MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school basketball rankings

As expected, the first CIF Northern California Regional Open Division postseason had a twinge of controversy and then some classic showdowns. Designed to include the best of the elite in one bracket and to better elevate other divisions used to the heavies hoisting all the trophies, the Open title game features name-brand programs in Sheldon (Sacramento), which emerges at No. 1 here after beating Salesian (Richmond), and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose), which bounced Modesto Christian in another thrilling semifinal.

Salesian had been NorCal No. 1 in these rankings all season. Mitty has been in the top four all season, as has Sheldon.

The NorCal larger school finals - Open, Divisions I and II - will be held at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. The D-III, IV and V title games will be housed at American Canyon High in Solano County.

View the MaxPreps California state playoff brackets



MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 Boys Basketball Rankings

1. (Last week 2) Sheldon (Sacramento) 27-5
The Huskies exacted a sweet measure of revenge against the last team to stick them with a loss, beating Salesian 53-47 in overtime in a NorCal Open Division semifinal that was every bit as fun as expected. Sheldon is masterful in sharing the ball as Darin Johnson scored 24 points, including five 3-pointers, and Dakarai Allen, Antonio Lewis, Ryan Manning and D'Erryl Williams had key rebounds, passes, steals and buckets to halt the Pride's 75-game winning streak against NorCal foes. Sheldon was 0 for 14 from 3s in a 69-60 loss to Salesian last month in a nonleague game but hit 9 of 18 from that range Tuesday night, looking like the best team in the state. Now it's a chance to avenge another setback from this dream season in facing Mitty, which prevailed over Sheldon 71-65 on Dec. 8, with Williams and Johnson sidelined.

2. (1) Salesian (Richmond) 30-4
It took some Herculean effort to derail the Pride, and it came in the form of Sheldon in a NorCal Open semifinal loss. Salesian bid 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." Salesian remains ahead of Mitty here due to its 72-51 rout of the Monarchs earlier this season.

3. (4) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 28-5
The two-time defending state Division II champions are now in the first Open Division finals, facing a familiar foe in Sheldon for the top honors. With Mitty comes Aaron Gordon, all 6-foot-9 of skill and fury. He had 17 points and 17 rebounds in his final home game of a decorated and dominant career in beating Modesto Christian 58-54 in a semifinal. Connor Peterson and Brandon Farrell also had big moments.

4. (5) Deer Valley (Antioch) 26-5
The Wolverines have backed up their No. 1 NorCal D-I seed by reaching their first title game. They are not in the Open because they did not have enough years of pedigree and are a first-time North Coast Section champion. But Deer Valley certainly has two Open-level monster talents in the Kentucky-bound Marcus Lee, a 6-10 inside force and high-flier, and  UNLV-bound guard Kendall Smith. Smith had a driving layup and 17 points to boost his bunch past Bellarmine (San Jose) 54-52 in a semifinal.

5. (9) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 26-5
The Eagles have three losses to Delta River League rival Sheldon, including a 60-57 thriller setback in the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I finals, but still earned a No. 2 NorCal D-I seed. Pleasant Grove backed it up with an emphatic 68-51 rout of De La Salle in a semifinal to reach the program's first regional final. Malik Thames had 31 points against the five-time NorCal champs who had allowed an average of 37 points a game. Pleasant Grove had that many at the half. Cole Nordquist and Matt Hayes had 14 and 13 for PG, respectively. Next is Deer Valley in what should be a terrific NorCal title game.

6. (8) 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 and coach-in-waiting assistant Richard Midgley return a ton of talent for another title run.

7 (4) 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. (7) De La Salle (Concord) 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. (10). Newark Memorial (Newark) 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 is in the NorCal D-II finals, three times, and also lost 64-57 to Pleasant Grove and by one to Salesian.

10. (11) Dublin 26-6
The top-seeded bunch in D-II backed it up with an 81-76 win over Sacramento in a semifinal to land in its first regional title game. Joe McGlaston is the leader, and he scored 15 of his 16 points in the second half. Cameron Moses had 14 points and five steals. Dublin takes on College Park (Pleasant Hill) for the title. Dublin has three losses to Newark Memorial, including the section title game.

11. (6) 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 Central Coast Section Open finals play.

12. (12) 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.

13. (NR) College Park (Pleasant Hill) 25-5
Welcome aboard, dark horse Falcons. Seeded 10th but hardly intimidated, College Park won three road games, including St. Francis (Mountain View) in a D-II semifinal. St. Francis was coming off a win at No. 2-seeded Antelope. Mikey Eggleton had 24 points and Seb Flores hit a 3-pointer with eight seconds to go to vault the Falcons into the title game against Dublin.



14. (11) 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 caugth 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. (14) 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. (15) 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) 20-11
Yet another survivor of the WCAL, Sacred Heart made 10 of 11 free throws down the stretch in a 55-46 NorCal D-III semifinal win over Sir Francis Drake (San Anselmo). It will now take on Campolindo (Moraga) in the finals.

18. (NR) Campolindo (Moraga) 22-8
From initially not being seeded in the NorCal field, an oversight, to suddenly finding themselves in the NorCal D-III finals, the Cougars are a bit giddy these days. They beat Enterprise (Redding) 69-52 behind Andrew Zolitakis, who had 19 points to cap a 3-0 NorCal run on the road.

19. (NR) St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 24-11
The Pilots, steeped in tradition since the Jason Kidd days of the early 1990s, are back in the D-V finals after downing Branson (Ross) 44-41 in a semifinal. Temidayo Yussuf had 16 points and Justin Brown 11. Veteran coach Don Lippi is one of the state's top coaches.



20. (NR) Capital Christian (Sacramento) 26-4
The Cougars are a talented and driven lot, and one of the youngest teams on the West Coast. They suffered surpirse losses to teams no where near ranked by any regional newspaper poll Top 30 down the stretch in the Golden Empire League to repeat as Sac-Joaquin Section D-V champions. Now they are in their first NorCal titel game after beating University (San Francisco) 66-50 behind Nifae Lealao (21 points) and Trey Belton (15). Rookie coach Devon Jones has a great feel with this group, one that could be in the Open next season.

21. (21) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 31-3
Top seeded in D-IV, the Cardinals beat Soquel 57-51 in a semifinal and now draw No. 2 Riordan (San Francisco). Corey Hammell had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Cardinal Newman.

22. (24) Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) 20-11
The Crusaders can speak from experience of the rigors of a brutal league as survivors of the WCAL that includes Mitty, Serra, Sacred Heart Cathedral and St. Francis. That paid off in a D-IV semifinal when Geru 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 thrilling win over Marin Catholic (Kentfield). Chiefy Ugbaja had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Riordan, which plays Cardinal Newman in the finals.

23. (22) 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. (18) 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 is 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.