MaxPreps Southern California Top 25 high school boys basketball rankings

The end of the regular season is in a matter of days for teams in the Southern and Los Angeles city sections. The first year of the Open Division playoffs in the CIF-SS is the thing to keep an eye out for, as announcements will be made Friday afternoon regarding which teams are plucked from their enrollment divisions and moved to the Open.

The rest of the Southern Section brackets will be posted Sunday.

Meanwhile in the San Diego Section, La Costa Canyon went down to El Camino. But we can't add El Camino to the rankings because they got smoked by Sweetwater earlier this season. Now Sweetwater is in with its 22-0 record despite a lackluster strength of schedule.

Be sure to check back after the weekend for playoff brackets and also visit the California rankings page, and the metro pages for the Fresno area, Los Angeles area and San Diego area.


1. (1 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 26-0
Classification: Southern (1AA)
Ranks: 1 state, 2 national, 1 Xcellent 25

The Monarchs are now the top team in the state according to the Freeman Rankings. On Tuesday they took down Servite 75-27 with 18 points from M.J. Cage and 16 from Stanley Johnson. They also won 86-56 over Orange Lutheran then went to St. John Bosco and earned a great road win, 78-68. All that's left in the regular season is a Thursday trip to JSerra Catholic.

2. (2) Loyola (Los Angeles), 24-1
Classification: Southern (1AA)
Ranks: 2 state, 3 national, 8 Xcellent 25

The Cubs lost the state's top spot in the Freeman Rankings but more importantly lost Parker Jackson-Cartwright after he left the school due to an academic misconduct issue. On the floor, the team continued to roll, winning three games in the past week: 73-61 over St. Francis, 63-51 over Crespi and 66-56 over Harvard-Westlake. The Cubs go to Alemany Wednesday to finish things off.

3. (3) Etiwanda, 24-3
Classification: Southern (1AA)
Ranks: 4 state, 26 national

The Eagles are the Baseline League champs. They learned from last year's loss and beat Rancho Cucamonga 54-47 behind 26 points from Jordan McLaughlin. They also took down Glendora 69-40. Upland is the only game left.

4. (4) Centennial (Corona), 23-2
Classification: Southern (1AA)
Ranks: 3 state, 13 national

The Huskies won 82-67 over King, 78-67 over Roosevelt and 88-55 over Santiago in league play. But the biggest win was undoubtedly the 70-63 triumph over Cathedral on Saturday. They trailed by seven at the half, then ran away with it. They go to Corona Thursday.

5. (5) JW North (Riverside), 22-2 (23-0 on court)
Classification: Southern (1A)
Ranks: 17 state, 108 national

The Huskies moved to within one game of a perfect record on the court. They won 59-45 over Rancho Verde and 58-38 over Poly (Riverside), and that leaves only Thursday's trip to Arlington. The strength of schedule for JW North is not as brutal as some of the other highly ranked squads, but you can't fault clerical errors for the forfeit losses and you have to respect an unblemished mark.

6. (6) Redondo Union (Redondo Beach), 21-4
Classification: Southern (2AA)
Ranks: 10 state, 63 national

The Sea Hawks won 79-31 over West (Torrance) and 73-39 over Palos Verdes - hardly challenging victories. All they have left is a road game at Leuzinger Thursday before the postseason.

7. (7) Westchester (Los Angeles), 23-5
Classification: Los Angeles City (I)
Ranks: 7 state, 41 national

The Comets continued their romp through league play, winning 65-38 over Hamilton and 77-60 at Fairfax. They go to University for a Wednesday game and host Los Angeles CES Friday to close out the season.

8. (8) Mayfair (Lakewood), 21-5
Classification: Southern (1AA)
Ranks: 42 state, 361 national

The Monsoons are now at 14 wins in a row, continuing a stellar streak. They downed Artesia 61-46 and on Senior Night dispatched Bellflower 58-49. They go to Cerritos Thursday to finish the regular season.

9. (9) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth), 24-2
Classification: Southern (4A)
Ranks: 11 state, 72 national

The Trailblazers edged Brentwood School 47-44 behind 22 points from Cody Riley, and they also won 76-66 over Campbell Hall. They close the regular season Thursday at Windward, a game that won't have league title ramifications because Windward lost Tuesday.

10. (10) Chino Hills, 22-4
Classification: Southern (1AA)
Ranks: 6 state, 39 national

The Huskies had no trouble with three victories: 88-56 over Charter Oak, 87-56 over Ayala and 84-67 over Claremont. A Thursday home game against Damien is all that remains in the regular season.

11. (11) St. Augustine (San Diego), 23-2
Classification: San Diego (Open)
Ranks: 12 state, 75 national

The Saints blew out Lincoln 58-48 and dispatched La Jolla 75-58. San Diego's season extends longer than the Southern and Los Angeles sections, so they go to Mission Bay Thursday and Cathedral Catholic Tuesday before they finish the regular season next Friday against University City.

12. (13) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), 22-4
Classification: Southern (4AA)
Ranks: 9 state, 58 national

The Knights are now finished with their regular season, running off three victories to finish things off. They won 67-31 over Bishop Amat and 98-44 at La Salle, but the biggest was a revenge victory over Serra, 65-51.

