MaxPreps Southern California Top 25 high school boys basketball rankings

Some of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day events gave us marquee matchups, and we will get more of the same this week at the Fairfax State Preview on Saturday. Lots of ranked teams will be taking part.

You will notice that Mater Dei no longer has a zero in the loss column - and that the Monarchs are still No. 1 in the rankings. Bishop Montgomery certainly got a lot of consideration for that top spot but in the end we still love how Mater Dei has played a national schedule and has come out ahead in all but one of those games.

We saw Loyola take a tumble after a pair of league losses, and Pacific Hills leaps after besting a pair of ranked teams. Plus there were many losses by ranked teams, opening up spots for some new teams (and ones that have been ranked previously).

Playoffs are coming in about three weeks, so it's going to be exciting what transpires down the stretch.

Freeman Rankings references are current as of Tuesday morning, so they are likely to change soon.

MaxPreps Southern California Boys Basketball Rankings

1. (1 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 20-1, 6-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 1 state, 4 national

The Monarchs' undefeated record withstood one challenge, then couldn't withstand thousands of miles. St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) gave Mater Dei a blemish on its schedule with a 58-44 victory Monday night in Ohio, and that came after the Monarchs needed two overtimes to escape JSerra Catholic with an 82-80 triumph. A 53-16 blowout over Servite also happened. This should be a mellow week, with just a road game at Santa Margarita.

2. (3) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), 20-0, 3-0
Division: Southern Section IV-AA
Freeman Rankings: 2 state, 10 national

In a light week, the Knights won 84-42 over La Salle in Del Rey League play. They play at St. Bernard, then host Bishop Amat before facing Lincoln (San Diego) the next day. Why did they move up? See below. Why didn't they move all the way up? See the intro text.

3. (2) Long Beach Poly, 17-2, 6-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 3 state, 16 national

The Jackrabbits got blasted by Whitney Young (Chicago) at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., 85-52. Losing to the nation's No. 2 team (in the Xcellent 25) is certainly no reason for shame, but since Bishop Montgomery has a flawless record, they get the slight bump up. Poly also won 63-26 over Wilson in Moore League play and this week Jordan, Cabrillo and Compton come in league play.

4. (5) Centennial (Corona), 19-1, 4-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 5 state, 30 national

The Huskies just keep on rolling, as they posted a 98-54 win over King and then a 69-60 triumph over Roosevelt. In the win over King it was 29-5 after one quarter and sophomore Sedrick Barefield scored 33 points. Santiago and Corona come up next in league play, then a good Damien team on Saturday. A win over Santiago would go a long way towards locking down the Big VIII title.

5. (7) Etiwanda, 15-2, 4-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 4 state, 27 national

The Eagles absolutely trounced a quality Rancho Cucamonga team 76-39 in Baseline League play, once again proving that they are a state playoffs contender. They also bested Eisenhower (Rialto) by a 63-34 count and Alta Loma, 65-28. Balance has been key, with nine players scoring against Rancho Cucamonga and 10 against Eisenhower. The team's 13-game win streak is on the line this week against Glendora and Upland, followed by a huge Saturday matchup with La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad).

6. (8) Pacific Hills (Los Angeles), 16-2, 6-0
Division: Southern Section IV-A
Freeman Rankings: 12 state, 69 national

What a big week it was for the Bruins. They seized control of the Alpha League by dispatching Brentwood School, 75-71, and on Monday they took down West Ranch, 77-59 after trailing by one at the half. That's two wins over ranked teams in a week. They also beat Paraclete, 64-41. Next up for Pacific Hills are Windward and Campbell Hall at home, followed by a rematch with Brentwood School on Monday.

7. (6) St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 15-4, 5-1
Division: Southern Section III-A
Freeman Rankings: 8 state, 48 national

Let's not let a 52-50 loss to Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) mar an otherwise successful week for the Braves. Yes, they lost to the national power at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Missouri, but they trampled Nixa (Mo.) 73-63 and Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) 74-53. On the local side of things, the Braves bested Orange Lutheran 72-70 in Trinity League play on Monday night and host JSerra Catholic. A battle against Loyola Saturday also looms at the Fairfax State Preview.

