A wild week of high school basketball saw three Top 10 teams go down to unranked opponents, while defending IHSA Class 4A state champions and former No. 11 Belleville West (Belleville, Ill.) dropped completely out of the Xcellent 25 picture with a pair of losses.
Saturday served as the day of upsets. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) took down previous No. 5 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 65-58 to hand the Stags their only Washington Catholic Athletic Conference loss of the season.
Previous No. 9 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) was shocked 54-50 by Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) in the opening game of CIF Southern Section Open Division pool play.
Previous No. 8 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) suffered a 65-53 loss to Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) that will shake up the GEICO Nationals picture.
After the Saturday carnage, two new teams enter the Top 10 this week as Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.) and Curie (Chicago) move into the Nos. 9 and 10 spots, respectively. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) also makes a slight move as it jumps IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) for the No. 3 spot after two more dominant wins over Xcellent 25 opponents that included a 38-point drubbing of previous No. 14 Ranney.
Four new teams join the rankings this week, including three teams who re-enter the rankings — No. 18 Wasatch Academy, No. 24 Cox Mill (Concord, N.C.) and No. 25 Guyer (Denton, Texas).
Unbeaten defending OHSAA Division I state champion Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) debuts at the No. 23 spot.
Read on for a complete look at this week's Top 25 boys high school basketball rankings.
MaxPreps Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Four games remain for a La Lumiere team that is looking to finish the regular season unbeaten for the first time in program history. The Lakers boast a 5-0 record against Xcellent 25 opponents this season and will enter GEICO Nationals with a strong opportunity to capture their second event title in the past three seasons.
2. (2) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 27-0Begin the quest for their first state title with a tough test against East Coweta (Sharpsburg, Ga.) this weekend in the first round of the GHSA Class AAAAAAA state tournament.
3. (4) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 21-2The Eagles jump IMG Academy after they cap off their regular season with five blowout wins over Xcellent 25 opponents, taking down No. 8 Sierra Canyon by 19, No. 14 Rancho Christian by 23, No. 11 Oak Hill Academy by 25 and this past weekend annihilating previous No. 14 Ranney 89-41 and defending New Jersey Tournament of Champions winner Roselle Catholic 65-41.
Took the week off before capping off regular season with a pair of in-state foes this week. The Ascenders boast a 4-1 record against the current Xcellent 25 this season, with their lone loss coming at the hands of No. 6 Mountain Brook in the City of Palms Classic.
Defeated Albany (Calif.) for the third time this season, 60-43 in the TCAL Rock Division championship game over the weekend to remain unbeaten. This group continues to find a way to win as they transition into postseason play with aspirations of capturing their first CIF Open Division state championship.
Picked up a pair of convincing wins last week to capture the Area Championship. In search of third consecutive AHSAA class 7A state title, the Spartans take on James Clemens (Madison, Ala.) on Thursday in their first round game of the Northwest Regional tournament.
7. (10) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 25-3Opened
CIF-Southern Section Open Division pool play with a gritty 71-61 victory
over a scrappy Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). The Trailblazers have a tough week ahead with St. John Bosco (Bellflower,
Calif.) and Centennial (Corona, Calif.) to wrap up Open Division pool
play.
The
Stags snapped Paul VI's 32 game regular season winning streak in
Washington Catholic Athletic Conference play last week, taking down the
Panthers twice to take control of the regular season WCAC standings. In
between their two big wins, DeMatha dropped a close contest on the road
to Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 65-58.
Continued dominant play against in-state opponents with a pair of blowout wins last week. Scott County has outscored Kentucky opponents by an average of 28.8 points per contest as the Cardinals finish out their regular season slate with a pair of Bluegrass State foes this week.
10. (13) Curie (Chicago), 26-1
Continue the Chicago Public League City Playoffs on Tuesday with a quarterfinal showdown with Farragut (Chicago) before potential semifinal and championship game showdowns over the weekend. The Condors seek program's first Chicago Public League
title after 2014 crown was stripped by the CPS.
