Bishop Montgomery loss shakes up top 5; Bishop Gorman becomes first ranked team to finish season with state title.
Junior guard LaMonte Bearden (12.7 points per game) and brother Brian (7.1) are two of Germantown's many weapons.
Photo by Allen Fredrickson
Opening with West Jordan on Monday, the Knights must win four games in six days to three-peat as Class 5A state champs and capture their fifth title in six years. Lone Peak has won all 14 games this season against in-state competition by 19 points or more.
2. (3) Germantown (Wis.), 24-0Through two games in Wisconsin's Division 1 tournament, much the same as the regular season for the Warhawks. Germantown blasted Waukesha South 90-22 and Homestead (Mequon) 70-44 to set up a regional final matchup with Arrowhead (Hartland) on Thursday.
3. (4) Lake Oswego (Ore.), 24-0The Lakers open Class 6A tournament play Tuesday against South Salem, hoping to advance to the state finals at the Rose Garden in Portland in two weeks.
4. (5) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 29-1After three comfortable wins in the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA tournament, the Monarchs meet a dangerous Inglewood squad Tuesday in the semifinals.
5. (6) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 25-1Morristown-Beard and Saddle River Day meet Wednesday for the right to face St. Anthony in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA Non-Public North B tournament Friday.{PAGEBREAK}
In a game fans in Southern California have wanted all season, Roschon Prince and Long Beach Poly could face Mater Dei for the Southern Section Division I-AA title this week.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Two down, five to go for the Eagles in the Texas Class 5A state tournament. In an early-round showdown, DeSoto faces No. 24 Hebron on Tuesday.
7. (8) Whitney Young (Chicago), 24-3The Dolphins closed out the regular season Saturday night with a 61-46 win over Benet Academy (Lisle), getting 21 points and eight rebounds from national player of the year candidate
Jahlil Okafor.
8. (9) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 27-2The Jackrabbits will have to beat a tough Etiwanda outfit to set up a potential dream final with No. 4 Mater Dei in the Southern Section Division I-AA tournament.
9. (10) Olympic (Charlotte, N.C.), 24-0After winning the conference tournament title Friday night, the Trojans open Class 4A state tournament play Monday at home against East Mecklenburg (Charlotte).
10. (11) Pershing (Detroit), 19-0The Doughboys, who did not play last week, take on University of Detroit-Jesuit on Thursday in the Operation Friendship city title game.{PAGEBREAK}
In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, Rashad Muhammad stepped up big to help lead Bishop Gorman to another state title.
Photo by David Hood
West won its 48th game in a row Friday night by thrashing Prairie (Cedar Rapids) 74-30 in a Class 4A substate semifinal. A victory over Jefferson (Cedar Rapids) on Tuesday locks up a trip to the state tournament. The Trojans have won seven straight games by 20 points or more.
12. (13) Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.), 25-1The Tigers punched their ticket to the Class 7A final four in Lakeland with a dramatic 85-79 win over Palm Beach Lakes (West Palm Beach) over the weekend. A 27-3 Bartow squad awaits in the semifinals.
13. (14) Simeon (Chicago), 23-3Senior stars
Jabari Parker and
Kendrick Nunn combined for 42 points as Simeon blasted Marist (Chicago) 69-43 in the finale of the City-Suburban Showdown on Saturday night.
14. (15) North Little Rock (Ark.), 27-1The Charging Wildcats have won 25 games in a row heading into Thursday's Class 7A state tournament opener.
15. (16) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 29-3The Gaels actually finished with a better record this season than they did a year ago with Shabazz Muhammad on the roster, capturing their second Class 4A state title in a row over the weekend with a 69-43 thumping of Centennial (Las Vegas).{PAGEBREAK}
16. (17) Chester (Pa.), 22-3The Clippers continue to tear through the District 1 tournament tuning up for a state title run, hammering Strath Haven (Wallingford) 85-44 and Upper Darby (Drexel Hill) 78-29 last week.
17. (18) Irmo (Columbia, S.C.), 28-0Irmo meets Goose Creek (22-4) for the Class AAAA state title Friday night at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.
18. (NR) Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.), 20-0After capping an unbeaten regular season with a 62-50 win over Blue Valley Southwest (Overland park), the Huskies open 6A sub-state play Wednesday against Shawnee Mission North.
19. (2) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.), 29-1Friday night's loss to La Verne Lutheran in the Division IV-AA semifinals borders on mystifying for the Knights. Both teams participated in the Mission Prep Christmas Classic in December and share several common opponents. Bishop Montgomery beat Brighton (Salt Lake City, Utah) by 12 points at that event and Grandview (Aurora, Colo.) by 17. La Verne Lutheran lost to the same two teams by 18 and one point, respectively. Both teams also played Price (Los Angeles) with Bishop Montgomery winning by 36 and Lutheran losing by 15. That's why they play the games and why we are giving the Knights the benefit of the doubt by keeping them in the rankings.
20. (19) Walnut Hills (Cincinnati), 22-1The Eagles opened state tournament district play with a 75-49 win over Talawanda (Oxford). Woodward (Cincinnati) is up next Tuesday.{PAGEBREAK}
Ridge Shipley and Hebron will meet DeSoto on Tuesday in an early-round showdown in Texas.
Photo by Keith Owens
The Mustangs open Class 3A state tournament play Tuesday against the winner of Julian (Chicago) and Bowen (Chicago) on Monday.
22. (22) Romulus (Mich.), 18-1Saturday was supposed to be another big challenge for Romulus against future Kentucky Wildcat James Young and Rochester (Rochester Hills). Instead, Young sat out with a calf injury and the Eagles blew out Rochester by 34 points. Romulus has been doing that a lot lately, winning its last five outings by an average of 31.4 points per game.
23. (23) Wenonah (Birmingham, Ala.), 32-2The Dragons are two wins away from their third consecutive state title. Wenonah takes on Paul Bryant (Cottondale) in the semifinals Wednesday.
24. (24) Hebron (Carrollton, Texas), 34-2As previously mentioned, the Hawks face No. 6 DeSoto in 5A regional quarterfinal action Tuesday. DeSoto won a November meeting between the two teams 82-59.
25. (25) Northland (Columbus, Ohio), 23-0The Vikings dropped Hilliard Darby 71-39 in the opening round of district play and now get Central Crossing (Grove City), which is 2-20 this season.
Dropped out: No. 20 last week
Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)
Note: Due to a widely misreported score, No. 18 Blue Valley Northwest was dropped from last week's rankings after appearing at No. 21 in the Feb. 10 version of the Xcellent 25.
