MaxPreps High School Top 25 boys basketball national rankings

Video: Top 25 boys basketball rankings
Penny Hardaway goes out on top at Memphis East.

See the video above for a complete breakdown of this week's Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.

Here's a look at developments that shaped this week's Top 25:

Romeo Langford ended his New Albany (Ind.) career with 3,002 points, finishing fourth all-time in scoring in Indiana boys basketball history. The McDonald's All-American dropped 35 points in his team's 64-62 semifinal loss to Warren Central (Indianapolis). The Bulldogs led by as many as 10 points in the fourth but fell at the buzzer on a David Bell floater.

In the other Indiana 4A state semifinal, previously unbeaten South Bend Riley (Ind.) fell to Carmel (Ind.) 63-43. The loss drops South Bend Riley from the rankings and sets up a championship tilt Saturday between No. 19 Warren Central and Carmel.



Memphis East three-peat

Memphis East (Tenn.) capped off another stellar season with its third consecutive state championship. The Mustangs took down Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 52-33, Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.) 70-60, and Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.) 67-50 last week to capture the Tennessee 3A state championship in dominant fashion.

The state title guarantees Memphis East its second consecutive national top five finish, and signals the end of Penny Hardaway's high school basketball coaching career. The extremely successful Memphis East head coach is reported to be taking over for Tubby Smith at his alma mater Memphis.

CIF State Open Division championship set

The California Interscholastic Federation Open Division state playoffs, much like the NCAA tournament have been complete and utter mayhem. That trend continued last week as Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) jumps back into the rankings after winning its grudge match with Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) 72-70 in overtime in the Southern California semifinal. The Trailblazers then clinched their spot in the Open Division championship game, taking down Etiwanda (Calif.) 58-55 in the the SoCal finals.

The Trailblazers face Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.), the NorCal four seed, in the Open Division title game on Saturday. Sheldon knocked off Folsom (Calif.) 64-55 and Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), respectively, on its path to the championship game.



Belleville West claims Illinois 4A state title

Belleville West (Ill.) jumps into the Xcellent 25 Rankings for the first time all year after taking down Whitney Young (Chicago) 60-56 in overtime to capture the first state championship in school history. Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year EJ Liddell capped off a dominant junior campaign by leading his team back from a 13-point, first-half deficit, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in the title tilt.

Whitney Young fell short of its bid for a second consecutive Illinois 4A state championship after taking down nationally ranked Simeon (Chicago) 71-66 in the state semifinals. Simeon won the previous match-up with the Dolphins this season 64-53 and entered the highly anticipated semifinal showdown with their Public League rival ranked No. 5 in the nation and heavy favorites to capture the 4A state championship.

Roselle Catholic captures third Tournament of Champions title

Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) secured its third Tournament of Champions crown, defeating Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 61-54 in the title contest. The Lions climb back into the rankings after a strong stretch to end the season that included a near upset of No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and another state championship.

The Tournament of Champions title is the third state championship since 2013 for Roselle Catholic and the second for Naz Reid. The 6-foot-11 LSU-bound senior finished with a team-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds and two blocks to lead the way against Don Bosco Prep. The Lions overcame a game-high 33 points from 6-foot-4 Rutgers-commit Ronald Harper.



Jordan Divens has covered high school basketball and compiled national rankings at HSHoopsElite.com since 2013. Follow him on Twitter @HSHoopsElite.