Marcus Smart scored a game-high 19 points, blocked a game-shaving shot at the buzzer, then hit this flip following No. 2 Marcus' 39-38 win over South Grand Prairie in the Texas 5A regional finals.
Photo by Keith Owens
For the first time since November,
Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.) isn't featured in the Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard.
The Roadrunners beat teams from seven states outside of Tennessee this season en route to a 31-2 record. They even knocked off Kevin Boyle and
Montverde Academy (Fla.) at Penny Hardaway's Hoopfest in January.
Yet Ridgeway is on the outside of the national rankings picture this week after an upset loss to
Memphis Central in the Region 8-AAA semis, preventing head coach Wes Henning's club from even making the state tournament.
The Roadrunners are an illustration of just how tough it is to finish the season nationally-ranked.
Meanwhile, No. 2
Marcus (Flower Mound) is two wins away from becoming the first repeat champion in Texas' large-school classification (5A) in over a decade. The Marauders won a pair of showdowns in the regionals over the weekend, advancing to the state tournament in Austin for the third year in a row.
No disrespect to outstanding semifinalists
Warren (San Antonio) and
Naaman Forest (Garland), but a Marcus vs. No. 15
Fort Bend Travis (Richmond) matchup would be one of the glitzier state final pairings anywhere in America.
Phil Forte and
Marcus Smart in their final game facing star junior twins
Aaron and
Andrew Harrison would be about as good as it gets in high school basketball.
Read on for a complete look at this week's rankings.
Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
1. (No. 1 last week) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (28-0)Easy wins over Oratory Prep (Summit) and Dwight-Englewood last week set up a big game in the Non-Public North B finals with 25-2 Hudson Catholic (Jersey City).
2. (2) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (37-2)The Marauders advanced to the Class 5A semifinals in Austin with wins over North Crowley and South Grand Prairie over the weekend – teams with a combined mark of 65-8. Marcus will take on Naaman Forest (Garland) on Friday.
3. (3) Milton (Ga.) (26-4)Milton is headed to the Class AAAAA final four for the fourth year in a row, but will be without the services of Georgia-bound senior guard
Charles Mann the rest of the way.
Mann picked up a pair of controversial technical fouls in the regional final win over North Gwinnett (Suwanee).
4. (4) Simeon (Chicago) (28-1)The Wolverines are through to the Class 4A sectional semifinals, where they meet recent rival and nemesis Whitney Young (Chicago) on Tuesday.
5. (5) Chester (Pa.) (27-0)After beating Lower Merion (Ardmore) – Kobe's alma mater – for the District 1 AAAA title, the Clippers open state tournament play Saturday against McCaskey (Lancaster).
