Movement was abundant this week in the Top 25 rankings as five of the Top 10 teams in the nation went down in matchups against ranked opponents.
The Spalding Hoophall Classic and Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions took center stage over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend with 10 showdowns between Xcellent 25 teams featured in the two prestigious events.
Top ranked La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) may have been the most impressive team at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, as its blowout win over a quality DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) team kept the Lakers at No. 1, even after No. 2 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) had an incredible week of basketball. The Indians picked up four wins in five days, taking down No. 22 Shadow Mountain (Phoenix) and No. 9 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) before traveling to the Spalding Hoophall Classic to defeat No. 19 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) on "Monster Monday."
Both No. 9 Sunrise Christian Academy and No. 10 Ranney (Tinton Falls, N.J.) climb six spots in the rankings this week after strong showings over the holiday weekend.
The Buffaloes looked dominant, picking up blowout wins over previous No. 23 Rainier Beach (Seattle) and Memphis East (Memphis), while taking No. 2 McEachern to overtime in a game they led for the first 26 minutes at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.
Ranney seems to have figured out its issues guarding the paint, as the addition of
Phillip Wheeler (forced to sit out the first 30 days of the season due to New Jersey transfer rules) has provided a major lift. The Panthers were ultra-impressive at the Spalding Hoophall Classic led by their dynamic 5-star duo of
Scottie Lewis and
Bryan Antoine who dominated No. 25 Federal Way (Wash.) down the stretch.
No. 18 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia), No. 20 University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and No. 23 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) all jump back into the Top 25 after three teams exit and 13 of the top 25 teams in the nation took home at least one loss in an all-important week of high school hoops.
The Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament is the event to watch this week as No. 4 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 5 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), No. 19 Rancho Christian, Abington (Pa.), Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) and Vashon (St. Louis) headline the loaded eight-team field.
Read on for a complete look at this week's Top 25 boys high school basketball rankings.
Picked up one of the most impressive wins of the season at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, dominating previous No. 6 DeMatha 73-50 in their "Monster Monday" showdown. The Lakers now have three Top 10 victories on the season and appear to be strong contenders to capture their second GEICO Nationals title behind a balanced offensive attack.
2. (2) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 19-0Made a very strong case for the top spot in the ranking, but remain behind the Lakers by a razor-thin margin. The Indians picked up three signature wins over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, taking down No. 22 Shadow Mountain and No. 9 Sunrise Christian Academy en route to a Bass Pro Tournament of Champions title and knocking off No. 19 Rancho Christian on "Monster Monday" at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.
Picked up a pair of quality wins over the weekend, taking down Huntington St. Joseph Prep 83-75 at the Flyin to the Hoop Invitational and No. 7 Oak Hill Academy 72-67 at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. The Ascenders appear to be stuck at third in the rankings for now as La Lumiere and McEachern continue to rack up impressive victories.
4. (5) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 14-2Notched its most impressive win of the season at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, hammering previous No. 4 Sierra Canyon 77-58 in dominating fashion. The Eagles host the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament, competing in a field that features No. 5 Wasatch Academy and No. 19 Rancho Christian, among others.
Escaping the jaws of defeat, the Tigers trailed Clark (Las Vegas) 62-42 on Monday before pulling off a holiday miracle and ending the game on a 29-7 run to capture a 71-69 triumph. Wasatch Academy travels to the Montverde Academy Invitational this weekend to face its highest level of competition this season.
6. (7) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 16-2Showed a lot of resiliency at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, falling to No. 3 IMG Academy just 72-67 despite playing without their best player,
Cole Anthony. The Warriors jump up one spot after the impressive performance against the Ascenders and with a massive showdown with No. 4 Montverde Academy looming on Feb. 2.
7. (6) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 16-2Despite falling to No. 1 La Lumiere 73-50 at the Spalding Hoophall Classic over the weekend the Stags drop one spot after their second loss to a Top 3 opponent on the season. DeMatha has now completed their daunting non-conference schedule as they settle back into Washington Catholic Athletic Conference play this week.
8. (4) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 21-2No. 4 Montverde Academy handed the Trailblazers both of their losses this year, with the most recent being a crushing blowout loss at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. Although the loss essentially knocked the Trailblazers out of national title contention, Sierra Canyon has a strong chance to repeat as CIF Open Division champions.
9. (15) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), 14-3
Almost
shook up the rankings in a major way at the Bass Pro Tournament of
Champions, taking No. 2 McEachern to overtime before losing 50-46. The
Buffaloes have played one of the most difficult schedules in high school
basketball and notched a pair of signature victories
— defeating No. 23 Rainier Beach 66-45 and Memphis East 50-34 en route to the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions title game.
