Top 25 high school basketball rankings

Head coach Stu Vetter's Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) program was involved in a pair of stunning results over the weekend at the PrimeTime Shootout in Union, N.J.

The Mustangs, ranked No. 5 in last week's Xcellent 25 and a perfect 18-0 entering the event, fell Friday night to Linden (N.J.), 57-53. Freshman Quadri Moore was a major factor for the New Jersey program, drilling four 3-pointers and finishing with 18 points.

Linden had lost two of three contests prior to its meeting with the Maryland independent school.

Less than 24 hours later, Montrose Christian handed then-No. 10 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) its worst loss under head coach Michael Peck in a 63-37 shellacking. Findlay Prep has suffered just six setbacks in four seasons under Peck. The final margin in each of those losses was less than six points.



A wild weekend at the PrimeTime Shootout is just a glimpse of what's ahead over the next 55 days in high school basketball. Seven ranked teams begin postseason play this week. Let the madness begin.

Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) (21-0)
The Celtics used 28 points and eight rebounds from MaxPreps.com's top-ranked 2011 prospect, Michael Gilchrist, to overcome St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.) and the nation's No. 1 junior, 6-foot-10 Andre Drummond, Sunday at the PrimeTime Shootout, 73-61. It was St. Patrick's third win over the week after coasting by Elizabeth and Union.

2. (2) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (18-0)
The Friars blitzed Hotchkiss (Lakeville, Conn.) Saturday at the PrimeTime Shootout, taking a 33-21 lead into halftime and putting things away with a 29-point fourth quarter to win 74-63. Rutgers-bound point guard Myles Mack led the way with 25 points against Hotchkiss. St. Anthony also posted a 74-53 win over Elizabeth last week.

3. (3) Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) (22-0)
The Wolverines opened the Chicago Public League playoffs with a 93-17 win over Wells (Chicago). Things got tougher two days later in the second round as Jabari Parker scored 14 points in a 52-45 win over Wayne Blackshear and Morgan Park (Chicago). Simeon faces fellow unbeaten No. 14 Benet Academy (Lisle) at the City-Suburban Showdown next Saturday.

4. (4) Milton (Ga.) (23-2)
Head coach David Boyd's squad closed out the regular season with 30-point thrashings of Alpharetta (86-57) and Roswell (82-52). Junior Shaquille Johnson became the fifth current Eagle to either sign or commit to a Division I program Sunday when he verballed to Auburn. Fellow junior Evan Nolte, a 6-foot-8 small forward, will at some point become the sixth.



5. (6) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (31-1)
Due to the severe winter weather in the Dallas area that became a prominent storyline leading up to the Super Bowl, the Marauders were forced to play four games in five days last week. Marcus was up to the challenge, limiting opponents to just 42 points per game and even erupting for 74 points in a Friday win over Plano East (Plano). The Marauders hadn't scored more than 62 points since a 71-52 win over Hebron (Carrollton) in mid-January.

6. (7) Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.) (21-1)
A day before being left off the McDonald's All-American Game roster, Virginia Tech signee Dorian Finney-Smith scored 20 points to lead the Greyhounds to an easy 92-44 win over Churchland (Portsmouth) in the team's only action of the week.

7. (8) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) (24-1)
The Jackrabbits capped a dominating run through the Moore League by beating Jordan (Long Beach) 67-29 and Cabrillo (Long Beach) 90-23. Poly heads into the postseason with five players averaging 8.5 points per game or more, led by Boston College signee Ryan Anderson (16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds per game), super sophomore Roschon Prince (12.0) and senior guard Alex Carmon (10.6).

8. (9) Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) (23-1)
After blowing past La Jolla last week 91-42, the Hornets will look to end the regular season on a 15-game winning streak with wins over St. Augustine (San Diego) and Scripps Ranch next week. Lincoln has won 47 of its last 48 games dating back to December 2009.

9. (11) Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) (23-1)
While the Wolverines steam toward Georgia's Class AAAA state playoffs, their lone loss of the season continues to be clouded in controversy. Miller Grove lost to Dr. Krop (Miami, Fla.) Jan. 22, but the Florida High School Athletic Association twice ruled that the Miami school used an ineligible player in that game and 18 other wins, only to be overruled by a county judge. The Miami Herald delved deeper into the situation Sunday.

