Curie eligibility squabble could have major rankings implications; Northside Christian Academy is the first state champ among nationally ranked teams; Wild ride in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference continues.
Joseph Stamps led No. 3 Curie to a thrilling, four-overtime win over then-No. 15 Whitney Young in the Chicago Public League tournament title game, but an eligibility issue could put the Condors' historic accomplishment in jeopardy.
File photo by Mike Braca
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
1. (No. 1 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 28-0The Monarchs nearly saw their national title hopes go up in flames Friday night in the first round of Southern Section Open Division playoffs. Cantwell-Sacred Heart (Montebello) took Mater Dei to overtime but the three-time defending state champs survived 66-59. Up next is Mayfair (Lakewood) on Friday.
2. (2) Rainier Beach (Seattle), 25-0Eastside Catholic (Sammamish) took the Vikings to the wire a week ago, but Beach wasn't taking any chances Saturday night in the Sea-King District title game. The two-time defending Class 3A state champs blitzed the Crusaders 78-38 and advance to the regionals and a matchup with Mercer Island this week.
3. (3) Curie (Chicago), 24-1The Condors survived an instant classic Chicago Public League tournament final with Whitney Young, going four overtimes Friday night for a 69-66 victory. Curie was feeling good after winning its first title in an event that dates back to the early 1900s. Then Michael O'Brien of the Chicago Sun-Times
dropped this eligibility bomb late Sunday night. Stay tuned.
4. (4) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 24-1Regular season complete. The Eagles are expected to participate in the Dick's Sporting Goods High School National Tournament in early April.
5. (5) White Station (Memphis, Tenn.), 29-1The Spartans meet Overton (Memphis) on Tuesday following a 55-51 win over Houston (Germantown) in the Region 8-AAA playoffs over the weekend. Illinois signee LeRon Black led the way with 21 points.{PAGEBREAK}
Head coach Jason Delaney is 56-12 in three seasons at No. 7 Arsenal Tech.
Photo by Randy Sartin
The Knights captured their third NCISAA Class 2A state title in a row Saturday by blowing past First Assembly Academy (Concord) 87-68. Seniors
Keyshawn Woods,
James Demery and
DeSean Murray were named to the 2A All-State team. NCISAA schools have participated in the aforementioned Dick's Sporting Goods High School National Tournament in the past, so Northside's season may not be over.
7. (8) Arsenal Technical (Indianapolis), 19-2Zionsville slowed down the Titans to some degree Friday night but still came away a 63-47 loser. Tech closes out the regular season Friday at Ben Davis (Indianapolis).
8. (9) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), 21-2La Lumiere hosted and won the second-annual Laker Invitational over the weekend. Junior guard
Jalen Coleman torched the nets for 34 points Friday against Athlete Institute (Ontario, Canada) and 27 more Saturday against St. Louis Christian (Mo.).
9. (10) Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.), 27-4The Stallions blasted North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) 88-43 to set up a dream Class 3A state semifinal matchup with unbeaten and No. 22 Sagemont on Tuesday in Lakeland.
10. (11) Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.), 28-0GAC opened Class AA state tournament play with an 83-22 win over Union County (Blairsville) last week. The quest for a state title continues Tuesday against Model (Rome).{PAGEBREAK}
11. (12) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), 30-1The Aztecs are three wins away from a title after blowing past Desert Ridge (Mesa) 68-38 in the second round of the Division I state tournament Saturday. Payton Dastrup, a talented 6-foot-9 forward, and Mountain View (Mesa) present a formidable quarterfinal challenge.
12. (13) Apple Valley (Minn.), 25-1The Eagles closed out the regular season with an 82-55 win over Rosemount on Friday night. After a month of lopsided games, Apple Valley was taken to overtime earlier in the week by Xavier signee J.P. Macura and Lakeville North but prevailed 59-56.
13. (16) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 34-3With five regular season games remaining and likely a trip to New York City for the Dick's Sporting Goods High School National Tournament, the Warriors could reach the 40-win plateau for the fifth time since 2006.
14. (17) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), 24-4The Irish have won 11 in a row with the last six coming by 30 points or more. Senior guard
JaQuan Lyle leads HSJP in scoring this season at 17.6 points per game to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
15. (18) Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, Va.), 24-0More dominance from the Dolphins as they rolled over Walsingham Academy (Williamsburg) 90-59 on Saturday to capture the Tidewater Conference Independent Schools tournament title. Up next is the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division 1 state tournament, which includes Washington Catholic Athletic Conference powers No. 25 Paul VI and Bishop O'Connell (Alexandria).{PAGEBREAK}
Chase Jeter and No. 17 Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas will head to Reno this weekend to try and win a seventh state title under current head coach Grant Rice.
File photo by Nick Koza
Again the Dolphins are a perplexing pick from a national perspective. Whitney Young has played nine games against teams that have appeared in the Xcellent 25 this season and is 4-5 in those contests. Six losses seems like too many to remain in the rankings – especially this high – but three of those came against the top three teams in the country.
17. (19) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 27-4Chase Jeter (20 points),
Stephen Zimmerman (17) and
Nick Blair (17) led the way Friday as the Gaels dominated Centennial (Las Vegas) 78-52 in the Sunset Region title game. Next up is the state tournament in Reno.
18. (20) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 27-4The Pilots have won 12 of their last 13. Expect that run of success to continue through Findlay's final regular season game in early March.
19. (21) Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 24-3The Railsplitters begin PSAL Class AA tournament play this week. Many are anticipating a finals showdown with 6-9 junior center Jesse Govan and Wings Academy (Bronx).
20. (22) Muskegon (Mich.), 19-0After a 69-64 win over Union (Grand Rapids) on Friday, the Big Reds will look to complete a perfect regular season Thursday against River Rouge.{PAGEBREAK}
Head coach Mike Jones and No. 23 DeMatha will face No. 25 Paul VI for the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament title Tuesday.
Photo by Alik McIntosh
In an area thick with talented teams, the Greyhounds improved to 51-3 since mid-February of 2012 by beating Warren Central (Indianapolis) 66-52 last week.
22. (25) Sagemont (Weston, Fla.), 31-0The Lions have been a bit of a mystery all season long. But the question marks will be answered Tuesday in the Class 3A state semifinals against No. 9 Providence.
23. (NR) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 27-3The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference situation remains fluid. DeMatha, No. 24 St. John's, No. 25 Paul VI and Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) have all taken turns whacking each other this season. DeMatha will meet Paul VI in the tournament final Tuesday and is 3-0 against the aforementioned three WCAC powers since Feb. 11.
24. (6) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 26-3Following a blowout loss to No. 23 DeMatha and an unexpected early exit from the WCAC tournament, the Cadets take a big tumble in the rankings. St. John's will have a chance at redemption in the DCSAA (District of Columbia schools) tournament and the Alhambra Catholic Invitational.
25. (24) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 24-6Keeping the Panthers in the rankings is a huge tip of the cap to the WCAC, without question the most competitive league in the country. Paul VI – which has knocked off teams from eight states and the District of Columbia this season – slugged its way to the final of the prestigious City of Palms Classic in December and will meet No. 23 DeMatha for the WCAC tournament crown Tuesday.
Dropped out: No. 14 last week
Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.)
