Four members of this week’s Xcellent 25 Boys Basketball Rankings presented by the National Guard nearly found out about the heartbreak of playoff hoops the hard way in recent days.
- In Florida, No. 11 Providence needed overtime and a big effort from Kentucky-bound Stacey Poole Jr. to get past Florida Air Academy and reach the Class 2A semifinals. Poole scored 10 of the team’s 13 points in the extra session.
- In Pennsylvania, No. 15 Plymouth Whitemarsh and No. 21 Penn Wood were pushed in district play. Penn Wood was down 10 points with two minutes to go against underdog Bensalem, but fought back for a 56-55 win.
- In Texas, No. 20 Wagner of San Antonio was on the other end of things, nearly blowing a 19-point lead against Pflugerville in the Class 5A round of 64 (area round).
Read on for this week’s complete rankings.
Xcellent 25 National High School Boys Basketball Rankings
1. (1) Yates (Houston, Texas), 30-0
The Lions reached the round of 32 in Texas’ Class 4A state tournament with a pair of blowout wins last week. In bi-district play (first round) against Houston Sterling, senior guard Brandon Peters led a pack of six players in double figures with 17 points as Yates rolled 126-61. Friendswood didn’t fare much better in area round play as the Lions pounced 104-48. Houston Jones will be the opponent Monday in regional quarterfinal action.
2. (2) Northland (Columbus, Ohio), 20-0
Junior guard Trey Burke scored 17 points and dished out nine assists as Northland dominated Marysville in its playoff opener, 71-31. Senior Player of the Year candidate Jared Sullinger added 15 points and eight rebounds as the Vikings advanced to face Ashville Teays Valley on Saturday in the District 3 semifinals.
3. (3) Bloomington South (Bloomington, Ind.), 20-0
The Panthers capped the regular season with a dominant performance against Indianapolis Decatur Central, winning 86-41. Bloomington South’s win streak stands at 46 games – the second-longest in Indiana history behind Lawrence North’s 50 in a row from 2005-06. Head coach J.R. Holmes’ squad opens sectional play Friday against Columbus East.
4. (4) Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.), 26-0
The Cougars handled Paterson Kennedy 80-61 on Saturday night to capture the Passaic County Tournament for the third year in a row. Guards Myles Mack and Kyle Anderson combined for 40 points in the win, which put an exclamation mark on an undefeated regular season.
5. (5) St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), 20-1
Regular season complete. An appearance in the ESPN Rise National High School Invitational (April 1-3) is likely for the Gray Bees.
6. (6) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 28-1
The Monarchs will face Etiwanda on Saturday in the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA championship game. Mater Dei blasted Los Alamitos (80-60) and Moreno Valley Rancho Verde (94-58) last week, respectively, to earn a shot at its 20th section title under head coach Gary McKnight.
7. (7) Ames (Ames, Iowa), 23-0
The Little Cyclones opened the postseason with an 87-45 thumping of Mason City behind 23 points from – guess who – Harrison Barnes. Ames goes for its 50th-straight win tonight against Des Moines North.
Tony Kimbro, Christ School
File photo by Randy Sartin
The Greenies notched their fourth NCISAA 3A state title in as many years with a 78-59 win over Charlotte Christian on Saturday night.
Tony Kimbro paced Christ School in the championship game with 18 points and five assists. The Greenies expect to be part of the field at the National High School Invitational.
9. (9) Sts. Neumann & Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.), 23-1
Wake Forest-bound guard Tony Chennault scored 23 points to lead the Saints past Philadelphia St. Joseph’s Prep in a Catholic League playoff semifinal, 74-60. Neumann-Goretti meets Radnor Archbishop Carroll on Monday for the championship.
10. (10) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 29-2
Despite news painting an uncertain future for the program, Findlay Prep clobbered Westwind Prep of Phoenix (120-106) and Las Vegas Impact Academy (120-65) over the weekend to close out the regular season. Senior guard Cory Joseph cemented his status as an All-American by averaging 29.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists in the Friday-Saturday double-dip. The Pilots captured last season’s inaugural National High School Invitational and will be back to defend their title.
11. (11) Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.), 29-1
The Stallions barely survived a Class 2A regional final matchup with Melbourne Florida Air Academy on Saturday night, getting a game-high 20 points from Kentucky-bound wing Stacey Poole Jr. in a 62-59 overtime win. Syracuse-bound 7-footer Fab Melo and Weston Sagemont will be the opponent in the FHSAA semifinals Friday in Lakeland.
12. (12) Bellaire (Houston, Texas), 33-1
The Cardinals cruised into Class 5A regional quarterfinal play with easy wins over Houston Eisenhower (115-50) and Katy Mayde Creek (71-39) last week. Junior Texas Longhorn commitment Sheldon McClellan sparked the offensive barrage against Eisenhower with 28 points. Bellaire faces Alief Elsik on Monday night with a trip to the round of 16 on the line.
