Snow and strong showings at the Nike Extravaganza by winners and losers give this week’s Xcellent 25 Boys Basketball Rankings presented by the National Guard a familiar look.
The top 13 teams remain in place from last Monday. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) is the highest-ranked team on the move, sliding from No. 14 to No. 16 after losing to No. 6 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in a game that went to the wire at the Nike Extravaganza in Southern California over the weekend.
Snow forced cancellations or postponements for six teams in this week’s rankings. Most notably, a showdown between No. 2 Northland (Columbus, Ohio) and No. 21 Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) went by the wayside.
Winter Park (Fla.) and Penn Wood (Lansdowne, Pa.) return to the rankings after putting together long winning streaks. Winter Park has won 12 in a row while Penn Wood has rattled off 14 straight.
Read on for this week’s complete rankings;
Xcellent 25 National High School Boys Basketball Rankings
1. (1) Yates (Houston, Texas), 24-0
The Lions have scored 100 points or more in 16 of 24 contests this season after doing it twice last week in a pair of easy wins. Senior guard Joseph Young continued his season-long scoring barrage with 36 points Friday night in a 121-94 win over Houston Reagan.
2. (2) Northland (Columbus, Ohio), 15-0
The Vikings were scheduled to face No. 21 Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) on Saturday night in Saginaw, but snow in Columbus wiped out what would have been the game of the weekend. A 97-46 win over Columbus Whetstone ended up being Northland’s only action of the week. Jared Sulliner, a 6-9 senior headed to Ohio State, led the Vikings with 44 points and 10 rebounds in that contest.
3. (3) Bloomington South (Bloomington, Ind.), 16-0
The Panthers now own the third-longest winning streak in Indiana state history after winning their 42nd game in a row Saturday night against Columbus North, 67-49. Junior guard Dee Davis, a Xavier commitment, tallied 19 points, six steals and five assists.
4. (4) Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.), 17-0
The Cougars made short work of Saddle Brook (87-37), Warwick/Midland Park (90-28) and Pompton Lakes (85-56) during a 3-0 week. Senior Fuquan Edwin and junior Myles Mack have been at the head of the Paterson Catholic attack all season, leading the team at 16.9 and 15.6 points per game, respectively.
5. (5) St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), 17-1
Head coach Danny Hurley’s record at St. Benedict’s Prep improved to 221-21 as the Gray Bees crushed Solebury (New Hope, Pa.), 79-27. Junior guard Myck Kabongo scored a game-high 27 points.
6. (6) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 22-1
The Monarchs capped a three-win week by beating No. 16 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) at their own event Saturday, 82-76. UCLA-bound wing Tyler Lamb was key, scoring 26 points, grabbing seven rebounds and snagging three steals. Mater Dei prepped for Gorman with wins over Anaheim Servite (111-36) and San Juan Capistrano JSerra Catholic (96-41).
7. (7) Ames (Iowa), 18-0
Harrison Barnes scored 30 points and Doug McDermott added 25 as the Little Cyclones dominated Sioux City North on Saturday night, 73-53. Ames is four games away from notching its second unbeaten regular season in as many years.
8. (8) Christ School (Arden, N.C.), 28-1
Carolina Day (Asheville, N.C.) and Shannon Forest Christian (Greenville, S.C.) were no match for the Greenies as they rolled to their 21st and 22nd victories in a row, respectively, last week. Brandon Lopez, a 6-1 junior guard and Christ School’s seventh-leading scorer, erupted for 21 points to lead the way against Carolina Day.
9. (9) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.), 18-1
LaSalle commitment Tyreek Duren flirted with a triple-double last Monday in a 93-61 win over Philadelphia West Catholic, registering 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Wake Forest-bound backcourt partner Tony Chennault took over two night later against Warminster Archbishop Wood, pouring in 28 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Snow postponed the Saints’ Saturday contest with Philadelphia Bishop McDevitt.
10. (10) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 25-2
The Pilots did not play last week.
11. (11) St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), 17-2
The drama at St. Patrick this year would make for a great documentary. Facing possible sanctions that could keep them out of New Jersey’s postseason, the Celtics fled the Northeast snowstorm to tangle with then-No. 24 Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.) at the Nike Extravaganza in Southern California. Kyrie Irving and Michael Gilchrist combined for 46 points as St. Patrick made it a one-sided meeting, winning 91-64.
12. (12) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 23-2
Although games late in the week against Brehm Prep (Carbondale, Ill.) and Miller School (Charlottesville, Va.) were canceled due to weather, the Warriors did pick up a pair of victories, including a 45-44 nail-biter over Mountain State Academy (Beckley, W.Va.).