10. (16) Ranney (Tinton Falls, N.J.), 13-1Picked
up a quality win at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, knocking off
previous No. 19 Federal Way 73-63 behind dominant performances from
Florida pledge Scottie Lewis (27 points) and Villanova commit Bryan Antoine (23 points). The addition of Phillip Wheeler provided this
team a major boost as the talented 6-foot-8 junior has given the
Panthers a much needed presence in the paint.
The
Pride continue their steady rise in the Xcellent 25 as they move deeper into the season unbeaten — with
quality wins over No. 15 Curie, Callaway (Jackson, Miss), Norcross
(Ga.), Independence (Charlotte, N.C.) and Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.).
12. (9) Belleville West (Belleville, Ill.), 19-1
Suffered first defeat of the season at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, losing 74-57 to previous No. 12 Shadow Mountain in the opening round. The Maroons rebounded nicely, picking up quality wins over Springfield Catholic (Springfield, Mo.) 63-57 and previous No. 23 Rainier Beach (Seattle) 72-69 en route to a 2-1 finish at the event.
13. (14) Westchester (Los Angeles), 18-1The
teachers strike continues in the Los Angeles school district as the Comets remain
sidelined for the foreseeable future. While the strike protects
Westchester from picking up any additional losses, it also limits this
team's upward mobility.
Hosted the Toyota Classic and captured the tournament championship with a title-game win over Trinity Catholic (Ocala, Fla.) 68-51. The Cardinals continue to impress without their star senior
Michael Moreno, who remains sidelined until postseason play with a foot fracture.
15. (20) Curie (Chicago), 21-1
The Illinois Class 4A state playoffs are shaping up nicely as the Condors appear to be the top threat to No. 12 Belleville West's chances of repeating. Bloom (Chicago Heights, Ill.) and Whitney Young (Chicago) remain serious contenders as well.
16. (22) Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.), 21-3Faces their last out-of-state test of the season this week when they take on Memphis East at the Hot Bed Classic on Saturday. The Spartans continue to hang their hat on their massive City of Palms Classic quarterfinals win over No. 3 IMG Academy.
17. (21) Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.), 13-1
Outscoring in-state opponents by over 32 points per contest, the Knights look to continue climbing the rankings behind 5-star junior
Jalen Johnson, who is averaging a staggering 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists per contest.
The back-to-back PIAA Class 4A state champions jump back into the rankings. The Panthers only losses this season have come to quality opponents as a pair of losses to McEachern, a loss to Roman Catholic and a defeat at the hands of Sunrise Christian Academy are the only blemishes.
After securing an eye-opening 103-9 win over Santa Rosa Academy (Menifee, Calif.) earlier in the week, the Eagles picked up their third loss of the season against No. 2 McEachern 66-55 at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. The CIF Open Division contender travels to the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament this week, opening with Miami Christian (Miami).
20. (NR) University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 14-3
Jump
back into the Xcellent 25 prior to their mega matchup vs. No. 9
Sunrise Christian on Friday in a game that will be nationally
televised on ESPN2. The Sharks will have a huge opportunity to boost
their GEICO Nationals resume with a win over the Buffaloes.
21. (11) Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), 12-1The defending New Jersey Tournament of Champions winner suffered a major setback over the weekend at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in a blowout 75-55 loss to Norcross (Ga.). The Lions look to bounce back quickly as a monster in-state showdown with No. 11 Ranney awaits this talented group on Jan. 30.
22. (12) Shadow Mountain (Phoenix), 18-3
A 74-53 blowout loss to Memphis East in the third-place game of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions really hurts the Matadors case to clinch a third consecutive GEICO Nationals berth. Shadow Mountain went 2-2 over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend against four quality opponents, picking up signature wins over previous No. 9 Belleville West and previous No. 24 Paul VI.
23. (NR) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 16-3
Notched a quality win over Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 59-55 over the weekend to essentially eliminate the Pilots from GEICO Nationals contention. The Gaels jump back into the rankings with a young but talented group in search of an incredible eighth straight state championship.
24. (10) Warren Central (Indianapolis), 15-1The defending Indiana Class 4A state champions 46-game winning streak came to a shocking end last week as the Warriors fell 54-44 to Lawrence Central (Indianapolis). While the loss drops Warren Central to the bottom half of the Top 25 rankings, this group remains favorites to repeat in the state tournament.
25. (19) Federal Way (Wash.), 16-2Suffered their second loss of the season in their "Monster Monday" showdown at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, falling to No. 11 Ranney 73-63. Anything short of a Washington Class 4A state title will be seen as a disappointment for this talented group led by 5-star forward
Jaden McDaniels.
Dropped out: No. 23 Rainier Beach (Seattle), No. 24 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), No. 25 Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio)
Keion Brooks, La Lumiere
Photo by Mike Braca
