MaxPreps Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings

21. (NR) St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), 3-0
It has been a dominating start to the season for a team that hopes to play its way back into the national championship conversation after a top five finish in 2013. The Gray Bees blasted their first three opponents by an average margin of over 33 points per game.

22. (NR) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 2-0
It was difficult to accept not having a team in our preseason Top 25 from the Maryland-D.C. high school basketball hotbed, but we elected to take a wait-and-see approach. The Washington Post likes the Panthers as the area's No. 1 team and it's hard to argue after a pair of dominating wins last week.

23. (NR) Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 3-0
One of the last teams left out of the preseason Top 25, Centennial knocked off fellow Inland Empire powerhouse Etiwanda 67-63 over the weekend.

24. (NR) Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), 2-0
Royals junior guard Rawle Alkins stole the show Saturday at the Chicago Elite Classic, registering 28 points, seven assists and six rebounds in an impressive 87-56 win over St. Rita (Chicago).

25. (NR) Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland), 1-0
After coming up short on the showcase circuit a year ago, VASJ turned things around with a huge victory Saturday at the Marshall County Hoopfest, beating Pennsylvania title hopeful Archbishop Carroll (Radnor) 60-54.

Dropped out: No. 11 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), No. 19 St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.), No. 20 Chino Hills (Calif.), No. 22 Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.), No. 23 Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas)

Keep an eye on: Bentonville (Ark.), Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), Garfield (Seattle), Greensboro Day (N.C.), Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.), Oldsmar Christian (Fla.), Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Rainier Beach (Seattle), St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio), West Linn (Ore.), Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.)