MaxPreps Southern California Top 25 high school basketball rankings

The quest for Sacramento has come down to just two teams in each division. Winners this weekend in Ontario will advance to the state finals in Sacramento and that is the ultimate prize.

Obviously not everybody in the Top 25 is still alive, so there are lots of teams who stuck around with losses.

Of note is Westchester rebounding after its Los Angeles City Section title game loss to reach the Open Division regional final, Mater Dei needing double overtime to eliminate Etiwanda, Cantwell-Sacred Heart taking out two ranked teams en route to the regional final and the San Diego Section having a poor showing.

You can click this link for all the state's playoff brackets, including CIF State editions. Be sure to visit the California rankings page, and the metro pages for the Fresno area, Los Angeles area and San Diego area.


1. (1 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 33-0
Classification: Southern (1AA), State Open Division
Ranks: 1 state, 1 national, 1 Xcellent 25

The nation's best team is two wins away from ultimate perfection. Mater Dei will square off against Westchester Saturday in Ontario in the Open Division Regional Final for a shot at yet another trip to Sacramento. The Monarchs throttled St. Augustine in the Open Division opener, 65-38, getting up by 10 points early and cruising behind 18 points from Stanley Johnson and 14 from M.J. Cage. They also showed their mettle in a tough 67-64 victory over Etiwanda on Tuesday which came in double overtime. Johnson hit a huge 3-pointer late in the second overtime to pull ahead for good and he had 28 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter and extra periods, according to the San Bernardino Sun.

2. (2) Chino Hills, 29-5
Classification: Southern (1AA, Open), State Division I
Ranks: 2 state, 9 national

The Huskies are in the regional final Saturday against Centennial after winning three times to reach Ontario. They beat Dorsey 99-77, Edison (Fresno) 62-49 and Mayfair 67-57. Mark Williams led the team with 23 points, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, and Lonzo Ball added 18. The Huskies only trailed once. Saturday will be a rematch of a 77-75 Centennial win earlier this year.

3. (5) Etiwanda, 27-5
Classification: Southern (1AA, Open), State Open Division
Ranks: 7 state, 26 national

The Eagles almost became the first Southern California team to beat Mater Dei in its new building, falling 67-64 in double overtime. USC-bound Jordan McLaughlin played with a torn labrum and still score 21 points. Kameron Edwards added 11.

4. (7) Centennial (Corona), 28-3
Classification: Southern (1AA, Open), State Division I
Ranks: 4 state, 19 national

The Huskies are in the D-I regional final and will battle Chino Hills on Saturday in Ontario. They got there with three wins, beating Bullard (Fresno) 94-64 and Fairfax (Los Angeles) 72-63 before eliminating Loyola in a tough 81-77 triumph that saw them blow an eight-point lead entering the final quarter. Sedrick Barefield scored 29 points and Deontae North had 20. They own a two-point win over Chino Hills earlier this season.

5. (12) Westchester (Los Angeles), 30-6
Classification: Los Angeles City (I), State Open Division
Ranks: 10 state, 38 national

The Comets are back in the No. 5 spot after a great start to the Open Division in the regional playoffs. They beat JW North 79-61 and Redondo Union 76-67. According to the LA Times, the team made 10 3-pointers against Redondo Union and got 30 points from Elijah Stewart. They will face Mater Dei on Saturday at 8 p.m.

6. (4) Redondo Union (Redondo Beach), 25-6
Classification: Southern (2AA, Open), State Open Division
Ranks: 8 state, 34 national

The Sea Hawks earned a victory in the Open Division before bowing out. They eliminated La Costa Canyon in a 71-51 blowout behind 25 points from Ian Fox and 13 points plus six rebounds from Cameron High, according to easyreadernews. Their season ended in the next game with a 76-67 loss to Westchester, one that saw the Comets outscore Redondo 25-9 in the second quarter to blow the game open.

