Rancho Christian jumps 10 spots after signature win over in-state rival Sierra Canyon.
While some states begin postseason play this week, others wrap up their regular-season slate with deep state tournament runs on the mind of many Top 25 programs.
Last week, five top 25 matchups took center stage with a dominant win from No. 4 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) over previous No. 5 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) taking center stage at the ARS/Rescue Rooter National Hoopfest. Another Top 10 showdown went down at the Bob Kirk Invitational, as No. 1 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) picked up a statement win over No. 8 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) in the event title game.
The other three Top 25 showdowns featured in-state contests that served as previews for potential postseason showdowns.
Four California powers faced off as Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) jumped 10 spots after taking down defending CIF Open Division state champions No. 10 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), while No. 18 Fairfax (Los Angeles) continued its ascension in the rankings with a dominant win over previous No. 22 Westchester (Los Angeles). In the Garden State, No. 14 Ranney (Tinton Falls) saw the second biggest jump in the Top 25 after knocking off previous No. 15 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) in a convincing double-digit victory.
Montverde Academy will continue its grueling national schedule this week against the previously mentioned Ranney and Roselle Catholic at the Metro Classic. No. 5 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) also has a big week with a pair games against WCAC rival No. 23 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), after last week's meeting was rescheduled. As the other signature game this week will see No. 8 Sunrise Christian Academy take on Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) at the Heartland Hoops Classic.
Read on for a complete look at this week's Top 25 boys high school basketball rankings.
MaxPreps Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings presented by the Army National Guard
A thrilling semifinal game at the Bob Kirk Invitational saw the Lakers escape with a 53-52 win over Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) before dominating No. 8 Sunrise Christian Academy 73-51 for the title. The Lakers have six regular season games remaining before an April trip to the GEICO Nationals.
2. (2) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 25-0Wrapped up the regular season with an unbeaten record that includes event titles at the City of Palms Classic and Bass Pro Tournament of Champions. The Indians are in search of their first state championship behind Player of the Year front runner
Sharife Cooper and Auburn pledge
Isaac Okoro.
Picked up a pair of quality wins over the weekend at the Dr. Pepper 10 Classic, taking down McCallie (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 66-49 and Holy Spirit Prep (Atlanta) 64-52. The Ascenders take the week off before wrapping up their regular season against Downey Christian (Orlando, Fla.) on Feb. 12 and Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.).
4. (4) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 19-2Throttled previous No. 5 Oak Hill Academy 76-51 in one of the most impressive performances of the high school basketball season. The Eagles held the Warriors to a season low 51 points on 29.3 percent shooting from the field. Montverde Academy travels to the Metro Classic this weekend.
5. (6) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 20-2A challenging week awaits the Stags as their matchup with fellow WCAC unbeaten No. 23 Paul VI being pushed back Monday. They will take on the Panthers twice this week, with a big game at Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) in between.
The Pride possess resume defining wins over No. 13 Curie, Norcross (Ga.), Independence (Charlotte, N.C.), Dorman (Roebuck (S.C.), Clark (Las Vegas) and Callaway (Jackson, Miss.) as they cap off the regular season unbeaten. Salesian appears to have a serious shot at their first ever CIF Open Division state championship this year.
Finished up an impressive regular season that included signature victories over No. 3 IMG Academy, Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.), St. Pius X (Atlanta), Olive Branch (Miss.), Meadowcreek (Norcross, Ga.), Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) and Wilson (Washington (D.C.). The Spartans open postseason play Thursday with Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville).
8. (8) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), 17-4
Despite a tough 74-52 loss to No. 1 La Lumiere, the Buffaloes remain steady in the rankings after other Top 10 shake-ups. A tough test against Wasatch Academy awaits at the Heartland Hoops Classic.
9. (19) Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.), 24-4Jumps 10 spots after their biggest win of the season, knocking off defending CIF Open Division state champions and previous No. 7 Sierra Canyon 61-58. The Eagles finished the game on a 12-0 run, holding the Trailblazers without a field goal for the final 3 minutes 45 seconds. Look for the two California powerhouses to meet again during postseason play in the coming weeks.
10. (7) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 24-3Drops three spots after losing to No. 9 Rancho Christian in a game that may be a preview of a future postseason showdown. The defending CIF Open Division state champions begin postseason play on Saturday against Bishop Montgomery (Torrance).
