High school basketball: St. John's makes big jump in MaxPreps Top 25 following victory over Paul VI

By Jordan Divens Feb 28, 2023, 11:00am

Roman Catholic re-enters the rankings after defeating Neumann-Goretti in the Philadelphia Catholic League title game.

Monday night high school basketball action shook up the MaxPreps Top 25 as previous No. 11 St. John's (Washington, D.C.) took down previous No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) 65-63 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title game while previously-unranked Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) upset previous No. 15 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) in the Philadelphia Catholic League title game.

No. 4 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) survived an upset bid by St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) in the CIF Open Division Southern Section title game Saturday night. The Huskies pulled out the 58-56 victory over the Braves on a game-winning dunk as time expired.

Five ranked teams look to complete their quest for a state title this weekend as No. 11 Columbus (Miami, Fla.), No. 15 Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.), No. 17 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), No. 24 Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) and No. 25 Lake City (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) all wrap up postseason play.

Columbus, Perry and Roselle Catholic each look to repeat as state champions while Dorman looks to capture its first state championship since winning four straight from 2017 through 2020. Lake City looks to claim its first state title in program history.



The next three weekends will be filled with state championship results as the MaxPreps Top 25 continues to take shape entering the final stretch of the season.
Four-star junior Daquan Davis scored the game-winning layup to propel No. 5 St. John's over No. 8 Paul VI in the WCAC title game. (Photo: Justin Fine)
Four-star junior Daquan Davis scored the game-winning layup to propel No. 5 St. John's over No. 8 Paul VI in the WCAC title game. (Photo: Justin Fine)
MaxPreps Top 25 basketball rankings

Record: 25-0 | Last week: 1
The Justices are averaging 113.7 points per contest in postseason play, defeating Prince Edward County (Farmville) 124-41, Thomas Jefferson (Richmond) 104-47 and Brunswick (Lawrenceville) 113-51 en route to the Class 2 Region A championship. Four-star North Carolina State signee Dennis Parker Jr. scored a game-high 30 points in the title game victory.

Record: 29-1 | Last week: 2
Season complete.

Record: 17-2 | Last week: 4
Close out regular season play this weekend at the Pete Hollis Showcase, facing Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) on Thursday, National Top 10 No. 4 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) on Friday and National Top 10 No. 6 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) on Saturday.

Record: 29-3 | Last week: 5
Escaped with a 58-56 victory over St. John Bosco to capture the their third consecutive CIF Open Division Southern Section title. Loyola Marymount pledge Aaron McBride jumped into the passing lane and came away with a steal before going the length of the court to slam home the game-winning dunk as time expired in the thrilling win.

Record: 29-2 | Last week: 11
Captured their first Washington Catholic Athletic Catholic tournament title since 2016 with a 65-63 victory over previous No. 3 Paul VI. Four-star junior Daquan Davis converted the game-winning layup with 3.8 seconds remaining and scored a team-high 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Record: 23-2 | Last week: 6
Season complete.



Record: 24-3 | Last week: 7
Five-star Kentucky signee Justin Edwards led the way with a game-high 25 points in a 72-43 victory over West Philadelphia in the Philadelphia Public League title game. The Panthers have captured three consecutive Philadelphia Public League titles and 11 over the past 19 seasons during head coach Andre Noble's tenure.

Record: 28-3 | Last week: 3
Fell to No. 5 St. John's 65-63 in the Washington Catholic Atheltic Conference tournament title game despite receiving a game-high 24 points from Maryland signee Deshawn Harris-Smith. The Panthers were previously unbeaten in WCAC play after going 15-0 in the regular season before adding a pair of wins in the conference tournament.

Record: 29-3 | Last week: 8
Survived a scare in the second round of the Class 6A state tournament, defeating Plano East (Plano) 66-63 behind a game-high 24 points from senior guard Quinton Perkins. The Wildcats take on Martin (Arlington) tonight in their third round state tournament contest.

Record: 26-0 | Last week: 9
Completed their first unbeaten regular season in program history with a 78-54 victory over Arsenal Technical (Indianapolis). The Giants also tied the school record for most consecutive wins with 26 in a row headed into their first round postseason contest against Southport (Indianapolis) tomorrow night.

