Top 25 high school basketball rankings

Last season's consensus national champion used a successful December to fast-track its way to the top of the rankings.

Yates (Houston, Texas), who finished as the nation's No. 1-ranked team following the 2009-10 campaign, captured tournament crowns in Hawaii and Alabama en route to a 34-0 record and 4A state championship. The Lions notched wins over schools from six different states around the holidays while participating in the Iolani Classic and T-Mobile Invitational.

Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) and Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) may look back at December 2010 as a similarly pivotal month for their programs.

Georgia's defending AAAA state champions captured the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., garnering wins over Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), Douglass (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and Boys & Girls (Brooklyn, N.Y.) in the process. Junior Tony Parker had a massive effort in the semifinal, collecting 20 points and 27 rebounds in an overtime win over Douglass.

The Wolverines also hammered preseason No. 2 Milton (Ga.) earlier in the month. Miller Grove moves to No. 3 this week.

On the left coast, Long Beach Poly captured not one, but two, tournament titles to run its record to 12-0. The Jackrabbits defeated Christian Life Center (Humble, Texas) to secure top billing at the National Prep Classic in Santa Maria, Calif., before Christmas.

The follow-up came at the ESPN/iScore Holiday Classic in the San Diego area as the Jackrabbits defeated fellow Xcellent 25 program Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) in a classic semifinal, then Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) for their second tourney title in a little over a week. LBP improved to No. 7 in this week's rankings.

Read on to find out how a wild two weeks of holiday basketball helped shape the Top 25.

Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (15-0)
The Warriors are out of action until Jan. 12 after winning the Iolani Classic in Hawaii prior to Christmas. Oak Hill has won all but one game by 10 points or more, including a 58-44 victory over Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) in the Iolani Classic final.

2. (2) St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) (5-0)
After winning the City of Palms Classic in Florida, the Celtics returned home and manhandled defending New Jersey Tournament of Champions titlist Trenton Catholic Academy (Trenton), 72-57.

3. (4) Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) (11-0)
The Wolverines jump a spot after their win at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina. The aforementioned Parker continued his strong play, earning MVP honors. The 6-foot-8, 260-pound junior is averaging 18.7 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots per game.

4. (3) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (5-0)
Rutgers commitment Myles Mack scored 23 points in the Friars' last outing, a 59-47 win over Plainfield on Sunday night.

5. (5) Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) (9-0)
MVP Jabari Parker scored 16 points to lead the Wolverines to the Pontiac Holiday Tournament with a 58-50 win over Warren (Gurnee) in the final. Simeon reached the championship game with easy wins over Schaumburg, Aurora West (Aurora) and Lockport.

6. (6) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) (17-1)
The Pilots took their act to South Dakota for a meeting with defending Class AA state champion O'Gorman (Sioux Falls) Dec. 30 at the Corn Palace in Mitchell. After a surprisingly-competitive first half, Findlay Prep blew things open in the second to leave town with a 70-37 win.

7. (8) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) (12-0)
Poly's December exploits were detailed above, but more space is needed to highlight the play of 6-8 All-American candidate Ryan Anderson. The Boston College signee was named MVP of three tournaments last month and is averaging 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

8. (7) North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) (6-0)
The Panthers erupted for 51 points in the second half against East Chicago Central (East Chicago) to run away with an 88-75 win Dec. 30. Five players scored in double figures, led D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera's 28 points.

9. (11) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (10-0)
The Stags emerged as champions of the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon after going to the wire three-straight nights. DeMatha eliminated Portland-area powers Westview and Jesuit in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. Jerami Grant (14 points), tournament MVP James Robinson (12) and Marcellous Bell (13) all reached double figures in the championship game, a 58-52 nail-biter over Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.).

10. (9) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) (8-0)
The Royals have topped the 100-point mark in three of their last four outings, including a 101-53 win over Hyde Park (Chicago, Ill.) in the final of the Best Buy Holiday Classic on Dec. 30. Tournament MVP Joe Coleman, a Minnesota signee, poured in 31 points against the Chicago school.

11. (13) Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) (11-0)
ACD's diverse cast of talent has come together in a hurry for head coach Rex Morgan. A post-Christmas trip to Memphis was nixed due to a financial fallout with an event promoter.

