Xcellent 25 high school boys basketball rankings

The biggest statement of the weekend was delivered by head coach Mike Jones and his DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) Stags.

The storied Washington Catholic Athletic Conference program blasted DaJuan Coleman and four-time defending New York Class A state champs Jamesville-DeWitt 83-57 at the National High School Hoops Festival on Saturday. The victory erased some of the skepticism left over from last season when the Stags lost nine games after the New Year and were dominated in a pair of games against nationally-ranked opponents.

DeMatha ran off an 18-0 run in the first half to put away the Red Rams, who were ranked nationally themselves by several media outlets. Unheralded senior Kameron Taylor led the way with 17 points. Fellow guards James Robinson and Marcellous Bell combined for 27 more.

"When we run, I feel no team can stay with us because we have such good guard play," DeMatha big man BeeJay Anya told MaxPreps correspondent Jason Butt following the win.

Looking ahead to later this week, the State Farm City of Palms Classic will be the center of the high school basketball world as five teams in this week's Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard will head to Fort Myers, Fla., for the event. MaxPreps will publish an in-depth preview of the Classic on Wednesday.

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) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (13-1)
Marcus captured its second tournament title of the season, beating Coppell 60-36 in the final of the Marauder/Jaguar Classic. The Marauders shutout Western Hills (Fort Worth) 36-0 in the first half of an opening-round contest. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) – No. 3 in last week's Academy Top 10 – comes to town Thursday for a major showdown.

2. (2) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (5-0)
After a 71-56 win over Palm Desert on Saturday, the Monarchs will head to the City of Palms Classic with a perfect record for the second-straight season. Mater Dei opens play in Fort Myers late Saturday night against the Bishop Verot-Lake Wales winner.

3. (3) Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) (5-0)
Wolverine head coach Sharman White has a daunting week lined up for his program. Prior to heading to the City of Palms Classic, Miller Grove will meet Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) in an ESPN-televised affair Thursday. Like Mater Dei, the three-time defending Class AAAA state champions open play late Saturday in Fort Myers, getting a first-round bye and a date with the winner of Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone, N.J.) and Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.).

4. (4) Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) (3-0)
The Wolverines were pushed all the way to the final buzzer Friday night against Farragut (Chicago), getting a game-high 17 points from star junior Jabari Parker in a 50-43 win. Simeon will have its hands full Saturday against Huntington Prep (Huntington, W.Va.).

5. (5) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) (1-0)
The Gaels finally made their debut Friday night and impressed with a 93-53 thrashing of Durango (Las Vegas). Top-ranked senior prospect Shabazz Muhammad led the way with 30 points. Gorman will have one final tune-up Wednesday against Desert Oasis (Las Vegas) before heading to the City of Palms Classic. A tough and proud South Florida program in Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) is the first-round opponent.