MaxPreps High School Top 25 boys basketball national rankings

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Romeo Langford leads New Albany into Indiana semifinals against two other Xcellent 25 squads.

See the video above for a complete breakdown of this week's Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.

Here's a look at developments that shaped this week's Top 25:

March Madness started early in the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division championship tournament as the SoCal and NorCal top seeds both lost over the weekend in stunning first-round upsets. In the NorCal bracket, Folsom (Calif.) took down Salesian College Preparatory (Richmond, Calif.) 75-70 on Friday, handing the Pride their second loss of the season. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) was the other top seed to fall, losing 50-47 to Fairfax (Los Angeles).



The upsets pave an easier path to the Open Division title for Top 10 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) or former Xcellent 25 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) who meet Tuesday. The teams split their previous two meetings this season, with the last meeting ending in a thrilling, double-overtime 77-74 win for Sierra Canyon. Duane Washington Jr., a 2018 Ohio State commit, sent things into overtime with an incredible buzzer-beater.

DeMatha stays hot

DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) has taken its game to a new level in postseason play. The Stags captured the WCAC tournament championship last week and followed that with the Maryland Private School championship and Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament title this week. The Stags played one of the toughest national schedules in the country and have the opportunity to play in GEICO Nationals with the approval of the WCAC.

DeMatha made a statement at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament, taking down WCAC rival and fellow Xcellent 25 foe Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 72-50 in the semifinals before knocking off Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) for the third time on the season, 69-57 in the title game.

Upson-Lee wins 63rd straight; Norcross falls

Upson-Lee (Thomaston, Ga.) capped off its second consecutive undefeated season over the weekend with a second straight Georgia AAAA state championship. Despite being heavy favorites to repeat, Upson-Lee had to overcome adversity over the weekend, losing three contributors because of disciplinary issues. With a state title now under their belts, the Knights appears to have a realistic shot at receiving an invitation to the school's first ever GEICO Nationals.



After taking down two state powerhouses in blowout fashion, Norcross (Ga.) seemed destined to take the next step and wrap up their quest for the Georgia AAAAAAA state title. Meadowcreek (Norcross, Ga.) flipped the script, taking down Norcross 56-43 in their fourth and final meeting of the season. Despite knocking off McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Newton (Covington, Ga.) by 20 points in their previous two outings, Norcross falls out of the rankings after a heartbreaking loss in the state championship game for the second consecutive season.

Florida powers University and Oak Ridge wrap up state-title runs

University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) finished up its state championship run with convincing back-to-back wins over Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Fla.) 83-48 in the semifinal and Trinity Catholic (Ocala, Fla.) 80-40 in the Florida 5A state title contest. The Sharks not only captured their first ever state championship, but look destined to make their first ever appearance in the national tournament.

Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) had a much bigger challenge in the 9A state championship game, facing an unbeaten Wellington (Fla.). The Pioneers handed Wellington its first loss since a 52-50 Florida 9A state semifinal loss last season, taking down the Wolverines 71-60 behind 34 points from 2018 sleeper Robin Perry. Although Oak Ridge appears to be in the "first four out" category for GEICO Nationals this season, but don't be shocked if the Pioneers receive their first ever invite to the event.

Indiana 4A state semifinals features three Xcellent 25 squads

New Albany (Ind.) was the only newcomer in this week's rankings with Romeo Langford now just 53 points away from sole possession of second place in scoring in Indiana state history.



New Albany faces unbeaten Warren Central (Indianapolis) this Saturday in the highly anticipated St. Patrick's Day showdown. In Saturday's other semifinal, the state's only other unbeaten, South Bend Riley (Ind.) battles Carmel (Ind.).

Jordan Divens has covered high school basketball and compiled national rankings at HSHoopsElite.com since 2013. Follow him on Twitter @HSHoopsElite.