MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school basketball rankings

All teams are in league play now, and the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Jr. Classic hosted by De La Salle on Monday at Cal's Haas Pavilion features a number of ranked teams, including No. 1 Capital Christian taking on No. 3 Bishop O'Dowd and No. 4 Jesuit playing No. 21 Newark Memorial.


1. (Last week: 1) Capital Christian (Sacramento) (14-2)
The Cougars were idle last week, allowing for plenty of time to rest for the Golden Empire League schedule, and for No. 3 Bishop O'Dowd on Monday in the Martin Luther King Jr. Classic. D.J. Wilson will take on Ivan Rabb.

2. (2) Monte Vista (Danville) (14-0)
The Mustangs continue to roll behind leaders Trevor John and Spencer Rust. Ranked wins include Moreau Catholic, Freedom, Montgomery, Campolindo and Mitty. Defense is the key.

3. (4) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) (7-4)
How dangerous are the Dragons? One loss was by four to national power and state No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and two others to out-of-state powers by three and five points. Showdown looms Monday against Capital Christian.

4. (5) Jesuit (Carmichael) (16-0)
The Marauders got a scare when standout forward Lake Lutes went down with a knee strain, but all is well. So is the record, sailing along with one of the best records in school history.

5. (8) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) (10-2)
The Monarchs seek to defend their West Catholic Athletic League title, and it won't be easy in this brutal collection of teams. Early wins include 69-42 over St. Francis (Mountain View) and Riordon (San Francisco) 52-31. Showdown looms against No. 16 Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) on Thursday.

6. (3) El Cerrito (15-1)
The Gauchos beat St. Patrick's/St. Vincent (Vallejo) before falling to No. 12 St. Joseph, 55-49, to halt the best start in program history. Very fast, active team.

7. (6) St. Ignatius (San Francisco) (9-2)
The Wildcats are led by Trevor Dunbar and are members of the WCAL. Big game against Riordon (San Francisco) next.

8. (7) Sacramento (11-3)
The Dragons are young and talented, having just beat rival Burbank (Sacramento) behind sophomore leaders Solomon Young and Christian Terrell. Take on Salesian on Monday in the Martin Luther King Classic. Two losses are to No. 1 Capital Christian.

9. (9) Folsom (15-2)
The Bulldogs bound into Delta River League play against four-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion Sheldon (Sacramento). Sophomore guard Jordan Ford scored 39 to rout Vista del Lago (rival).

10. (10) Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove) (16-1)
Sharing the ball with swift execution, the Wolfpack have no losses in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Coach Patrick Roth grins at the potential. Big wins include No. 11 St. Mary's.

11. (11) St. Mary's (Stockton) 13-2
Always a super power within the Sac-Joaquin Section, one loss was to Cosumnes Oaks. Adds to the depth of the D-II field in the section (Sacramento, Cosumnes Oaks, Folsom).

12. (16) St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) (13-3)
The Pilots enjoyed a big win against previously unbeaten El Cerrito (55-49) to open Tri-County Rock League standings. Another win was over No. 14 Rodriguez.

13. (18) Serra (San Mateo) (9-3)
The Padres barge into the rankings with recent wins over No. 13 Riordon (64-63) and St. Francis (Mountain View), making for quite a ride in the West Catholic Athletic League.

14. (17). Rodriguez (Fairfield) (14-1)
The Mustangs are surging in the Sac-Joaquin Section as the clear favorite in the Monticello Empire League. The lone loss was to No. 12 St. Joseph.

15. (13). San Ramon Valley (Danville) (12-2)
The momentum stalled with a 76-61 loss to a Granada (Livermore) team that has a close loss to De La Salle.

16. (18) Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) (10-2)
How teams respond to losses is always telling, and that's the case here for the Irish, who lost big to No. 7 St. Ignatius. And bounced back.

17. (20) Campolindo (Moraga) (11-4)
The Cougars have earlier wins over No. 19 Freedom and No. 21 Newark Memorial and are 2-0 in the Diablo Foothill Athletic League with a game looming against No. 11 St. Mary's. Early close losses to No. 1 Capital Christian and No. 2 Monte Vista.

18. (NR) De La Salle (Concord) (9-3)
You can win a lot of arguments suggesting Frank Allocco is the best coach in Northern California, who succeeds with defense. DLS plays teams that are 26-2 this week. The lone California loss was to No. 13 Serra.

19. (21) Freedom (Oakley) (11-4)
The Falcons are favorites in a talent-laden Bay Valley Athletic League, opening with Pittsburg on Friday.

20. (NR) Newark Memorial (7-7)
Brutal schedule against some of the best in NorCal, including a 74-48 rout of previous No. 12 Moreau Catholic (Hayward). They play No. 4 Jesuit in MLK Classic on Monday.

21. (22) Montgomery (Santa Rosa) (10-4)
The Vikings have two close losses to No. 20 Freedom and loom as a favorite in the North Bay League.

22. (23) Berkeley (11-0)
The Yellowjackets beat previous No. 24 San Leandro for their first ranked win and will find out more about their team when facing No. 3 Bishop O'Dowd on Jan. 17.

23. (12) Moreau Catholic (Hayward) (10-4)
A big win over Half Moon Bay was followed by a crushing loss to No. 21 Newark Memorial, getting outscored 36-10 in the second half.

24. (25) Burlingame (11-3)
The Panthers of the Central Coast Section have close losses to No. 12 St. Joseph (59-54) and No. 18 Campolindo (70-67) with a 60-57 win over No. 13 Serra earlier. Frankie Ferrari is averaging 20.8 points.

25. (NR) Del Oro (Loomis) (18-1)
The Golden Eagles, still buzzing from the CIF State football journey, are off to a school-record best start. There is size with Connor Drake and depth for coach Geoff Broyles.

Sacramento Bee's preview story on the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Jr. Classic hosted by De La Salle

Story on the sanctions levied against four-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I power Sheldon (Sacramento), including an immediate four-week suspension of coach Joey Rollings, whose team won the 2012 NorCal D-I title

Joe Davidson has covered high school sports at The Sacramento Bee since 1988. Follow him on Twitter @SacBee_JoeD and on www.sacbee.com.