Xcellent 25 high school boys basketball rankings

MaxPreps.com's Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard has its first state champion.

No. 8 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) crushed Hug of Reno 96-51 on Friday night to capture the Nevada Class 4A state title. The Gaels, who led 59-25 at halftime, finished the season 28-4 and 111-17 in the Shabazz Muhammad era.

Muhammad, a 6-foot-6 senior wing ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps Class of 2013 Top 100, poured in 36 points against Hug – including 30 in the first half – in his final high school game to help the Gaels win their third state title in four seasons.

Under head coach Grant Rice, Bishop Gorman has helped bring national attention to Las Vegas high school basketball with its recent run of success. Gael seniors Rosco Allen (Stanford), Ben Carter (Oregon) and Demetris Morant (UNLV) have already selected their collegiate destinations with Muhammad expected to do the same in the coming weeks. A fifth standout senior – 6-foot-7, 285-pound Ronnie Stanley – is headed to Notre Dame to play football.



Four other ranked teams will have the opportunity to become a state champ like Bishop Gorman next weekend, but one is certain to come up short of that goal. No. 13 Grace Prep (Arlington) and No. 22 Westbury Christian (Houston) could be paired off against one another in the TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) 4A title game.

No. 10 Prestonwood Christian (Plano) is two wins away from the TAPPS 5A title and No. 16 Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) is the fourth title hopeful in Florida's 7A classification.

Click here for a look at for a look at playoff brackets across the country. Read on for a complete look at this week's rankings.

Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (26-0)
The postseason gets underway this week for the Friars, now winners of 59 games in a row.

2. (2) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (33-2)
The Marauders dismantled perennial power Duncanville on Friday in the area round of the Class 5A state tournament, leading 22-2 after the first quarter and advancing to the regional quarterfinals with a 67-35 victory.



3. (3) Milton (Ga.) (24-4)
The Eagles have a tough test ahead Wednesday in the second round of the Class AAAAA state tournament, drawing a Shiloh (Snellville) squad that features Georgia Tech-bound power forward Robert Carter and 6-11 sophomore Trayvon Reed.

4. (4) Simeon (Chicago) (26-1)
The Wolverines open Class 4A state tournament play Tuesday against the winner of Monday's matchup between Oak Lawn and Argo (Summit).

5. (5) Chester (Pa.) (25-0)
The Clippers take on Wissahickon on Tuesday in the semifinals of the PIAA District 1 AAAA tournament, winning their first three games in the bracket by 38, 28 and 50 points, respectively.

{PAGEBREAK} 6. (6) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (27-2)
Big game Tuesday for the Monarchs in the semifinals of the Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs against 24-4 Loyola (Los Angeles). A loss would not end Mater Dei's season.

7. (7) Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.) (31-1)
Ridgeway's only loss of the season came in January against rival Southwind (Memphis). The Roadrunners have now avenged that loss twice after beating the Jaguars in the District 15-AAA title game last Tuesday.

8. (8) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) (28-4)
Season complete. Class 4A state champions.



9. (9) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) (28-2)
The Panthers survived a scare against St. John's (Washington, D.C.) in the semifinals of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament on Sunday night, escaping with a 50-49 victory. Paul VI will meet No. 17 DeMatha for the third time this season Monday night.

10. (10) Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) (27-4)
PCA battles St. Thomas Catholic (Houston) on Friday in TAPPS 5A semifinal action.

{PAGEBREAK} 11. (12) Columbia (Decatur, Ga.) (27-1)
The Eagles blew past Shaw (Columbus) 84-66 in the first round of the Class AAA state tournament to set up a Wednesday matchup with Dalton in the second round.

12. (13) Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.) (26-0)
The Pirates begin pursuit of the same state title as No. 4 Simeon on Tuesday, facing the winner of Monday's matchup between Wheaton North and Hoffman Estates.

13. (14) Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas) (25-4)
The Lions face San Antonio Christian on Friday for the right to advance to the TAPPS Class 4A state championship game.

14. (16) Dunbar (Dayton, Ohio) (21-0)
Thirteen players scored as the Wolverines crushed Monroe 90-28 in the first round of the sectional tournament over the weekend. Eaton is up next on Wednesday.

15. (17) Long Beach Poly (Calif.) (26-1)
The Jackrabbits beat a tough Eisenhower (Rialto) squad in the Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs behind a studly effort from Roschon Prince. The versatile 6-5 junior pumped in 40 points to go along with 11 rebounds in a 77-67 victory. A matchup with No. 6 Mater Dei next week is no guarantee as powerhouse Etiwanda (29-1) is next in the semifinals.



{PAGEBREAK} 16. (18) Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) (29-2)
The Tigers will carry a 17-game winning streak into next week's FHSAA Final Four in Lakeland.

17. (19) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (27-4)
Count on an accomplished group of Stag seniors to produce a very determined effort in Monday's Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament final against No. 9 Paul VI.

18. (20) Sexton (Lansing, Mich.) (17-1)
The Big Reds blew past Eastern (Lansing) in a highly-anticipated showdown 75-58. Cleveland State-bound guard Bryn Forbes led the way with 18 points.

19. (21) Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) (33-2)
The Hornets are three wins away from the Class 5A state title after advancing past St. Paul (Covington) and Woodlawn (Baton Rouge) last week.

20. (22) Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.) (20-2)
One of Indiana's top teams is going out in the first game of the postseason as the Royals face North Central (Indianapolis) on Tuesday.

{PAGEBREAK} 21. (23) Olympic (Charlotte, N.C.) (28-1)
After three sectional wins last week, the Trojans face a huge obstacle in defending 4A champ West Charlotte on Tuesday.



22. (24) Westbury Christian (Houston) (28-3)
After a narrow win over Trinity Christian of Lubbock, the Wildcats have to get by a school of the same name from Cedar Hill to set up a TAPPS 4A state title showdown with No. 13 Grace Prep.

23. (25) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) (21-3)
The Saints face 20-4 St. Joseph's Prep in the final of the Philadelphia Catholic League tournament on Monday night.

24. (NR) Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas) (32-3)
The Tigers have won 15 in a row since a loss to Academy Top 10-ranked Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) in late December. Travis will face North Shore (Houston) in a regional quarterfinal matchup on Friday.

25. (NR) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) (24-1)
Given its remarkably consistent success, would love to see Hopkins step out of Minnesota and take on some of the nation's perennial powers. The Royals are 200-11 since MaxPreps started compiling stats, schedules and scores nationally in 2005-06. They have won each of their last five by 20 points or more.

Dropped out: No. 11 last week Heights (Wichita, Kan.); No. 15 Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.)