The postseason action delivered plenty of movement within the Top 25 this week, but one team drops out of the rankings as high school basketball's version of March Madness continues.
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) jumps Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.) for the No. 5 spot this week after a dominant title game performance earned the Trailblazers back-to-back CIF Open Division State titles.
Ranney (Tinton Falls, N.J.) jumps back into the Top 10 for the first time since early January, taking down previous No. 23 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) for the second time this season while advancing to the New Jersey Tournament of Champions.
Two Tar Heel State teams jump into the Top 20 after picking up convincing state quarterfinal and semifinal victories over quality opponents. South Central jumps up to No. 16 after two massive wins over Raleigh foes, while Southwest Guilford leaps into the Top 25 for the first time this season, debuting at No. 19.
Along with Sierra Canyon, top-ranked McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) finished off its state title run, No. 13 University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) wrapped up back-to-back state championships and Duncanville (Texas) won its first state crown since 2007. DeMatha won both the Maryland Private School state titles and more impressively the Alhambra Catholic Invitational.
The GEICO Nationals field announcement is coming soon so and the top four teams in the nation are expected to earn invitations.
Top 25 High School Basketball Rankings
1. (Last week 1) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 32-0
Completed the run to the program's first state title with a 62-54 victory over the defending state champion Meadowcreek (Norcross). With the Indians headed to GEICO Nationals for the first time in school history, McEachern will look to become the first public school to win the storied postseason event.
Wrapped
up regular season unbeaten for the first time in school history, with a
return trip to the Big Apple imminent in April. The Lakers proved
capable of capturing their second GEICO Nationals title in the past
three seasons with a pair of signature victories over No. 3 Montverde
Academy.
3. (3) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 21-2Completed
regular season with a 10-2 record against Top 25 teams, with both losses coming at
the hands of La Lumiere. The Eagles enter GEICO Nationals looking
to repeat as champions after winning their record fourth event
title last season.
The one-loss season matches the success of the
2016-17 group. This Ascenders squad has opportunity to be known as
the greatest team in program history with a first win at GEICO Nationals
this season
— a feat the 2016-17 group was unable to accomplish after they were upset in the first round by seven-seed Greensboro Day.
5. (6) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 32-3
Finished up back-to-back CIF Open Division state championship runs with an 83-73 win in the semifinals over Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and a convincing 76-52 state title game victory over Sheldon (Sacramento). The Trailblazers have been impressive all season long, with their only in-state loss coming to Rancho Christian (Temecula) in their regular season finale.
6. (5) Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.), 31-3Completed their run to a third consecutive AHSAA Class 7A state title after an impressive regular season that featured quality out-of-state wins over No. 4 IMG Academy, Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.), Meadowcreek (Norcross, Ga.), Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.), Olive Branch (Miss.), St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta) and Wilson (Washington, D.C.) among others.
7. (7) Curie (Chicago), 33-1
Avenged a Sectional finals loss from a season ago, knocking off Whitney Young (Chicago) 53-51 to advance to their state quarterfinal showdown with Simeon (Chicago) on Tuesday. The Condors look to wrap up their quest for the programs first state title this week as IHSA state semifinals and finals are set for Friday and Saturday.
8. (8) Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.), 25-1
Advance to the WIAA Division 2 state semifinals with a 57-44 triumph over the defending state champion Kaukauna. The Knights will face their toughest in-state challenge on Friday when they take on a loaded La Crosse Central (La Crosse), which won the four-team signature series at the City of Palms Classic.
9. (9) Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), 26-3
Expected to receive an invite to their third GEICO Nationals in the last four seasons after completing their regular season with an impressive overall resume. The Tigers boast signature wins over No. 10 Sunrise Christian, Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) and Meadowcreek.
10. (13) Ranney (Tinton Falls, N.J.), 29-3Earned a spot in the Top 10 after knocking off the defending New Jersey Tournament of Champions winner Roselle Catholic 56-50 to win their first Non-Public B title. The Panthers receive a first-round bye before playing Friday in the Tournament of Champions semifinals.