13. (13) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 30-2
The Gaels won five games in seven days to capture their second-straight Class 4A state title, beating North Las Vegas Canyon Springs 69-48 in the final. Senior reserve Taylor Spencer, a Nevada-Las Vegas football signee, led Gorman with 19 points against Canyon Springs. Head coach Grant Rice’s squad dominated in the postseason much the same way it has all year, winning by an average of 22.4 points per game.
14. (14) Half Hollow Hills West (Dix Hills, N.Y.), 20-0
Bay Shore was billed as a threat to the unbeaten Colts in a Suffolk AA semifinal game Sunday night, but the trio of brothers Tobias and Tyler Harris and Tavon Sledge thwarted the upset bid in a big way. Led by Tyler Haris’ 23 points and a 32-8 third-quarter advantage, Half Hollow Hills West crushed Bay Shore 96-48. Tobias Harris and Sledge combined for 42 points. It was all Tobias Harris last Tuesday in an 80-63 win over Copiague as the Tennessee-bound senior scored 27 points, pushing his career total past 2,000.
15. (15) Plymouth Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.), 24-1
The Colonials are through to the District 1 Class AAAA semifinals after wins over Fort Washington Upper Dublin (58-51) and Media Penncrest (39-22). Plymouth Whitemarsh overcame stall ball against Penncrest. The teams combined for just five points in the second quarter and the score at halftime was just 17-8 in favor of PW. Next up is West Chester Rustin.
16. (16) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), 17-1
A blowout win Saturday night over Saginaw Arthur Hill – ranked No. 3 in Michigan’s Class A media poll – gave the Yellowjackets their seventh-straight win following a late January loss. Junior Amir Williams, a 6-10 post player, scored a game-high 17 points for DCD against Arthur Hill to help turn the heavily-anticipated showdown into an 84-61 victory. Wednesday against Detroit Denby Tech, senior All-American candidate Ray McCallum registered 22 points, eight assists and five rebounds as Country Day came away with a 75-64 victory.
17. (17) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 28-3
Uncommitted senior Doron Lamb continued his late-season surge with 20 points in a 79-65 win over Benedictine (Richmond, Va.) on Saturday night at the inaugural Massey Cancer Center Classic. The Warriors have won 28 games or more in 19-straight seasons dating back to 1992.
18. (18) St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), 23-3
The Celtics used arguably their most impressive performance of the year Saturday night to capture the Union County Tournament. Facing a Plainfield program that entered the game with a 21-2 record, Kyrie Irving poured in 30 points to spark an 82-45 whipping. A federal court date today will decide the program’s postseason fate after being banned from the state tournament in February by the NJSIAA.
19. (19) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 22-4
The regular season is complete for the Eagles. Expect Montverde Academy to earn a spot in the National High School Invitational.
20. (20) Wagner (San Antonio, Texas), 35-1
After leading by as many as 19 points in the area round against Pflugerville, Wagner needed some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch to hang on for a 77-75 win. Senior Jordan Clarkson scored 28 points to help the Thunderbirds set up a regional quarterfinal meeting with San Antonio Churchill tonight.
21. (21) Penn Wood (Lansdowne, Pa.), 21-3
The Patriots had to overcome a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes for a 56-55 win over Bensalem on Tuesday, but found the going a little easier in a 74-52 victory over Neshaminy on Saturday. Junior wing forward Aaron Brown scored 26 points in the latter contest, which sent Penn Wood to the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA semifinals against Souderton.
22. (23) Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.), 26-3
The Comets have won 19 of 20 games after bullying fellow Los Angeles schools Fremont (84-48) and Washington (90-53) in City Section playoff action. Westchester meets Woodland Hills Taft for the section title Saturday.
Eli Carter, St. Anthony
File photo by Lonnie Webb
It should come as no surprise with Bob Hurley on the bench, but the Friars have put opponents on lockdown since the beginning of February. St. Anthony has allowed just 34.8 points per game in six wins since Feb. 2, including a 57-32 clinic last Wednesday against a solid Long Island Lutheran program from Brookville, N.Y. Lutheran managed just 12 points in the second half.
24. (25) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 26-3
The Stags atoned for an earlier loss to Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) with a 73-69 win over the Eagles last Monday. Indiana-bound wing Victor Oladipo led DeMatha with 26 points against Gonzaga. Three nights later against Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), the storied Washington Catholic Athletic Conference program closed out its regular season with a 79-65 win behind 15 points apiece from Oladipo and junior guard Quinn Cook. The game marked DeMatha’s final game at Morgan Wootten Gymnasium.
25. (NR) Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.), 29-4
The Golden Wildcats notched a pair of big wins last week, beating White Station 71-64 for the AAA District 16 title on Tuesday, then opening the Region 8 AAA playoffs with a 74-51 win over Germantown on Saturday. Melrose, winners of seven in a row, will face Memphis Southwind next in the Region 8 AAA semifinals.
Dropped out: No. 22 Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.)
