About the Rankings: MaxPreps already provides the most comprehensive high school sports ratings with the MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard, a computer model developed by Ned Freeman. Now, it’s time to get the human element involved.
Each Monday, senior writer Dave Krider will run down the top 25 boys basketball teams in the country – weighing record, quality wins and losses and other factors to determine the best of the best.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25
1. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 38-0. Last week: 1. The Warriors did not play last week.
2. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) (34-2) Last week: 8. The Comets won the power-packed Division I Southern Regional with a decisive 53-39 victory over then No. 19 Riverside King, snapping a 21-game winning streak. Senior guard Dominique O’Connor was high with 14 points and junior Jordin Mayes added 12. They nipped then unranked Los Angeles Fairfax, 55-54, in the semifinals as junior Dwayne Polee scored on a short jump shot with four seconds left. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Oceanside El Camino, 65-52, as Polee collected 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Big game: Saturday vs. defending champion Oakland McClymonds (29-1) for California’s Division I state title.
3. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 27-3. Last week: 3. The Celtics won their seventh Non-Public B state title since 1998 with a 76-62 victory over Trenton Catholic. Senior guard Dexter Strickland was high with 20 points, senior forward Paris Bennett added 16 and sophomore Michael Gilchrist – sidelined recently by an injury – added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Strickland had 18 points and eight assists during an impressive 79-54 semifinal victory over talented Paterson Catholic. Bennett had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Kyrie Irving had 14 points and Gilchrist contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds after missing five games.
4. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 30-0. Last week: 4. The Pilots did not play last week.
5. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) 20-2. Last week: 4. The Mustangs did not play last week.
6. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 27-0. Last week: 7. The Royals crushed Minneapolis North, 102-55, in the Class 4A sectional semifinals as Royce White scored 20 points, Ray Cowels 19 points and Marcus Williams dished out 13 assists. Trent Lockett had 19 points, White 18 points and Williams 12 assists during a 94-39 quarterfinal rout of St. Louis Park.
7. South (Bloomington, Ind.) 24-0. Last week: 17. The Panthers rolled past Terre Haute South, 66-39, to win the Class 4A regional. Jordan Hulls had 17 points, while Dee Davis had 16 points and five assists. Earlier in the day they ousted previously unbeaten New Albany, 61-50, as frontliners Erik Fromm and Chaz Cooper combined for 25 points and 11 rebounds. Hulls had 12 points, seven assists and four steals. Big game: Saturday vs. Indianapolis Franklin Central for the 4A semistate crown.
8. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 31-2. Last week: 2. The Monarchs were upset for the second time in less than a week, 79-64, by then unranked Los Angeles Fairfax in the second round of the Division I Southern Regional playoffs. David Wear was high with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while junior guard Tyler Lamb added 19 points. In the first round, they routed Chino Hills, 88-55, as Lamb and Travis Wear each scored 19 points.
9. Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) 22-1. Last week: 9. Junior guard Ray McCallum poured in 30 points, while DaShonte Riley had 18 points and 17 rebounds as the Yellowjackets defeated Madison, 84-61, to win the Class B district title. Donnavan Kirk paced an 81-43 semifinal rout of Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Rangy sophomore Amir Williams had 20 points and 14 rebounds during a 95-63 quarterfinal win against Bloomfield Hills Lahser.
10. LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) 29-3. Last week: 10. The Rattlers have completed their season.
11. Northland (Columbus, Ohio) 23-1. Last week: 11. The Vikings edged Westerville North, 59-56, behind junior Jared Sullinger’s 17 points to win the Division I district title.
12. Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) 28-1. Last week: 16. The quick, defensive-minded Quakers stifled towering Vancouver Columbia River, 51-34, to capture the Class 3A state title and end the season with a 15-game winning streak. Senior guard Peyton Siva earned MVP honors by spearheading a defense which forced 10 first-quarter turnovers and finished with 15 steals. Freddy Wilson had 12 points and five assists to help offset the injury to starter Jesse Hopson, who had to sit out the final game. Earlier in the week, they eliminated Shadle Park, 67-42; Seattle Prep, 68-47; and Lynnwood Meadowdale, 58-37.
Peyton Siva, Franklin (Seattle, Wash.)
Photo By Juliann Tallino
13. St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) 23-2. Last week: 13. The Gray Bees did not play last week.
14. Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 28-1. Last week: 14. The Wildcats stretched their winning streak to 28 games with a 55-39 triumph over Marian Catholic to win the Class 4A sectional. Junior guard Reggie Smith led the way with 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Smith had 12 points and three assists during a 53-40 semifinal victory over Bloom Township.
