Xcellent 25 high school boys basketball rankings

After six days of upsets and unlikely stories at the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., there's plenty of movement in this week's Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard.

But one month into the 2011-12 season, there's also some consistency and order developing with a trio of teams at the top of the rankings – Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas), Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) and St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.).

Marcus used a win over national power Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) and the chaos at City of Palms to retain its No. 1 ranking. The Marauders finished No. 2 in the final Xcellent 25 last season.

Simeon has won 38 of its last 40 games and is the reigning two-time Class 4A champion in Illinois. The Wolverines were ranked No. 9 nationally by MaxPreps to close out the 2010-11 season.

St. Anthony, the defending national champ, has won 37 games in a row. Legendary head coach Bob Hurley and the Friars rolled to a pair of victories this week by a combined 110 points.

Could be an interesting three-horse race for the final No. 1 ranking, though there's a long way to go and several teams – like DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) – would be slighted by the notion that a mythical national title is out of reach.

Read on for a complete look at this week's rankings.

Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (16-1)
After a big win over Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) last week, the Marauders open Dec. 28 against Northwest (Justin) at the Whataburger Tournament.

2. (4) Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) (8-0)
In front of former Wolverine Derrick Rose and Kentucky head coach John Calipari, it was Kendrick Nunn's turn to take the lead in a 62-55 win over rival Whitney Young (Chicago) on Thursday night. Nunn scored a team-high 19 points while Jabari Parker added 15.

3. (6) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) (4-0)
The Friars are really, really good. Again. The defending national champs cruise into Christmas after two laughers this week, beating Newark Central 78-21 and Morris Knolls (Rockaway) 91-38.

4. (7) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (5-0)
The Stags continued to put up points in bunches Thursday night in an 86-66 win over St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown). A dozen DeMatha players got on the board led by 13 apiece from Marcellous Bell and Syracuse-bound forward Jerami Grant.

5. (NR) Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) (10-1)
Many were surprised to see the Lions capture the title at the City of Palms Classic. But with a 6-foot-9 senior headed to Kansas in Zach Peters, arguably the best junior in the country in Julius Randle and freshman sensation Mickey Mitchell, perhaps it was just a talented, young team coming of age. PCA heads to the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina after Christmas with a huge target on its back.