Video: Montverde Academy highlights See the top-ranked Eagles in action.
Academy and independent high school basketball teams have dominated the MaxPreps Top 25 this season with six of the Top 10 in the current rankings fitting that description.
With that in mind at the mid-point of the 2019-20 season, we thought it would be useful to provide an isolated look at these powerhouse programs in their own set of rankings on a one-time basis.
The weekly national Top 25 will stick with the same approach through the end of the season but we provide a snapshot of how these teams stack up below. Many of these teams are vying for a spot in GEICO Nationals later this year.
Hamilton Heights was all smiles after a big win over Hillcrest Prep in December.
Photo by: Darin Sicurello
The Eagles have beat teams from 10
different states by an average margin of victory of 39.6 points per
game.
Signature wins over No. 5 Sunrise Christian Academy, No. 10 West Oaks (twice) and St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) bolster an impressive national resume.
3. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 21-1
Warriors
have been on an extended break for the holidays, returning to the court Jan. 10
to face Bishop Walsh (Cumberland, Md.) in the Rock the Ribbon Classic.
4. Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), 17-1
Paint anchor
Mady Sissoko
returned from injury over the weekend, powering the Tigers to quality
wins over Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) 72-52 and previous No. 3 Paul VI
(Fairfax, Va.) 57-53 at the Cancer Research Classic.
After making their first GEICO Nationals appearance in program history a year ago, the Buffaloes are supported by a strong resume that includes wins over No. 6 La Lumiere, DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) and St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) among others.
6. La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), 9-2
The Hoosier State powerhouse has put together an impressive resume that includes impressive victories over No. 8 Prolific Prep, Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) and Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) among others.
This ultra-talented group will look to rebound from a stunning 32-22 loss to Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.) this weekend with showdowns against No. 9 Huntington Prep on Jan. 10 and St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) on Jan. 11.
Slipped up for second time this season, losing to West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 70-63 at Mustang Madness. The Crew will look to rebound over Martin Luther King weekend, taking on No. 9 Huntington Prep on Jan. 17 and No. 6 La Lumiere on Jan. 19.
Had a strong week at the Cancer Research
Classic, knocking off Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 73-54
and No. 5 Sunrise Christian Academy 62-54. A challenging month of basketball awaits this group, beginning with a showdown against No. 7 IMG Academy at the Ascender Classic on Jan. 10.
Picked up a pair of quality wins at Mustang Madness, upsetting No. 8 Prolific Prep 70-63 and St. Louis Christian Academy (St. Louis, Mo.) 51-47.