11. (10) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), 22-5Although
the Buffaloes have five losses on the season, wins
over No. 13 University, No. 24 Duncanville, Findlay Prep (Henderson,
Nev.), Guyer (Denton, Texas), Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia), Memphis
East (Memphis, Tenn.) and Rainer Beach (Seattle) bolster a strong resume
for a group that should be in the field for GEICO Nationals.
12. (15) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 33-5
After a tough stretch that saw them lose two of three, the Stags finished the season strong — winning the Maryland Private School state title and Alhambra Catholic Invitational tournament last week. DeMatha took down St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) 79-74, St. John's (Washington, D.C) 92-79 and Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 60-51 en route to the Alhambra title.
13. (12) University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 27-4
Playing
without their McDonald's All-American
Vernon Carey Jr. — who was out
with a high ankle sprain, the Sharks had no issues finishing off their
quest for back-to-back FHSAA Class 5A state titles with a semifinal win
over The Villages Charter (The Villages) 91-53 and a title game win over
Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) 72-46. The only remaining question for
this squad is if they will participate in GEICO Nationals next
month.
14. (14) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 25-0Defending
OHSAA Division I state champions took down Winton
Woods (Cincinnati) 57-15 in their district championship game last week.
The Fighting Crusaders face off against Lakota East (Liberty
Township, Ohio) in Wednesday's regional semifinals.
15. (11) Shadow Mountain (Phoenix), 26-3
Jovan Blacksher and
Jaelen House
have combined to go 105-26 with four state championships over their four year career at Shadow
Mountain. The Matadors take a slight dip after a big weekend for teams directly behind them in the rankings last week.
The Falcons jump six spots in the rankings after a dominant week of hoops. They won their state quarterfinal game on the road in a raucous environment, blowing out Wakefield (Raleigh) 79-45 before taking out Millbrook (Raleigh) 70-50 in the state semifinals. South Central faces West Charlotte (Charlotte) in the state title game on Saturday.
17. (16) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 30-4After hitting the 30-win mark for the eighth consecutive
season, the Warriors are rumored to be a lock for the GEICO Nationals field despite a 0-3 record against teams who have been featured in the Top 25 at some point this season.
Completed
their run to an eighth
consecutive state championship, defeating Clark (Las Vegas)
68-60 in the title game. This talented young group is on the
fringe of receiving a GEICO Nationals invite in their first year of
eligibility.
19. (NR) Southwest Guilford (High Point, N.C.), 31-0
Jumps into the rankings for the first time this season after an incredible 88-58 victory over two-time defending NCSAA 4A state champion Cox Mill (Concord) in the state semifinals. The Cowboys look to complete their unbeaten season this week with a state title showdown Saturday against Walter M. Williams (Burlington).
20. (18) Carmel (Ind.), 24-1
Captured regional championship with a 53-39 win over Zionsville. The
Greyhounds advance to the IHSAA Class 4A state semifinals Saturday where they draw Penn (Mishawaka).
21. (19) Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), 25-2
Captured back-to-back WIAA 4A state championships, knocking off previously ranked Federal Way 61-53 in the semifinals to pick up their biggest win of the season. The Bullpups were led by Gonzaga commit
Anton Watson, who was recently named Seattle Times Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball in the Evergreen State
22. (20) Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), 23-2
After
a disappointing finish to last season, the Crusaders hope to capture
the New York state federation Tournament of Champions as they enter
postseason play favorites to capture their first title since 2012.
23. (21) Roman Catholic (Philadelphia), 23-4Defending PIAA Class 6A state champions opened their title defense with a 92-48 victory over Spring-Ford (Royersford). The Cahillites face off against Lower Merion (Ardmore) on Wednesday with a berth in the state quarterfinals on the line.
24. (25) Duncanville (Texas), 32-7
Finished the season on a 25-game winning streak, winning their state semifinal contest over North Shore (Houston) 63-56 before knocking off Klein Forest (Houston) 73-69 to claim the school's fourth state championship.
Dropped out: No. 23 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.)
Duncanville captured the Texas UIL 6A basketball title over the weekend.
Photo by Kenneth Toso