13. (14) Chaminade (West Hills), 20-4
Classification: Southern (3A)
Ranks: 8 state, 45 national

The Eagles persevered 52-44 over Crespi, 55-35 at Notre Dame and 74-58 at Alemany. They host St. Francis Wednesday in a regular-season finale, a chance to avenge a loss earlier in the season.

14. (17) Compton, 21-5
Classification: Southern (2A)
Ranks: 16 state, 104 national

The Tarbabes finally did what no Moore League team had done in what seemed a lifetime (59 games): They beat Poly. The 54-46 triumph was an exercise in controlling the tempo, as Moore League games typically feature more scoring. They also whacked Woodrow Wilson 74-61 and Cabrillo 87-47. They host Jordan Thursday to finish the regular season.

15. (16) St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 16-9
Classification: Southern (2AA)
Ranks: 15 state, 92 national

The Braves are not assured of an Open Division berth in the Southern Section. But you definitely have to keep them in mind. They lost 78-68 to Mater Dei, but pulled out victories over JSerra Catholic (78-75) and Orange Lutheran (61-53). They host Santa Margarita in a tough game Thursday.

16. (12) Long Beach Poly, 19-7
Classification: Southern (1AA)
Ranks: 20 state, 148 national

The Jackrabbits lost 54-46 at Compton, but rebounded to win 57-36 over Lakewood. The schedule says they have one more game with Woodrow Wilson, though there are also reports that their regular season is over.

17. (15) Serra (Gardena), 19-7
Classification: Southern (4AA)
Ranks: 22 state, 162 national

The Cavaliers won 88-56 at La Salle and also won 79-57 over St. Bernard's. But they came up short in a rematch with Bishop Montgomery, losing 65-51. They will go to Bishop Amat Thursday in their final regular-season game.

18. (18) El Toro (Lake Forest), 23-2
Classification: Southern (1A)
Ranks: 21 state, 157 national

The Chargers are an Open Division team in some peoples' eyes. Others say they're just not quite good enough. Either way, they won three games in the past week: Mission Viejo (68-63), Tesoro (65-43) and Aliso Niguel (67-55). They go to Capistrano Valley Thursday.

19. (19) Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista), 22-2
Classification: San Diego (II)
Ranks: 44 state, 377 national

The Crusaders ran their winning streak to 15, and still haven't lost to a San Diego County squad. They dispatched Bonita Vista 78-45 and Eastlake 62-41. Upcoming games include Olympian Thursday and Otay Ranch on the 19th.

20. (20) Rancho Cucamonga, 22-4
Classification: Southern (1AA)
Ranks: 29 state, 235 national

The Cougars lost to Etiwanda for the second time this season, falling 54-47. They beat Alta Loma 87-66 and Los Osos 62-57. They stay pat in the rankings because nobody below them posed a marquee win and Etiwanda is one of the best in the state. They host Glendora Thursday.

21. (21) El Camino Real (Woodland Hills), 20-6
Classification: Los Angeles City (I)
Ranks: 24 state, 166 national

The Conquistadors' schedule may have a mistake on it, but according to what they have reported, they beat Birmingham 72-38, Montclair Prep 91-60, Birmingham again 91-60 and Taft 83-52. Road games at Granada Hills Wednesday and Cleveland Friday close out the regular season.

22. (24) Sonora (La Habra), 23-3
Classification: Southern (2A)
Ranks: 49 state, 402 national

The Raiders are the Freeway League champs after dusting La Habra 58-41. They also won over Buena Park 77-64 and Fullerton 60-49. All that's left for this bubble team for the Open Division is Sunny Hills on Thursday.

23. (22) Cathedral (Los Angeles), 20-3
Classification: Southern (3A)
Ranks: 32 state, 247 national

The Phantoms fought valiantly against Centennial but lost 70-63. The big one was a 71-50 shellacking of Cantwell-Sacred Heart, the second win for Cathedral over the Cardinals this season. They also found time to beat down St. Monica 87-44 and St. Paul 56-32. They host Bosco Tech Wednesday and Rancho Christian Thursday.

24. (NR) Sweetwater (National City), 22-0
Classification: San Diego (III)
Ranks: 53 state, 447 national

This spot came down to a 22-0 Sweetwater team and a 25-0 Buckley team. Tough choice. The Red Devils get the nod here because they blew out a three-loss El Camino team that beat previously ranked La Costa Canyon, and they play in a higher division than 25-0 Buckley. Still a tough call. Sweetwater's average score this year: 80.2 to 45.4. Domination indeed. They battle Chula Vista Thursday and go to Hilltop next Wednesday.

25. (25) Cantwell-Sacred Heart (Montebello), 19-6
Classification: Southern (4A)
Ranks: 23 state, 163 national

The Cardinals stay alive in the rankings despite their 71-50 blowout loss to Cathedral, which continues to prove it is a great team. Cantwell beat Mary Star of the Sea 83-41 and Bosco Tech 78-28. They close the season at St. Monica Wednesday.