MaxPreps High School Top 25 boys basketball national rankings

Video: Top 25 boys basketball rankings
Four new teams jump into Top 25 as playoffs shake things up.

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:

Sunrise Christian Academy Elite (Bel Aire, Kan.) dropped out of the rankings this week due to carrying two players on their roster that had re-enrolled in ninth grade when moving to the United States from Canada. The Buffaloes not only drop out of the Xcellent 25 rankings, but won't be eligible for GEICO Nationals at the end of the month either.

Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) was one of three other teams to fall from the rankings after losing 55-53 to Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in the CIF Southern Section Open Division championship game. Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) also fell from the rankings after Eden Prairie (Minn.) snapped the Raiders' 21-game win streak with a 65-63 victory. Previously unbeaten Plymouth Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) tumbled from the Top 25 after a 75-73 loss to Abington (Pa.) in the PIAA District One championship game.



Loaded Indiana 4A state playoffs begin

The Indiana 4A state playoffs are set and with the state scoring record all but out of reach for Romeo Langford (he would need 234 points in four games), few distractions sit between New Albany (Ind.) and the state crown. Two teams — undefeated top 25 foes South Bend Riley (Ind.) and Warren Central (Indianapolis) — appear to the be the biggest obstacles for the McDonald's All-American and his quest for a second state title.

New Albany begins state playoff action March 10 against two-loss Bloomington South (Ind.), and, barring upset, the Bulldogs would meet Warren Central before a possible state-final showdown with South Bend Riley. Warren Central begins it state playoff run with Ben Davis (Indianapolis), while South Bend Riley draws Lake Central (St. John, Ind.).

Norcross makes statement in Georgia AAAAAAA playoffs

Norcross (Ga.) went from unranked to No. 17 after two convincing wins in the vaunted Georgia AAAAAAA playoffs. The Blue Devils dismantled McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), the previous No. 5 team in the nation, 75-55 in the quarterfinals before taking down quality foe Newton (Covington, Ga.) 86-66 in their semifinal showdown.

Norcross faces Meadowcreek (Norcross, Ga.) in Wednesday's championship game, with a potential GEICO Nationals berth on the line. The two schools, separated by less than 10 miles, meet for the fourth time this season. Norcross holds a 3-0 edge but their previous two meetings were each decided by one point.
The Blue Devils will be hungry to win their fourth, and most important, meeting of the season with Meadowcreek, with the added motivation of falling by three to Tift County (Tifton, Ga.) in last year's title game.



Garfield, Gonzaga Prep rise after Washington state titles

Brandon Roy has done it again. One year after storming to a No. 1 national ranking and a 29-0 run with Michael Porter Jr. at Nathan Hale (Seattle), the former NBA player is at it again. He won his second straight Washington 3A state championship, this time under the helm of his alma mater, Garfield (Seattle).

The Bulldogs took down Rainier Beach (Seattle) 72-63 in overtime to capture their 14th state championship. The meeting was the third of the season between the arch-rivals, with Garfield winning the previous meetings 100-72 and 72-68. And while the win means Garfield may receive an invitation to this year's GEICO Nationals, the question remains would Brandon Roy turn down the invite for a second consecutive year?

The other big winner of the weekend from the Evergreen state was Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), which solidified its perfect season barring a GEICO Nationals invite. The Bullpups were led by 2019 Gonzaga commit Anton Watson, who went off for 21 points and 10 rebounds and hit the game winning 3-pointer in their thrilling 53-50 overtime semifinal win over Richland. For an encore, the 6-foot-7 Watson finished with a game high 22 points in the 54-52 4A championship game win over Federal Way (Wash.).

DeMatha takes home 40th WCAC crown, headlines Alhambra

DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) took home its 40th WCAC tournament championship — the first since 2011. The Stags defeated Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 53-52 in the title game behind a balanced effort that included 21 points from the bench. The win bumps up DeMatha eight spots in the rankings with more opportunities to build its resume this week. The Stags face Rock Creek Christian Academy (Upper Marlboro, Md.) tonight for the Maryland Private School state championship and travel this weekend to the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament (ACIT).



DeMatha is one of the headliners this weekend in a loaded ACIT field that includes Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), Gonzaga, Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore), St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) and Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.). The 57th annual ACIT takes place from March 8-10, features two of this week's Xcellent 25 teams and showcases one of the deepest fields in tournament history.

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