MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school basketball rankings

Video: MaxPreps Sacramento powered by SMUD

League play started for programs throughout Northern California, with showcase all-day events sprinkled in, including the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit (Carmichael). League play resumes this week, and for some, the week ends at Haas Pavilion at Cal for the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Haas Pavilion.


1. Sacramento (Last week: 1) (14-0)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Metro
Coach: Derek Swafford
Outlook: Top-ranked by The Sacramento Bee, the Dragons are off to a school-record best start, and this includes some championship teams of decades past. Andrew Williams, a four-year varsity performer, had a game-high 27 points, and Christian Terrell had a triple-double in a 91-45 rout of Laguna Creek (Elk Grove) in a Metropolitan Conference game. Sacramento caps this week against No. 5 Moreau Catholic in the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Cal. This is the top-ranked team in the state at Division II.

2. De La Salle (Concord) (2) (11-1)
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: A.J. Kuhle
Update: The Spartans, led by Jordan Ratinho and Nikhil Peters, raced past Livermore 74-25 in league action and may only find stiff competition from rival Monte Vista. De La Salle has no in-state losses, falling only to Bishop Gorman in an otherwise strong showing at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic. The Spartans cap this week by playing Orange Lutheran in the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Cal.

3. Folsom (3) (14-2)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Mike Wall
Update: The Bulldogs had a big week, blasting past Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 58-37 and previous No. 8 Granite Bay 62-39 in Sierra Foothill League action and then downing No. 7 Saint Francis 57-53 in the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit. Guards Alec Andrews, Tre Finch, Jordan Ford and Jared Wall have played well. A big showdown looms Friday at No. 23 Woodcreek. Earlier wins over ranked foes include Modesto Christian and Sheldon.

4. Modesto Christian (4) (13-1)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Modesto Metro
Coach: Richard Midgley
Update: The Crusaders extended their winning streak to 13 after racing past Modesto 93-48 and Gregori (Modesto) 70-32 in league play and Cathedral (Los Angeles) 82-65 in the Sierra Canyon Super Showcase behind balance and defense and some emphatic dunks by Robinson Idehen. The loss was in the final seconds in a season opener to No. 3 Folsom, 53-51. A rematch could come in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, if not the CIF Open Division NorCal playoffs.

5. Moreau Catholic (Hayward) (5) (10-3)
Section: North Coast
League: Mission Valley
Coach: Frank Knight
Update: The Mariners are off to a 2-0 start in league play after blasting past Mission San Jose (Fremont) 92-45 and Irvington (Fremont) 86-42. The leaders are wing Oscar Frayer and guards Damari Milstead and Terrell Brown. Moreau Catholic caps the week with a showdown against top-ranked Sacramento in the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Cal.

6. Sheldon (Sacramento) (6) (7-4)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Joey Rollings
Update: The Huskies are off to a 2-0 start in the Delta League after cruising past Monterey Trail (Elk Grove) 73-60 and Franklin (Elk Grove) 86-60 as guard play - Isaiah Brooks, Elishja Duplechan, Devin Greene - and the versatility of Matthew Manning set the tone. Sheldon caps the week against No. 9 Jesuit at home, where the band rocks and the students get into the game.

7. Saint Francis (Mountain View) (7) (9-2)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Motil
Update: The Lancers are 2-0 out of the gates in the WCAL with wins of 54-49 over Riordan (San Francisco) and 54-42 over Serra (San Mateo), a game that went to the wire and featured a terrific home-crowd atmosphere. Saint Francis lost to No. 3 Folsom 57-53 in the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit in a fun game to the wire as Curtis Witt had yet another strong game. The only other NorCal loss was to top-ranked Sacramento.

8. Manteca (9) (12-2)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Brett Lewis
Update: The Buffaloes are off to a 2-0 start in the VOL after downing Lathrop 58-51 and Sierra (Manteca) 67-49. They cap the week at No. 20 Weston Ranch (Stockton) Friday and against Berkeley on Monday at the MaxPreps Martin Luther King Classic at Cal. The leaders are Anand Hundal, Kenny Wooten Jr. and Dwight Young.

9. Jesuit (Carmichael) (12) (11-2)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Jon Rotz
Update: The Marauders impressed in routs of Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 75-52 and Davis 75-55 in Delta League action and in beating El Cerrito 60-55 in the capper of the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit. Guard Ethan Pangelinan was strong against El Cerrito as a floor leader and scorer. Jesuit plays at No. 6 Sheldon on Friday and hosts rival Christian Brothers (Sacramento) on Saturday.

10. Granite Bay (8) (13-3)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Jason Sitterud
Update: The Grizzlies lost to No. 3 Folsom 62-39 in SFL play as a close first-half game got out of hand, but they bounced back big with a strong win over No. 12 Monte Vista 63-56. Senior guard Charlie Tooley had a strong game as a ballhandler, passer and scorer, finishing with 22. League rivalry games loom against Rocklin and Del Oro (Loomis).

11. Freedom (Oakley) (10) (10-2)
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Drew Torres
Update: The Falcons like their chances in the Bay Valley League, and, of course, the North Coast Section Division I championship race. They have a 13-point loss to Granite Bay, a three-point loss to Manteca and an 83-81 triple-overtime win over Folsom as gauge efforts.