Record: 22-4 | Last week: 10
Defending Class 7A state champions advanced to the state semifinals with a 71-43 victory over Deerfield Beach paced by 19 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and seven blocks from top-ranked sophomore Cameron Boozer. The Explorers face off against Colonial (Orlando) on Friday with a trip to Saturday's state title game on the line.

Record: 24-1 | Last week: 12
Enter Class 6A state tournament play as the top overall seed and overwhelming favorite to capture the program's first state championship since winning four straight from 2013 through 2016. The Lions take on Century (Hillsboro) in their first round matchup tomorrow.



Record: 32-1 | Last week: 13
Junior Kayde Dotson led the charge with 22 points and eight rebounds in an 87-63 victory over Dickinson in the second round of the Class 6A state tournament. The Timberwolves carry a 31-game win streak into their third round matchup against West Brook (Beaumont) tonight.

Record: 30-2 | Last week: 14
The Wolverines get a rematch with the team that beat them in Southern Section pool play as they take on St. John Bosco (Bellflower) on Saturday with a berth in the CIF Open Division regional final on the line.

Record: 29-1 | Last week: 20
Five-star sophomore Koa Peat led the way with 21 points and 13 rebounds in a 64-50 victory over Desert Mountain (Scottsdale) in the AIA Open Division state semifinals. The Pumas look to capture their second consecutive state title Saturday against Sunnyslope (Phoenix).

Record: 29-2 | Last week: 17
Begin CIF Open Division state tournament action with a first round matchup against St. Augustine (San Diego) tomorrow night. The Wildcats earned a spot in the CIF Open Division state tournament for the first time in school history following a historic year for the program.

Record: 20-5 | Last week: 18
Four-star North Carolina signee Simeon Wilcher produced a game-high 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 90-72 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas (Edison) in the North Jersey Non-Public B semifinals. The Lions take on Immaculate Conception (Montclair) in the title game Wednesday.

Record: 28-3 | Last week: 21
Picked up lopsided victories over Solorio (Chicago) 97-32 and Englewood Stem (Chicago) 70-33 to advance to the Class 3A sectional semifinal against St. Laurence (Burbank) tonight.



Record: 26-0 | Last week: 22
Clinched their berth in the Class A state tournament with a 68-43 victory over Lincoln Northeast (Lincoln) guided by 15 points from Creighton signee Josiah Dotzler and 14 points from junior Jaden Jackson in the district title game.

Record: 22-3 | Last week: NR
Captured the program's first Philadelphia Catholic League title since 2016 and their 33rd overall with a 57-52 victory over No. 21 Neumann-Goretti. St. Joseph's signee Xzayvier Brown was the difference maker as he finished with a game-high 20 points and banked home the game-tying 3-pointer to send the contest into overtime.

Record: 21-3 | Last week: 15
Suffered an overtime loss to No. 19 Roman Catholic 57-52 in the Philadelphia Catholic League title game despite 15 points and 10 rebounds from senior Sultan Adewale. The Saints won the previous meeting between the rival schools 62-60 earlier in the month.

Record: 35-4 | Last week: 16
Suffered a setback to St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) 78-75 in overtime in the MIAA Conference A title game despite receiving a team-high 25 points from Tyonne Farrell. The Gaels look to rebound in the Baltimore Catholic League tournament this weekend.

Record: 29-0 | Last week: 23
Notched three blowout wins to begin NCHSAA Class 3A state tournament play, defeating St. Stephens (Hickory) 88-35, North Henderson (Hendersonville) 104-46 and South Guilford (Greensboro) 97-53. The Vikings take on Crest tonight in the state quarterfinals before a potential semifinal contest on Saturday.

Record: 28-2 | Last week: 24
Advanced to the Class AAAAA title game with a 60-52 victory over Lexington paced by a game-high 20 points from senior Terry Leonard in the state semifinals. The Cavaliers take on Goose Creek on Saturday in the championship game.



Record: 23-0 | Last week: 25
Following an 85-54 victory over Coeur d'Alene in the regional title game, the Timberwolves enter Class 5A state tournament play as the top seed. They face Highland (Pocatello) in their first round matchup Thursday.