MaxPreps Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 15-0
It's a huge week ahead for the Eagles. First up is the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. Montverde Academy opens the eight-team bracket with Village Christian (Sun Valley, Calif.) and could meet No. 4 White Station or No. 11 Paul VI in the final. Then the nation's top-ranked team will head to Springfield, Mass., for a date with No. 8 Curie next Monday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.

2. (2) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 16-0
The Monarchs will join Montverde Academy in Monday action at the Hoophall Classic with a showdown against Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia). But first the Monarchs will have to get past dangerous St. John Bosco (Bellflower) in Trinity League play Wednesday.

3. (4) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 21-1
Last season at the Hoophall Classic the Warriors were trounced by Jabari Parker and Simeon (Chicago). Oak Hill Academy will take a crack at another Windy City powerhouse at this year's event in No. 23 Whitney Young.



4. (5) White Station (Memphis, Tenn.), 12-0
All-American candidate LeRon Black put up 32 points and 13 rebounds in a Saturday night win over rival Ridgeway (Memphis). After a Monday game with Melrose (Memphis), White Station will head to the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.

5. (6) Rainier Beach (Seattle), 11-0
Head coach Mike Bethea's Vikings are averaging more than 95 points per game this season. Beach will need an impressive performance Saturday at the Hoophall Classic against red-hot Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) if it harbors hope to make a run at the No. 1 ranking.{PAGEBREAK}

6. (11) Northside Christian Academy (Charlotte, N.C.), 16-1
After a slow start Saturday at the Under Armour Showcase, Northside rallied for a 75-66 win over battle-tested Denver East (Colo.). The Knights are averaging more than 91 points per game and their only blemish came against No. 1 Montverde Academy.

7. (13) Arsenal Technical (Indianapolis), 11-1
National Player of the Year candidate Trey Lyles had another big game Saturday at Mustang Madness in Kentucky with 29 points and 15 rebounds as Arsenal survived against Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland), 80-76.

8. (14) Curie (Chicago), 12-1
Still unbeaten with Cliff Alexander in the lineup, the Condors have a big opportunity ahead Monday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic against No. 1 Montverde Academy. Alexander put up 26 points and 20 rebounds in a weekend win at Mustang Madness over Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland).

9. (8) Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), 12-1
New No. 25 Huntington-St. Joseph Prep became the first team to take down OSNA this season Thursday at Mustang Madness. The Pioneers responded by beating Carlisle (Martinsville, Va.) by 21 points the next night. Another big test awaits Sunday at the Hoophall Classic against No. 15 La Lumiere.



10. (9) Germantown (Wis.), 13-0
The Warhawks trailed at halftime Saturday against Homestead but rallied for a 72-63 win. Unbeaten Brookfield Central will be at home against Germantown on Tuesday and ready to challenge the nation's longest winning streak (69 games).{PAGEBREAK}

11. (3) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 11-2
The Panthers will have to put a disappointing WCAC loss Friday to Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) behind them quickly. Like Montverde Academy, Paul VI will be pulling the Springfield double dip, opening at Bass Pro against Willard (Mo.) and then facing storied St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) at Hoophall.

12. (18) St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.), 9-0
Kentucky-bound 7-footer Karl Towns Jr. posted 17 points, 15 rebounds and five assists Saturday as the Falcons got past post-grad program Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Wilbraham, Mass.) 64-50 at the Under Armour Showcase in Charlotte, N.C. Another big game is on the slate Sunday against one-loss DeMatha at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.

13. (16) Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.), 16-3
The Stallions' biggest remaining game comes Saturday against Joel Berry and Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) at the Wally Keller Classic. And here's your obligatory reminder that two of this team's three losses came against No. 1 Montverde Academy.

14. (7) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), 9-2
The Buffaloes split a pair of games at Mustang Madness in Kentucky over the weekend, losing to No. 23 Prime Prep (Dallas) but bouncing back with a quality win over Carlisle (Martinsville, Va.). A rematch with Prime Prep is scheduled for Tuesday.

15. (17) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), 14-2
The Lakers lost games to weather-related cancellations last week but return to action Saturday at the Hoophall Classic against No. 9 Our Savior New American.{PAGEBREAK}



16. (20) Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.), 17-0
Winners of 35 games in a row, Greater Atlanta Christian dominated Hapeville Charter (Atlanta) 58-38 and Wesleyan (Norcross) 62-17 last week. Winston-Salem Prep (N.C.) should provide the Spartans with their toughest remaining test, Jan. 25 at the Hilton Invitational.

17. (21) Carmel (Ind.), 8-0
Indiana's two-time defending 4A state champs have been stifling on the defensive end this season, allowing a paltry 42.3 points per game. Westfield can testify to that after a 68-24 loss to Carmel on Saturday.

18. (22) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 19-3
It will be an eventful two weeks for the Pilots, who have upcoming trips to Flyin' to the Hoop in Ohio and the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts as well as a showdown with local rival Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas).

19. (23) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), 15-1
The Aztecs responded to a loss against No. 18 Findlay Prep last week by dominating Hamilton (Chandler) 67-32 and Mesquite (Gilbert) 47-33.

20. (24) Apple Valley (Minn.), 13-1
Tyus Jones and the Eagles are averaging more than 91 points per game against in-state teams this season. Jones went for 27 and Dennis Austin added 21 in a 99-72 win over Burnsville on Friday.{PAGEBREAK} 21. (12) Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.), 9-2
The Patriots were looking like a team on the verge of breaking in to the Top 10, but fell Sunday to Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) 54-46. Carroll took No. 3 Oak Hill Academy to overtime in the final of the Chick-fil-A Classic back in December.

22. (15) Loyola (Los Angeles), 14-1
The Cubs fell for the first time this season Friday against Mission League rival Chaminade (West Hills), 73-61. Loyola won a prior meeting between the schools during an early December tournament by 20.

23. (NR) Whitney Young (Chicago), 9-4
Nobody in the country is tougher to peg when it comes to the national rankings than Whitney Young. The Dolphins have wins over No. 13 Providence, No. 20 Apple Valley and No. 23 Prime Prep. There are also competitive losses to No. 5 Rainier Beach and No. 11 Paul VI. The MaxPreps Freeman Rankings indicate Whitney Young's schedule has been the nation's toughest to this point in the season.

24. (NR) Prime Prep (Dallas), 14-4
The Truth looked dead in the water rankings-wise after losing back-to-back games at the Cancer Research Classic a week ago. But Prime Prep responded in a big way by beating No. 14 Sunrise Christian Academy and Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) in separate events over the weekend. Another challenging week is ahead with meetings against Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.) at the Hoophall Classic and Trotwood-Madison (Ohio) at Flyin' to the Hoop.

25. (NR) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (Huntington, W.Va.), 15-4
Another four-loss team in the rankings is difficult to fathom at this point in the season, but the Express forced the issue by knocking off No. 9 Our Savior New American at Mustang Madness. The contest with No. 24 Prime Prep at the Hoophall Classic may be a "loser leaves town" match when it comes to the national rankings.

Dropped out: No. 10 last week Roselle Catholic (N.J.); No. 19 Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.); No. 25 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.).

Tough to leave out: Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.); Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, Va.); Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.); Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.); Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia); Orlando Christian Prep (Fla.); Sagemont (Weston, Fla.); St. John's (Washington, D.C.).