Developments off the court were the biggest story impacting this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school basketball rankings. Tip-off in New Jersey brings the total number of states in-season to 40 while
good news was announced Friday in both Illinois and New York.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced that regions reaching Phase 4 of COVID-19
mitigations can play all sports, including basketball, football and wrestling,
according to the Chicago Sun Times. While no official start date has been targeted, the outlook is positive.
New York is taking a similar approach with local health officials authorizing play based on case numbers and other forms of monitoring.
The news brings hope that MaxPreps Top 25 contenders like Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) and Simeon (Chicago), among others, will have an opportunity to get on the court at some point this season.
On the court last week, a pair of teams dropped out of the rankings after heartbreaking losses. Previous No. 15 Lawrence North (Indianapolis) and No. 21 Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) both fell short Saturday.
Lawrence North was knocked off by 2015 Class 4A state champion Homestead, which got a big effort from junior star Fletcher Loyer. The Spartans have put up 90 points or more four times this season, including 107 on Friday against Fort Wayne North Side.
Looking ahead, a loaded weekend at the Montverde Academy Invitational includes games involving No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 2 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), No. 5 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 8 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), No. 10 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) and No. 19 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.).
Illinois signee Luke Goode of Homestead (Ind.) prepares to take a free throw last week against Fort Wayne North Side as teammate Fletcher Loyer looks on.
Photo by Andre Hollis
Record: 15-0 | Last week: 1
Scheduled to host No. 5 Oak Hill Academy, No. 10 AZ Compass Prep and No. 19 La Lumiere this week at the Montverde Academy Invitational. The Eagles are riding a 40-game winning streak.
Record: 12-1 | Last week: 2
Slated to face No. 8 Wasatch Academy, No. 10 AZ Compass Prep and No. 19 La Lumiere. There's also a rematch with Montverde Academy scheduled for Feb. 5.
Record: 14-2 | Last week: 3
After narrow losses to the top two teams in the nation, the Ascenders rebounded nicely with a 65-31 victory over Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.) paced by
Jett Howard (13 points),
Eric Dailey (12 points) and
Tamar Bates (10 points).
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 4
Junior guard
Rodney Rice Jr. scored a team-high 20 points with five 3-pointers to pace a 73-56 win Saturday over top 50 foe St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio).
Record: 13-1
| Last week: 5
Following a 10-day layoff, the Warriors return to the court this week with showdowns against Montverde Academy, Wasatch Academy and AZ Compass Prep.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 6
NJSIAA season begins today.
Record: 3-0 | Last week: 7
MaxPreps National Player of the Year contender
Chet Holmgren continued his impressive start with a game-high 21 points in a 77-36 win over Duluth East.
Record: 15-3
| Last week: 8
Has an opportunity to avenge two of its losses at the Montverde Academy Invitational this week, scheduled to face Sunrise Christian Academy and Oak Hill Academy, along with No. 19 La Lumiere.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 9
Scheduled to begin play Jan. 29 against Lansdale Catholic.
Record: 17-0
| Last week: 10
Creighton-bound point guard TyTy Washington has emerged as a National POY candidate, averaging 21.6 points, 6.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game.
Record: 14-2 | Last week: 11
Win streak stretched to 10 games with a 103-43 victory Friday over Midway. The Runnin' Indians are outscoring opponents by over 20 points per contest.
Record: 17-1
| Last week: 12
A pair of games against sub-.500 opponents precedes an opportunity for the Panthers to avenge their only loss of the season at No. 11 Waxahachie on Feb. 2.
Record: 5-1 | Last week: 13
The first-year program picked up a pair of wins without star
Emoni Bates over the weekend, knocking off SPIRE Institute (Geneva, Ohio) 52-40 and First Love Christian Academy (Washington, Pa.) 73-46. Junior guard
Javaughn Hannah shined the two victories.
Record: 16-0 | Last week: 14
Five-star guard
Hunter Sallis led the charge with 25 points, five rebounds and three assists in a 62-51 comeback win over Millard South.
Record: 16-2 | Last week: 16
Defending Class AAAAAAA state champion Wheeler (Marietta) is on the schedule Saturday.
Record: 16-0
| Last week: NR
Knocked off previous No. 15 Lawrence North (Indianapolis) 65-60 in an overtime thriller behind 27 points, four rebounds and four assists from junior guard
Fletcher Loyer.
Record: 15-1 | Last week: 17
A big opportunity against No. 15 Milton was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Record: 22-2
| Last week: 18
After
dropping out of the rankings early in the year, the Crew established
themselves as a GEICO Nationals contender by closing the regular season with 15
consecutive wins.
Record: 3-4 | Last week: 19
Following a 10-day layoff, the Lakers return to the court this weekend at the Montverde Academy Invitational facing Montverde Academy, Sunrise Christian Academy and Wasatch Academy. La Lumiere needs to escape with at least one win this week to keep its GEICO Nationals hopes alive.
Record: 15-0 | Last week: 22
Survived a furious late comeback attempt that erased a double-digit advantage against Summer Creek (Houston) to come away with a 54-52 win.
Record: 3-2 | Last week: 20
The
Panthers have a lull in their schedule until future games are confirmed.
Record: 13-0 | Last week: 23
An opportunity to bolster their resume awaits this week as the Purple Wave take on two-loss Memphis University on Friday.
Record: 15-3 | Last week: 24
The Rams fell just shy of capturing the GHSA Class AAAAAAA state title last season, losing 60-59 in overtime in the state title contest.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 25
Season is expected to begin in early February.
Record: 19-0 | Last week: NR
