High school basketball rankings: Bergen Catholic, Kenwood and St. Xavier make debuts in MaxPreps Top 25

Columbus strengthens hold on top spot by capturing City of Palms Classic title while Roosevelt moves up to No. 4 after winning Tarkanian Classic.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Jordan Divens
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Dec 24, 2024, 10:30am
The City of Palms Classic, 'Iolani Classic and Tarkanian Classic each had a major impact on this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school basketball rankings.

Columbus (Miami, Fla.) strengthened its hold on the top spot by winning the City of Palms Classic. The Explorers dismantled Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) 90-37 in the opening round, left no doubt against previous No. 4 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) in an 85-48 triumph in the quarterfinals and took down National Top 10 No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 77-71 in a back-and-forth semifinal contest.

In the title game, Columbus knocked off reigning champion and National Top 10 No. 3 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 59-57. Duke signee Cameron Boozer earned MVP honors. Twin brother and fellow Duke signee Cayden Boozer along with juniors Caleb Gaskins and Jaxon Richardson earned all-tournament honors.

Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) beefed up its resume and jumps up to No. 4 in the rankings after winning the Tarkanian Classic. The Mustangs blew past St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.) 79-36 in the opening round, No. 23 Riviera Prep (Miami, Fla.) 73-66 in the quarterfinals, previously-unbeaten Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) 78-74 in the semifinals and another unbeaten in No. 13 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 76-58 in the title game.

Five-star senior Brayden Burries earned tournament MVP while senior guards Myles Walker and New Mexico signee Issac Williamson were selected to the all-tournament team.

Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) was a big mover this week as it jumped seven spots up to No. 14 after going 3-1 at the 'Iolani Classic. St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) makes its debut in the national rankings after winning the King of the Bluegrass title.

Major holiday tournaments and events continue after Christmas with the Beach Ball Classic, Classic at Damien, Classic at Tennessee, John Wall Holiday Invitational, Jordan Holiday Classic, Les Schwab Invitational and Championship Basketball Tournament among the headliners prior to the New Year.
No. 4 Roosevelt celebrates after winning the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas over previously-unbeaten No. 13 Notre Dame. (Photo: Jann Hendry)
No. 4 Roosevelt celebrates after winning the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas over previously-unbeaten No. 13 Notre Dame. (Photo: Jann Hendry)
MaxPreps Top 25 basketball rankings

Record: 12-1 | Last week: 1
The Explorers return to the floor for three games in three nights at the Jordan Holiday Classic, facing Bullis (Potomac, Md.) on Friday, Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) on Saturday and Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) on Sunday.

Record: 6-1 | Last week: 2
Beat Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) 95-52 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference opener. The Eagles take on Lakeridge (Lake Oswego, Ore.) in the first round of the Les Schwab Invitational on Friday.

Record: 11-0 | Last week: 3
Picked up a 72-48 victory against Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) paced by 25 points from junior wing Max Ellis. The Braves face Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) in the first round of the Classic at Damien on Thursday.

Record: 11-1 | Last week: 6
Impressive showing at the Tarkanian Classic sees the Mustangs jump two spots. Roosevelt will have an opportunity to bolster its resume further when it travels to the Classic at Damien, taking on San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.) in the first round on Thursday.

Record: 11-0 | Last week: 5
The Pumas picked up their second win over an out-of-state opponent this season by knocking off Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) 78-58 at the Capital City Tip Off Classic led by 23 points from Missouri-Kansas City commit DeAndre Harrison and 22 points from five-star senior Koa Peat. Perry has a break in the schedule before facing No. 19 Harvard-Westlake in the first round at Hoophall West.

Record: 11-1 | Last week: 4
Despite losing to No. 1 Columbus 85-48 in the second round of the City of Palms Classic, the Rams were impressive in their other three contests to go 3-1 with victories over Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 96-55, Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) 85-68 and Owasso (Okla.) 61-50. Five-star junior Caleb Holt earned all-tournament honors after tallying 16.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Record: 15-0 | Last week: 8
Notched a pair of impressive wins over out-of-state opponents, defeating Greenforest (Decatur, Ga.) 57-29 and Bartlett (Tenn.) 73-51 at the Jasper Classic. Three-star UAB signee Salim London led the way with a team-high 23 points in the victory over Bartlett.

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 9
Blew past previously-unbeaten Hopewell (Va.) 77-57 behind a game-high 22 points from three-star Richmond commit Aiden Argabright and Hayfield (Alexandria, Va.) 67-41. The Justices take the court Thursday for a first-round John Wall Holiday Invitational matchup with Clayton (N.C.).