8. (10) Westchester (Los Angeles), 17-5, 5-0
Division: Los Angeles City Section I
Freeman Rankings: 15 state, 84 national

Friday night featured a huge league win for the Comets, as they escaped Fairfax with a 65-64 triumph. Factor in a 69-60 win over Palisades and a 76-35 triumph over Hamilton and it looks like Westchester has the Western League locked down. They will host University and travel to LACES this week in league games.

9. (4) Loyola (Los Angeles), 14-4, 4-2
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 6 state, 37 national

It was a rough week in Cubs land. An 82-80 loss last Monday to Crespi was followed by a 61-59 setback against Harvard-Westlake. Yes, an 86-70 triumph over Alemany got Loyola back on track, but now the Cubs are tied for second in the top-heavy Mission League. They are 4-4 in their last eight contests. Notre Dame should be a win, but then Chaminade and St. John Bosco come calling on back-to-back nights this week - so that means Loyola could slip even lower or climb back to where it began.  

10. (9) Brentwood School (Los Angeles), 18-2, 6-1
Division: Southern Section IV-A
Freeman Rankings: 22 state, 145 national

The aforementioned loss to Pacific Hills hurt a little in these rankings, and in the Alpha League standings. This is still a great team and that was evinced in wins over Campbell Hall (88-69), Paraclete (76-73) and Windward (79-66). Tra Holder poured in 29 in the Windward win.

11. (12) El Camino Real (Woodland Hills), 18-2, 4-0
Division: Los Angeles City Section I
Freeman Rankings: 11 state, 67 national

The West Valley League is a yawn for the Conquistadors, as they blasted Chatsworth 73-32 and Granada Hills 58-37. We would love to move them higher, but Brentwood School won in a matchup earlier this year, so leaping ECR over Brentwood School is hard to do right now. A road game at Taft (Los Angeles) and a home contest vs. Cleveland (Reseda) aren't particularly exciting. But the contest against Orange Lutheran on Saturday is. Yet another Fairfax State Preview game worth checking out.

12. (11) Santa Monica, 15-4, 4-0
Division: Southern Section I-A
Freeman Rankings: 27 state, 184 national

Beverly Hills gave the Vikings a scare in a 63-62 win. Then Santa Monica rebounded with a 67-50 triumph over Morningside. A trip to Hawthorne comes Wednesday, then a battle with Compton in the Fairfax showcase and a home game against Inglewood loom. One thing about Santa Monica is there isn't a marquee victory on the Vikings' schedule, and that moves them down slightly.

13. (15) Bullard (Fresno), 16-2, 2-0
Division: Central Section I
Freeman Rankings: 14 state, 73 national

The Knights defeated Dorsey (Los Angeles) 75-49 at Providence High in Burbank, marking their final contest of the regular season against non-Central Section competition. And all season long, it's been Central Section dominance from the Knights. Madera South went down 69-27 and San Joaquin Memorial fell 80-29 earlier this week. Sanger and Madera are on the schedule this week.

14. (18) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad), 16-3, 2-0
Division: San Diego Section II
Freeman Rankings: 41 state, 293 national

They just keep on winning down there in Carlsbad. The streak is now at 12 straight, and the Mavericks' ranking keeps climbing. Vista and Rancho Buena Vista provided little resistance earlier this week, losing 56-41 and 70-37, respectively. Fallbrook and Carlsbad will be the Mavericks' opponents this week in league play, then comes a huge game against Etiwanda on Saturday.

15. (19) Mission Viejo, 19-2, 3-1
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 10 state, 63 national

Three road games and three wins for the Diablos, a nice way to come back after tumbling in the rankings. They waxed Capistrano Valley 64-35, Laguna Hills 80-56 and Tesoro 90-80. Just one game this week for Mission Viejo, and it's a rematch with Capistrano Valley. Evan Zeller is averaging 23.4 points per game for Mission Viejo and Max Redfield averages 7.9 rebounds per contest. They're going to need to be perfect until a rematch with El Toro if they hope to win the South Coast League title.

16. (23) Tustin, 19-2, 6-0
Division: Southern Section III-AAA
Freeman Rankings: 38 state, 255 national

The Tillers tilted their record in an even more favorable light by dispatching Western (Anaheim) 60-39 and Kennedy (La Palma) 66-39. Yorba Linda, Valencia (Placentia) and Pacifica (Garden Grove) are all on the slate this week in Empire League play. Their losses are to Foothill and Mater Dei, not bad at all.