11. (11) Belleville West (Belleville, Ill.), 23-1
After picking up a 55-54 win over Simeon (Chicago) over the weekend, the Maroons have two big time in-state showdown when they take on Collinsville on Tuesday and East St. Louis on Friday.
Picked up a pair of convincing wins, knocking off Henry Clay (Lexington) 87-66 and Walton-Verona (Walton) 74-46. Four regular season games remain before the Cardinals begin their quest for their third Kentucky Sweet Sixteen State championship in program history and first since 2007.
13. (13) Curie (Chicago), 24-1
Begins the Chicago Public League City Playoffs Tuesday with Fenger (Chicago). The Condors will be hungry to capture their first Chicago Public League title in program history after their 2014 championship was taken away after the team was forced to forfeit games due to players being ruled ineligible.
14. (21) Ranney (Tinton Falls, N.J.), 18-2The Panthers climb seven spots in this week's rankings. An opportunity to jump back into the Top 10 presents itself this weekend, as Ranney takes on a dangerous No. 4 Montverde Academy at the Metro Classic.
15. (5) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 21-3The Warriors suffer the week's biggest drop after barely escaping with a 73-71 win over Crestwood Prep College (Canada) in the Big Atlantic Classic
— before getting blown out by No. 4 Montverde Academy 76-51 at the ARS/Rescue Rooter National Hoopfest.
16. (18) Fairfax (Los Angeles), 24-1
After
a 12-day layoff due to the Los Angeles teacher's strike, the Lions finished the regular season by winning seven games in nine days, including a pair against Westchester (Los Angeles) — with the most recent being an 87-73 convincing victory last week. Fairfax begins postseason play Friday against Narbonne (Harbor City).
17. (14) Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.), 15-1
Six regular season games remain before postseason play commences for the Knights. Their biggest remaining game of the regular season is against fellow Badger State foe Homestead (Mequon) on Friday.
18. (16) Shadow Mountain (Phoenix), 21-3
Will
signature wins over No. 11 Belleville West and No. 23 Paul VI be enough
to get this group back to GEICO Nationals for a third consecutive
season? A fourth consecutive state championship is the first step in the
Matadors' quest to return to the Big Apple.
The Warriors picked up a quality win over McDonald's All-American
Trayce Jackson-Davis and Center Grove (Greenwood) 68-54 last week. A huge showdown at Lawrence Central (Indianapolis) awaits Feb. 8.
20. (20) University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 18-4
Freshman
Taylor Hendricks played hero as he nailed the game-winning shot at the buzzer to take down Westminster Christian (Miami) 49-47. The Sharks wrap up their regular season this week before beginning their quest for a second consecutive FHSAA Class 5A state title.
21. (23) Federal Way (Wash.), 19-2Outscored 15 in-state opponents by an average of 45.3 points per contest, with their closest contest against an Evergreen State opponent coming in mid-January vs. Auburn in a 76-56 triumph. The Eagles enter postseason play determined to capture the WIAA Class 4A state title after falling to Gonzaga Prep (Spokane) 54-52 in the title game last season.
22. (24) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (Huntington, W. Va.), 18-3Picked up a pair of tightly contested quality win over the weekend at the ARS/Rescue Rooter National Hoopfest, slipping past Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.) 45-43 and Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 90-86 in overtime.
After taking down St. John's (Washington, D.C.) 61-60 thanks to a buzzer-beater from highly touted sophomore
Trevor Keels, Paul VI faces its biggest
conference test of the season this week. The Panthers face DeMatha twice in a battle of the only remaining unbeaten teams in WCAC play.
24. (15) Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), 19-2The Lions have an opportunity to bolster their national resume in a major way this week when they face off against No. 4 Montverde Academy at the Metro Classic.
Jump into the ranking for the first time this year after hovering just outside the rankings all season long. The Hawks picked up a pair of solid wins at the Dr. Pepper 10 Classic, taking down Holy Spirit Prep (Atlanta) 72-68 and McCallie (Chattanooga) 87-73.
Dropped out: No. 22 Westchester (Los Angeles)
Jovon McClanahan, Salesian College Preparatory
Photo by Samuel Stringer
