The 2022-23 high school basketball season continues to ramp up, as unexpected results and heavyweight showdowns were the theme of the first two weeks of the year.
The defending national champion Duncanville has already defeated four ranked opponents in their first five contests, including signature early season victories over top 10 opponents Columbus (Miami) 62-59 and Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 59-57. The Panthers have clearly built the strongest resume to this point in the season and will have the opportunity to reclaim their spot atop the rankings against top-ranked Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) on Dec. 16 at the Hoopfest in Paradise.
Reigning MaxPreps National Junior of the Year
Ronald Holland has been the catalyst for the Panthers again this year. The five-star Texas signee finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and four steals against No. 10 Columbus, tallied 24 points, six rebounds and three steals versus No. 5 Centennial and put up 20 points and seven rebounds in a win over McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.). Holland added 13 points and 12 rebounds against No. 15 Lake Highlands (Dallas) and exploded for a career-high 32 points to go along with 11 rebounds in a season-opening victory over Brennan (San Antonio).
Five teams ranked in the Preseason MaxPreps Top 25 dropped out of the rankings after early-season losses as No. 13 Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), No.
17 Grovetown (Ga.), No. 21 Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.), No. 23 Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) and No.
24 Newton (Covington, Ga.) each showed they have work left to do.
The biggest climb in this week's rankings came from Lake Highlands (Dallas), which jumps into the MaxPreps Top 25 at No. 15 after a lopsided early-season statement victory over previous No. 9 Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.).
Other newcomers were No. 20 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), No. 22 Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.), No. 23 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and No. 24 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.).
Although 12 ranked teams have yet to play a game this season, 10 of those squads tipoff their season this week.
Top-ranked junior prospect Tre Johnson helped Lake Highlands to the No. 15 spot in the first regular season MaxPreps Top 25 high school basketball rankings. (Photo: Keith Owens)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 1
Begin the season with a showdown against No. 2 Duncanville on Dec. 16 at the Hoopfest in Paradise.
Record: 5-0
| Last week: 2
Four of their first five wins came against ranked opponents as the defending national champions took down No. 6 Centennial 59-57, No. 10 Columbus 62-59, No. 15 Lake Highlands 53-52 and No. 24 McEachern 78-69 to begin the season.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 4
Begin the season with a showdown Friday against No. 18 Christ the King at Hoophall International in London.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 5
Begins the season on Saturday against South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) at the All-City Classic.
Record: 4-1
| Last week: 3
Lone loss came against No. 2 Duncanville 59-57 at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest. The defeat snaps a 34-game winning streak dating back to last season's loss against the same opponent. Centennial looks to bounce back Saturday with a rematch of the CIF Open Division state title game last season against Modesto Christian (Modesto).
6. Camden (N.J.)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 6
Open their 2022-23 campaign against Rancocas Valley (Mt. Holly, N.J.) on Dec. 15.
Record: 3-0 | Last week: 7
After defeating three quality Peach State opponents to begin the season, the Wildcats have a tough stretch of out-of-state opponents upcoming. They face Kimball (Dallas) on Saturday, No. 10 Columbus on Dec. 10 and then travel to the City of Palms Classic and Chick-fil-A Classic prior to the new year.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 10
Compete in the Sleepy Thompson Tournament this weekend, beginning with a matchup against Glenelg Country (Ellicott City, Md.) on Thursday.
Record: 1-0 | Last week: 11
The Gaels took down Bishop O'Dowd 76-57 over the Thanksgiving weekend to kick off their campaign. A top 10 showdown against No. 5 Centennial looms on Dec. 10 at Hoophall West.
Record: 1-1
| Last week: 8
Despite falling to Duncanville 62-59 to open the season, the Explorers proved they can compete with any team in high school basketball in the contest. Top-ranked sophomore
Cameron Boozer is averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 69 percent from the field through two games.
Record: 0-0
| Last week: 12
Begin the season with a pair of NIBC showdowns at the Sunshine Classic, facing Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) on Thursday and Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) on Friday.
Record: 0-0
| Last week: 14
Start their 2022-23 campaign against Eagle Academy (Bronx, N.Y.) on Saturday at the All-City Classic.
Record: 5-0
| Last week: 15
Picked up a pair of wins against Lone Star State oppositions at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest, defeating Guyer (Denton) 71-63 before blowing by Prestonwood Christian (Plano) 51-29. Four-star junior
Trent Perry led the way against Guyer, finishing with 25 points eight assists and six rebounds on 10-of-15 from the field.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 16
Tip off the year hosting Bryan Station (Lexington, Ky.) tonight before taking on Campbell County on Friday.
Record: 4-1
| Last week: NR
Enter the rankings after a statement victory over Cardinal Hayes 72-55 behind a balanced scoring effort.
Samson Aletan led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds,
Tre Johnson chipped in 15 points and six rebounds,
Jaylen Washington had 15 points and six assists and
Quinton Perkins finished with 14 points and four rebounds.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 18
Start the year with a massive conference showdown against No. 25 Cardinal Hayes on Friday.
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 19
Defending state champions reeled off four consecutive lopsided victories over in-state opponents, winning by an average margin of victory of 49.5 points per contest to open the season.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 20
Begin the season with a game in London in the Hoophall International against No. 3 Paul VI. The four-team tournament also includes Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Pace Academy (Atlanta).
Record: 2-0 | Last week: 22
Five-star Michigan State signee
Xavier Booker is off to a strong to his senior campaign, averaging 19.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 3.0 assists through two games. A significant matchup awaits the Fighting Irish this weekend against Centerville (Ohio) on Saturday.
Record: 2-0
| Last week: NR
Notched a pair of wins over Peach State opponents at Holiday Hoopsgiving, defeating Pebblebrook (Mableton) 72-63 and Etowah 79-50. Four-star sophomore
Nykolas Lewis averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals through the Eagles first two contests of the year.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 25
Tip off the season with a trip to the Corner Canyon Invitational on Thursday with a matchup against Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) in their first game of the event.
Record: 1-0 | Last week: NR
Record: 0-0 | Last week: NR
Start the year against Coolidge (Washington, D.C.) on Thursday before facing an early-season challenge against Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) on Saturday.
Record: 5-2 | Last week: NR
Picked up wins over a pair of teams ranked in the preseason rankings, knocking off Grovetown (Ga.) 88-80 and Newton (Covington, Ga.) 58-52. The Indians are 1-2 against out-of-state opponents, defeating Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) 72-56 before falling to No. 2 Duncanville 78-69 and National Top 10-ranked Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant. Utah) 60-36.
Record: 1-1 | Last week: 9
Drop 16 spots after a disappointing performance that saw them lose 72-55 to No. 15 Lake Highlands despite receiving a game-high 23 points from second-ranked junior
Ian Jackson. The Cardinals will need to bounce back against No. 16 Archbishop Stepinac on Friday to remain in the national rankings.
