Montverde Academy returns to the top spot in the National Top 20 basketball rankings after a two-week hiatus from the perch they held for two consecutive wire-to-wire national championship runs. The Eagles once again prove they are the team to beat after picking up a pair of impressive wins at Holiday Hoopsgiving, shellacking Real Salt Lake Academy (Herriman, Utah) 84-39 and besting Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 70-55.
Montverde will have its top spot tested this week with showdowns against No. 8 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) as NIBC play begins Thursday.
Former No. 1 AZ Compass Prep nearly falls out of the top 10 after struggling at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest. The Dragons escaped with a 74-69 victory over McKinney (Texas) before being dismantled 61-38 by Richardson (Texas) the following night. They found very little success on the offensive end against the talented Texas public school.
NIBC play headlines the week ahead as Montverde Academy, IMG Academy, Sunrise Christian Academy, No. 7 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), Oak Hill Academy, No. 11 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) and No. 19 Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) will all compete in conference showdowns.
Dariq Whitehead, Montverde Academy
Photo by David Rosenblum
Record: 2-0 | Last week: 2
Record: 1-0 | Last week: 3
The Ascenders took an extended holiday before before returning to the court this week to face No. 1 Montverde
Academy, No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy and No. 8 Oak Hill Academy in
NIBC action.
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 4
The Buffaloes picked up a pair of quality wins over the weekend, defeating Christian Brothers (St. Louis) 65-49 and Bartlett (Tenn.) 74-61. They open NIBC play with No. 1 Montverde Academy, No. 2 IMG Academy and No. 8 Oak Hill Academy.
Record: 9-0 | Last week: 5
Notched a signature victory over No. 12 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) 55-48 at the Memphis Hardwood Classic behind game MVP Jordan Walsh, who finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists. The Lions face Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.) and No. 20 Denver Prep Academy at the Battle at the Rock on Friday and Saturday.
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 8
They continue to climb the rankings after a pair of quality wins over The Burlington School (Burlington, N.C.) 58-51 and No. 15 Huntington Prep (Huntington, W. Va.) 75-73. Jaxon Kohler finished with 29 points and seven rebounds in the Rams victory over Huntington Prep.
Record: 10-0 | Last week: 6
Highly touted prospects
Kamari Lands and
Malachi Palmer are off to hot starts for a high-powered Bruins offense averaging over 100 points per contest. The Bruins haven't played since our last update.
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 7
A big weekend awaits Lakers as they open NIBC play with games against Bishop Walsh (Cumberland, Md.), No. 11 Wasatch Academy and No. 19 Legacy Early College at the Bob Kirk Invitational.
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 9
It doesn't get tougher than the Warriors upcoming slate of games as they take on No. 1 Montverde Academy, No. 2 IMG Academy and No. 3 Sunrise Christian Academy in NIBC play.
Record: 9-1 | Last week: 1
The Dragons drop eight spots after a difficult weekend at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest. The Dragons lost handily to Richardson — No. 2 in MaxPreps Top 25 rankings — playing without their second-leading scorer
Chance Westry.
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 10
Picked up a quality victory over Chambers (Charlotte) 62-60 over the weekend. The Goats compete in the Tyler Lewis Hoopfest this week, facing No.18 Moravian Prep on Friday and Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) on Saturday.
Record: 3-0 | Last week: 11
Defeated a pair of tough opponents at Thanksgiving Hoopfest, beating Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) 62-55 and Bishop Louglin (Broklyn, N.Y.) 82-57. The Tigers travel to the Bob Kirk Invitational to face No. 7 La Lumiere, No. 19 Legacy Early College and Bishop Walsh (Cumberland, Md.) to kick off NIBC play.
Record: 7-2 | Last week: 12
The Crew lost for the second time of the season, dropping a 55-48 decision to No. 5 Link Academy at the Memphis Hardwood Classic. They travel to the Marshall County Hoopfest for three challenging contests this weekend, battling Ballard (Kentucky), Our Saviour Lutheran (Bronx, N.Y.) and Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.).
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 15
Defeated Carrollwood Day (Tampa, Fla.) and Creekside Christian Academy (Mcdonough, Ga.) by an average of 37.5 points per contest at the Florida Get Down Showcase over the weekend.
Maurice Odum was their leading scorer in both games, averaging 19 points per contest in the blowout wins.
Record: 1-0 | Last week: 14
Opened the year with a hard-fought victory over Hun (Princeton, N.J.) 69-65. The Gray Bees were paced by 33 points from
Ty-Laur Johnson.
Record: 2-2 | Last week: 17
Split a pair of big-time matchups at Holiday Hoopsgiving, defeating Donda Academy (Simi Valley, Calif.) 50-45 before losing a heart-breaker to No. 5 Southern California Academy, 75-73. Highly regarded sophomore prospect
Trentyn Flowers averaged 24 points over the two contests.
Record: 7-1 | Last week: 19
Picked up a 61-50 victory over North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville, Fla.) in their first game back from Thanksgiving Break. Sophomore forward
R.J. Jones paced the effort with 27 points and five rebounds.
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 20
Defeated American Collegiate Academy (Clearwater, Fla.) 79-66 behind another impressive performance from
Victor Panov, who scored a game-high 31 points.
Record: 11-0 | Last week: Not ranked
They take on No. 10 Combine Academy on Friday in a showdown for Tar Heel State bragging rights at the Tyler Lewis Hoopfest.
Record: 4-1 | Last week: Not ranked
The Lions face a daunting upcoming schedule with four games against ranked teams in their next five games. They begin that stretch at the Bob Kirk Invitational this weekend with No. 7 La Lumiere, No. 11 Wasatch Academy and Bishop Walsh (Cumberland, Md.).
Record: 3-1 | Last week: Not ranked
Escaped with a 62-59 victory over Veritas Prep (Calabasas, Calif.) behind 21 points and 10 rebounds from five-star junior
Baye Fall in their most recent game.