10. (13) Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) (23-0)
The Flyers had a huge weekend, dominating McCluer North (Florissant) 76-58 in arguably their biggest test of the year. The game was played before a packed house of 3,400 at Lindenwood University and televised on ESPNU. Not only did the game give some added legitimacy to Chaminade's resume, but it also put Bradley Beal firmly into the national player of the year race. The future Florida Gator connected on 15 of 21 field goal attempts and finished with 40 points, six rebounds and six assists.



11. (5) Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) (19-1)
Villanova-bound point guard Tyrone Johnson dominated his matchup with Texas-bound Findlay Prep point man Myck Kabongo in the PrimeTime Shootout win, piling up 25 points, five assists and five rebounds. If Montrose Christian runs the table, the Friday night loss to Linden will sting even more.

12. (12) Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kan.) (16-0)
The Falcons have developed a dominant streak in recent weeks, beating their last four opponents by 18 points or more (three of those four kept it to single digits earlier this season), including a 72-42 win over Wichita West on Friday. Star junior Perry Ellis posted 25 points and 11 rebounds in the 30-point thrashing.

13. (14) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (24-2)
The Monarchs wrapped up regular season with wins over JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) (90-49) and Santa Margarita (84-44). Six-foot-seven junior Xavier Johnson finished as Mater Dei's leading scorer (21.0 points per game) and rebounder (8.0 rebounds per game).

14. (15) Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) (25-0)
Former defensive-minded Wisconsin and Washington State head coach Dick Bennett would surely be proud of the Redwings, who have held 13 opponents this season to 40 points or less. Notre Dame (Niles) was the latest victim, falling 45-37 Friday night.

15. (16) Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) (18-1)
The Apaches did not play last week.

16. (17) Lakeview Centennial (Garland, Texas) (29-1)
The Patriots averaged 91 points per game last week in wins over Garland, North Garland and Sachse. North Texas signee Chris Jones, a 6-2 point guard, had a couple of big outings with 22 points, six steals and five assists against Garland and 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against Sachse. Jones is posting 15.9 points, 6.9 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game.



17. (18) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (25-3)
The Warriors survived a tricky week that included an ESPN-televised matchup Friday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Christ School (Arden, N.C.). Duke signee Quinn Cook scored 26 points to lead Oak Hill to a 78-64 win in Durham. Head coach Steve Smith's squad also beat Oak Ridge Military Academy (Oak Ridge, N.C.) and Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.) at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

18. (20) Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) (26-2)
University of Florida quarterback signee Jacoby Brissett scored 23 points and grabbed 12 boards as the Panthers won Saturday night's District 15-5A championship game over Wellington 93-67. Dwyer begins the Class 5A state playoffs Thursday at home.

19. (21) Linn-Mar (Marion, Iowa) (20-0)
The Lions had no problems dispatching future Iowa Hawkeye Josh Oglesby and Washington (Cedar Rapids) on Friday night, getting 21 points from physical post man Josh Montague in a 62-41 win. Linn-Mar also beat Dubuque 80-53 last week.

20. (19) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) (19-1)
A week after getting tripped up by Eden Prairie, the Royals got back to dominating with wins over Minnetonka (87-62), Henry (Minneapolis) (90-48) and Edina (87-81). Six-foot-five senior forward Marvin Singleton dumped in 31 points against Edina.

21. (22) Munster (Ind.) (17-0)
After coasting past Griffith 89-40, the Mustangs trailed at half against West Side (Gary) before taking over for a 52-41 win. Munster's last game decided by single digits was Jan. 18, a 58-52 victory over Michigan City.

22. (23) Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.) (23-2)
The Toreadors are looking forward to a playoff game with Hollywood (Los Angeles) Thursday after ending the regular season with easy wins over Cleveland (Reseda) and Granada Hills. Taft is 13-0 since losses on back-to-back days in December at the ESPN/iScore Holiday Classic.



23. (24) Kimball (Dallas, Texas) (29-2)
Like No. 5 Marcus, weather forced the Knights to play four games last week. And like Marcus, Kimball encountered very little resistance in going 4-0, winning each by 20 points or more and averaging 89.7 points per game in the process.

24. (10) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) (25-3)
After the Montrose Christian loss, the Pilots took out their frustration on East Side (Newark, N.J.) in a 76-50 win Sunday at the PrimeTime Shootout.

25. (25) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) (22-5)
The Gaels open the Sunset Region playoffs Tuesday against Legacy (North Las Vegas) after closing the regular season with a 35-point win over Bonanza (Las Vegas) last Wednesday. Gorman is in pursuit of its fifth state title since 2002 under head coach Grant Rice.