The 2022-23 high school basketball season continues to deliver thrilling finishes as anticipated showdowns involving ranked teams continue to shape the pecking order of the 2022-23 MaxPreps Top 25 early in the year.
Defending national champion No. 2 Duncanville continues to be tested. The Panthers added quality wins over Bartlett (Tenn.) 66-51 and Newton (Covington, Ga.) 80-76 to the most impressive resume in the game to this point in the season.
In the comeback win against Newton, Duncanville overcame a 41-point effort from Top 25 Connecticut pledge
Stephon Castle, that included a 20-point, third-quarter explosionbefore fouling out late in the contest. The Panthers were led by a season-high 36 points from Arizona signee
K.J. Lewis as the battle-tested group continues to scrap out gritty wins against high-level opponents.
No. 3 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) picked up a pair of impressive wins to begin the season, defeating
previous No. 18 Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 56-31 and Mater
Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 75-47 to win the inaugural Hoophall International event in
London, England.
Paul VI appears to be one of the deepest and most balanced teams in high school basketball and is the team to beat in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference this season ahead of No. 20 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) and No. 25 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.).
For the second consecutive week, five teams drop out of the national rankings after early season losses as previous No. 18 Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), No. 21 Liberty (Henderson, Nev.), No. 22 Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.), No. 24 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and No. 25 Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) each suffered disappointing results.
The biggest climb in this week's rankings came from Simeon (Chicago), which jumps into the MaxPreps Top 25 at No. 20 after a blowout victory over St. Rita (Chicago) over the weekend.
Other newcomers were No. 21 John Marshall (Richmond, Va.), No. 22 West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.), No. 23 Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.) and No. 24 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.).
All but two ranked teams have tipped off their season with holiday tournaments expected to shape the national rankings prior to the new year.
Top-ranked senior Isaiah Collier and Wheeler sit at No. 7 in the MaxPreps Top 25 headed into their showdown with No. 10 Columbus this weekend. (Photo: Ed Turlington)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 1
Begin the season with a showdown against No. 2 Duncanville on Dec. 16 at the Hoopfest in Paradise.
Record: 7-0 | Last week: 2
Brutal early season scheduling continues this week with showdowns against Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) on Thursday at Hoophall West and No. 24 Notre Dame on Saturday at the Utah Holiday Hoopfest. The Panthers already claimed wins over No. 5 Centennial, No. 10 Columbus and No. 15 Lake Highlands this season.
Record: 2-0 | Last week: 3
The Panthers have a pair of anticipated matchups against Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore) on Saturday and Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.) on Sunday at the National High School Hoops Festival.
Record: 1-0 | Last week: 4
Defeated South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 69-51 at the All City Classic paced by a team-high 16 points from
Yahmir Satterfield and 13 points and 13 rebounds from five-star Kentucky signee
Justin Edwards.
Record: 5-1 | Last week: 5
Blew past Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 78-42 led by Duke signee
Jared McCain, who finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds. The Huskies travel to Hoophall West on Saturday for a top 10 showdown with No. 9 Bishop Gorman.
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 6
Open their 2022-23 campaign against Rancocas Valley (Mt. Holly, N.J.) on Dec. 15.
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 7
USC signees
Arrinten Page (19 points and nine rebounds) and
Isaiah Collier (16 points and seven assists) were the difference-makers for the Wildcats in their 77-61 win over Kimball (Dallas). Wheeler takes on No. 10 Columbus at the Battle in the Peach on Saturday.
Record: 3-0 | Last week: 8
Captured the Sleepy Thompson Tournament championship to begin the season. The Quakers were challenged in their semifinal contest, escaping with a 46-43 victory over Landon (Md.) led by 16 points and eight rebounds from top 150 junior
Caleb Williams.
Record: 2-0 | Last week: 9
After a pair of lopsided wins to open the season, the Gaels travel to Hoophall West to face off against No. 5 Centennial on Saturday.
Record: 3-1 | Last week: 10
A pair of challenging matchups await this weekend at the Battle in the Peach as the Explorers face Grovetown (Ga.) on Friday and No. 7 Wheeler on Saturday.
Record: 1-1 | Last week: 11
Split a pair of games to open NIBC play, defeating Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) 73-59 before falling to National Top 10 No. 2-ranked Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 56-51.
V.J. Edgecombe led the way with 28 points and 12 rebounds in the victory for LuHi.
