Xcellent 25 high school boys basketball rankings

The Nike Extravaganza provided tests for three members of this week's Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard over the weekend.

The 17th annual event is held at one of high school basketball's premier facilities – the Meruelo Athletic Center – on the campus of Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). The host Monarchs capped a stretch of four games in eight days with wins over St. John Bosco (Bellflower) and La Verne Lutheran, remaining at No. 7 in this week's rankings.

"We had a tired group of guys. We played really well through it today," Mater Dei head coach Gary McKnight said after beating La Verne Lutheran on Saturday. "I don't think we were the sharpest we have been but I don't think it was because of effort."

National Player of the Year candidate Shabazz Muhammad and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) played in the featured contest Saturday night against Whitney Young (Chicago). It was all Gaels as Muhammad poured in 41 points to help the program reach the 20-win plateau for the fifth-straight season under head coach Grant Rice.



Bishop Gorman climbs two spots to No. 10 this week.

Also improving its stock was Long Beach Poly, who stifled Arizona-bound guard Gabe York and Orange Lutheran in a 67-45 win. The Jackrabbits have a certifiable star in Roschon Prince and a solid supporting cast that includes 6-foot-8 Jordan Bell and tough guards like Chris Croom, Reuben Strickland and Joshua Munzon.

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.) (16-0)
The Friars won three games last week by an average of 32.6 points per outing. St. Anthony's toughest test of the season will come Saturday at the PrimeTime Shootout against Huntington Prep (W.Va.).

2. (3) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (29-2)
Since an upset loss to Richland (North Richland Hills) in late December, the Marauders are 12-0 and allowing just 41.2 points per game.



3. (4) Milton (Ga.) (19-4)
The Eagles had a light week, beating North Forsyth (Cumming) 83-35. According to head coach David Boyd, Auburn-bound Shaquille Johnson had seven dunks in the first half of that contest.

4. (5) Simeon (Chicago) (20-1)
Did not play last week.

5. (6) Chester (Pa.) (19-0)
The Clippers put up 32 points in the fourth quarter against rival Penn Wood (Lansdowne) to run away with an 80-57 win Thursday.

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6. (2) Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas) (22-3)
Trinity Christian (Lubbock) stunned the Lions on Saturday 57-56, likely ending their national championship dreams in the process.

7. (7) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (22-2)
After a pair of quality wins at the Nike Extravaganza, the Monarchs close the regular season against Servite (Anaheim) and JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) this week.

8. (9) Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.) (24-2)
Deckie Johnson, a 6-4 junior guard, topped the 20-point mark in wins over Houston (Germantown) and Kirby (Memphis) last week.



9. (10) Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.) (23-1)
Ridgeway gets a chance to avenge its only loss Saturday against No. 8 Southwind.

10. (12) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) (20-4)
The Gaels face Clark (Las Vegas) in a key league game Wednesday.

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11. (11) Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) (24-4)
PCA labored a bit to get wins over Liberty Christian (Argyle) and Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth). Kansas-bound senior Zach Peters notched a season-high 30 points against Nolan Catholic.

12. (13) Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kan.) (13-0)
Division I-bound forwards Perry Ellis and Gavin Thurman combined for 46 points and 19 rebounds in an 82-52 win over Southeast (Wichita) last Tuesday.

13. (14) Olympic (Charlotte, N.C.) (22-0)
Allerik Freeman scored 21 points to help the Trojans win a highly-anticipated rematch with Harding University (Charlotte), 65-62.

14. (15) Columbia (Decatur, Ga.) (21-1)
The Eagles extended their home winning streak to 76 games with a 76-48 win over McNair (Atlanta) on Friday.



15. (16) Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.) (19-0)
The Pirates blasted rival Proviso West (Hillside) 100-65 on Saturday, getting a game-high 23 points from senior guard Michael Nicholas.

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16. (17) Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) (15-2)
T.J. Haws scored 23 points and grabbed nine boards as the Knights drummed Riverton 56-36 on Friday.

17. (18) Dunbar (Dayton, Ohio) (17-0)
Just two of Dunbar's 17 wins have been decided by single digits.

18. (19) Pershing (Detroit) (15-0)
The Doughboys closed out the regular season unbeaten with an 88-41 win over Osborn (Detroit) on Tuesday. Pershing is averaging 83.7 points per game.

19. (20) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) (21-1)
The Jackrabbits wrap up the regular season with games against Millikan (Long Beach) and Jordan (Long Beach) this week.

20. (23) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) (20-2)
The Panthers have a huge rematch with No. 23 Gonzaga on Sunday.



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21. (21) Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) (23-2)
The Tigers won three games in four days to capture the BCAA Big 8 Tournament, a gathering of Broward County's top teams.

22. (22) Sexton (Lansing, Mich.) (11-1)
The Big Reds led 71-31 after three quarters and cruised to a 78-43 win over Grand Ledge on Friday.

23. (8) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) (21-2)
The Eagles bounced back from a loss to No. 20 Paul VI with wins over Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.) and Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.). North Carolina-bound junior point guard Nate Britt returned from injury to play for the first time since Jan. 14 in the latter.

24. (24) Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) (28-2)
The Hornets got tested by Zachary in a 44-39 win Friday night.

25. (25) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (19-3)
Teetering on the edge of the Xcellent 25, the Stags were convincing in wins over St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.) and St. John's (Washington, D.C.) – winning by 30 and 22 points, respectively.