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.) 20-0. Last week: 1. With twin brother Travis sidelined by flu, 6-10 senior David Wear picked up the slack with 26 points and 11 rebounds during a 102-77 victory over Orange Lutheran. Junior guard Tyler Lamb – also ailing – contributed 23 points off the bench, while junior guard Gary Franklin and senior forward Andy Brown each had 21. Franklin and Lamb each had 14 points during an earlier 70-23 rout of Bellflower St. John Bosco.
2. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 25-0. Last week: 2. Lamont Jones had 27 points and Keith “Tiny” Gallon had 25 points and 11 rebounds in a 96-86 victory over Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.). Junior guard Doron Lamb was right behind with 24 points. Lamb had 21 points and Gallon 20 during an 87-79 victory against Our Savior New American (N.Y.), while Austin Alecxih had 17 points to spark a 105-41 rout of High Point Christian (N.C.).
3. St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, N.J.) 19-0. Last week: 3. The Gray Bees posted two more impressive wins over the weekend. They ran past previously nationally-ranked Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 89-53, before a crowd of 5,300 with 53 percent shooting and a defense which forced 30 turnovers. Sophomore guard Myck Kabongo led five players in double figures with 23 points and junior forward Tristan Thompson added 19. They also defeated Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), 79-70, in overtime as Lamar Patterson scored 23 points – including eight of his team’s 19 in overtime. Thompson added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
4. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) 14-1. Last week: 4. Mouphtaou Yarou scored 24 points and Terrence Ross 23 during a 69-60 victory over Jericho Christian Academy (Landover, Md.).
5. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 21-0. Last week: 6. The Pilots routed Westbury Christian (Houston, Texas), 82-48, behind senior guard D.J. Richardson, who had 25 points and shot 10-for-15 from the field. Senior guard Avery Bradley chipped in 16 points and four assists.
6. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 19-1. Last week: 10. Jordin Mayes had 17 points, while Dominique O’Connor had 15 points and 10 assists during an 80-46 rout of Palisades. Junior Dwayne Polee also had 15 points, along with nine rebounds, five blocks and four assists. O’Connor sparked a 72-48 victory over Los Angeles Hamilton with 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals. DeShun McCoy added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
7. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 13-2. Last week: 7. Underclassmen continue to dominate for the Celtics. Junior center Michael Gilchrist scored 17 points and junior guard Kyrie Irving – who just gained his eligibility after a transfer – added 16 during a 72-37 rout of Newark Tech. Gilchrist had 18 points and Irving had 14 to go with five steals in a 74-42 victory over East Orange. Then Gilchrist scored 19 points and Irving 17 as the Celtics defeated Blair Academy, 66-49, to conclude a 3-0 week.
8. Strake Jesuit (Houston, Texas) 25-0. Last week: 8. Joey Brooks averaged 22 points during victories over Spring Woods (74-31) and Stratford (75-72). Steve Rogers scored 21 points and Tim Frazier dished out 10 assists against Spring Woods, while Frazier poured in 26 points against Stratford.
9. LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) 23-2. Last week: 9. The Rattlers had a 3-0 week, including a 54-51 victory over previously nationally-ranked Duncanville (Texas). Senior DeMarcus Cousins dominated with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Cousins also had big numbers during a 79-62 victory over Mobile St. Paul’s Episcopal (24 points, 11 rebounds) and an 88-57 victory over Union (N.J.) (26 points and 15 rebounds).
10. Northland (Columbus, Ohio) 11-0. Last week: 11. Junior J.D. Weatherspoon scored 24 points to spark an 80-45 rout of Columbus Mifflin. Dimonde Hale had 20 points, while Weatherspoon and Jared Sullinger each added 13 in a 63-48 victory over Columbus Brookhaven.
11. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 16-1. Last week: 12. The defensive-minded Spartans rule northern California with an average winning margin of 27.1 points per game. They ran their winning streak to 12 games with a 75-44 decision over Danville San Ramon Valley as sophomore Joe Stein scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Point guard Brandon Smith had 14 points, 12 assists and five steals. Seniors Jefferson Powers and Beau Levesque had 16 points and 11 rebounds, respectively, while handing Danville Monte Vista its second loss, 45-34.
12. Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) 19-1. Last week: 5. The Cobras were outscored, 33-22, in the second half and were upset, 57-55, by Weston Cypress Bay on a layup at the buzzer. Martavious Irving and Cedric Flood each scored 16 points. They rebounded with a 75-63 victory over Deerfield Beach as Irving scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures.
13. Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) 11-0. Last week: 13. The Yellowjackets stung Belleville, 89-52, as 6-10 sophomore Amir Williams scored 17 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. Junior guard Ray McCallum was close behind with 16 points.
14. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 14-0. Last week: 14. The balanced Royals won three times by wide margins, defeating Minneapolis Henry, 101-48, Vincent (Milwaukee, Wis.), 86-47, and Aquinas (LaCrosse, Wis.), 66-27. Royce White led five players in double figures with 17 points against Henry. White and Trent Lockett each scored 15 points against Vincent.
15. Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) 13-0. Last week: 16. Senior point guard Peyton Siva averaged 19.5 points during victories over Bellevue Eastside Catholic, 65-57, and Rainier Beach, 57-47. Chris Holmes added 19 points against Eastside Catholic. The Rainier Beach game – matching Class 3A’s No. 1 and 2 teams – drew a standing-room crowd.
16. Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 13-2. Last week: 17. The Wildcats avenged a seven-point loss by handing Indianapolis North Central its first defeat by a decisive 66-47 margin. Senior Stephan Van Treese stood out with 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, while Justin Martin scored 15 and Dominique Ferguson 13. The Wildcats shot .509 from the field and held North Central to .310.
17. Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.) 10-1. Last week: 18. James Stukes scoed 24 points to spark a 70-60 victory over Brooklyn Bishop Loughlin. Durand Scott added 12 points.
18. Pershing (Detroit, Mich.) 11-0. Last week: 19. Junior guard Keith Appling averaged 27 points during victories over Detroit opponents Kettering, 80-48, and Osborn, 91-47. Senior center Derrick Nix chipped in with 15 points and 15 rebounds against Osborn.
19. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 15-2. Last week: 15. The Stags were upset by Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), 86-76, before a packed house. Naji Hibbert was high with 18 points. They bounced back with a 62-53 triumph over Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) despite the suspension of leading scorer Josh Selby, a junior guard. Sophomore guard Quinn Cook stepped up with 19 points and four assists.
20. Olympia (Orlando, Fla.) 17-3. Last week: 25. The Titans produced a pair of major victories last week. First, they defeated previously No. 24-ranked Winter Park, 66-60, by overcoming a seven-point deficit in the final 2:43. Senior guard Dexter Fields led the way with 23 points, but playmaker Martell Buie turned the tide with a three-point play and an assist on a fast-break dunk at the end of the game. The other big win was over Orlando Christian Prep, which had won its last 33 games. Sherwood Brown scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the 71-63 triumph and the Titans forged a 35-25 advantage in rebounds.
21. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 15-3. Last week: 21. Senior Renardo Sidney (6-10) amassed 28 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks during an 86-47 rout of San Diego High and its 6-11 junior standout, Jeremy Tyler, who had 29 points and eight rebounds. Sidney had 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in an 84-72 win against Los Angeles University. Senior Solomon Hill added 24 points. The Lions also defeated Venice, 102-60, behind Jordan Weathers (22 points), Sidney (21 points,16 rebounds) and Hill (13 rebounds).
22. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 14-2. Last week: 22. Newly-eligible transfers continued to strengthen the Friars as they defeated Wayne Passaic County Tech, 84-42, and previously nationally-ranked Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.), 52-43. In the first game, Devon Collier scored 19 points, Dominic Cheek 16 and Ashton Pankey 14. The Friars shot 51 percent against Whitney Young and had a dominating 39-21 rebound advantage to offset their own 16 turnovers and 20 missed free throws. Cheek and Jamee Jackson were high with 14 points, while Collier was high rebounder with 12.
23. South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) 17-3. Last week: 23. Senior Derrick Favors had 32 points, 17 rebounds and 10 blocks during an 88-59 victory over Spalding County. Favors had 28 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks in an 85-38 victory against Forsyth Mary Persons. Favors had 21 points, while Andre Malone and Derrick Murray each tallied 20 during a 92-45 rout of Woodland-Stockbridge.
24. Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 18-1. Last week: Not ranked. The Wildcats won twice, raising their winning streak to 18 games. They rolled past Dolton Thornridge, 75-42, as Reggie Smith, Richie Thompson and Trevell Rivers each scored 12 points. Rivers set the pace with 12 rebounds and Thompson had 10. Smith had 16 points and five assists, while Rivers grabbed 12 rebounds during a 64-43 victory over Chicago Harlan.
25. Holmes (Covington, Ky.) 17-1. Last week: Not ranked. The Bulldogs’ winning streak reached 16 with a 69-62 triumph over Largo (Md.). Senior guard JaMel Riley and 6-6 Elijah Pittman – Kentucky’s No. 1 junior – each scored 16 points.
Dropped out: No. 20 Penn Wood (Lansdowne, Pa.) 15-2, lost to Ardmore Lower Merion, 47-44; No. 24 Winter Park (Fla.) 14-6, lost to then No. 25-ranked Orlando Olympia, 66-60, and Orlando Dr. Phillips, 61-48.
Past Weeks: Jan. 5 / Jan. 12 / Jan. 20
Click here for MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard
