MaxPreps Top 25 high school boys basketball rankings

Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) Simeon (Chicago), 1-0
After a Wednesday tune-up against Harlan (Chicago), business picks up for the Wolverines with a Thursday trip to Texas to face No. 16 DeSoto. The contest will be televised by ESPN.

2. (3) Lone Peak (Highland, Utah), 6-0
The Knights are averaging nearly 75 points per game and pounding opponents by an average of more than 30 points per outing. Lone Peak is a little over a week away from opening at the City of Palms Classic against Callaway (Jackson, Miss.).

3. (4) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 4-0
The Jackrabbits did not play last week and will get a final City of Palms Classic tune-up Monday against Cabrillo (Long Beach).



4. (5) Chester (Pa.), 0-0
Season opener: Dec. 11 vs. J.P. McCaskey (Lancaster).

5. (6) Rainier Beach (Seattle), 2-0
The Vikings opened impressively last week, crushing Ingraham (Seattle) 110-52 and West Seattle 84-57. A showdown with Metro League rival Seattle Prep is set for Thursday.{PAGEBREAK} 6. (7) Whitney Young (Chicago), 1-0
The Dolphins haven't played since beating DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) at the Chicago Elite Classic on Dec. 1. Yet another Top 10 team gearing up for the City of Palms Classic, Whitney Young takes on Chicago Public League foes Douglass Academy and Westinghouse this week.

7. (12) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 2-0
The Monarchs scheduled a challenging opening weekend and rose to the occasion, crushing Jesuit (Carmichael) 64-42 on Friday and going on the road to beat then-No. 16 Sheldon (Sacramento) the following night, 71-65. Mitty takes on No. 12 Fort Bend Travis in an ESPN-televised matchup Thursday.

8. (9) Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.), 6-1
JaJuan Johnson and Johnathan Williams III combined for 36 points Saturday night to give the Jaguars a 62-53 win over previously unbeaten Provine (Jackson, Miss.).

9. (10) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 1-0
Junior point guard Ja'Quan Newton and senior wing-forward John Davis keyed the Saints' 70-64 victory over Lower Merion (Ardmore) on Saturday night. Newton registered a team-high 21 points while Davis added 20 points and 10 rebounds against the 2012 Class AAAA state runner-up.

10. (11) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 0-0
Season opener: Dec. 16 vs. Neptune.{PAGEBREAK}

Paul VI's dramatic victory over Oak Hill Academy at the National High School Hoops Festival ended a 56-game win streak for Steve Smith's storied program.

Photo by Daniel Kucin

11. (18) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 5-0
What were we thinking? Mater Dei unranked nationally in the preseason? That's laughable. The Monarchs crushed upstart JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) 87-66 in the final of the Ocean View Tournament of Champions on Saturday. We hesitate to mention that Mater Dei also recorded a 137-26 victory over Glenn (Norwalk) in the opening round.



12. (2) Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas), 10-1
District rival Fort Bend Bush knocked off Travis in the final of the Outback Tournament on Saturday night. The Tigers were playing without Andrew Harrison – the nation's No. 2 prospect – in that contest.

13. (14) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 2-1
The Panthers made things difficult for us this week, opening with a loss to WCAC rival Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) but rebounding with a stunning, double-overtime win over Oak Hill Academy on Saturday at the National High School Hoops Festival. The victory snapped OHA's 56-game win streak and accomplished what No. 8 Southwind couldn't last weekend in a loss at the Marshall County Hoopfest. Gonzaga went down in the semifinals of its own tournament and remains on the outside looking in.

14. (15) Tift County (Tifton, Ga.), 3-0
Transfer Brannen Greene is looking like a beautiful fit at Tift County. Greene, a 6-foot-7 wing-forward headed to Kansas, pumped in 36 points in a 78-50 Friday victory over Bainbridge and 31 more Saturday as the Blue Devils crushed Buford 86-65.

15. (17) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 5-0
The Braves punished all five teams that crossed their path at the El Rancho Tournament, including View Park (Los Angeles) 89-55 in the final. Bosco averaged 88.6 points in five games at the event.{PAGEBREAK} 16. (20) DeSoto (Texas), 13-1
After a pair of blowouts last week, DeSoto welcomes top-ranked Simeon to town for a nationally televised Thursday game.

17. (21) Omaha Central (Neb.), 2-0
The Eagles extended their winning streak to 38 games with easy wins over Omaha Westside and Lincoln Southeast over the weekend.

18. (22) Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone, N.J.), 0-0
Season opener: Dec. 14 vs. Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.).



19. (24) White Station (Memphis, Tenn.), 7-1
The Spartans avenged their only loss of the season, winning 82-80 at Ridgeway (Memphis) on Tuesday. White Station followed with a 73-68 win over Martin Luther King (Lithonia, Ga.) at the Memphis vs. Atlanta Roundball Classic.

20. (23) Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.), 5-1
After the loss to White Station, the Spartans responded with a 59-48 win over a talented Westlake (Atlanta) team at the Memphis vs. Atlanta Roundball Classic.{PAGEBREAK} 21. (25) Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.), 5-0
The Tigers are playing with something to prove, beating their first five opponents by an average margin of 40.6 points per game. Northeast (Oakland Park) should provide a stiffer test Tuesday.

22. (NR) Olympic (Charlotte, N.C.), 3-0
Nobody thought the Trojans would be back in this position without Allerik Freeman, who transferred to Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) over the summer. But Olympic is taking no prisoners early on this winter, blasting previously unbeaten Spring Valley (Columbia, S.C.) 90-60 on Saturday.

23. (NR) West Charlotte (N.C.), 4-0
After going 28-6 and reaching North Carolina's Class 4A championship game a year ago, the Lions are back in the shuffle behind the play of North Carolina commitment Kennedy Meeks and Trey Foster, who drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer over the weekend to beat storied DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.).

24. (NR) West (Iowa City, Iowa), 4-0
The Trojans have won 30 games in a row and feature a three-headed monster in Dondre Alexander (Southern Mississippi football), Jeremy Morgan (Northern Iowa) and junior guard Wyatt Lohaus. West is also getting big contributions from senior Myzeah Batie-Gaddy and 6-6 junior Chike Ukah. Alexander has missed the last three outings while serving a suspension but is expected back soon.

25. (NR) Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore), 7-1
Things get messy here. The Gaels won the always-competitive Gonzaga DC Classic over the weekend, beating Josh Hart (who nobody can stop so far this season) and Sidwell Friends in the final 59-55. Mount St. Joseph's only loss was a shocker against Pallotti (Laurel), which is also a one-loss team with that single setback coming against – you guessed it – Sidwell Friends. It's a vicious triangle but the Gaels get the nod this week.

Dropped out: No. 8 last week Salesian (Richmond, Calif.), No. 13 Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.), No. 16 Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.), No. 19 Duncanville (Texas)

Making a push: Centennial (Corona, Calif.), Germantown (Wis.), Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.), Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.), Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Loyola (Los Angeles), Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Pershing (Detroit), Putnam City (Oklahoma City), Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)