MaxPreps Final 2012-13 Northern California Top 25 high school boys basketball rankings

For the third consecutive week, there's a change at the top. But these will stand as the final rankings for the 2012-13 season with CIF State Championship games capping the campaign this weekend at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento.

Salesian (Richmond) was the MaxPreps Northern California No. 1 team for the duration of the season until last week when Sheldon (Sacramento) took over after beating the Pride in a Northern Regional Open Division semifinal.

Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) takes the top spot now by virtue of its 70-50 triumph of Sheldon in the NorCal Open finals at Sleep Train Arena.

A closer look:



MaxPreps Final 2012-13 Northern California Top 25 Boys Basketball Rankings

1. (Last week 3) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 28-5
Yes, Aaron Gordon is a marvelous talent, but he's not the only man here for the surging Monarchs. The standout senior is flanked by a very capable and cool cast of shooters and rebounders, and they all know who the star is. It's Gordon, the lone returning starter from last season. Gordon had 29 points and 22 rebounds against Sheldon, and his one-on-one defense of guard Darin Johnson was superb in stalling the Huskies attack. Gordon and company aim for a state-championship three-peat, this one in the Open after taking the previous two Division II titles. Mitty faces Mater Dei (Santa Ana) on Saturday at Sleep Train Arena.

View the 2013 CIF State Boys Basketball Championship brackets

2. (1) Sheldon (Sacramento) 27-6
The Huskies were elated with their Open semifinal win over previous No. 1 Salesian and then appeared completely deflated and down after running into the Aaron Gordon buzzsaw in the finals, a 70-50 loss. This closes the remarkable careers of four-year players Dakarai Allen and D'Erryl Williams, who won 108 games, four Sac-Joaquin Section D-I championships and the 2012 NorCal D-I title. Sheldon is ranked above Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) because it went 3-0 against the Eagles.

3. (2) Salesian (Richmond) 30-4
The Pride lost to Sheldon in a NorCal Open semifinal, bidding farewell to its state No. 1 ranking, its 20-game winning streak, its remarkable 75-game NorCal winning streak and the amazing careers or Markel Leonard, Mario Dunn and McDonald's All-American Jabari Bird. Coach Brian Mellis said he will miss "the best group we've ever had here."

4. (5) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 27-5
The Eagles have won 17 of their last 20 games, losing only to Delta River League rival Sheldon in that stretch, all by seven or fewer points. Pleasant Grove grew from the experiences. In the NorCal D-I playoffs, Pleasant Grove bounced De La Salle 68-51 and then toppled top-seeded Deer Valley (Antioch) 73-60 to win its first title. Matt Hayes scored 20, Malik Thames 17 on his birthday, Cole Nordquist 16, and Matt Smrekar and Marquese Chriss had good games to lead the charge. Next is the CIF State D-I title game against Santa Monica (29-6) on Friday at Sleep Train.

5. (4) Deer Valley (Antioch) 26-6
The Wolverines had their finest season come to an end at the hands of Pleasant Grove in the NorCal D-I finals, 73-60. So ends the careers of all-time program greats in the Kentucky-bound Marcus Lee (10 points, 16 rebounds) and UNLV-bound guard Kendall Smith (17 points).



6. (6) Modesto Christian 29-4
The Crusaders bounced Bishop O'Dowd in a NorCal Open opener before falling to Mitty in the semifinals 58-54. MC battled back from a 14-point deficit behind UOP-bound T.J. Wallace before stalling. Veteran coach Gary Porter and coach-in-waiting assistant Richard Midgley return a ton of talent for another title run.

7. (7) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 26-4
The Dragons were eliminated in the Open opener against Modesto Christian, 57-42, a team they beat last month in a nonleague game. The loss snapped a 19-game winning streak. The future is bright, however, with the return of a host of players, none more impressive than 6-9 sophomore forward/center Ivan Rabb, one of the top recruits in the country.

8. (8) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 26-5
The Spartans lost to Deer Valley in the North Coast Section D-I semifinals, pushed to get into the Open Division, settled for the D-I field and promptly fell at Pleasant Grove, 68-51, in a semifinal. Veteran coach Frank Allocco heaped praise on Pleasant Grove, which led 37-17 at the half and hit buzzer-beating shots to end every quarter but the last one. Allocco won his 600th career game this season and featured one of the program's all-time greats in Arizona-bound guard Elliott Pitts, who had 17 points.

9. (9) Serra (San Mateo) 25-6
The Padres of the West Catholic Athletic League feel no shame in falling to loaded Sheldon in an Open opener. All-time program great Henry Caruso had 25 in his final game and is headed to Princeton. Serra also beat Mitty in league play before falling to the Monarchs in the Central Coast Section Open finals.

10. (10) Newark Memorial 21-8
The Cougars had their 13-game winning streak halted in an Open opening loss to Mitty. Joey Frenchwood had a terrific season and a great closing-act game against Mitty. Newark Memorial beat Dublin, which lost in the NorCal D-II finals, three times, and also lost 64-57 to Pleasant Grove and by one to Salesian.

11. (13) College Park (Pleasant Hill) 26-5
The Falcons beat Dublin 93-90 to win the NorCal D-II title in overtime, thanks to resolve and a breakthrough for Peter Schoemann. The senior missed his first nine three-point shots and all 10 floor attempts before hitting a three that bounced high and then down with 6.8 seconds left for the upstart 11-seeded club. It was the highest scoring game in North Regional history.

