MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school basketball rankings

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The section championship rounds are over, and some were over quick — others a fight to the finish.

On Sunday, commissioners from across the state met to slot teams in six divisions: Open, Division I, II, III, IV and V. The Open is the best of the best — power programs with a recent string of success, including NorCal appearances in three of the past four seasons.

In other words, it's pretty much the top eight teams in Northern California that filled out the Open bracket, and it's a good one. The Open is wide open.


1. De La Salle (Concord) (Last week: 1) (28-2)
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: A.J. Kuhle
Update: Top ranked in the Bay Area, the Spartans won their 11th North Coast Section Division I champion, taking out rival Monte Vista 47-29 with trademark solid defense. As the No. 1 seed, De La Salle takes on No. 8 Salesian in a NorCal Open opener on Friday. Jordan Ratinho lead the way. The losses were to SoCal power Centennial (Corona) 50-46 in the Nike Extravaganza and to Bishop Gorman (Nevada) 71-59 in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic.

2. Modesto Christian (5) (30-1)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Modesto Metro
Coach: Richard Midgley
Update: Top ranked by The Modesto Bee, the Crusaders won their 18th Sac-Joaquin Section championship in 20 years, spanning different divisions, downing No. 5 Folsom for D-I honors in a foul-filled slugfest to avenge their lone loss. Modesto Christian is the No. 2 seed in the NorCal Open and starts off against No. 7 Saint Francis. Guard Christian Ellis and center Robinson Idehen lead the way.

3. Moreau Catholic (Hayward) (2) (25-4)
Section: North Coast
League: Mission Valley
Coach: Frank Knight
Update: The Mariners repeated as North Coast Section D-III champions, beating Miramonte (Orinda) 98-67. Moreau Catholic earned the No. 3 seed in the NorCal Open and open against No. 6 Sheldon on Friday. Damari Milstead and Oscar Frayer are leaders. The big win this season was over previous No. 1 Sacramento, 77-67, in the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Cal.

4. Sacramento (3) (29-1)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Metro
Coach: Derek Swafford
Outlook: Top-ranked by The Sacramento Bee, the Dragons won the Sac-Joaquin Section D-II title, the program's sixth under coach Derek Swafford since 2007. Sacramento is the No. 4 seed in the NorCal Open, below Moreau Catholic due to a head-to-head loss, and open against MaxPreps NorCal No. 5 Folsom. Unsung performers flanking senior cornerstones Christian Terrell and Solomon Young include Andrew Williams (12.5 points a game), Sayvon Hines (12.1) and Raphael "Cinco" Durr (9.8).

5. Folsom (4) (27-4)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Mike Wall
Update: The Bulldogs fell to Modesto Christian in the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I finals after beating the Crusaders early in the season. Folsom is the 5-seed in the NorCal Open, starting off with Sacramento. The leaders are Jordan Ford, Tre Finch, Jared Wall, Alec Andrews and Mason Forbes.

6. Sheldon (Sacramento) (6) (22-5)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Joey Rollings
Update: The Huskies lost to No. 2 Modesto Christian in a Sac-Joaquin Section D-I semifinal and landed the 6-seed in the NorCal Open field, opening at No. 3 Moreau Catholic on Friday. Sheldon is led by guards Isaiah Brooks, Drew Cobb, Elishja Duplechan and Devin Greene, along with versatile wing Matthew Manning.

7. Saint Francis (Mountain View) (7) (26-3)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Motil
Update: Top ranked by the San Jose Mercury News, the Lancers won the Central Coast Section Open Division title with a 55-47 victory over league rival Bellarmine. Saint Francis is the No. 7 seed in the NorCal Open and starts at No. 2 Modesto Christian. The losses of note were to Folsom, 57-53, in the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit, and to Sacramento, 73-53.

8. Salesian College Preparatory (Richmond) (10) (28-4)
Section: North Coast
League: Tri-County Rock
Coach: Bill Mellis
Update: The Pride have won 21 successive games since falling to Modesto Christian, 68-56, earned the top seed in the North Coast Section D-IV field and won the title with a 64-53 effort over St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo). Their reward is the 8-seed in the NorCal Open and a shot at No. 1 De La Salle.

9. Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose) (12) (19-8)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Coast Athletic
Coach: Patrick Schneider
Update: The Bells lost to top-seeded Saint Francis 55-47 in the Central Coast Section Open Division title game and earned the top seed in the NorCal D-I field. Bellarmine has an opening bye. Bellarmine prefers to be a bit anonymous — posting no roster, no stats, no intel at all on MaxPreps — while 99-percent of other programs in America do. We do know it's a very good team, balanced on offense and defensive minded.

10. Jesuit (Carmichael) (8) (25-5)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Jon Rotz
Update: The Marauders lost to Folsom in a Sac-Joaquin Section D-I semifinal and wound up with the No. 2 seed in the NorCal D-I field, opposite of Bellarmine. Jesuit opens with a bye. The team is led by Malik Duffy, Ethan Pangelinan, Matt Ehrlich and Jake Virga.

11. Monte Vista (Danville) (13) (22-7)
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Nick Jones
Update: The Mustangs fell to top-ranked De La Salle in the North Coast Section D-I finals, their third setback to their league rivals this season. Monte Vista is the 3-seed in the NorCal D-I field, starting with a bye. It won the CIF State D-I title two seasons ago.

12. Weston Ranch (Stockton) (13) (27-4)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Chris Teevan
Update: Top-ranked by the Stockton Record, the Cougars won their first Sac-Joaquin Section title, taking D-III honors by beating rival Manteca. Weston Ranch earned the No. 1 seed in the NorCal D-III field with an opening bye. Jaelen Ragsdale (20 points per game), Fred Lavender (15.8) and D'Angelo Finley (14.4) lead the charge.

