Holiday tournaments shaped this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school basketball rankings as the City of Palms Classic, 'Iolani Classic and Tarkanian Classic each featured multiple ranked teams in their field.
In City of Palms Classic action, No. 5 Calvary Christian Academy and No. 17 Dr. Phillips each went 3-1, while No. 13 North Little Rock and No. 19 Greensboro Day both lost a pair of games.
Bishop Gorman won the Tarkanian Classic in thrilling fashion with a buzzer-beating jumper to outlast Liberty 97-95. Previouly ranked Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) stumbled up earlier in the tournament.
No. 3 Sierra Canyon headlined the 'Iolani Classic in Hawaii, capturing the title with a three-point victory over No. 21 St. Paul VI. The Trailblazers again played without their injured five-star Amari Bailey.
After Christmas, headlining holiday events include the Chick-fil-A Classic, Les Schwab Invitational, John Wall Holiday Invitational, Slam Dunk to the Beach and others. More answers to who deserves a spot in the rankings will be answered prior to the new year.
Record: 12-0 | Last week: 1
Five-star prospect
Anthony Black is dealing with eligibility issues again linked to his offseason transfer. Black was unable to play in the Panthers 57-51 victory over DeSoto last week and is currently not able to play while the UIL appeals the court's ruling. The open Whataburger Tournament play with St. Mark's (Dallas) in the loaded all-Texas field.
Record: 1-0 | Last week: 2
Opened up the season with a 67-64 victory over No. 15 Roselle Catholic behind 25 points from top-ranked junior
D.J. Wagner. After trailing for the majority of the game, Camden took its first lead with 3:57 remaining as 7-foot-1 junior
Aaron Bradshaw knocked down a fade-away basket in the lane.
Record: 13-1 | Last week: 3
Captured the 'Iolani Classic with a 52-49 championship game victory over No. 21 St. Paul VI. The Trailblazers were led by tournament MVP
Ramel Lloyd Jr., who had a game-high 20 points and five assists.
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 6
Picked up a pair of out-of-state wins over Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.) 66-35 and Bellevue West (Bellevue, Nebraska) 81-62 at Hoophall Central. Five-star junior
Jared Mccain had a pair of impressive performances with 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists and 31 points with five 3-pointers, respectively.
Record: 7-1
| Last week: 5
The Eagles had a strong week at the City of Palms Classic, going 3-1 with wins over No. 13 North Little Rock 64-55, No. 19 Greensboro Day 62-43 and Orlando Christian Prep 73-66 in overtime. Calvary Christian's lone loss came against Milton (Ga.) 67-62.
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 8
Return to the court to face Lake Oswego (Ore.) in the opening round of the Les Schwab Invitational following a two week layoff. The Eagles knocked off No. 8 St. Frances Academy 59-56 their last time out on Dec. 12.
Record: 13-1 | Last week: 11
Open Whataburger Tournament play with a showdown against Guyer (Denton, Texas). The Eagles picked up a pair of wins following their lone defeat Dec. 11 to No. 13 North Little Rock.
Record: 12-1 | Last week: 13
Host Mount St. Joseph in a conference showdown. The Panthers own quality wins over No. 9 DeMatha, National Top 20 program Huntington Prep (Huntington, W. Va.) and Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.)
Record: 6-1 | Last week: 14
Travel to California for the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic next week, opening with a first-round contest against Francis Parker (San Diego). The Stags will see some stiff competition in the strong 16-team field that includes No. 10 Bishop Gorman, Campolindo (Moraga, Calif.) and Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) among others.
Record: 10-0
| Last week: 17
Outlasted Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) 97-95 in a double-overtime thriller that saw the Gaels trail by as many as 19 points in the Tarkanian Classic title game.
Juni Mobley hit the buzzer-beating game winner to finish with 15 points, while Northern Arizona signee
Ryan Abelman had a team-high 28 points.
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 16
Defending state champions have proven to be the team to beat in the Keystone State following a season-opening win over Imhotep Charter. Opened conference play with a pair of blowout wins over Exeter Township (Reading) 66-40 and Wilson (West Lawn) 64-36.
Record: 6-0
| Last week: 24
Secured an in-state victory over previous No. 4 Long Island Lutheran to bolster resume.
Tarique Foster led the way with 14 points and nine rebounds, while highly regarded sophomore
Ian Jackson had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Record: 8-3 | Last week: 10
Charging
Wildcats went 2-2 at the City of Palms Classic, picking up quality wins
over No. 17 Dr. Phillips 63-62 and Whitney Young (Chicago) 74-69. Their
losses came against National Top 20 No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and
No. 5 Calvary Christian Academy.
Nick Smith and
Kel'el Ware were named to the all-tournament team.
Record: 4-1
| Last week: 4
Dropped their first game of the year, losing to No. 12 Cardinal Hayes 56-55. The Crusaders travel to Tennessee for the Arby's Classic to take on a field that includes No. 17 Dr. Phillips, Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.), Jonesboro (Ark.) and Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville, Tenn.).
Record: 5-0
| Last week: 15
Registered a quality win over previously unbeaten Fairmont 48-36 last week. The Elks have out-of-state games looming in January against Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) and National Top 20 program Southern California Academy (Castaic, Calif.).
Record: 9-0 | Last week: 18
Took a break from the court following a pair of convincing wins over Greenforest (Decatur, Ga.) 85-62 and Pinson Valley (Pinson, Ala.) 69-41 two weeks ago.
Record: 7-2 | Last week: NR
Re-enter the rankings following their consolation bracket title at the City of Palms Classic. Following a 63-62 loss to No. 13 North Little Rock in their tournament opener, the Panthers reeled off three consecutive wins, including knocking off previous No. 7 Greensboro Day 48-34 in the consolation finals.
Record: 2-1 | Last week: 12
Narrowly
lost at No. 2 Camden 67-64 after leading for the majority
of the game. The Lions recovered with
a pair of wins, including an impressive 99-83 victory over South Shore
(Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Record: 15-2
| Last week: 7
Finished the week 2-2 at the City of Palms Classic, defeating St. John's (Washington, D.C.) 58-57 in overtime and previously ranked Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone, N.J.) 69-42. The Bengals losses came to No. 5 Calvary Christian Academy and No. 17 Dr. Phillips.
Record: 10-0 | Last week: 19
Head to the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic to compete in the 47th annual event looking to protect their unbeaten record against a strong 32-team field of Illinois schools.
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 20
Advanced to the championship game of the 'Iolani Classic before falling to No. 3 Sierra Canyon 52-49 in a thrilling contest they had two chances to tie in the final five seconds. Michigan signee
Knasir "Dug" McDaniel led the way with 17 points and five assists in the loss.
Record: 5-1 | Last week: 25
Notched a quality win over previously ranked Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore) 82-66 after falling to No. 10 Reading in their first game of the season.
Record: 3-0
| Last week: NR
Captured the Kruel Classic title with a victory over South Gwinnett (Snellville, Ga.) 62-51 behind a team-high 19 points form Fordham pledge
Will Richardson.
Record: 17-1
| Last week: NR
Behind Top 30 senior prospect
Ja'kobe Walter, the Lions have been a tough out this year with their only loss coming to National Top 20 No. 5 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) in a 74-69 thriller at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest.
Record: 13-1 | Last week: NR
Return to the national rankings for the first time since the Preseason Top 25 release. The defending Class 5A state champions have won 13 straight following a season-opening two-point loss to Cypress Ranch (Houston). Junior
Wesley Yates III is leading the way, averaging 20.1 points per contest.