7. (3) JW North (Riverside), 25-4 (26-2 on court)
Classification: Southern (1A, Open), State Open Division
Ranks: 13 state, 62 national

The Huskies finished their season on a two-game losing streak, as they fell to Westchester in the opening round by a 79-61 score. Deshon Taylor led the team with 31 points, according to the Torrance Daily Breeze, but the Huskies were never really in the game. We know North just beat Centennial recently, but we have to rank Centennial higher because of its win over Redondo Union and NorCal Open Division finalist Capital Christian (Sacramento).

8. (6) Loyola (Los Angeles), 27-4
Classification: Southern (1AA, Open), State Division I
Ranks: 5 state, 21 national

The Cubs had no trouble getting past Palisades in the opener, 86-55. Things got tougher in a 60-59 triumph over Mission Viejo, where Loyola was down 14 points after the third quarter yet came back to win. With 3.1 seconds left, Max Hazzard hit a pair of game-winning free throws. According to the LA Times, he had 16 of his 24 points in the final quarter. Loyola's season ended with an 81-77 overtime loss to Centennial (Corona).

9. (9) Mayfair (Lakewood), 25-7
Classification: Southern (1AA, Open), State Division I
Ranks: 23 state, 124 national

The Monsoons knocked off Torrey Pines and Long Beach Poly before falling to Chino Hills. Against Torrey Pines they won 58-54, then took down Poly in an 82-73 triumph that saw Kendall Small for 34 points, according to the Press-Telegram. The season ended in a 67-57 loss to Chino Hills.

10. (10) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), 26-6
Classification: Southern (4AA, Open), State Division IV
Ranks: 9 state, 37 national

The Knights are still alive in the Division IV regional playoffs and will face Cantwell-Sacred Heart for the title on Saturday. They had little trouble eliminating Oaks Christian in a 78-59 win after a bye, using a 20-4 third quarter to break open a halftime tie. They also beat Serra 74-52 with Justin Bibbins racking up 22 points according to the Daily Breeze.

11. (8) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth), 29-4
Classification: Southern (4A, Open), State Division IV
Ranks: 17 state, 81 national

The Trailblazers were able to dispatch JSerra Catholic in their regional playoffs opener but things unraveled in a 62-54 loss to Cantwell-Sacred Heart. Against JSerra, they trailed by nine at the half but fought back with 15 points from Jamani Spencer and 14 from Devearl Ramsey.

12. (11) El Camino Real (Woodland Hills), 25-7
Classification: Los Angeles City (I), State Open Division
Ranks: 21 state, 102 national

The Conquistadores lost 64-51 to Etiwanda in the opening game of the Open Division playoffs, trailing by 19 at the half. According to the LA Daily News, Julian Richardson scored 22 points.

13. (13) St. Augustine (San Diego), 28-4
Classification: San Diego (Open), State Open Division
Ranks: 26 state, 183 national

The Saints lost 65-38 to Mater Dei in the opening round of the Open Division playoffs. Trey Kell scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds, according to UT San Diego.

14. (15) St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 21-11
Classification: Southern (2AA, Open), State Division II
Ranks: 11 state, 41 national

The Braves had no trouble with Granada Hills (69-41) and Sonora of La Harba, formerly ranked, was a 94-67 victim. Then they pasted Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista) by an 84-64 count. Bosco is playing some great basketball at the right time of year and will face Compton Saturday for the right to go to the state title game.

15. (14) Chaminade (West Hills), 25-6
Classification: Southern (3A, Open), State Division III
Ranks: 14 state, 67 national

The Eagles fall one spot, and some would say that isn't right for a team that will battle for a regional title Saturday against Santa Margarita. Here's the deal: Chaminade's resume is great. But its path to this point in the D-III playoffs has been relatively easy and it went 1-2 in the section playoffs. If the Eagles beat Santa Margarita Saturday they will get a big jump. They beat Dinuba 74-39, the Santa Barbara 64-31 and Brea Olinda 77-49. Big wins, yes, but not against elite competition.

