Compiled By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
About the Rankings: MaxPreps already provides the most comprehensive high school sports ratings with the MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard, a computer model developed by Ned Freeman. Now, it’s time to get the human element involved.
Each Monday, senior writer Dave Krider will run down the top 25 boys basketball teams in the country – weighing record, quality wins and losses and other factors to determine the best of the best.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 26-0. Last week: 1. The Monarchs defeated Bellflower St. John Bosco, 81-49, and Orange Lutheran, 97-71. Travis Wear scored a career-high 34 points against Orange Lutheran.
2. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 34-0. Last week: 2. The Warriors won twice, including a major 73-64 decision over No. 3 St. Patrick. The score was tied 10 times and the lead changed hands 19 times. Junior guard Bryon Allen was high with 17 points. Glenn Bryant added 15 and Doron Lamb 14.
3. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 19-3. Last week: 3. The Celtics lost a hard-fought 73-64 decision to No. 2 Oak Hill despite 28 points and 12 rebounds by 6-foot-7 sophomore Michael Gilchrist. Guards Dexter Strickland and Kyrie Irving both scored 16 points to spark a 63-58 victory over Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
4. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) 18-1. Last week: 4. Mouphtaou Yarou averaged 16.5 points in victories over St. John’s Catholic Prep (Frederick, Md.), 75-41, and Shabazz (Newark, N.J.), 57-48.
5. Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 28-0. Last week: 5. The Pilots not only picked up four victories last week, but they also picked up one of the nation’s top five juniors, 6-9 Tristan Thompson, who transferred from St. Benedict’s Prep. Victor Rudd poured in 35 points during a 111-75 rout of Stoneridge Prep (Simi Valley, Calif.). Big game: Friday vs. Duncanville, Texas, at SMU.
6. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 23-1. Last week: 6. The Spartans raised their winning streak to 19 games by defeating Amador Valley, 58-27, and Danville Monte Vista, 60-52. Beau Levesque had 16 points and Brandon Smith had eight assists in the first game. Six-foot-eight junior John McArthur sparked the second victory with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
7. Strake Jesuit (Houston, Texas) 31-0. Last week: 7. Joey Brooks averaged 21 points and Tim Frazier averaged 14.5 points during victories over Alief Hastings, 49-39, and Houston Spring Woods, 62-48.
8. LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) 27-2. Last week: 8. DeMarcus Cousins exploded for 21 points (7 dunks), 13 rebounds and seven blocks during an 87-42 rout of Spanish Fort to win the Class 5A subregional. He scored 33 points as the Rattlers routed Faith Academy, 114-59, to win the 5A area crown.
9. Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) 17-0. Last week: 9. The Yellowjackets swept past Romulus, 79-46, behind Donnavan Kirk (18 points) and Ray McCallum (15 points and nine assists). Big game: Saturday at unbeaten South (Bloomington, Ind.).
10. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 19-0. Last week: 10. Royce White averaged 20 points and Raymond Cowles averaged 19 points during victories over Plymouth Wayzata, 89-62, and Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 79-65.
11. Northland (Columbus, Ohio) 18-1. Last week: 11. J.D. Weatherspoon averaged 16 points as the Vikings cruised past Columbus Beechcroft, 79-67, and Mifflin, 91-39.
12. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 26-2. Last week: 13. Jordin Mayes averaged 23.6 points as the Comets defeated Los Angeles Hamilton, 79-39, Palisades, 73-35, and Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 85-78. Dominique O’Connor scored 24 points against Lincoln.
13. St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) 21-2. Last week: 14. The Gray Bees defeated Passaic County Tech, 92-57, but lost 6-foot-9 junior star Tristan Thompson, who was dismissed from the team after a confrontation with coach Dan Hurley. Four days later, Hurley won his 200th game (against just 19 losses) in his eight-year career as Mountain State Academy (Beckley, W.Va.) bowed, 75-61. Aaron Brown was high with 16 points, while Lamar Patterson had 15 points and 14 rebounds.
14. Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) 17-2. Last week: 15. Michael Chandler, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, scored 15 points and 6-foot-7 junior Justin Martin scored 14 during a 70-36 rout of Indianapolis Ben Davis.
15. Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 22-1. Last week: 16. The Wildcats raised their winning streak to 22 games by defeating Thornton Fractional South, 56-35, and Chicago Heights Bloom Township, 42-40. Reggie Smith scored 17 points against Bloom, including the decisive free throws with 1:37 remaining. He had cut his hand earlier in the week, but played with stitches even though advised to sit out the game.
16. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 23-3. Last week: 18. The Lions defeated Los Angeles University, 76-58, as 6-foot-10 Renardo Sidney poured in 31 points. They then defeated Venice, 56-53, without Sidney (cut finger), but Solomon Hill picked up the slack with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
17. South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) 22-3. Last week: 19. Derrick Favors dominated with 27 points, 16 rebounds and 13 blocked shots during a 96-51 rout of Rutland. Nick Watkins added 18 points. Favors produced 25 points in a 93-54 rout of Jackson.
18. Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) 19-1. Last week: 20. VonChae Richardson averaged 18.5 points during victories over Seattle opponents Hale, 79-43, and Ingraham, 64-52. Point guard Peyton Siva had 11 points, 10 assists and five blocks against Hale.
19. Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) 25-2. Last week: 12. The Cobras were bitten by the upset bug as Pompano Beach Ely pulled off a 68-64 victory in the Class 6A district title game, despite Bryan Bynes’ 20 points. They made a great comeback from a 31-13 first-quarter deficit and will advance to this week’s region round of the state tournament.
20. Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.) 17-3. Last week: 22. The Raiders won three of four games, with the biggest triumph snapping Paterson Catholic’s (N.J.) 15-game winning streak, 67-63. Junior center Kadeem Jack lit the spark with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Durand Scott was high with 17 points. Transfer Shane Southwell scored 21 points in his first appearance as the Raiders defeated Queens Archbishop Molloy, 74-63. Their only loss was a 59-53 decision against Brooklyn Xaverian.
21. Pershing (Detroit, Mich.) 16-1. Last week: 23. Senior Derrick Nix (6-9, 285) dominated with 34 points, a career-high 21 rebounds and sat out the final 5:58 of a 101-74 rout of Detroit Renaissance in the Public School League semifinals. Dennis Perry added 25 points, while junior guard Keith Appling contributed 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Big game: The Doughboys will seek revenge for their only loss when they play Detroit Southeastern Friday for the title.
22. Olympia (Orlando, Fla.) 24-4. Last week: 17. The Titans were upset by Orlando Dr. Phillips, 75-71, in the Class 6A district finals, despite 15 points from Jordan McCoy and Jamel Marshall. Martell Buie had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists during a 67-54 quarterfinal victory over Orlando Edgewater. Big game: Thursday vs. Melbourne in region quarterfinals.
23. Holmes (Covington, Ky.) 25-2. Last week: 21. Florence Boone County severed the Bulldogs’ 22-game winning streak with a 45-38 upset – holding them to their lowest point total in two years. They then bounced back with victories over Newport Central Catholic, 56-44, and Alexandria Campbell County, 62-49.
24. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 22-3. Last week: 24. The Stags posted three wins last week, with 6-foot-8 sophomore Mikael Hopkins emerging as a major force. He had 17 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks in a 71-48 victory over Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.). Naji Hibbert, a 6-foot-6 senior, was high with 24 points and also with 21 points in a 52-46 win over Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.). Hopkins blocked nine shots against McNamara. Big games: Tuesday vs. Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) and Friday vs. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.).
25. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 20-4. Last week: 25. Dominic Cheek scored 25 points in a 71-45 rout of Hotchkiss (Conn.) and 19 during a 68-47 victory over Elizabeth. The Friars also were dealt their first home loss in six years, 60-58, by Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.).
Dropped out: None.
Past Weeks: Jan. 5 / Jan. 12 / Jan. 20 / Jan. 26 / Feb. 2 / Feb. 9
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