Steve Turner's unbeaten Gonzaga squad moves to No. 2 this week after a big win over DeMatha.
Photo by Lonnie Webb
A big Saturday night in high school basketball included a pair of Top 10 showdowns, providing plenty of direction in stacking up the elite in this week's Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard.
In front of a packed house at American University, then-No. 5
Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) held off No. 6
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 76-74 in a key Washington Catholic Athletic Conference matchup. Head coach Steve Turner's squad was led by junior forward
Kris Jenkins, who tallied 27 points. The Eagles were without the services of junior point guard
Nate Britt, already committed to North Carolina.
At Penny Hardaway's Hoopfest in Memphis, Tenn., then-No. 7
Simeon (Chicago) bounced back impressively from its first loss of the season with a 73-54 win over No. 9
Southwind (Memphis). The Wolverines led by just a single point at halftime, but took their game to a place Southwind couldn't go in the second half.
Steve Taylor notched a team-high 19 for Simeon while
Jabari Parker added 16.
Southwind beat No. 10
Ridgeway (Memphis) in a highly-anticipated local showdown two nights earlier.
Read on for a complete look at this week's rankings.
Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard1. (No. 1 last week) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (12-0)The Friars will look to defend their 2011 title at the SNY Invitational this weekend against a trio of tough New York City teams.
2. (5) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) (17-0)Surviving last week without junior point guard
Nate Britt was impressive.
Kris Jenkins stepped up with 26 points and a three at the buzzer to beat Patterson (Baltimore) on Monday and 29 more in a mid-week victory over Good Counsel (Olney, Md.).
3. (2) Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas) (18-2)The Lions' average margin of victory this month is 45.3 and nothing on the schedule suggests that things will get more competitive in the near future.
4. (3) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (25-2)The Marauders have won eight in a row since an upset loss in late December. Oklahoma State-bound senior guards
Phil Forte and
Marcus Smart combined for 45 points in a 76-56 win over Flower Mound on Friday.
5. (4) Milton (Ga.) (15-4)With University of Georgia-bound
Charles Mann in the lineup, the Eagles are 12-0 and have won each of those contests by double digits.