11. (15) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 21-3Had week off to regroup after 25-point loss to No. 3 Montverde Academy, but returns to the court this week to face Teays Valley Christian Prep (Scott Depot, W.Va.) and Wesley Christian (Allen, Ky.) at the FCA Prep Showcase.
12. (16) Fairfax (Los Angeles), 25-1
Picked up an opening round win in the CIF Los Angeles City Section Open Division, knocking off Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.) 79-59. The Lions take on George Washington Prep (Los Angeles) in City Section semifinal showdown this weekend.
13. (17) Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.), 17-1
Notched a strong road win over Homestead (Mequon, Wis.) 74-65 over the weekend to extend record to 15-0 against Wisconsin opponents this season. The Knights have four games remaining before postseason play and will enter as favorites to capture their first state title.
14. (9) Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.), 24-5One week after picking up biggest win of the season, the Eagles opened CIF Open Division pool play with 54-50 upset loss to eight-seed Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.). Rancho Christian faces uphill battle to reach the Southern Section Open Division title contest with wins over Etiwanda (Calif.) and Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley, Calif.) required for an opportunity at the championship game.
15. (18) Shadow Mountain (Phoenix), 22-3
Quest for fourth consecutive AIA class 4A state championship begins with opening-round showdown against Moon Valley on Tuesday. The Matadors are bubble team for an invite to their third consecutive GEICO Nationals — with a state title necessary for a potential invitation.
Massive showdown awaits the Warriors as the top two teams in the state of Indiana's Class 4A, according to Associated Press Top 10 boys basketball teams — are set to face off this week. Warren Central takes on fellow one-loss foe Carmel (Ind.) on Saturday in a potential state-title preview.
17. (20) University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 20-4
Capped regular season with a 68-59 win over Schoolhouse Prep (Miami). Sharks now begin postseason play with their district tournament and are heavy favorites to capture back-to-back FHSAA Class 5A state championships and also sit on the bubble for GEICO Nationals.
The Buffaloes have faced a challenging national schedule with a number of quality victories, but inconsistent play continued this weekend at the Heartland Hoops Classic with the loss to Wasatch Academy in a game that was never really close. Sunrise Christian Academy appears to be in danger of dropping out of the GEICO Nationals picture.
20. (14) Ranney (Tinton Falls, N.J.), 20-3A disheartening 89-51 loss to No. 3 Montverde Academy drops the Panthers six spots in this week's Xcellent 25. But look for the Panthers to rebound well after a lengthy break prior to a run at their first New Jersey tournament of champions title.
21. (21) Federal Way (Wash.), 20-2Draws Puyallup (Wash.) in the Class 4A district quarterfinals Tuesday. The Eagles look to continue strong postseason play after an 82-33 opening round rout of Rogers (Puyallup). This group is eager to avenge last season's Class 4A state title game loss to Gonzaga Prep (Spokane).
22. (22) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (Huntington, W. Va.), 18-3After a week off following wins over quality Sunshine State opponents, the Fighting Irish will have one of their biggest challenges of the season this weekend when they take on Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at the FCA Prep Showcase.
23. (NR) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 20-0
Wraps up regular season with St. Xavier (Cincinnati) this week before beginning postseason play with a strong chance of repeating as OHSAA Division I state champions. Crusaders ride 44-game winning streak dating back to last season.
Duke pledge
Wendell Moore Jr. is having a big senior year to lead the Chargers into a strong position to capture their third consecutive NCHSAA Class 3A state championship with regular season play wrapping up this week. Look for Cox Mill to have on outside shot at receiving an invitation to GEICO Nationals.
After a 15-game winning streak, the Wildcats jump back into the rankings for the first time since the preseason rankings in October. Regular season action ends this week with Carroll (Southlake) before beginning their challenging quest for the UIL Class 6A state title.
Dropped out: No. 11 Belleville West (Belleville, Ill.), No. 23 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), No. 24 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), No. 25 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Trevon Hamilton, Curie
File photo by Quinn Harris
