The City of Palms Classic takes center stage this week in high school basketball as four of the top six teams in the country are competing for the title in the loaded 16-team main bracket.
Check back next week as holiday tournaments are expected to continue to shape the MaxPreps Top 25.
Five-star Rutgers commit Dylan Harper led the way with 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists in Don Bosco Prep's victory over McEachern in the first round of the City of Palms Classic. (Photo: Eugene Alonzo)
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 1
Took down Millennium 80-61 in the opening round of the City of Palms Classic paced by 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals from three-star Rhode Island signee
Ben Hammond. The Panthers face off against National Top 10 No. 8 IMG Academy on Thursday.
Record: 11-0 | Last week: 2
Picked up lopsided wins over Campbell Hall (North Hollywood) 92-66 led by 28 points from four-star Harvard commit
Robert Hinton and Rancho Christian (Temecula) 78-37 behind 20 from Hinton. The Wolverines face Valencia Wednesday before heading to the Les Schwab Invitational after Christmas.
Record: 10-0 | Last week: 3
Notched a statement victory over previously-unbeaten Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) 60-25 at the I-85 challenge. Top 75 Purdue signee
Gicarri Harris led the way with 14 points and six rebounds while Western Carolina pledge
C.J. Hyland added six points, 10 assists and four steals. The Rams travel to the Chick-fil-A Classic following Christmas.
Record: 2-0 | Last week: 4
Knocked off previous No. 22 McEachern 76-50 in the opening round of the City of Palms Classic led by 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists from five-star Rutgers signee
Dylan Harper.
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 5
Defeated conference rival Cardinal Hayes 89-84 led by 39 points, 12 rebounds and five assists from under-the-radar senior
Braylan Ritvo. The Crusaders begin City of Palms Classic action against National Top 10 No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) on Thursday.
Record: 6-2 | Last week: 6
Michigan State signee
Jase Richardson produced 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists to lead the Explorers to a 73-38 victory over Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the first round of the City of Palms Classic.
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 7
Defeated St. John's (Washington, D.C.) 71-59 in their WCAC opener behind 14 points, 11 rebounds and four assists from top 60 junior
Nykolas Lewis and 16 points and 10 rebounds from top 100 junior
Christian Gurdak. The Eagles travel to the King Cotton Classic to compete against an impressive field following the holiday.
Record: 5-2 | Last week: 8
Took down Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.) 60-39 in the City of Jasper Christmas Classic led by 16 points from
four-star Tennessee signee
Bishop Boswell. The Mustangs face Norcross (Ga.) today in the event before heading to the John Wall Holiday Invitational after the holiday.
Record: 8-0 | Last week: 9
Won their opening round contest at the 'Iolani Classic against St. Louis (Honolulu, Hawaii) 69-47. The Braves meet tournament host 'Iolani tonight in the quarterfinals.
Record: 6-1 | Last week: 10
The defending national champions take on St. Anne's-Belfield (Charlottesville, Va.) on Thursday before traveling to the Chick-fil-A Classic on Dec. 28 to try to defend their event title. A potential title game showdown with No. 3 Grayson awaits.
Record: 17-0 | Last week: 11
Escaped with a 46-44 victory over Round Rock after trailing 36-30 entering the fourth quarter. Senior guard
Junior Goodlet led all scorers with 17 points in the win. The Tigers travel to the Whataburger Tournament where they are sure to be tested after the holiday.
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 13
Captured the Bullis Holiday Tournament championship with a 69-62 victory over St. Anne's-Belfield despite four-star junior
Chance Mallory going off for a game-high 36 points in the loss. The Bulldogs take on Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.) on Thursday and Westtown (Westchester, Pa.) on Friday.
Record: 5-2 | Last week: 14
Picked up wins over St. Albans (Washington, D.C.) 70-57 behind 18 points, four steals and three assists from junior
Jalen Rougier-Roane and St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) 60-39 anchored by 15 points and six rebounds from Rougier-Roane.
Record: 7-0 | Last week: 15
Extended their winning streak to 39 consecutive games with victories over Burlington School (Burlington) 84-55 led by 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds from Catawba College commit
Carson Daniel and Hickory Ridge 81-37 behind 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds from Daniel.
Record: 13-1 | Last week: 16
Senior center
Caleb Harrison was fouled with his team down by one point on a 3-point attempt with 0.3 seconds remaining before knocking down two of three free throws to finish with 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 55-54 victory over Central (Phenix City).
Record: 8-1
| Last week: 16
Despite the loss to Link Academy in the opening round of the City of Palms Classic, the Vikings will have ample opportunity to bolster their resume in the consolation bracket.
Record: 7-0 | Last week: 19
Stretch their win streak to 37 consecutive games dating back to last season after defeating previously-unbeaten Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) 60-45 led by 25 points from three-star Wisconsin commit
Zach Kinziger.
Record: 8-0 | Last week: 20
Sophomore guard
Ashton Meeks led all scorers with 23 points while three-star Villanova signee
Malcolm Thomas chipped in 20 points in an 80-48 victory over Mililani in the opening round of the Iolani Classic. DeMatha faces Master's Academy (Oviedo, Fla.) in the quarterfinals tonight.
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 21
Took down previously-unbeaten Piedmont 64-48 led by a game-high 18 points from senior forward
Bryce Potts.
Chiante Tramble contributed 16 points and five assists in the victory.
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 24
Connecticut signee
Ahmad Nowell continued his impressive start to his senior season with 28 points in a 78-54 victory over Reading before contributing 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 72-57 triumph against Constitution (Philadelphia).
Record: 16-1 | Last week: 25
The Cavaliers have outscored opponents by an average on 19.1 points per contest so far this season with their lone loss coming at the buzzer against No. 11 Stony Point. The Class 6A state title contender competes in the Allen Tournament following Christmas.
Record: 11-0 | Last week: NR
Defending Class AAAAAA state champions have proven to be a formidable group again this season with key victories over Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) and Wheeler (Marietta). Kennesaw State commit
Braedan Lue has been the catalyst, averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest.
Record: 6-0 | Last week: NR
Creighton signee
Jackson McAndrew has guided the Trojans to a strong start to the season, averaging a team-high 25 points and scoring a season-high 38 points in a key 83-81 victory over Totino-Grace (Fridley) earlier in the year.
Record: 16-0 | Last week: NR
The unbeaten UIL Class 6A state title contender has outscored opponents by an average of 20.8 points per contest so far this season. The Panthers compete in a loaded field at the Whataburger Tournament where they could potentially meet No. 11 Stony Point in the title game following Christmas.
Record: 6-3
| Last week: 22
All three losses have come against top 10 opponents, falling to No. 3 Grayson, No. 4 Don Bosco Prep and No. 6 Columbus. Despite losing their first-round contest as the City of Palms Classic, they bounced back with a 75-71 victory over Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) paced by 26 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and three steals from five-star Rutgers signee
Ace Bailey.