12. (10) Dublin 26-7
The Gaels had their magic run halted by College Park in the D-II finals, 93-90 in overtime. JoJo McGlaston, headed to Utah State, had a D-II title-game record 35 points and 14 rebounds. His team had a 64-38 rebounding edge but was just 22 of 43 from the line and had 26 turnovers.

13. (13) Sacramento 26-7
The Dragons lost to Grant in the Sac-Joaquin Section D-II semifinals, then drew the Pacers again in a NorCal second-round game, rolling 77-52. Sacramento had a chance to bounce another team that stuck it with a defeat, but fell at top-seeded Dublin, 81-76, in the D-II semifinals. Aaron Cameron led the Dragons with 19. Freshman leading scorer and rebounder Devin Young, all 6-7 of upside, is among a host of returners. Sacramento beat Pleasant Grove and Antelope earlier in the season.



14. (14) Antelope 26-7
The Titans earned a No. 2 NorCal D-II seed after defending their Sac-Joaquin Section title but knew they were in deep when leading inside enforcer Isaiah Ellis went down with a broken foot. It caught up to them in an opening loss to upstart St. Francis (Mountain View) in a game to the wire. Gabe Bealer had a banner season for Antelope, as did Ellis.

15. (15) San Leandro 24-6
The Pirates lost to Deer Valley, 73-65, in the North Coast Section D-I finals, then eliminated Bethel in the NorCal D-I field before falling to De La Salle 43-39 in a second-round game.

16. (16) Bellarmine (San Jose) 21-10
The Bells, battle-tested from the rigors of a WCAL that includes Mitty, Serra and Sacred Heart Cathedral, won the Central Coast Section D-I title and reached the NorCal D-I semifinals, where they lost to Deer Valley, 54-52. Jackson Gion had 19 and Grant Vermeer 13 for Bellarmine.

17. (17) Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 21-11
Liam O'Reilly had a put-back layup with 15 seconds left in overtime to lift the Fightin' Irish past Campolindo (Moraga) 55-52 in the D-III finals at American Canyon High School. Members of the West Catholic Athletic League with Mitty and Serra, Sacred Heart Cathedral was led Khalil James who had 14 points, including four three-pointers, seven rebounds and five assists. The Irish play St. Augustine (San Diego) for the CIF State D-III title on Friday at Sleep Train Arena.

18. (18) Campolindo (Moraga) 22-9
From initially not being seeded in the NorCal field, an oversight, to suddenly finding themselves in the NorCal D-III finals, the Cougars closed a roller-coaster ride with a 55-52 overtime loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral at American Canyon. Andrew Zolitakis had 14 points and seven rebounds. Campolindo was 3-0 in the NorCals coming in.

19. (19) St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 25-11
The Pilots won their record ninth regional championship and third in a row in D-V in beating Capital Christian (Sacramento) 50-36 at American Canyon. Temidayo Yussuf had 18 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Harris had 17. The Pilots and famed coach Don Lippi play Horizon Christian (San Diego) on Friday at Sleep Train for the D-V state title.

20. (21) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 34-3
The Cardinals beat Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) 73-66 to win the D-IV title at American Canyon. Kenny Love had 26 points and Corey Hammell had 20 and 12 rebounds. Cardinal Newman will play Pacific Hills (West Hollywood) for the D-IV title at Sleep Train Arena.

21. (22) Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) 20-12
The Crusaders fell to Cardinal Newman 73-66 in the D-IV finals at American Canyon despite 18 points from Geru Mabrey. In a semifinal thriller, Mabrey fumbled an inbounds pass, retrieved it, dribbled three-quarters of the court and canned a 16-footer at the buzzer for a 48-47 win over Marin Catholic (Kentfield).



22. (20) Capital Christian (Sacramento) 26-5
The Cougars lost to St. Joseph in the D-V finals, 50-36, in a game that was close with three minutes to go. Capital Christian will return a ton of talent, including Trey Belton, Nifae Lealao Jr. and D.J. Wilson with the goal of three-peating as Sac-Joaquin Section D-V champions. This could be an Open team next season.

23. (23) Soquel 22-7
The Knights nearly stunned Mitty in a Central Coast Section Open opener, won the Central Coast Section Open Consolation with a win over Piedmont Hills, beat Colfax in the D-IV NorCals and finally ran out of gas in a 57-51 setback to Cardinal Newman in the semifinals. Cody Valcarcel had 15 in the loss.

24. (24) Freedom (Oakley) 20-10
The Falcons lost to San Leandro in the North Coast Section D-I semifinals 55-53, beat Bella Vista (Fair Oaks) 74-60 in the NorCal D-I field before falling to Deer Valley 83-69. It was a strong emerging season for the Falcons and leading player Elliot Smith.

25. (TIE) (23) Burlingame 21-9
After winning their first Central Coast Section D-III title, the Panthers fell to Campolindo in the NorCal D-III field, 58-50. Campolindo lost in the NorCal finals.

25. (TIE) (25) Enterprise (Redding) 25-4
The Hornets were the top-ranked team in the Northern Section all season, the dream ride ending to Campolindo 69-52 in a D-IV semifinal despite a game-high 22 points from Kaelan Crisosto.