13. Serra (San Mateo) (9) (22-6)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Chuck Rapp
Update: The Padres beat league rival Mitty (San Jose) 53-47 to win the Central Coast Section D-II title. Serra is the top seed in the NorCal D-II field with an opening bye.

14. El Cerrito (NR) (20-13)
Section: North Coast
League: Tri-County
Coach: Michael Booker
Uptade: The Gauchos beat Newark Memorial 70-59 to win the North Coast Section D-II title and earned the 2-seed in the NorCal D-II field opposite of Serra. El Cerrito has an opening bye. The three-time NorCal Open team is typically fast and skilled.

15. Half Moon Bay (16) (27-3)
Section: Central Coast
League: Peninsula
Coach: Rich Forslund
Update: The Cougars lost to Bellarmine 44-33 in Central Coast Section Open Division play and then beat Palma 61-45 and Menlo-Atherton 61-41 in consolation play to earn the top seed in the NorCal D-IV field. They open against Lick-Wilmerding (San Francisco). The Half Moon Bay leaders are Austin Hilton (14.5 points per game), Tommy Nuno (12.4), Andrew Saffold (8.5) and Jake Salinero (8.4).

16. Manteca (17) (25-6)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Brett Lewis
Update: The Buffaloes have three losses to rival Weston Ranch, all competitive, including the Sac-Joaquin Section D-III finals. Manteca is the 2-seed in the NorCal D-III field, opposite of Weston Ranch. Anand Hundal leads the team in scoring (16.2 points), followed by Kenny Wooten Jr. (13.4) and Dwight Young (12.1).

17. Central Catholic (Modesto) (NR) (25-5)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Mike Wilson
Update: This isn't just a football powerhouse program, it's emerged as a basketball force, too. The Raiders beat West Campus (Sacramento) for the Sac-Joaquin Section D-IV title, the program's first at any division since 1988, earning the 2-seed in the NorCal D-IV field opposite of Half Moon Bay. Jarred Rice (16.3 points), Josh Hamilton (12.6) and Cooper Wilson (11.6) lead the team in scoring.

18. Newark Memorial (18) (21-9)
Section: North Coast
League: Mission Valley
Coach: Craig Ash
Update: The Cougars lost to El Cerrito 70-59 in the North Coast Section D-II finals and landed the 5-seed in the NorCal D-II race and will face Antelope on Saturday. An earlier win was over highly ranked Moreau Catholic.

19. Antelope (NR) (23-8)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Capital Valley
Coach: Rob Richards
Update: The Titans, no stranger to the NorCal playoffs, pushed NorCal Open contender Sacramento to the brink in the Sac-Joaquin Section D-II finals, falling 72-68. The Titans are the 4-seed in the NorCal D-II race and open against Newark Memorial. Antelope's leading scorer is Kai Tease, the all-time scorer in program history.

20. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) (18) 14-13
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Tim Kennedy
Update: The Monarchs are thinned due to injury but still formidable, earning the 3-seed in the NorCal D-II race as the defending champion. The last losses were to highly ranked Saint Francis (twice) and to Serra, all league rivals.

21. Menlo-Atherton (Atherton) (21) (26-4)
Section: Central Coast
League: Peninsula South
Coach: Mike Molieri
Update: The Bears lost a tough one to Mitty in the Central Coast Section Open playoffs, beat Santa Cruz and then fell to Half Moon Bay but earned a favorable 5-seed in the NorCal D-I field, opening against McClymonds (Oakland). Menlo Atherton has balanced scoring with Blake Henry (12 points per game), Eric Norton (11.5), Lucas Fioretti (10.7) and Christian Fioretti (10.1).

22. Palma (Salinas) (19) (22-4)
Section: Central Coast
League: Monterey Bay
Coach: Kelley Lopez
Update: The Chieftains lost to Half Moon Bay 61-45 in the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs and emerged with the 3-seed in the NorCal D-IV field. Palma has an earlier win against Half Moon Bay, the top seed in D-IV.

23. Berkeley (21) (20-8)
Section: North Coast
League: West Alameda
Coach: Mark DeLuca
Update: The Yellowjackets lost a tough one to Monte Vista in the North Coast Section D-I semifinals and earned a 7-seed in the NorCal D-I field, opening against Jesuit. Berkeley eliminated Jesuit's Delta League rival in the NorCal D-I playoffs last season.

24. Dougherty Valley (San Ramon) (21) (25-3)
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Foothill
Coach: Mike Hansen
Update: The Wildcats lost to Berkeley 42-39 in the North Coast Section D-I semifinals and came out with an 11-seed in the NorCal D-I field, opening against Oakland Tech (Oakland). Looming is Monte Vista.

(TIE) 25. Woodcreek (Roseville) (23) (20-9)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Paul Hayes
Outlook: The Timberwolves earned a late regular-season win over Folsom in league play, eliminated Bella Vista (Fair Oaks) in a playoff opener and then were bounced by Jesuit. The key returner will be 6-foot-10 national recruit Jordan Brown.

(TIE) 25. Freedom (Oakley) (16) (23-5)
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Drew Torres
Update: The Falcons were the 2-seed in the North Coast Section D-I race behind MaxPreps NorCal No. 1 De La Salle and then was eliminated by defending champion Monte Vista. An early win was an 83-81 triple-overtime effort over Folsom.

The Sacramento Bee on the NorCal Open Division playoffs

The Sacramento Bee on what makes the Sacramento Dragons go

Joe Davidson has covered high school sports in Northern California since 1984, including since 1988 for The Sacramento Bee. Follow him on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sacbeepreps