17. (24) Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley), 16-4, 7-0
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 53 state, 358 national

It was tight wins before the last rankings, and blowouts for these rankings. The Mustangs bested Ventura Monday by a 58-21 score, and that came after they beat Vista del Lago 52-36 and Valley View 55-30. Riverside Poly and Claremont are on the schedule this week, and then comes the JW North rematch the week after that.

18. (25) JW North (Riverside), 17-3, 5-1
Division: Southern Section II-AA
Freeman Rankings: 36 state, 240 national

The Huskies have played great basketball since they lost to Rancho Verde. On Monday they triumphed past Palisades 78-66, and earlier in the week they beat Arlington (Riverside) 60-36. JW North faces Vista del Lago and Canyon Springs this week. North is getting spectacular balance all up and down its roster thus far this season.

19. (NR) Crespi (Encino), 16-6, 6-1
Division: Southern Section IV-AA
Freeman Rankings: 54 state, 360 state

Six losses mars Crespi's ledger. But look at the recent results, and this is obviously one of Southern California's hottest squads. Five of those losses came before Jan. 1, and the Celts have won 10 of 11. This is the Mission League's first-place team, and they're getting it done in gritty fashion. In the last week, Crespi took down Loyola 82-80, Notre Dame 57-49 and Harvard-Westlake 69-66. Alemany and St. Francis are on the schedule this week.

20. (NR) Calabasas, 18-3, 8-1
Division: Southern Section III-AAA
Freeman Rankings: 48 state, 336 national

A big welcome to the Coyotes, as they are the new hot pick in the Ventura County area. First it was Westlake, but the Warriors lost to Calabasas, 68-60, so that means Calabasas is in. We're still hesitant to crown Calabasas, though, as it lost to Thousand Oaks, 49-46, earlier this month. And Thousand Oaks lost to Westlake. Calabasas' resume includes a win over Rancho Verde and a two-point loss to Centennial.

21. (NR) Price (Los Angeles), 19-3
Division: Southern Section IV-AA
Freeman Rankings: 28 state, 201 national

We welcome the defending state finalists to the rankings. Their losses are to Bishop Montgomery, Palisades and Pasadena. It's a relatively young team, and that will be a challenge down the stretch. An 85-70 win over Crenshaw on Monday looked good, and an earlier win over Mission Hills is nice as well.

22. (NR) Orange Lutheran, 16-4, 3-3
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 19 state, 106 national

The Lancers are 3-3 since the New Year. Let's look deeper into the games, though. Orange Lutheran lost to St. John Bosco twice (including 72-70 on Monday) and Mater Dei once. What gets them here is a 77-71 triumph over JSerra Catholic. Servite is on the schedule this week and that shouldn't be much of an issue. What will determine Orange Lutheran's fate in these rankings is a Saturday matchup with El Camino Real. A loss there might be the reason to keep the Lancers out for an extended period. A win could secure a huge rise.

23. (16) West Ranch (Valencia), 14-5, 4-0
Division: Southern Section I-A
Freeman Rankings: 21 state, 135 national

The 'Cats hang on, but by a claw. They got blown out by Pacific Hills on Monday but that followed league victories over Saugus (73-57) and Golden Valley (80-52). Valencia and Hart are on the schedule this week, and Hart could spell trouble, as West Ranch gave the Indians their first loss of the season.

24. (NR) Foothill (Santa Ana), 18-2, 6-1
Division: Southern Section I-AA
Freeman Rankings: 25 state, 167 national

We dropped the Knights after they lost to Villa Park in Century League play. And they still trail Villa Park in the league standings. But when it comes to the Freeman Rankings, there is no question which team has played the better schedule and has beaten its opponents by more. A win over Tustin earlier this season certainly helps. El Modena and Villa Park come to the Knights' gym this week, providing an opportunity to get revenge. Villa Park is 17-1 after a three-game losing streak to start the season, so they could come knocking real soon.

25. (NR) El Toro (Lake Forest), 19-4, 5-0
Division: Southern Section I-A
Freeman Rankings: 40 state, 286 national

We also welcome the Chargers for the first time this year. They opened our eyes with a triumph over Mission Viejo on Jan. 11, and have just kept on winning. They currently lead the South Coast League and Laguna Hills is the only game on the schedule for this week.

Dropped out: No. 13 Cathedral Catholic, No. 14 Village Christian, No. 17 Sonora, No. 20 Westlake, No. 21 Chaminade, No. 22 JSerra Catholic.