12. Monte Vista (Danville) (11) (11-3)
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Nick Jones
Update: The Mustangs lost to No. 10 Granite Bay 63-56 in the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit and bounce right back into league play against formidable Foothill (Pleasanton), followed by California (San Ramon) and Livermore. No. 2 De La Salle looms on Jan. 22. The Mustangs are two-time defending NCS D-I champions and won the CIF state title in 2014.

13. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) (13) (5-5)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Coast Athletic
Coach: Tim Kennedy
Outlook: The defending NorCal D-II champions return to action Jan. 22 against Riordan, followed by No. 7 Saint Francis. Losses early include ranked heavies Sheldon (79-76) and Modesto Christian (57-54).

14. Half Moon Bay (14) (12-1)
Section: North Coast
League: Peninsula
Coach: Rich Forslund
Update: The Cougars belted Jefferson (Daly City) 72-48 and Westmoor (Daly City) 59-29 to open league play. The loss was to Palma 42-40, a team Half Moon Bay beat seven days earlier, 47-42. Tommy Nuno and Austin Hilton are the key players. A big win was over ranked Bellarmine, 41-35.

15. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) (NR) (9-2)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Rob Marcaletti
Update: The Wildcats are off to a fast start, including a 56-53 double-overtime win over No. 16 Bellarmine in WCAL action. This sort of game is the norm in this league, one of the very best in the state.

16. Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose) (15) (9-2)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Coast Athletic
Coach: Patrick Schneider
Update: The Bells lost to No. 15 St. Ignatius 56-53 in double-overtime and beat Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 57-47. A showdown looms against No. 7 Saint Francis. The other loss was No. 14 Half Moon Bay, 41-35.

17. Capital Christian (Sacramento) (16) (8-6)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Golden Empire
Coach: Devon Jones
Update: The Cougars are 2-0 in league play after slipping past West Campus (Sacramento) 78-77 and rolling Natomas (Sacramento) 78-41 before falling to Newark Memorial 65-54 in the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit. Capital Christian has earlier losses to top-ranked Sacramento 75-59, No. 3 Folsom (80-53) and No. 5 Moreau Catholic (69-48).

18. Salesian College Preparatory (Richmond) (17) (11-4)
Section: North Coast
League: Tri-County Rock
Coach: Bill Mellis
Update: The Pride have won four successive games since falling to No. 4 Modesto Christian 68-56, downing Stuart Hall (San Francisco) 75-48, Deer Valley (Antioch) 68-46 and Kennedy (Richmond) 75-52. League fun starts this week, including rival St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) on Friday. Another loss was to No. 17 Capital Christian 70-64.

19. Palma (Salinas) (18) (11-2)
Section: Central Coast
League: Monterey Bay
Coach: Kelley Lopez
Update: The Chieftains are 2-0 in league play after beating Monterey 85-61 and San Benito (Hollister) 57-40 as defense and balance were key. One loss was to No. 7 Saint Francis and the other was to ranked Half Moon Bay. There's also a nice win against Half Moon Bay, too.

20. Weston Ranch (Stockton) (19) (11-3)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Chris Teevan
Update: The Cougars are 2-0 in league play after downing Central Catholic (Modesto) 62-58 and East Union (Manteca) 67-50. An earlier loss was to Capital Christian (68-61) and other setbacks to heavies from Southern California.

21. Menlo-Atherton (Atherton) (20) (10-2)
Section: Central Coast
League: Peninsula South
Coach: Mike Molieri
Update: The Bears are 2-0 in league play after devouring Capuchino (San Bruno) 69-28 and Sequoia (Redwood City) 75-39. The losses were to ranked Bellarmine (58-57) and ranked Half Moon Bay (55-49).

22. Dougherty Valley (San Ramon) (21) (14-1)
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Foothill
Coach: Mike Hansen
Update: The Wildcats are 2-0 in league play after beating Dublin 71-63 and Alhambra (Martinez) 61-38 with games looming against Campolindo (Moraga), Acalanes (Lafayette) and Amador Valley (Pleasanton). They have no in-state losses, falling only to Carson of Nevada, 62-50.

23. Woodcreek (Roseville) (22) (11-6)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Paul Hayes
Outlook: The Timberwolves are 2-0 in league play after downing Rocklin 66-45 and Del Oro (Loomis) 62-51 as sophomore post Jordan Brown continues to play well. The next three games are beyond big: Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), No. 3 Folsom and No. 10 Granite Bay. An early loss was 79-65 to top-ranked Sacramento.

24. Dublin (23) (12-2)
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Foothill
Coach: Tom Costello
Update: The Gaels start league play this week, expecting to win the banner. The losses were to Concord (74-68) and No. 22 Dougherty Valley (71-63).

(TIE) 25. Pittsburg (24) (9-6)
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Carson Padon
Update: The Pirates, fresh off a big football season, are rounding into hoops shape amid a brutal early schedule. The biggest win was last week's 76-73 overtime effort over ranked Oakland Tech. League play starts this week against Deer Valley (Antioch), and the week ends with a Martin Luther King Showcase game against San Leandro at Dublin High.

(TIE) 25. Oakland Tech (25) (14-1)
Section: Oakland
League: Oakland
Coach: Karega Hart
Update: The Bulldogs bounced back from a three-point overtime loss to Pittsburg to beat Bethel (Vallejo) 67-52, then opened league action with an 84-66 rout of McClymonds (Oakland). Souley Boum is averaging 20.2 points.

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/

The Sacramento Bee on the Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit that included Bay Area and Sacramento powers...click here

The Sacramento Bee on what to expect in high school hoops, from the Open Division to underclassmen stars on the rise....click here