Wheeler and Jonesboro in Georgia, Corona del Sol in Arizona and Garfield in Washington all win state titles.
Jaylen Brown of No. 5 Wheeler connected on a pair of free throws with under a second to go Saturday against Pebblebrook, giving the Wildcats a 59-58 win and the Georgia Class AAAAAA state title.
File photo by Mike Braca
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
1. (No. 1 last week) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 45-0 *Regular season complete. Expected to be part of the field at Dick's Sporting Goods High School Nationals in early April. An official announcement on that will come March 17.
2. (2) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 28-1Regular season complete. The two-time defending Dick's Nationals champs will be back to attempt a three-peat.
3. (3) St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio), 23-0The Fighting Irish opened Ohio Division II state tournament play with a 60-point win. Up next Wednesday in the district semifinal round is Marlington (Alliance).
4. (4) Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, Va.), 31-2VISAA Division I state champions. The Dolphins are a candidate to continue their season at Dick's Nationals.
5. (5) Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), 30-2GHSA Class AAAAAA state champions. Season complete.
* Record includes forfeit victory{PAGEBREAK}
No. 7 Corona del Sol wrapped up its fourth consecutive state title last Monday in Arizona. The Aztecs are 127-7 during their four-year run of dominance.
Photo by Mark Jones
FHSAA Class 7A state champions. Given the FHSAA's history with Dick's Nationals, hard to see an unbeaten state champ like the Tigers being left out of the field.
7. (9) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), 32-1AIA Division I state champions. Season complete.
8. (10) Jonesboro (Ga.), 32-1GHSA Class AAAA state champions. Season complete.
9. (11) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), 30-2Regular season complete. First-year head coach Arkell Bruce – a Naismith National Coach of the Year finalist – looks to have his team headed to Dick's Nationals.
10. (NR) Greensboro Day (N.C.), 33-2NCISAA Class 3A state champions. Another likely Dick's Nationals participant.{PAGEBREAK}
Ivan Rabb of No. 14 Bishop O'Dowd accepts congratulations after a dominant performance Saturday night in the North Coast Section Division III title game.
Photo by Dennis Lee
The Wolves punched their ticket to the Alamodome in San Antonio for the Class 6A final four with a 70-53 win over Allen on Saturday.
12. (14) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 28-2Regular season complete. Likely making plans to be in New York City for Dick's Nationals.
13. (6) Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.), 27-5NCISAA Class 3A runner-up. Wouldn't be shocking to see the Trojans get an invite to Dick's Nationals.
14. (15) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), 24-4Ivan Rabb tallied 25 points and 19 rebounds Saturday night in front of a packed house at Saint Mary's College, helping the Dragons get past Moreau Catholic (Hayward) for the North Coast Section Division III title.
15. (18) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.), 30-1Head coach Doug Mitchell's squad gets a bump after winning arguably the nation's toughest postseason bracket (outside of Dick's Nationals). The Knights beat Etiwanda 56-50 on Saturday in the final of the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs.{PAGEBREAK}
Head coach Frank Bennett (center) and No. 18 Chaminade are through to the round of 16 in Missouri's Class 5 state tournament.
File photo by Mike Braca
The Broncos are headed to the Class 6A state tournament after beating Norman North 68-52 in an area championship game Saturday.
17. (17) Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 33-1FHSAA Class 5A state champions. The Chiefs are on the Dick's Nationals bubble.
18. (22) Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.), 22-3Winners of 13 in a row, Chaminade opens Class 5 state tournament play Wednesday against Lafayette (Wildwood).
19. (23) Callaway (Jackson, Miss.), 29-3The Chargers blew out Pascagoula 67-49 to earn a trip to Mississippi's Class 5A final four next week in Jackson. Laurel will be the semifinal opponent.
20. (24) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 26-1Wichita State-bound
Markis McDuffie scored 21 points to help the Friars open the postseason with a 98-47 win over Montclair Kimberley Academy.{PAGEBREAK}
Head coach Ed Haskins led No. 21 Garfield to a win over new Metro League rival Rainier Beach on Saturday in Washington's Class 3A state title game. The Bulldogs are 54-3 over the past two seasons and won the state's 4A crown a year ago.
File photo by Minh Tran
WIAA Class 3A state champions. Could be a candidate for Dick's Nationals.
22. (24) Roman Catholic (Philadelphia), 25-2The Cahillites are on to the second round of the PIAA Class AAAA state tournament after beating Downingtown West 68-52 over the weekend.
23. (25) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), 23-2Regular season complete. The Lakers hope to earn an invite to Dick's Nationals and would be a dangerous draw for probable top seeds Oak Hill Academy or Montverde Academy.
24. (NR) Fairfax (Los Angeles), 30-2After beating rival Westchester (Los Angeles) for the City Section Open Division title over the weekend, the Lions will jump into the Southern California regional playoffs. They are expected to be joined by No. 15 Bishop Montgomery, Etiwanda and four-time defending state champ Mater Dei in that bracket.
25. (NR) Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.), 13-16 *Remember, the Wildcats forfeited 15 victories due to an ineligible player – including a win over No. 1 Oak Hill Academy. Since the player in question was removed from the floor, Hamilton is 13-1 and has proven to be a viable Top 25 team. The lone legitimate loss to Memphis East was avenged in a big way back on Feb. 28 as head coach Todd Day's team turned the tables with a 93-56 win in the Region 8-AAA championship game.
* Record includes forfeit lossesDropped out: No. 12
Atascocita (Humble, Texas); No. 22
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.); No. 23
Southport (Indianapolis)