Record: 1-0 | Last week: 12
Tipped off their campaign with a 72-51 victory over Eagle Academy (Brooklyn, N.Y.) paced by 20 points and nine rebounds from
Sultan Adewale, while Baylor commit
Rob Wright III chipped in 17 points and six rebounds. The Saints have a pair of contest this week before traveling to the Iolani Classic.
Record: 8-0 | Last week: 13
Knocked off Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) 63-52 behind 21 points from top 100 junior
Trent Perry and 17 points from Princeton commit
Jacob Huggins. The Wolverines travel to Hoophall West to face Ironwood (Glendale, Ariz.) on Saturday.
Record: 2-0 | Last week: 14
Morehead State signee
Jerone Morton surpassed 2,000 career points after scoring a team-high 23 in a 80-61 victory over Campbell County (Alexandria, Ky.). The Cardinals have won 33 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Record: 6-1 | Last week: 15
Top-ranked junior
Tre Johnson exploded for 37 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals while connecting on 8-of-10 3-point attempts in an 89-52 victory over Parkview (Little Rock, Ark.).
Record: 1-0 | Last week: 16
Opened the year with a 66-60 victory over previous No. 25 Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) led by 24 points, six rebounds and four assists from five-star junior
Boogie Fland while
Ben Lyttle chipped in 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Crusaders take on St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) on Friday.
Record: 7-0 | Last week: 17
Picked up a 93-79 victory over Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.) paced by 24 points apiece from top 25 Colorado signee
Cody Williams and No. 3-ranked sophomore
Koa Peat. The Pumas take on Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) on Friday and San Ysidro (Calif.) on Saturday at Hoophall West.
Record: 4-0
| Last week: 19
Purdue football commit
Jaron Tibbs erupted for 33 points while shooting 13-of-16 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line in a 64-58 win over Centerville (Ohio) at the Sneakers for Santa Shootout.
Record: 3-0 | Last week: 20
Took down Saint Ignatius College Prep (Chicago) 77-59 at the Chicago Elite Classic guided by a game-high 24 points from four-star guard
Nykolas Lewis and 18 points from Harvard commit
Thomas Batties. The Eagles host the Gonzaga DC Classic this weekend with a showdown against No. 8 Sidwell Friends potentially looming.
Record: 3-0 | Last week: NR
Notched a statement victory over St. Rita (Chicago) 86-59 at the Chicago Elite Classic.
Jalen Griffith contributed a team-high 24 points, Northern Iowa commit
Wesley Rubin tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds and Toledo pledge
Sam Lewis chipped in 18 points and seven rebounds. A contest against Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) awaits on Saturday at Hoophall West.
Record: 2-0 | Last week: NR
Enter the national rankings after slipping past Holly Springs (N.C.) 64-61 at the Tyler Lewis Hoopfest. North Carolina State commit
Dennis Parker Jr. led all scorers with 22 points and seven rebounds while promising freshman
Latrell Allmond tallied 10 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. The Justices take on No. 25 DeMatha at the National High School Hoops Festival on Saturday.
Record: 6-0 | Last week: NR
Through six games the Wildcats have seen a balanced three-headed attack leading the way as
Jaqari Miles is averaging 16 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists, Boise State signee
Andrew Meadow is averaging 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds and four-star senior
Jazz Gardner is tallying 15.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.
Record: 9-1 | Last week: NR
Secured a 77-59 win over Dudley (Greensboro, N.C.).
Kaleb Siler had a team-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds while top 40 junior
Jaeden Mustaf produced 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the win. The Cougars lone loss came against National Top 10 No. 10 Southern California Academy (Castaic. Calif.).
Record: 6-1 | Last week: NR
Jump into the rankings after defeating No. 25 DeMatha 93-84 in a game they jumped out to a 29-6 lead after the first quarter.
Dusty Stromer finished with a game-high 30 points, five rebounds and four assists,
Mercy Miller had 17 points and 13 rebounds and
Caleb Foster tallied 15 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. The Knights battle No. 2 Duncanville on Saturday at the Holiday Hoopfest.
Record: 2-1 | Last week: 23
Split a pair of games against ranked opponents in the Golden State, falling to No. 24 Notre Dame 93-84 before defeating National Top 10 No. 10 Southern California Academy (Castaic, Calif.) 78-76 behind 27 points on 8-of-11 from the field and 6-of-8 from three-point range from UNC Greensboro commit
Mason So.
