Always a defining stretch of the high school basketball season, the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions and Hoophall Classic take center stage this weekend and feature plenty of MaxPreps Top 25 storylines.
Just one new team entered the rankings this week. Defending Florida Class 6A state champion
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) returns to the MaxPreps Top 25 following a signature victory over defending national champion
Columbus (Miami).
American signee D.J. Sandi and St. Thomas Aquinas became the first Florida team to knock off Columbus since 2023. (PHOTO: Jeff Klein)
Record: 14-1 | Last week: 1
Survived a close call over the weekend, knocking off Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.) 56-52 led by 34 points from five-star senior
Jordan Smith. The Panthers have a busy week ahead with a trip to the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions preceding a matchup with St. Mary's (Phoenix, Ariz.) at the Hoophall Classic.
Record: 12-1 | Last week: 2
Dismantled a quality East St. Louis (Ill.) squad 88-54 paced by 25 points and 12 rebounds from three-star junior
Sekou Cisse. The Panthers have a first-round showdown with Kickapoo (Springfield) at the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions on Thursday.
Record: 15-1 | Last week: 3
Escaped with a pair of close wins, knocking off St. Francis (La Canada) 50-47 behind 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists from five-star senior
Brandon McCoy and Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 78-74 powered by 21 from McCoy.
Record: 17-1 | Last week: 4
Followed up titles at the Classic at Damien and Hoophall West with a 74-66 triumph over Brophy College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.). The Vikings have a pair of showdowns with No. 9 Millennium remaining, set for Jan. 21 and Feb. 10.
Record: 12-1 | Last week: 5
Narrowly pulled out wins over Sagemont Prep (Weston) 72-66 and Riviera Prep (Miami) 89-81 in overtime. The Eagles have a first-round showdown against St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) at the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions on Thursday.
Record: 15-2 | Last week: 6
Sophomore guard
Braylon Williams had a big-time performance in a 78-76 overtime victory against Houston (Germantown), pouring in 32 points and knocking down a 3-pointer as time expired in regulation to send the game to the extra period. Bartlett opens the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions with a showdown against No. 8 Wheeler on Thursday.
Record: 24-0 | Last week: 7
Outscoring opponents by 21.4 points per contest on the season following a pair of lopsided wins last week. Three-star junior
Isaiah Santos was the catalyst in an 82-61 win over Morton Ranch (Katy), pumping in 29 points, 17 rebounds and six assists.
Record: 13-3 | Last week: 8
Following a pair of double-digit wins over in-state opponents, the Wildcats take on Etowah (Woodstock) prior to a trip to the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions where they face No. 6 Bartlett in the first round Thursday.
Record: 16-2 | Last week: 10
A tough upcoming stretch awaits the Tigers as they face Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) on Saturday at the Hoophall Classic before traveling to No. 4 Sunnsylope for the first of two meetings this season.
Record: 9-4 | Last week: 11
Top 40 Michigan State signee
Jasiah Jervis had a big week for the Crusaders, finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in an 83-61 win over Nazareth (Brooklyn) and 25 points, six rebounds and five assists in an 82-59 victory against Bishop Louglin (Brooklyn).
Record: 18-2 | Last week: 12
Followed up their run to the Classic at Tennessee high school championship with a 69-42 blowout of Tennessee Heat (Nashville). Playing an in-state schedule the rest of the way, the Spartans went 9-2 against out-of-state opponents.
Record: 11-0 | Last week: 13
Top 100 junior
Kager Knueppel was the catalyst with 19 points in a 74-54 triumph over Pewaukee. A big-time showdown with one-loss Arrowhead looms large tonight.
Record: 17-3 | Last week: 14
A pair of intriguing matchups await the Sea Hawks over the holiday weekend against Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) on Friday and JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) on Saturday.
Record: 24-2 | Last week: 17
Secured a 56-53 victory over previously-unbeaten Forsyth Country Day (Lewisville) powered by 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals from senior guard
Marty Giant.
Record: 11-0 | Last week: 18
Escaped with an 80-71 victory over previously-unbeaten Rockford in a matchup of the top two teams from Michigan. Bowling Green State signee
K.J. Torbert was the catalyst with 39 points, four rebounds and four assists in the signature win.
Record: 13-1 | Last week: 16
Dismantled Orem 72-36 behind strong performances from BYU signees
Will Openshaw and
Dean Rueckert, who finished with 21 and 20 points, respectively.
Record: 19-1 | Last week: 20
Blew past Loyola Academy (Wilmette) 57-26 at the Pappas Shootout guided by a team-high 15 points from 7-foot North Dakota State pledge
Colin Stack.
Record: 12-0 | Last week: 21
Three-star senior
Kai McGrew led the charge with 18 points and 12 rebounds in a 76-67 win against Pike (Indianapolis). The Tigers face Centerville (Ohio) in a big out-of-state contest at the Flyin' to the Hoop Classic on Saturday.
Record: 10-0 | Last week: 22
Notch their most lopsided win of the season in a 105-30 win over Nathan Hale (Tulsa). The Hornets have outscored their opponents by 28.9 points per contest this season.
Record: 11-0 | Last week: 23
The Firebirds take on National Top 10 powerhouse La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) at the Flyin' to the Hoop Invitational.
Record: 13-3 | Last week: 15
Pulled out a 67-65 overtime victory over a DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) program sitting just outside the MaxPreps Top 25. The Knights have a challenging upcoming schedule beginning with a conference showdown against DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) tonight.
Record: 16-1 | Last week: 24
Junior
Matthew Williams led the way with 21 points and seven rebounds in an 80-43 blowout of Kathleen (Lakeland). The Yellow Jackets have a few challenges remaining in the regular season, beginning with a showdown against Providence School (Jacksonville) on Friday.
Record: 16-3 | Last week: NR
A signature road victory over previous No. 9 Columbus helped the Raiders re-enter the national rankings. American signee
D.J. Sandi scored 18 in the win while juniors
K.J. Sandi and
Clarence Westbrook Jr. each chipped in 17.
Record: 13-4 | Last week: 9
Take a major dip in the rankings following a stunning home loss to No. 24 St. Thomas Aquinas. The Explorers have the opportunity to bounce back this week with games against No. 3 Sierra Canyon on Saturday and St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) on Monday at the Hoophall Classic.
Next 25
Record: 19-3
Record: 13-1
Record: 10-0
Record: 18-1
Record: 13-2
Record: 11-5
Record: 12-4
Record: 8-2
Record: 15-3
Record: 20-2
Record: 13-1
Record: 19-2
Record: 17-2
Record: 15-1
Record: 17-2
Record: 20-1
Record: 12-4
Record: 9-1
Record: 12-1
Record: 21-0
Record: 9-2
Record: 9-1
