Expect the postseason to bring major changes to the national rankings in the coming weeks.
Kendrick Nunn and No. 2 Simeon could face a pair of nationally-ranked Chicago rivals this week.
Photo by Jann Hendry
The Knights led American Fork 38-8 at the half last Thursday before cruising to a 75-38 victory. Lone Peak has won 18 games in a row against in-state competition.
2. (2) Simeon (Chicago), 22-2After beating Bogan on Sunday in the Chicago Public Schools League Tournament quarterfinals, the Wolverines will get a rematch with Morgan Park in the semis Wednesday. Simeon beat Morgan Park 53-51 in mid-January.
3. (3) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.), 26-0The Del Rey League champions won five of their final seven regular-season contests by 40 points or more. The Knights open Southern Section Division IV-AA tournament play against Whittier Christian (La Habra) on Wednesday.
4. (4) Germantown (Wis.), 21-0With a win Thursday over Nicolet (Glendale), the Warhawks will clinch their second unbeaten regular season in a row. Germantown has won 48 consecutive games.
5. (5) Lake Oswego (Ore.), 20-0The Lakers are closing in on an unbeaten regular season in dominant fashion, winning their last five outings by an average of 26.4 points per game.{PAGEBREAK}
Elijah Brown (center) and No. 6 Mater Dei begin a daunting postseason run this week.
Photo by David Hood
The Monarchs begin what should be a challenging postseason journey Friday in the Southern Section I-AA tournament against Roosevelt (Corona).
7. (7) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 20-1A Saturday contest with Linden at the PrimeTime Shootout was called off due to weather. The Friars will be back in action Monday against Newark Arts.
8. (8) DeSoto (Texas), 29-2Following a pair of lopsided wins over district foes last week, the Eagles close out the regular season Tuesday against Mansfield.
9. (9) Whitney Young (Chicago), 21-3The Dolphins suffered a disappointing loss to Orr (Chicago) a little over a week ago but will get a chance to avenge that setback Wednesday in the Chicago Public Schools League tournament semifinals.
10. (10) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 24-2Poly's varsity, junior varsity, sophomore and freshman teams have combined for an 89-7 record this winter. Safe to say the future is bright for head coach Sharrief Metoyer's program. The Jackrabbits are on the opposite side of Mater Dei in the Southern Section I-AA bracket and open with Palmdale on Friday.{PAGEBREAK}
11. (11) Olympic (Charlotte, N.C.), 20-0Future Akron Zip
B.J. Gladden led the way with 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Trojans rallied past rival Harding 61-52 on Friday night. Senior guard
Jevon Patton also added 17 points in the victory.
12. (12) Iowa City West (Iowa), 19-0Northern Iowa-bound
Jeremy Morgan became West's career leader in assists Friday night during a 76-31 victory over Xavier (Cedar Rapids). Morgan, a 6-foot-6 senior, has 274 assists in his Trojan career.
13. (13) Midwest City (Okla.), 21-0The Bombers took care of business in a big way last week, blasting Moore 88-52 and Westmoore (Oklahoma City) 80-43.
14. (14) Pershing (Detroit), 17-0Highly touted junior
Justin Tillman is back in the lineup after an injury and paced the Doughboys with 24 points in a 70-50 win over Central in the quarterfinals of the Detroit Public School League Tournament Friday. Pershing takes on Douglass in semifinal play Tuesday.
15. (15) Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.), 22-1The Tigers drew a very difficult opening round opponent in the FHSAA Class 7A state tournament in 18-4 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale). Ely-STA is scheduled for Thursday.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 19 Chester beat Neumann-Goretti convincingly Sunday night and has won 16 of its last 17 outings.
File photo by Lonnie Webb
In a showdown featuring two of the state's top teams, senior wing
Thomas Alexander piled up 30 points and 16 rebounds as North Little Rock handled Jonesboro 75-63. The Charging Wildcats also beat Jonesboro 74-73 in a come-from-behind January thriller.
17. (18) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 24-3After a double overtime victory over Centennial (Las Vegas) to close out the regular season, Gorman begins regional play Tuesday against Shadow Ridge (Las Vegas).
18. (19) Roosevelt (Washington, D.C.), 21-0The Roughriders have been remarkably consistent in putting points on the board in recent weeks, averaging 80.5 points per game in their last seven contests and putting up 74 or more in every game since Jan. 21.
19. (20) Chester (Pa.), 19-3The Clippers strengthened their resume Sunday night with an
impressive 58-41 win over three-time defending Class AAA state champ Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia). Chester's only loss in its last 16 outings came without Arizona-bound senior star
Rondae Jefferson in the lineup.
20. (21) Irmo (Columbia, S.C.), 24-0After a dominant regular season, the Yellow Jackets begin Class AAAA state tournament play Wednesday against Clover. Just three of Irmo's 24 opponents have been able to keep the final margin under 10 points.{PAGEBREAK}
Sophomore point guard Bryant Crawford has been a key performer for No. 23 Gonzaga.
Photo by Ken Rutt
Junior guards
Clayton Custer and
Kyle Harrison led the way Friday night as the Huskies crushed Bishop Miege 65-36.
22. (23) Walnut Hills (Cincinnati), 19-1The Eagles close regular season play this week with games against St. Xavier (Cincinnati) and Milford.
23. (25) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), 22-3Following a weekend sweep of St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.) and Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.), the Eagles are in position to claim their first outright Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title since the 2007-08 season.
24. (NR) Morgan Park (Chicago), 25-2Head coach Nick Irvin's squad has teetered on the outside edge of the national rankings since December and finally get the call-up this week. The Mustangs won the prestigious Proviso West Holiday Tournament in December and also own victories over Lawrence North (Indianapolis), Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.) and Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.). The lone losses came against No. 2 Simeon and No. 17 Bishop Gorman.
25. (NR) Northland (Columbus, Ohio), 20-0The Vikings are one of the winningest programs in the country in recent years, going 163-8 since the 2006-07 season.
Dropped out: No. 17 last week
Park Tudor (Indianapolis), No. 24
Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
