Top 25 high school basketball rankings

The dominoes continued falling this weekend to set up what could be a high school basketball showdown for the ages between No. 1 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) and new No. 2 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.).

In Georgia, Dr. Krop (Miami, Fla.) beat then-No. 2 Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) at the Marriott Invitational, making way for legendary head coach Bob Hurley and St. Anthony to move up a spot and put the heat on rival, nemesis and challenger to the throne St. Patrick.

While it's far from guaranteed that the Garden State dynasties will survive the regular season unscathed, let alone navigate the postseason, the anticipation and hype begins now.

The two teams would likely meet in early March as part of Non-Public North Group B tournament leading up to New Jersey's Tournament of Champions.

Read on for a complete rundown of this week's Xcellent 25.



Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) (11-0)
Michael Gilchrist scored 17 and Derrick Gordon added 13 as the Celtics remained unbeaten Saturday night with a 60-31 win over Elizabeth. St. Patrick is allowing just 43.3 points per game to in-state teams this season.

2. (3) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (9-0)
The Friars registered impressive wins over Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft) (54-30) and LaQuinton Ross and Life Center Academy (Burlington) (71-55) last week. Against Life Center, four St. Anthony players scored in double figures led by Rutgers-bound guard Myles Mack's 18 points.

3. (4) Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) (16-0)
Wayne Blackshear and Morgan Park (Chicago) couldn't keep up with the Wolverines in a highly-anticipated showdown Saturday night, falling 60-51. Sophomore guard Kendrick Nunn led Simeon with 19 points in a game that became such a spectacle, Chicago mayoral candidates Gery Chico and Rahm Emanuel made sure to be seen.

4. (5) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) (18-0)
The Jackrabbits continued their rampage through the Moore League, smashing Jordan (Long Beach) 88-39 and Cabrillo (Long Beach) 95-34. Poly ended the drama early in both contests, outscoring their local rivals 59-23 in the first quarter of the two contests.

5. (6) Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.) (17-0)
Dorian Finney-Smith had a big week, scoring 32 points in a 76-56 win over Granby (Norfolk) on Friday night and 22 earlier in the week as Norcom beat star junior Jamal Ferguson (Marquette verbal commitment) and Maury (Norfolk) 73-60.

6. (7) Milton (Ga.) (16-2)
Milton outclassed Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.), 66-50, at the Marriott Invitational on Saturday night behind 22 points from Vanderbilt-bound guard Dai-Jon Parker. The Eagles haven't lost since a heartbreaking buzzer-beater cost them the title against No. 1 St. Patrick at the City of Palms Classic. A tough Wheeler (Marietta) squad awaits this week.



7. (8) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) (14-0)
The Royals made their biggest statement of the year Friday night, hammering Wisconsin's No. 2-ranked Division 1 team Riverside University (Milwaukee) 92-68. Osseo offered another formidable challenge Saturday night, but Joe Coleman scored 25 points and backcourt mate Siyani Chambers added 21 as Hopkins won easily, 86-68. The Minnesota juggernaut also threw 119 points on the board earlier in the week in a win over Como Park (St. Paul).

8. (9) Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) (18-1)
The Hornets won four games last week, highlighted by a 85-47 thrashing of a Sacramento team minus newly-departed star Josiah Turner. Fifteen of Lincoln's 18 wins have come by more than 10 points and there may not be a serious threat remaining on the regular season schedule.

9. (11) Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) (14-0)
Villanova-bound guard Tyrone Johnson scored 21 points to help Montrose Christian overcome fellow unbeaten Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) 61-59 at the PrimeTime Shootout in Morgantown, W.Va. The Mustangs tuned-up for that showdown by beating Chavez (Washington, D.C.) 86-50 as Justin Anderson scored a game-high 18 points.

10. (12) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (25-1)
The Marauder defense was the story in wins over Plano East and Flower Mound, limiting the Class 5A District 8 foes to a combined 66 points. Marcus has emerged victorious in 18-consecutive games.

11. (13) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) (21-2)
The Pilots outlasted defending Nevada 4A state champion Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 89-86 in double overtime Saturday night as Kevin Kaspar provided a game-winning 3-point basket with two seconds remaining in the second extra session. Findlay Prep blasted Macdonald Academy (Red Springs, N.C.) 86-57 Friday night behind 23 points and 13 rebounds from junior forward Winston Shepard.

12. (2) Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) (15-1)
Miller Grove's resume is still among the country's most impressive despite the loss to Dr. Krop. The Wolverines have wins over teams from the District of Columbia, New York, Oklahoma and Ohio, and handed No. 6 Milton one of its two losses in early December.