13. (13) Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.), 23-1
With just one regular season game remaining, the Stallions look like they will enter district play with a 24-1 record and a strong favorite to repeat in Florida’s 2A classification. Providence posted a 66-50 win over Fernandina Beach in its only action last week.
14. (16) Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.), 20-0
It wasn’t easy, but Ridgeway improved to 20-0 Friday night by winning on the road in front of a packed house at Southwind High School, 74-73. Sophomore guard Cameron Golden once again came up big for the Roadrunners with a team-high 21 points. Senior Tarik Black, a 6-8 University of Memphis signee, added 14 points and 16 rebounds.
15. (15) Bellaire (Texas), 28-1
No problems for the Cardinals last week in lopsided wins over Houston Westside (87-48) and Houston Lamar (60-32). Bellaire has beat 10 opponents in a row by 25 points or more.
16. (14) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 23-2
The Gaels don’t take much of a hit after giving No. 6 Mater Dei all it could handle over the weekend. Head coach Grant Rice has to be thrilled to have the services of sophomore Shabazz Muhammad for the next two years. Muhammad, a 6-5 guard, dropped in 29 points against the Monarchs. Bishop Gorman thrashed Pahrump Valley (80-36), Las Vegas Sierra Vista (91-56) and Las Vegas Clark in the run-up to the Mater Dei showdown last week.
17. (18) Half Hollow Hills West (Dix Hills, N.Y.), 15-0
The Colts opened the week without All-American candidate Tobias Harris in the lineup, but still hammered Riverhead 93-55 behind 21 points and 12 assists from 5-8 junior guard Tavon Sledge. Harris returned Thursday night and posted 31 points and 17 rebounds in a 94-66 win over West Babylon.
18. (19) Plymouth Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.), 18-1
The Colonials bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 73-60 win over Fort Washington Upper Dublin. Six-foot-seven junior forward Jaylen Bond went for a season-high 28 points in P-W’s only game of the week. A Friday game with Norristown fell victim to snow.
19. (20) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 22-4
Head coach Kevin Sutton’s Eagles survived an ESPNU-televised clash with Weston Sagemont on Friday, getting 19 points from Steve Moundu-Missi and 17 from Villanova-bound wing James Bell in a 57-52 win. Montverde Academy followed with a 45-42 victory over a hot Bartow squad on Saturday.
20. (21) Jesuit (Portland, Ore.), 17-1
Statement made. Jesuit battered Metro League rival Portland Westview 81-65 last Tuesday behind 22 points from 6-9 junior Kyle Wiltjer and 21 points from 6-2 junior Jack Grodahl. The Crusaders capped the week with a 77-62 win over Portland Sunset – their 27th victory in a row over opponents from Oregon.
21. (22) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), 12-1
The Yellowjackets did not play last week after snow made the aforementioned matchup with No. 2 Northland impossible. The schools are considering Feb. 13 as a make-up date.
22. (23) Wagner (San Antonio, Texas), 30-1
Six-foot-six forward Andre Roberson scored 21 points and grabbed 12 boards to spark a 68-61 win over Victoria Memorial on Tuesday. Senior guard Jordan Clarkson took the lead Friday in an 84-56 shellacking of Corpus Christi Carroll, compiling 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. Clarkson, a dark horse All-American candidate who will play at Tulsa next year, is averaging 18.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Aaron Brown, Penn Wood
File photo by Lonnie Webb
The Wildcats have won 12 in a row since losing to Butler (Huntsville, Ala.) at the T-Mobile Invitational in December. The latest was an 87-76 thriller over Brandon Knight and Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest on ESPNU. Winter Park’s Austin Rivers (42 points) and Knight (48) didn’t disappoint the national television audience, combining for 90 points. Head coach David Bailey has prepared his team for Florida’s 6A state playoffs by putting it through one of the nation’s toughest schedules. Winter Park is 2-2 against teams in this week’s Xcellent 25, beating No. 5 St. Benedict’s Prep and No. 19 Montverde Academy, and losing to No. 4 Paterson Catholic and No. 10 Findlay Prep. Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) – two more WPHS opponents – have also spent time in the Xcellent 25, along with Pine Crest.
24. (25) Bowman Academy (Gary, Ind.), 15-0
The Eagles did not play last week.
25. (NR) Penn Wood (Lansdowne, Pa.), 17-3
The Patriots haven’t lost since Dec. 23 at the City of Palms Classic, reeling off 14 victories in a row. The highlight was a tournament title at the McDonald’s Classic in Erie, Pa., where they beat Mount Vernon and the Nichols School of New York. Penn Wood also avenged its last loss by beating Baltimore St. Frances at the Kobe Bryant Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic on Jan. 24. Junior wing Aaron Brown is having a huge season, posting 20.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Dropped out: No. 17 Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.), No. 24 Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.)