15. South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) 29-3. Last week: 15. The Hornets completed their season with a 15-game winning streak after beating Westover, 81-62, to win the Class AAA state championship. Superstar Derrick Favors ended his career in a blaze of glory with 38 points, 15 rebounds, eight blocks and four assists. Nick Watkins chipped in with 16 points and seven assists. Favors had 26 points and Andre Malone 18 during a 62-53 win against talented Columbia.
16. Yates (Houston, Texas) 34-1. Last week: Not ranked. The Lions roared through their final 24 games and claimed the Class 4A state title with a record-breaking 94-78 victory over Dallas Kimball. They set 4A state title-game records for points by the winning team, the losing team and the two teams combined as a crowd of 15,521 looked on in amazement. Junior guard Joseph Young earned MVP honors with 29 points. Another junior guard, Darius Gardner, had 20 points, nine assists and six steals. A third junior guard, Brandon Peters, had 18 points and eight rebounds. Their pressing defense forced 27 turnovers.
17. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 29-3. Last week: 21. The Stags stretched their winning streak to 14 games by defeating Ballou, 55-48, before a crowd of 5,000 to win the Washington, D.C., city championship. Senior Naji Hibbert set the pace with 20 points. Big game: Thursday vs. host Bishop Walsh (Cumberland, Md.) at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational.
18. Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.) 24-3. Last week: 18. The Raiders defeated talented Christ the King, 67-58, to win the Class AA Catholic Intersectional Tournament – the sixth title for coach Maurice “Mo” Hicks. Senior guard Durand Scott was dominant with 27 points. Sophomore Jermaine Sanders scored 19 points as Bronx All Hallows fell, 67-58, in the semifinals.
19. Pershing (Detroit, Mich.) 21-1. Last week: 20. Junior guard Keith Appling scored 28 points as the Doughboys captured the Class A district title with a 92-89 victory over Detroit Henry Ford. Appling exploded for 36 points and Derrick Nix grabbed 13 rebounds during a 77-74 semifinal victory over the University of Detroit Jesuit.
20. Coral Reef (Miami, Fla.) 27-4. Last week: 25. Season complete as Class 6A state champion.
21. Ames (Iowa) 26-0. Last week: 24. The Little Cyclones defeated Marion Linn-Mar, 55-45, to win the Class 4A state title, their first since 1991. Junior Harrison Barnes starred with 24 points – including six dunks – and the champs shot a blistering .714 from the field in the second half. Barnes had 23 points during a 52-39 semifinal win against Johnston. Doug McDermott paced a 69-42 quarterfinal win over Iowa City West with 22 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 10-for-10 from the field to ignite a .644 team field goal percentage.
22. Holmes (Covington, Ky.) 32-2. Last week: 22. The Bulldogs avenged an earlier loss with a 32-29 victory over Florence Boone County before a record crowd of 6,000 to win the regional crown. MVP Ricardo Johnson and Elijah Pittman, both juniors, each scored 13 points. Pittman grabbed eight rebounds to pace a solid 31-19 advantage on the boards.
No. 22 Holmes (Covington, Ky.)
Photo By Wayne Litmer
23. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 27-5. Last week: Not ranked. The Lions lost a 55-54 heartbreaker to then No. 8-ranked Los Angeles Westchester, in the semifinals of the Division I Southern Regional. Renardo Sidney scored 23 points and Solomon Hill 19. In the quarterfinals, the Lions stunned then No. 2-ranked Santa Ana Mater Dei, 79-64, as junior guard Jordan Weathers scored 23 points, including seven 3-pointers. Hill and Donte McFrazier each scored 19 points.
24. Lake Clifton (Baltimore, Md.) 28-0. Last week: Not ranked. The Lakers rolled past Friendly, 75-50, to win the Class 3A state championship. Junior Will Barton set the pace with 20 points and nine rebounds. Senior Cleveland Melvin added 17 and junior Antonio Barton had 16. Will Barton also paced a 63-54 semifinal victory over Seneca Valley with 18 points and nine rebounds.
25. Fayetteville (Ark.) 30-0. Last week: Not ranked. The Bulldogs edged Rogers, 40-34, before a crowd of 6,000 to win the Class 7A state title. MVP Fred Gulley scored 21 points, shooting 6-of-12 from the field, while Cable Hogue had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Dropped Out: No. 6 Strake Jesuit (Houston, Texas) (37-1), lost to DeSoto, 48-44, in the Class 5A state semifinals; No. 12 Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) (25-3), lost to Indianapolis Franklin Central, 49-36, in the Class 4A regional finals; No. 19 King (Riverside, Calif.) (30-3), lost to then No. 8-ranked Los Angeles Westchester, 53-39, in the Division I Southern Regional finals; No. 23 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (24-5), lost to Paterson Catholic, 60-55, in the Non-Public Class B state quarterfinals.
