Compiled By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
About the Rankings: MaxPreps already provides the most comprehensive high school sports ratings with the MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard, a computer model developed by Ned Freeman. Now, it’s time to get the human element involved.
Each Monday, senior writer Dave Krider will run down the top 25 boys basketball teams in the country – weighing record, quality wins and losses and other factors to determine the best of the best.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 14-0 – The Monarchs defeated No. 3 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), 52-45, to win the talent-laden Bank of America City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers (Fla.). Junior guard Gary Franklin led the way with 25 points and their towering frontline sparked a 32-19 rebound advantage. They defeated Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), 81-72, in the semifinals as junior guard Tyler Lamb had 18 points and 13 rebounds.
2. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 19-0 – The guard-oriented Warriors won the prestigious Iolani Classic with a tense 74-62 double-overtime victory against No. 4 Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) in Honolulu (Haw.). Senior guard Lamont “Mo Mo” Jones poured in 40 points - including a 27-foot 3-pointer to force the first overtime – and was named MVP. They also defeated No. 13 LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.), 68-66, in the semifinals as 6-9 Keith “Tiny” Gallon scored 17 points. Other big wins were over Duncanville (Texas), 69-57, and Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.), 74-64.
3. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 7-1 – The Celtics defeated Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), 72-53, to win their first championship in the Beach Ball Classic at Myrtle Beach (S.C.). Six-foot-seven sophomore Michael Gilchrist paved the way with 31 points and 14 rebounds to earn MVP honors. They lost to No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 52-45, in the finals of the Bank of America City of Palms Classic despite 19 points from senior guard Dexter Strickland.
4. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) 9-1 – The Mustangs suffered a tough 74-62 double-overtime loss to No. 2 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) during the finals of the Iolani Classic in Honolulu (Hawaii). Mouphtaou Yarou, a 6-10, 250-pound senior, had 23 points and nine rebounds. Yarou had 12 points in a 45-36 semifinal victory over No. 12 Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) and 17 in a 59-46 quarterfinal victory over Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.).
5. St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) 12-0 – The Gray Bees nipped Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 53-52, to win the Kreul Classic in Coral Springs (Fla.). Junior guard Aaron Brown scored the winning basket with 9.2 seconds left on a reverse layup. MVP Tristan Thompson, a 6-9 junior, scored 12 points and was named MVP. They also defeated Carmen Sol (Toa Baja, P.R.), 84-66, behind Thompson’s 22 points to win the Gatorade International Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
6. Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) 14-0 – The Cobras won the Arby’s Classic in Bristol (Tenn.) with a 70-61 victory over Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.). MVP Martavious Irving and 6-8 Travis Elliott each scored 15 points. Other quality victories have been against No. 22 Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 79-69; Montverde Academy (Fla.), 64-45; Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 59-54; and Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.), 54-34.
7. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 14-0 – The Pilots rolled past Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.), 84-64, to capture the title during the Rock Holiday Classic at Henderson, Nev. Victor Rudd, a 6-7 senior, earned MVP honors with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Avery Bradley scored 18 points in a 66-39 victory over Montverde Academy (Fla.).
8. Strake Jesuit (Houston, Texas) 19-0 – The Class 5A Crusaders handed the state’s No. 1 Class 4A team, Houston Wheatley, its only loss, 82-78, to win the Houston ISD Jaycee Tournament. MVP Joey Brooks, a 6-5 senior, set the pace with 27 points. They also defeated Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), 67-51.
9. Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 9-1 – The Wildcats handed No. 10 South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) its first loss, 58-44, to win the T-Mobile Invitational in Muncie (Ind.). Senior guard Alanzo Bass scored 15 points and 6-5 sophomore Ryan Taylor grabbed 15 rebounds as the Wildcats dominated the boards, 54-28. They held the country’s top prospect, 6-9 Derrick Favors, to 10 points and 12 rebounds. Their only loss was to South (Terre Haute, Ind.), which drilled 11 threes during a 50-44 win.
10. South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) 11-1 – The Hornets handed Georgia’s No. 1 Class 5A team, McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), its first loss, 74-73, as 6-9 senior Derrick Favors contributed 34 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks in just 21 minutes. Their only loss was to No. 9 Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.), 58-44, during the finals of the T-Mobile Invitational in Muncie (Ind.).
11. Winter Park (Fla.) 11-2 – The Wildcats were the Cinderella entry in the power-packed Bank of America City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers (Fla.). They finished third with a 91-87 victory over Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) behind a tourney-high 46 points by sensational 6-3 sophomore guard Austin Rivers. Earlier they upset Duncanville (Texas), 69-64, and No. 17 Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.), 60-54, while losing to No. 3 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), 59-54. Their other loss was to Orlando Christian Prep (Fla.), 66-51.
12. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 11-2 – The Lions took third place during the Iolani Classic in Honolulu (Hawaii) with a 55-51 overtime victory against No. 13 LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) Senior Solomon Hill was high with 15 points. They finished second in the Les Schwab Invitational in Hillsboro (Ore.) following a 58-56 loss to Dominguez (Compton, Calif.). Renardo Sidney, a 6-10 senior, scored 32 points and was named MVP.
13. LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) 15-2 – The Rattlers suffered two losses to nationally-ranked teams during the Iolani Classic in Honolulu (Hawaii). They lost to No. 2 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 68-66, in the semifinals despite 39 points by 6-11, 260-pound senior DeMarcus Cousins. They also lost the third-place game, 55-51 in overtime, to No. 12 Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.). In the quarterfinals, they defeated No. 18 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 70-58, as Cousins – who was named Most Outstanding Player – scored 34 points.
14. Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) 6-0 – The Yellowjackets nipped young, talented De La Salle (Chicago, Ill.), 75-72, in overtime as 6-11 senior DaShonte Riley amassed 11 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. Junior guard Ray McCallum, a transfer from Bloomington (Ind.), scored 27 points in an 82-56 victory over Grand Ledge.
15. Northland (Columbus, Ohio) 4-0 – The Vikings cruised past highly-regarded White Station (Memphis, Tenn.), 69-55, as 6-9 junior Jared Sullinger scored 23 points and 6-6 classmate J.D. Weatherspoon added 21 points.
16. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 8-0 – The Royals routed Badger (Lake Geneva, Wis.), 79-41, after rolling to a 50-15 halftime advantage. A running clock was used over the final 10 minutes. Royce White, a 6-7 senior, led the way with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Raymond Cowles had 23 points during a 91-82 victory over Class 3A No. 1 Washburn before a packed house. Big game: Friday vs. Mendota Heights Sibley.
17. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 14-1 – The Comets streaked past No. 24 Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 68-56 – with a strong second half – to place fifth during the Bank of America City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers (Fla.). Senior guard Dominique O’Conner was high with 21 points and four assists. Earlier they defeated No. 22 Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 69-66, behind O’Conner’s 21 points. They also hold a victory (85-56) over Dominguez (Compton, Calif.).
18. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 11-1 – The Stags placed fifth in the Iolani Classic in Honolulu (Hawaii) with a 73-66 victory over Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.). Junior guard Josh Selby was high with 24 points. They led most of the way before losing to No. 13 LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.), 70-58, in the quarterfinals.
19. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 8-1 – The Friars defeated Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.), 54-41, behind Dominic Cheek’s 20 points to win the consolation bracket of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in San Diego (Calif.). In the first round, the Friars were upset by Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), 69-40, snapping a 35-game winning streak for the defending national champions. Jamee Jackson was high with 22 points, but Cheek was held to eight points.
20. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 9-1 – The defensive-minded Spartans won the Merv Lopes Holiday Classic with a 41-20 victory over Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.) in Kaneohe (Hawaii). In the semifinals, they ousted Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii), 47-31. Brandon Smith averaged 12 points and six assists to earn MVP honors, while 6-8 junior John McArthur received the Pete Newell Outstanding Big Man Award. Their only loss was to Oakland Tech, 54-50.
21. Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) 7-0 – The Quakers defeated Jeffersontown (Louisville, Ky.), 72-55, to win the King of the Bluegrass Classic in Fairdale (Ky.). Senior guard Peyton Siva scored 29 points to earn MVP honors. Siva had 32 points, 10 assists and no turnovers during a 91-88 semifinal victory over Coral Reef (Miami, Fla.).
22. Olympia (Orlando, Fla.) 10-3 – The Titans nipped No. 23 North Lawndale College Prep (Chicago, Ill.), 73-71, in two overtimes to win the McDonald’s Tampa Hoops Classic in Tampa (Fla.). Senior guard Martell Buie scored the winning layup with 1.7 seconds left. MVP Dexter Fields had 20 points, while Buie finished with 18 points, eight assists and six steals. They also defeated American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 89-87, in overtime behind Fields’ 26 points to win the consolation bracket of the Bank of America City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers (Fla.).
23. North Lawndale College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) 12-2 – The Phoenix scored the final six points to edge Chicago Foreman, 57-52, in the championship game of the Chicago Public Schools Holiday Classic at DePaul University. Jermaine Winfield came off the bench to notch 24 points and 16 rebounds and grab the MVP trophy. In the semifinals they defeated Chicago Farragut, 70-62, as 6-0 Terry Johnson scored 26 points and 6-5 Jonathan Mills added 16 points to go with 18 rebounds. Their losses were to No. 22 Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 73-71, in two overtimes and to Manual (Peoria, Ill.), 71-70.
24. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 7-3 – The Railsplitters placed sixth during the Bank of America City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers (Fla.) following a 68-56 loss to No. 17 Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.). Six-foot-six star Lance Stephenson injured his ankle in the third quarter after scoring 19 points and did not return. He averaged 27 points at Fort Myers and is expected to be back this week. Stephenson had 37 points and five steals in a 70-55 victory over Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.).
25. Penn Wood (Lansdowne, Pa.) 9-0 – The balanced Patriots are led in scoring by 5-9 junior point guard Tyree Johnson with a 15.0 average. He also averages six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Right behind him is 6-5 senior forward Duane Johnson with a 14.8 scoring average and a team-leading 10.0 rebound average. Big game: Thursday vs. Chester.
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