.J. Jackson against Harding (Charlotte). Olympic will head to the Hilton Invitational in Georgia in two weeks to face Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross).



12. (16) Iowa City West (Iowa), 11-0
Wyatt Lohaus continued his big junior year by notching a team-high 15 points and five assists as the Trojans held off previously unbeaten Sun Prairie (Wis.) on Saturday at the Iowa vs. Wisconsin Border Battle. West has won 36 games in a row.

13. (20) Midwest City (Okla.), 11-0
The Putnam City Invitational was the main event in Oklahoma last weekend with many anticipating a Midwest City-Putnam City matchup in the final. That didn't materialize, but the Bombers still put on a show with a 50-point win in the opening round and a 21-point runaway in the final.

14. (21) Pershing (Detroit), 9-0
The Doughboys barely survived Friday against Detroit Public School League East Division rival Douglass, winning 69-67 in overtime behind 36 points from senior Martez Walker. Pershing was playing without a pair of injured starters in point guard Kahlil Felder and junior forward Justin Tillman.

15. (NR) Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), 15-1
The most consistent force thus far in a hazy Washington Catholic Athletic Conference scene, O'Connell hammered DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 68-48 on Friday and backed it up with a 74-58 win over Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.) on Sunday. Romelo Trimble and Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) transfer Junior Etou have stepped up big.{PAGEBREAK} 16. (7) Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.), 14-4
It doesn't feel right seeing a four-loss team in the Top 25, but Southwind has played a brutal schedule. The losses have come to No. 3 Lone Peak, No. 4 Long Beach Poly, No. 7 Simeon and Academy Top 10-ranked Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.). Quality wins include Hall (Little Rock, Ark.), Jonesboro (Ark.), Provine (Jackson, Miss.) and Lake Wales (Fla.).

17. (17) Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.), 15-1
Senior guard Darrion Allen pumped in 27 points as the Tigers got a 72-60 win Saturday night over a talented and battle-tested Deerfield Beach squad in a major South Florida showdown.

18. (19) Columbia (Decatur, Ga.), 14-1
The Eagles got a good push from Marist (Atlanta) over the weekend but came away with a 46-45 victory. Columbia is 75-5 over the past three seasons.



19. (22) Omaha Central (Neb.), 13-2
Central extended its winning streak against in-state opponents to 48 games dating back almost two full years with a pair of victories over teams from Lincoln last week.

20. (23) Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 17-1
The Huskies dismissed a pair of Big VIII opponents last week by a combined 66 points. It's tough to see a loss on Centennial's remaining regular season schedule.{PAGEBREAK} 21. (25) North Little Rock (Ark.), 15-1
In a battle between two of the top teams in Arkansas, North Little Rock built a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter against Jonesboro but had to stave off a late rally to win 74-73 on Saturday.

22. (NR) Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 15-0
Sources in North Carolina have been beating the Mount Tabor drum for weeks. The Spartans have cracked 12 of their 15 opponents by 20 points or more and notched a key win over Davie (Mocksville) over the weekend.

23. (NR) Park Tudor (Indianapolis), 12-1
A 2A school on top in Indiana? Winners of the always-competitive Marion County Tournament, the Panthers beat then-No. 18 Pike (Indianapolis) in the final Saturday night. Rising to this level without 2012 graduate Yogi Ferrell – now starting as a freshman for the Indiana Hoosiers – is quite an accomplishment.

24. (24) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 16-3
Academy Top 10 No. 1 Findlay Prep (Henderson) put one on Gorman's chin last week, but the Pilots do that to just about everybody. No. 1 Mater Dei and No. 2 Whitney Young are responsible for BG's other two losses.

25. (14) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 11-3
The Braves hang on by the slimmest of margins and fall into the same category as No. 16 Southwind – brutal schedule. Bosco lost games last week to No. 1 Mater Dei and No. 8 Bishop Montgomery but owns quality wins over out-of-state powers like No. 17 Blanche Ely, Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) and Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.).



Bothell (Wash.), Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), Math Civics & Sciences (Philadelphia), Morgan Park (Chicago), St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), Wenonah (Birmingham, Ala.) and West Charlotte (N.C.) are just a sampling of the teams that have viable Xcellent 25 arguments.

Dropped out: No. 9 last week Chester (Pa.), No. 10 White Station (Memphis, Tenn.), No. 18 Pike (Indianapolis)