16. (18) Compton, 25-7
Classification: Southern (2A, Open), State Division II
Ranks: 19 state, 96 national

The Tarbabes are one win from Sacramento after winning three times, and will face St. John Bosco Saturday in the regional final. They blasted Garfield (Los Angeles) 92-28 to start things off, then beat Foothill (Santa Ana) 63-50 before edging Canyon (Anaheim) 81-78 in overtime. Isaiah Bailey scored six of his team's points in overtime and finished with 15, according to gazettessports.com.

17. (24) Cantwell-Sacred Heart (Montebello), 23-8
Classification: Southern (4A, Open), State Division IV
Ranks: 24 state, 289 national

The Cardinals knocked off two ranked teams in one week, and they took Mater Dei to overtime in the section playoffs. Definitely reason for a jump. They took out Bakersfield Christian 77-30 before eliminating Village Christian, 51-48 with four double-digit scorers. Then they beat Sierra Canyon 62-54, again getting four players in double figures. A win over Bishop Montgomery on Saturday will equal a state finals berth in Sacramento.

18. (16) Long Beach Poly, 26-8
Classification: Southern (1AA), State Division I
Ranks: 20 state, 98 national

The Jackrabbits' season is over. They beat Narbonne 54-53 at home with a second-half comeback but then had to go to Mayfair and came up short in an 82-73 loss. Ke'jhan Feagin scored 18 points and Chris Sullivan had 17 in the win over Narbonne.

19. (17) Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista), 30-3
Classification: San Diego (II), State Division II
Ranks: 37 state, 279 national

The Crusaders were one of the few San Diego Section teams to go deep in the state playoffs. They won 59-50 over Tustin, then defeated Calabasas 45-43 in a battle of ranked squads before losing 84-64 to St. John Bosco.

20. (19) Serra (Gardena), 22-10
Classification: Southern (4AA, Open), State Division IV
Ranks: 39 state, 288 national

The Cavaliers won twice in the state playoffs but their quest for Sacramento is over. They beat Granite Hills (Porterville) 76-43, then eliminated Windward (Los Angeles) 67-52 before losing to Bishop Montgomery in a 74-53 blowout.

21. (22) Canyon (Anaheim), 30-5
Classification: Southern (2AA), State Division II
Ranks: 18 state, 94 national

The Comanches got so very close. They took out Hoover (San Diego) 94-74, then blasted Hanford 74-50 before Compton beat them 81-78 in overtime. Nick Anderson led the way with 20 points against Compton, and Chandler Dignam scored 19.

22. (NR) Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), 26-8
Classification: Southern (3A), State Division III
Ranks: 36 state, 260 national

The Eagles finally get into the rankings. They've been close all season long and with a berth in Saturday's regional title game against Chaminade, they've earned it. Santa Margarita beat Independence (Bakersfield) 64-51, then won 74-66 over St. Francis (La Canada) before beating Cathedral 86-76 in overtime. This team had to face Mater Dei and St. John Bosco twice each in the regular season, so strength of schedule is hardly an issue.

23. (23) Cathedral (Los Angeles), 24-6
Classification: Southern (3A, Open), State Division III
Ranks: 48 state, 430 national

The Phantoms won 76-44 over Hamilton (Los Angeles) before blowing out La Mirada 82-52. They lost to Santa Margarita 86-76 in overtime to end a successful season.

24. (21) Calabasas, 28-6
Classification: Southern (2A), State Division II
Ranks: 25 state, 172 national

The Coyotes were able to get past Sylmar in the opening round, 57-54, but fell to Mater Dei Catholic in a tight 45-43 loss.

25. (20) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad), 28-5
Classification: San Diego (Open), State Open Division
Ranks: 28 state, 222 national

The Mavericks were run out of the gym at Redondo Union, losing 71-51 in the opening round of Open Division play.

Dropped out: Village Christian