12. (10) Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) (11-1)
Can't knock the Hornets much for a one-point loss to No. 7 Long Beach Poly in the semifinals of the ESPN/iScore Holiday Classic, especially after responding by blasting St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 92-67 to take third place. Lincoln's next big test comes Saturday against Serra (Gardena, Calif.) in the San Diego vs. Los Angeles Hoops Challenge.

13. (14) Milton (Ga.) (11-2)
The Eagles beat Austin Rivers and Winter Park (Fla.) for the second time in 10 days on New Year's Eve, 75-60. Georgia Tech signee Julian Royal led Milton with 19 points against Florida's defending 6A state champions. Head coach David Boyd's squad has already played six games against teams ranked in MaxPreps.com's preseason Top 50.

14. (16) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (13-1)
The Monarchs captured the 16-team Orange Holiday Classic after their successful trip to the City of Palms Classic, beating Canyon 66-58 in the final. Juniors Xavier Johnson and Katin Reinhardt earned co-MVP honors.

15. (17) Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.) (9-0)
After surviving an overtime scare against Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) in the first round, Norcom cruised to the title at the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational in Raleigh, N.C. Devin Patterson scored 19 points in the final while Virginia Tech signee Dorian Finney-Smith added 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Greyhounds smoked United Faith Christian Academy (Charlotte, N.C.), 71-47.

16. (20) Jeffersontown (Louisville, Ky.) (13-0)
The Chargers doubled up on tournament wins to close out 2010, going home with the titles from the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic and the Gaslight Holiday Classic. In the latter, Jeffersontown – the host school – hammered Middletown (Ohio) 86-63 in the final behind 18 points from Cody Russell.

17. (18) Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kan.) (5-0)
The Falcons haven't played since Dec. 18, an 86-69 win over Nixa (Mo.).

18. (19) Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) (7-0)
Montrose Christian tripped to Puerto Rico for a post-Christmas tournament, but finding results from that event has been more difficult than tracking down a chupacabra.

19. (21) Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) (15-2)
The Fighting Pharaohs picked up a pair of victories at the Hoops in Overdrive Shoot-Out in Georgia, beating IMG Academies (Bradenton, Fla.) and Huntington Prep (Huntington, W.Va.).

20. (23) Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) (10-1)
Jacoby Brissett earned MVP honors as Dwyer beat previously-undefeated LaSalle (Cincinnati, Ohio) in the final of the 37th annual Kingdom of the Sun tournament, 53-50. Senior guard Terrell Harris scored a team-high 16 points in the championship game.

21. (25) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (19-1)
The Marauders overcame a solid field at the Whataburger Tournament for the second-straight year, beating Parkview (Little Rock, Ark.) 71-63 in the final. Junior All-American candidate Marcus Smart pumped in 25 points against the Arkansas school.

22. (24) Academy of the New Church (Bryn Athyn, Pa.) (7-2)
ANC's big three of junior Savon Lloyd-Goodman (Villanova commitment) and seniors Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse) and Malcolm Gilbert (Pittsburgh) combined for 43 points in a 71-49 win over Princeton Day (Princeton, N.J.) on Dec. 30.

23. (12) Lincoln (Dallas, Texas) (18-1)
Kimball (Dallas) fans won't like this, but Lincoln gets a pass for losing in the final of the Dallas ISD/Coca-Cola Tournament to its Dallas rival. Kimball and Lincoln could get a chance to settle the debate in Texas' Class 4A state playoffs after the 81-79 Dec. 29 thriller.

24. (NR) Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) (10-0)
Florida signee Bradley Beal has Chaminade looking like a state championship favorite again after winning it two years ago. Beal went for 34 points in a 70-59 win over Pattonville (Maryland Heights) in the final of the 40th annual Chaminade Christmas Tournament. The Red Devils have won seven of 10 contests by 20 points or more.

25. (22) Winter Park (Fla.) (10-4)
For the second year in a row, Winter Park is holding on to a national ranking despite multiple early-season losses. No, it's not a Dick Vitale-inspired Duke conspiracy to hold future Blue Devil Austin Rivers in the highest-possible light, simply a reflection of how tough the Wildcats' schedule has been to this point. Losses to No. 13 Milton (twice), No. 14 Mater Dei and previously-ranked Dr. Krop (Miami, Fla.) have to be considered alongside wins over No. 20 Dwyer, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and a pair of fellow Florida defending state champions in Orlando Christian Prep and Providence (Jacksonville).