Record: 9-0 | Last week: 12
Took home the City of Palms Classic Sunshine Series championship with wins over Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.) 69-43 in the semifinals and Gibbs (St. Petersburg, Fla.) 82-71 in the championship game. Five-star Baylor signee Tounde Yessoufou averaged 27 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals per game at the event.

Record: 7-3 | Last week: 7
Although the Pioneers suffered two losses against National Top 10 opponents at City of Palms Classic semfinals against, they notched key wins over Owasso 73-50 and Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) 103-61 to remain in the top 10.

Record: 10-0 | Last week: 13
The Greenies travel to the John Wall Holiday Invitational where they will face Knightdale in the first round of the four-team T.J. Warren bracket.

Record: 13-2 | Last week: 16
Topped the century mark for the first time this season with a 108-46 victory over Marshall (San Antonio, Texas) guided by 36 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals from five-star Houston signee Kingston Flemings. The Bears battle Chisholm Trail (Fort Worth, Texas) in the first round of the Championship Basketball Tournament on Thursday.

Record: 12-1 | Last week: 15
Advanced to the Tarkanian Classic championship game with wins over Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) 80-63 in the first round, Timpview (Provo, Utah) 77-63 in the quarterfinals and Layton Christian Academy (Layton, Utah) 73-60 in the semifinals. Three-star Rutgers signee Angelino Mark, top-ranked junior Tyran Stokes and junior wing Zachary White all earned all-tournament honors.

Record: 10-3 | Last week: 21
A strong showing at the 'Iolani Classic saw the Wildcats secure quality wins over previous No. 11 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) 71-68 in double-overtime and Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 65-58.

Record: 14-1 | Last week: 17
Blew past a quality Prosper squad that came into the contest with just two losses by 29 points paced by a team-high 18 points, five rebounds and four steals from senior wing Antonio Shannon. The Eagles take on Andress (El Paso, Texas) in the first round of the In-N-Out Invitational on Thursday.

Record: 15-0 | Last week: 18
Notched a win over Ramsay 59-42 led by 22 points, five rebounds and three assists from Tennessee-Chattanooga commit Josh Bowman. The Panthers match up against Austin (Decatur, Ala.) in the first round of the Huntsville City Classic on Thursday.

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 20
The Tigers are winning by an average of 26.7 points per contest. Fishers has won 20 in a row dating back to last season as it appears to be serious contenders to repeat as Class 4A state champions.

Record: 12-1 | Last week: 22
Secured a quality win over JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) 65-50 led by 26 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists from five-star Duke signee Nikolas Khamenia. The Wolverines are headed to the Desert Holiday Classic this week.

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 19
After a quality win over Sagemont (Weston, Fla.), the Eagles have picked up three lopsided victories in a row. Calvary Christian Academy competes in The Classic at Tennessee High School where it will take on the winner of Virginia (Bristol, Va.) and Webb (Bell Buckle, Tenn.) on Friday.

Record: 9-0 | Last week: NR
Took home the King of the Bluegrass title behind junior wing Jeremiah Jackson, who won MVP honors of the event while junior guard Chief Cameron and senior guard Chance Dillingham earned all-tournament honors.

Record: 9-1 | Last week: NR
The Panthers battle St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) on Saturday and Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.) on Sunday at the Jordan Holiday Classic.

Record: 3-0 | Last week: NR
Opened the season strong last week with wins over Ramapo (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) 64-45 led by 30 points from senior wing Declan Wucherpfennig and previous No. 25 Father Judge (Philadelphia, Pa.) behind 23 points and 15 rebounds from Wucherpfennig.

Record: 10-0 | Last week: NR
The Mustangs have wins over state contenders DePaul College Prep (Chicago), Warren Township (Gurnee) and Simeon (Chicago). The Broncos take on Thornton (Harvey) on Thursday in the first round of the Big Dipper Christmas Tournament.

Record: 5-0 | Last week: 24
Reidsville takes on Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.) in the first round of the John Wall Holiday Invitational Day'Ron Sharpe bracket on Thursday.

Record: 4-2 | Last week: NR
Bolstered its national resume in a major way over the weekend at Hoopfest in Paradise, knocking off Sagemont (Weston, Fla.) 89-64 behind 18 points, four rebounds and three assists from junior wing Jasiah Jervis and National Top 10 No. 6 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 63-54 led by 24 points and six rebounds from Jervis.

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