13. (15) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (17-2)
The Warriors bounced back from a two-game losing streak by smoking Preston (Kingwood, W.Va.) 96-59 at the PrimeTime Shootout. Duke signee Quinn Cook led five OHA players scoring in double figures with 17 points.

14. (14) Heights (Wichita, Kan.) (11-0)
Heights captured the McPherson Invitational by defeating the hosts 81-73 in the championship behind 23 points from Perry Ellis. The Falcons downed Maize and Lawrence Free State in the preliminary rounds. Head coach Joe Auer's squad has won 30 games in a row dating back to last season.

15. (17) Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) (17-0)
First team All-American candidate Bradley Beal scored 28 points as Chaminade beat rival DeSmet Jesuit (St. Louis) for the second time this season last Wednesday, 69-66.

16. (18) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (18-2)
Six-foot-seven junior wing Xavier Johnson averaged 21.5 points per game as the Monarchs eased past Palm Desert and Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) last week. Mater Dei gets a rematch with Orange Lutheran – one of its two losses this season – at home Friday.

17. (19) Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) (21-0)
Pat Boyle scored 22 points and Wisconsin recruit Frank Kaminsky added 16 and eight rebounds as Benet Academy turned the headliner of the High School Hoops Showdown into a blowout Saturday night, beating Glenbard East (Lombard) 75-51.

18. (10) Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) (17-1)
It's been tough to peg the Apaches this season, but the newly-independent program fell into focus a bit over the weekend at the PrimeTime Shootout. As expected, ACD took care of struggling St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), 62-49, and played unbeaten Montrose Christian to overtime. Oak Hill Academy is Country Day's next big test Feb. 19.



19. (22) Etiwanda (Calif.) (20-0)
The Eagles have been living dangerously, beating Ventura by a single point last Monday and Colony (Ontario) by four Saturday night. They will have to be at their best against battle-tested Loyola (Los Angeles) this weekend.

20. (23) Oak Ridge Military Academy (Oak Ridge, N.C.) (25-2)
The Cadets took two over the weekend at Swanny's Bash at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, S.C., beating Sound Doctrine Christian Academy (LaGrange, Ga.) by 32 points and Atlantic Shores Christian (Chesapeake, Va.) by 26 as Tennessee signee Chris Jones led the way with 21 points. Oak Ridge is 8-0 this month but February will be another matter as No. 13 Oak Hill Academy, Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh) and Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem) dot the schedule.

21. (24) Lakeview Centennial (Garland, Texas) (24-1)
The Patriots' guard trio of Jamarlas Demas, Toddrick Gotcher and Chris Jones combined for 43 points in an 85-48 win over North Garland and 46 more in an 85-65 win over Rowlett as Centennial extended its win streak to 23 games.

22. (NR) Dr. Krop (Miami, Fla.) (19-2)
The Lightning didn't have a great showing at the City of Palms Classic in December, but that's looking more and more like an anomaly following the 70-63 win over then-No. 2 Miller Grove in Georgia Saturday night. Dr. Krop – making its second run in the Xcellent 25 this season – has owned the Sunshine State's elite programs with wins over Winter Park, Dr. Phillips (Orlando) and No. 23 Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens), as well as an out-of-state triumph over Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.).

23. (25) Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) (17-2)
Dwyer head coach Fred Ross would love to remind readers that his team didn't have top scorer and best player Jacoby Brissett when it lost to Dr. Krop Jan. 8. Still, the Panthers have won 13 of their last 14 and rocked Spanish River (Boca Raton), Forest Hill (West Palm Beach) and Palm Beach Lakes (West Palm Beach) by an average margin of 37.3 points per game last week.

24. (NR) Northland (Columbus, Ohio) (10-0)
Without Jared Sullinger, being back among the nation's elite is quite an accomplishment for head coach Satch Sullinger and his Vikings. Northland improved to 10-0 Saturday by knocking off St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron) 77-69. Six-foot-eight junior Jalen Robinson led the way against LeBron James' alma mater with 25 points.



25. (NR) Linn-Mar (Marion, Iowa) (14-0)
Like Harrison Barnes and Ames a year ago, there aren't a lot of out-of-state games to go on as far as comparing Linn-Mar to other national powers. But the Lions beat highly-regarded Madison Memorial (Madison, Wis.) 74-64 Saturday at the Midwest Players Classic as North Carolina verbal commitment Marcus Paige and Josh Montague both finished with 21 points. Linn-Mar's other out-of-Iowa venture was an 81-35 thrashing of Apple Valley (Minn.) earlier this month.