Montverde Academy backs it up once again at Wild Wings Café Hoops Classic; Rainier Beach, Arsenal Tech make a run in the rankings after impressive victories.
Jalyn Patterson and Montverde Academy have risen above the crowd to establish themselves as a clear No. 1 heading into 2014.
Photo by Jim Redman
Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
1. (No. 1 last week) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 13-0Langston Wertz of the Charlotte Observer was all over the Wild Wings Cafe Hoops Classic, a powerhouse first-year tournament. The Eagles tore through the field, beating No. 12 Northside Christian Academy by 23 in the final. Games against St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) and Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) are ahead at this weekend's Cancer Research Classic.
2. (2) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 14-0The Monarchs were dominant in four outings at the Orange Holiday Classic, winning by an average margin of 39 points per game. Mater Dei won't take the floor again until next Wednesday in a Trinity League opener against Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.).
3. (3) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 8-1After a post-Christmas break, the Panthers will be back in action Thursday night for a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference showdown with Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.).
4. (4) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 19-1The Warriors are in the midst of an extended break. Winners of 17 in a row, Oak Hill returns next Friday against Mt. Zion Academy (Raleigh, N.C.).
5. (5) White Station (Memphis, Tenn.), 10-0Several tough local tests are ahead before White Station's big opportunity at the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions later this month. No. 1 Montverde Academy and No. 3 Paul VI will join the Spartans for that event in Springfield, Mo.{PAGEBREAK}
De'Jounte Murray and Rainier Beach had a dominant run at the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon after Christmas.
Photo by Brian Murphy
Beach rockets up the rankings after a dominant showing at the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon. The Vikings put up 91.7 points per game in four wins at the event, including a 95-67 win over Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) in the final. The two-time defending Washington 3A champs also knocked off then-No. 21 Whitney Young (Chicago) 89-82 in the semis.
7. (6) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), 7-1There are a big couple of weeks ahead for the Buffaloes with upcoming showdowns against No. 19 Prime Prep and Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.).
8. (7) Curie (Chicago), 10-0The Condors survived a pair of nail-biters to win the Pontiac Holiday Classic, beating Aurora West at the buzzer in the semifinals and Simeon (Chicago) 62-59 in the championship game.
9. (8) Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), 11-0The next 20 days will be challenging for OSNA as Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), Carlisle (Martinsville, Va.), Pope John XXIII (Sparta, N.J.) and No. 18 La Lumiere all dot the schedule.
10. (10) Germantown (Wis.), 11-0High school basketball's longest winning streak now stands at 67 games. Upcoming games against unbeaten Homestead and Brookfield Central will put Germantown to the test.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 15 Corona del Sol has a big test ahead this weekend against Findlay Prep.
Photo by Jim Willittes
There's nothing to suggest the Lions aren't a high-caliber club through three games – even without star junior
Isaiah Briscoe.
12. (12) Northside Christian Academy (Charlotte, N.C.), 11-1NCA had a positive showing at the Wild Wings Café Hoops Classic despite the loss to No. 1 Montverde Academy in the final. The Knights beat Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) in the opening round and then-No. 9 Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) in the semis.
13. (16) Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.), 8-1After dominating defending state champ Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pa.) 79-43, the Patriots have a huge game Thursday against City of Palms-tested Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia).
14. (23) Arsenal Technical (Indianapolis), 9-1Two-time defending 4A champ Carmel is ranked higher in-state by the Associated Press, but few teams in the country have more attention-grabbing wins than
Trey Lyles and Arsenal. The Titans added to their resume Wednesday night with a huge win over No. 18 La Lumiere.
15. (19) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), 13-0The Aztecs took care of business at the VisitMesa.com Arizona Basketball Challenge, passing key out-of-state tests against St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) and Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.). A Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) team looking for redemption is on the slate Saturday.{PAGEBREAK}
MVP Grayson Allen led Providence to the title at the Beach Ball Classic.
Photo by Jim Redman
We were probably a week late in finding a spot for the Cubs, who have three tournament victories under their belt. Loyola has won 10 of 12 outings by double digits and dominated Centennial (Corona) 78-57 in the Under Armour Holiday Classic final.
17. (22) Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.), 13-3The Stallions wouldn't be denied at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina as they ran past Northland (Columbus, Ohio) in the championship game 69-43. Providence outdistanced its opponents in Myrtle Beach by an average margin of 20.2 points per game.
18. (14) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), 14-2Both of La Lumiere's losses came against ranked teams and they passed the eye test in a big way at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. Not to makes excuses for the Lakers but a trip to South Dakota was slipped in between the trip to Nevada and Wednesday's loss to No. 14 Arsenal Tech.
19. (17) Prime Prep (Dallas), 11-2Famed Prime Prep hype man Uncle DreRozay (follow @UncleDreRozay for some healthy high school basketball trash talk) won't be happy seeing his team drop a couple of spots after two post-Christmas wins but the rapid rise of No. 6 Rainier Beach and No. 14 Arsenal Tech – combined with The Truth's recent loss to No. 17 La Lumiere – made it unavoidable.
20. (18) Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.), 2-0We're crossing our fingers weather doesn't take a toll on BVN's schedule once again. The Huskies have already had one big out-of-state test canceled and Winter Storm Hercules could be a factor as they attempt to head to Minneapolis for a battle with Tyus Jones and Apple Valley (Minn.) on Saturday.{PAGEBREAK}
Sophomore Devearl Ramsey is one of several young stars at Sierra Canyon.
Photo by Jeff Brocca
The Falcons notched a couple of impressive wins after Christmas at the Shooting Touch Shootout in Massachusetts.
22. (NR) Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.), 13-0After reaching the Illinois 4A title game a year ago, the Patriots are rolling once again in 2013-14 behind the dynamic junior duo of
Jalen Brunson and
Connor Cashaw. Stevenson beat Morgan Park (Chicago) to win the tradition-rich Proviso West Holiday Classic outside of Chicago after Christmas.
23. (NR) Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.), 14-0The Spartans made a nice run at the Arby's Classic in Tennessee, but their stay in the national rankings will be short-lived if they can't get past a talented St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) team this weekend.
24. (NR) Carmel (Ind.), 6-0The Greyhounds have won 16 games in a row dating back to last season and 40 of the last 42 going back to 2011-12.
25. (NR) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 13-1This pick may prove to be wildly premature, but get to know the Trailblazers well. Three of Sierra Canyon's top five scorers are freshmen and another is sophomore guard
Devearl Ramsey, who spent his summer winning a gold medal with USA Basketball's U-16 team. The youthful Blazers are led by 6-foot-8 frosh
Cody Riley, who is putting up 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Head coach Tyrone Nichols led his squad to quality wins over then-No. 13 Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) and Chino Hills (Calif.) at the Under Armour Holiday Classic despite being knocked off in the semis by No. 16 Loyola.
Dropped out: No. 9 last week
Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.), No. 13
Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), No. 15
Etiwanda (Calif.), No. 21
Whitney Young (Chicago), No. 24
Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.).
