Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) is among the big winners in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school basketball rankings, jumping from No. 16 to No. 3 after notching a tournament win at Hoophall West in Arizona.
Previous No. 22
Duncanville (Texas) also dropped out of the MaxPreps Top 25 after going 1-2 at Hoophall West.
The losses paved the way for
Owasso (Okla.) and
St. John's (Washington, D.C.) to earn a spot in the rankings.
Five-star Duke signee Nikolas Khamenia has helped Harvard-Westlake win nine in a row, including a tournament win at Hoophall West. (Photo: Dave Argyle)
Record: 18-1 | Last week: 1
Record: 13-3 | Last week: 3
The Explorers have played the toughest schedule in high school hoops with wins over No. 5 Gonzaga, No. 7 Grayson, No. 14 Wheeler and National Top 10 No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), No. 4 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 5 Bella Vista Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and No. 8 Dynamic Prep (Irving, Texas).
Record: 18-1 | Last week: 16
The two-time defending Open Division state champions hit their stride over the weekend to capture the Hoophall West title. Five-star Duke signee
Nikolas Khamenia averaged 16.0 points, 5.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds to lead the way.
Record: 17-1
| Last week: 5
Record: 12-2
| Last week: 2
Four-star Xavier signee
Nykolas Lewis averaged 16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists while four-star North Carolina signee
Derek Dixon tallied 16.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds in three games at Hoophall West.
Record: 11-0 | Last week: 6
Four-star junior
Latrell Allmond posted 32 points and 11 rebounds in a 95-77 victory against St. Anne's-Belfield (Charlottesville, Va.) over the weekend.
Record: 13-1 | Last week: 7
Senior guard
K.J. Garris helped the Rams survive a pair of close calls against Archer (Lawrenceville) and McEachern (Powder Springs) over the weekend.
Record: 19-0 | Last week: 8
The Buccaneers have won 29 in a row dating back to last season after blowing out Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.) 73-37. Hoover is winning by an average margin of 28.9 points per contest on the season and have yet to be involved in a game decided by less than 13 points.
Record: 11-0 | Last week: 9
Captured the Classic at Tennessee High School championship with four wins in five nights. Top 25 Cincinnati commit
Shon Abaev earned tournament MVP after averaging 30 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Record: 13-1 | Last week: 4
Despite an opening-round loss to No. 3 Harvard-Westlake at Hoophall West, the Pumas bounced back strong with wins over Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Duncanville (Texas) in consolation bracket play. Five-star senior
Koa Peat had a strong showing at the event, averaging 22.0 points, 12.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game.
Record: 12-0 | Last week: 10
Christ School faces its toughest opponent of the season Saturday in a meeting with Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.).
Record: 19-2 | Last week: 11
The team to beat out of the Lone Star State owns a 4-2 record against nationally-ranked opponents with wins over No. 1 Roosevelt, No. 13 Allen, No. 18 Bishop O'Connell and National Top 10 No. 8 Dynamic Prep (Irving, Texas). The Bears are in search of their first state championship in program history this season.
Record: 20-1 | Last week: 13
Earned a statement victory over defending Class 6A state champion Plano East (Plano, Texas) 80-46 over the weekend led by 23 points, eight rebounds, five steals and three assists from senior guard
Trent Pane.
Record: 11-3 | Last week: 14
Junior wing
Mansur McClain put up 31 points in a 67-54 win over Greenforest (Decatur).
Record: 12-0 | Last week: 15
Sophomore
Jason Gardner earned MVP honors at the Fishers Holiday Classic as the Tigers extended their win streak to 25 games.
Record: 11-1 | Last week: 17
The Panthers have beaten teams from Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania this season.
Record: 13-1 | Last week: 18
Bounced back from a blowout loss to No. 9 Calvary Christian Academy in the Classic at Tennessee High School semifinals with a 68-64 triumph against Milton (Ga.) in the third-place game. Five-star Baylor signee
Tounde Yessoufou recently surpassed 3,000 points for his career.
Record: 12-3 | Last week: 20
An anticipated showdown with No. 5 Gonzaga looms large on Friday.
Record: 10-0 | Last week: 19
The Rams snuck out a pair of wins that were closer than expected following a championship run at the John Wall Holiday Invitational, extending their win streak to 39 games.
Record: 10-2 | Last week: 21
The Stags face No. 5 Gonzaga tonight. The game begins a tough stretch that includes contests against No. 25 St. John's, Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) and Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) over the next two weeks.
Record: 9-0 | Last week: 24
Outlasted Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.) 82-77 over the weekend behind 25 points and 17 rebounds from four-star Notre Dame signee
Tommy Ahneman along with 21 points, nine assists and five rebounds from junior guard
JoJo Mitchell.
Record: 13-1 | Last week: 25
Three-star Florida State signee
Dwayne Wimbley Jr. has been the catalyst for the Raiders, averaging 15.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 blocks per contest this season.
Record: 15-1 | Last week: 23
Reigning
Class 3A state champions continue to stack quality wins over in-state
opponents, knocking off Warren Township (Gurnee, Ill.) 53-45 led by a
game-high 24 points from junior guard
Rykan Woo.
Record: 8-3 | Last week: NR
Defending Class 6A state champions join the MaxPreps Top 25 for the first time this season after a strong start to the campaign that includes victories over Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) and La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.).
Record: 11-3 | Last week: NR
Re-join the national rankings ahead of a brutal stretch on the schedule that includes consecutive games against Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) on Thursday, Highland (Warrenton, Fla.) on Saturday and No. 20 DeMatha on Jan. 14.
