MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school basketball rankings

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The rankings shuffled a bit at the top with previous No. 1 Sacramento falling to previous No. 5 Moreau Catholic in the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Cal.

De La Salle is the new No. 1, a storied old program flexing some early muscle. Moreau Catholic slides up to No. 2 and Sacramento to No. 3. No. 5 Modesto Christian has just one loss, in the final seconds to No. 4 Folsom, which gives you an indication of just how stacked these rankings are.


1. De La Salle (Concord) (Last week: 2) (15-1)
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: A.J. Kuhle
Update: The Spartans take over the top spot here on the strength of its strong schedule and results. The only loss was out of state, to Bishop Gorman (Nevada). De La Salle beat Orange Lutheran in the MaxPreps Martin Luther Kings Classic at Cal, 54-44, after beating Foothill (Pleasanton) and Granada (Livermore) in league play. Jordan Ratinho and Nikhil Peters continue to excel.

2. Moreau Catholic (Hayward) (5) (14-3)
Section: North Coast
League: Mission Valley
Coach: Frank Knight
Update: The Mariners learned a lot about themselves in defeating previous No. 1 Sacramento 77-67, rallying to seize the game in the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Cal. Terrell Brown had 25 points and Oscar Frayer went for 15 points and 14 rebounds. Coach Frank Knight is pleased, but strives for more.

3. Sacramento (1) (16-1)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Metro
Coach: Derek Swafford
Outlook: Top-ranked by The Sacramento Bee, the Dragons had their school-record best start stopped by new No. 2 Moreau Catholic 77-67. No shame there, and it's how the Dragons bounce back that will be telling. Solomon Young had a big game with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

4. Folsom (3) (17-2)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Mike Wall
Update: The Bulldogs are alone in first place in the Sierra Foothill League after downing ranked Woodcreek (Roseville) 61-48. Senior guard and two-time Sacramento Bee Player of the Year Jordan Ford took over at key junctures. Earlier wins over ranked foes include Modesto Christian and Sheldon.

5. Modesto Christian (4) (15-1)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Modesto Metro
Coach: Richard Midgley
Update: The Crusaders extended their winning streak to 15 after racing past Enochs (Modesto) 88-39 and Downey (Modesto) 83-34. Robinson Idehen is a load. The entire team is. The loss was in the final seconds in a season opener to No. 4 Folsom, 53-51. A rematch could come in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, if not the CIF Open Division NorCal playoffs, or both.

6. Sheldon (Sacramento) (6) (9-4)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Joey Rollings
Update: The Huskies are the lone unbeatens in the Delta League after downing ranked Jesuit 74-64 behind more terrific team play, headed by Matthew Manning and role players such as Drew Cobb and Blake Mason. The only loss within the section for Sheldon was 79-78 to No. 4 Folson early.

7. Saint Francis (Mountain View) (7) (13-2)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Motil
Update: The Lancers are 3-0 out of the gates in the WCAL after downing ranked Bellarmine 59-41, followed by a nonleague win over Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 66-54 at the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Cal, then there was a return to WCAL play with an 83-56 rout of ranked St. Ignatius (San Francisco). Saint Francis last lost to No. 4 Folsom 57-53 in the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit. The other setback was to No. 3 ranked Sacramento 73-53.

8. Jesuit (Carmichael) (9) (13-3)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Jon Rotz
Update: The Marauders lost to No. 6 Jesuit 74-64 in a fun Delta League game for first-place bragging rights. Jesuit has size with Malik Duffy and an impressive, poised freshman point guard in Isaiah Rutherford.

9. Granite Bay (10) (15-3)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Jason Sitterud
Update: The Grizzlies are in the thick of the SFL race, losing to No. 4 Folsom and ranked Woodcreek (Roseville). Senior guard Charlie Tooley has eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone, a nice feat for a nice player. Granite Bay does not slip in the rankings as it has a recent win over No. 10 Minte Vista, 63-56.

10. Monte Vista (Danville) (12) (13-3)
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Nick Jones
Update: The Mustangs are gearing up for a league showdown with rival and new No. 1 De La Salle on Friday. These teams know each other well, and the respect runs deep. The last loss was to No. 9 Granite Bay, 63-56. The Mustangs are two-time defending NCS D-I champions and won the CIF state title in 2014.

11. Woodcreek (Roseville) (23) (13-7)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Paul Hayes
Outlook: The Timberwolves bounced back from a 61-48 loss to No. 4 Folsom to beat No. 9 Granite Bay 62-57. Jordan Brown continues to excel as a 6-foot-10 sophomore post. An early loss was 79-65 to No. 3 Sacramento.

12. Half Moon Bay (14) (15-1)
Section: North Coast
League: Peninsula
Coach: Rich Forslund
Update: The Cougars beat Oceana (Pacifica) 74-49 and South San Francisco 67-25 in league play and then dropped Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 70-47 in a Martin Luther King game at Piedmont High. Tommy Nuno and Austin Hilton are playing well. A big win was over ranked Bellarmine, 41-35.

13. Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose) (16) (11-3)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Coast Athletic
Coach: Patrick Schneider
Update: The Bells lost to No. 7 Saint Francis 59-41 then beat Riordan (San Francisco) 56-50. An earlier loss was to No. 12 Half Moon Bay, 41-35.

14. Serra (San Mateo) (12-3)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Chuck Rapp
Update: A longtime force and factor in the Bay Area, coach Chuck Rapp has the Padres off and running again. They bounced back from a 54-52 loss to No. 7 Saint Francis to beat Riordan (San Francisco) 60-57, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 56-52 and No. 21 Mitty (60-49).

15. Capital Christian (Sacramento) (17) (9-6)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Golden Empire
Coach: Devon Jones
Update: The Cougars are in early control of the Golden Empire League but are still seeking more steady leadership from all hands. Capital Christian has earlier losses to top four teams Moreau Catholic (69-48), Sacramento (75-59) and Folsom (80-53).

16. Salesian College Preparatory (Richmond) (18) (14-4)
Section: North Coast
League: Tri-County Rock
Coach: Bill Mellis
Update: The Pride have won six successive games since falling to No. 5 Modesto Christian 68-56, including 62-51 over Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) in the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Cal.

17. Palma (Salinas) (19) (14-2)
Section: Central Coast
League: Monterey Bay
Coach: Kelley Lopez
Update: The Chieftains are 3-0 in league play after downing North Monterey County (Castroville) 69-36, and they capped the week with a 62-58 nonleague win over traditional power St. Mary's (Stockton). One loss was to No. 7 Saint Francis and the other was to ranked Half Moon Bay. There's also a nice win against Half Moon Bay, too.

18. Weston Ranch (Stockton) (20) (13-4)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Chris Teevan
Update: The Cougars are 5-0 in league play, none bigger than the 52-48 win over No. 19 Manteca in a spirited win. An earlier loss was to No. 15 Capital Christian (68-61).

19. Manteca (8) (14-3)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Brett Lewis
Update: The Buffaloes lost to No. 18 Weston Ranch in VOL play 52-48 despite 23 points from Anand Hundal and 15 each from Dwight Young and Kenny Wooten Jr.. Manteca then beat longtime power Berkeley 76-74 in double overtime in the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Cal.

20. Dougherty Valley (San Ramon) (22) (17-1)
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Foothill
Coach: Mike Hansen
Update: The Wildcats lead the North Coast Section in victories, but rankings are not standings, hence, their position here. This is a senior-heavy team. The loss was to only to Carson of Nevada, 62-50.

21. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) (15) (8-6)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Tim Kennedy
Update: The defending NorCal D-II champions fell to ranked Serra 60-49 in WCAL play and lost to No. 7 Saint Francis. Tis the life in the WCAL. Earlier losses were to ranked heavies Sheldon (79-76) and Modesto Christian (57-54).

22. Menlo-Atherton (Atherton) (21) (13-2)
Section: Central Coast
League: Peninsula South
Coach: Mike Molieri
Update: The Bears are 4-0 in league play and also just beat Castlemont (Oakland) 70-43. The losses were to ranked Bellarmine (58-57) and ranked Half Moon Bay (55-49).

23. Pittsburg (25) (11-6)
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Carson Padon
Update: The Pirates beat Deer Valley (Antioch) 63-60 in league play, downed San Leandro 52-48 in a Martin Luther King game at Dublin and now gear up for a return to league play. Another recent big win was a 76-73 overtime win over No. 22 Oakland Tech.

24. Oakland Tech (25) (18-1)
Section: Oakland
League: Oakland
Coach: Karega Hart
Update: The Bulldogs bounced back from a three-point overtime loss to Pittsburg to roll of late, blasting Oakland 76-59, Skyline (Oakland) 72-20 and beating Riordan (San Francisco) 64-58 in Martin Luther King play at Merrit College. Souley Boum is averaging 20.2 points.

(TIE) 25. Freedom (Oakley) (11) (11-4)
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Drew Torres
Update: The Falcons lost to Castro Valley 62-51 in a Martin Luther King contest at Dublin. They have a 13-point loss to Granite Bay, a three-point loss to Manteca and an 83-81 triple-overtime win over Folsom as gauge efforts.

(TIE) 25. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) (15) (11-4)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Rob Marcaletti
Update: The Wildcats enjoyed their 56-53 double-overtime win over ranked Bellarmine, absorbed a 45-42 setback to ranked Mitty, beat Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 61-60, beat Riordan (San Francisco) 43-42 and then cringed in losing to ranked Saint Francis (Mountain View) 83-56. Such is life in the WCAL.

The Sacramento Bee on a powerfully inspiring basketball coach who once lived in a van by the beach ... click here

The Sacramento Bee on an upstart, unbeaten team no one saw coming ... click here

Joe Davidson has covered high school sports in Northern California since 1984, including since 1988 for The Sacramento Bee. Follow him on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sacbeepreps