MaxPreps Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings
January 20, 2015 by MaxPreps, AZPreps365
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
1. (No. 2 last week) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 22-1
Head coach Kevin Boyle and the Eagles are back where they began the season. Montverde Academy was tested by Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) during a tricky weekend tripleheader but survived unscathed.
2. (5) Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.), 15-0
The Wildcats put the exclamation mark on a sweep of three Memphis schools last week by dominating Melrose 91-52 on Friday night.
3. (6) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 27-1
Despite a head-to-head loss two weeks ago, we gave serious consideration to moving Oak Hill Academy ahead of No. 2 Hamilton. The Warriors beat two ranked teams in three days over the weekend, dominating No. 9 Wesleyan Christian Academy in the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions final and getting past No. 11 Villa Angela-St. Joseph at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.
4. (1) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 17-1
After smoking No. 23 Stevenson by nearly 30 points Saturday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, no way the Pilots drop one Sunday night against a beleaguered now-No. 15 Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio) squad – right? Wrong. It became total rankings wreckage as Findlay Prep fell in overtime, 76-68.
5. (7) Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, Va.), 15-1
Rice signee Marcus Evans posted an impressive all-around stat line with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists Saturday as the Dolphins beat Marshall (Richmond) 63-50. Collegiate is scheduled to meet No. 3 Oak Hill Academy this weekend in Roanoke.
6. (9) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 12-1
Gold Coast League play heats up this week for the Trailblazers, with games against Campbell Hall (North Hollywood) and Brentwood School – programs with a combined record of 25-6.
7. (12) St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio), 12-0
The biggest surprise of the season improved its resume over the weekend by dominating Dunbar (Dayton) and Balboa Prep (San Diego). SVSM is a big reason why at least three other programs – St. Benedict's Prep, St. Edward and Sunrise Christian Academy – aren't ranked nationally.
8. (19) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 15-1
Head coach Mike Jones and the Stags made one of the biggest statements during high school basketball's mega-weekend, crushing then-No. 4 Roselle Catholic (N.J.), 69-45.
9. (8) Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.), 21-3
Head coach Keith Gatlin's squad has played one of the toughest schedules in the country, facing six teams that have appeared in the national rankings and the best team from Canada. The gauntlet continues Tuesday against No. 11 Greensboro Day.
10. (NR) Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio), 10-2
It was a wild week for the Warriors. An ugly brawl put Wayne in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, but it rewrote the narrative by beating then-No. 1 Findlay Prep in the Flyin’ to the Hoop finale Monday night.
11. (11) Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland), 10-1
Taking No. 3 Oak Hill Academy to the wire in a loss at the Spalding Hoophall Classic isn’t going to send VASJ tumbling down the rankings – especially this week.
12. (14) Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 22-0
The Chiefs remained unbeaten Sunday night with a 73-52 win over Hallandale.
13. (15) Greensboro Day (N.C.), 24-0
Quite frankly, we’ve been wondering how good Greensboro Day is all season long. That answer comes Tuesday when the Bengals take on No. 9 Wesleyan Christian Academy.
14. (3) Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), 17-2
It was a bitter loss for the Wildcats on Monday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, falling to No. 19 Bishop O’Dowd 79-70. A City of Palms Classic crown (including a win over No. 1 Montverde) goes a long way, so don’t count out Wheeler in the national picture just yet.
15. (21) Garfield (Seattle), 15-0
Head coach Ed Haskins and the Bulldogs passed their biggest test of the season Monday night, running away from Metro League rival Rainier Beach late for an 84-67 win. Junior forward Alphonso Anderson will be trending in the Emerald City after putting up 35 points and 19 rebounds in the victory.
16. (18) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), 17-1
New Mexico pledge Dane Kuiper and freshman phenom Marvin Bagley III scored 17 points apiece to lead the Aztecs to an overtime victory over Putnam Vo-Tech (Springfield, Mass.) at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.
17. (20) Jonesboro (Ga.), 18-1
The Cardinals are rolling right now, winning their last six outings by an average margin of 44 points per game.
18. (23) Fairfax (Los Angeles), 18-0
A trip to the Snowball Classic in Abbotsford, British Columbia has become tradition for Fairfax. The Lions brought home the tournament title for the third time with an 80-61 win over local power Burnaby South in the final.
19. (10) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), 10-3
After a so-so showing at the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions in Missouri, the Dragons staved off rankings elimination in a big way with a win over then-No. 3 Wheeler.
20. (25) Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 15-3
Jerron Love led the way Monday for the Fighting Pharaohs, scoring 15 points and dishing out six assists in a 76-39 thrashing of Cape Fear Christian (Erwin).
21. (NR) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), 18-2
It was a strong weekend for the Fighting Irish as they dominated matchups with Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) and Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.).
22. (NR) Atascocita (Humble, Texas), 23-1
On the strength of two tournament victories and a finals appearance in a third, the Eagles own a Top 10 computer ranking. Atascocita has been hammering folks since suffering its first loss Dec. 30, winning by an average margin of 24 points per game.
23. (13) Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.), 15-2
The Patriots took a thumping against then-No. 1 Findlay Prep at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. Other than a late-season meeting with Simeon (Chicago), showcase season is over for Stevenson – time to focus on winning the Illinois Class 4A state title.
24. (NR) Plano West (Texas), 18-2
Parkview of Arkansas is probably wondering where its spot in the Top 25 is after beating Plano West in late December to win the Whataburger Tournament. Fair question – it was the second game of the day for both teams – but great talent sometimes affords great leniency in the national rankings and there is no question the Wolves have great talent.
25. (NR) Mustang (Okla.), 10-0
At No. 5, here's another team with a computer ranking that's hard to ignore. The Broncos (gutsy nickname choice) beat Dallas-area powers DeSoto and Kimball in enemy territory to start the season and are running teams from Oklahoma by an average margin of 27.8 points per game. It helps Mustang's case that fellow Sooner State school Putnam City West (Oklahoma City) fared well in a major national tournament. Another great Melvin Randall team at Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) was also a strong consideration for this spot.
Dropped out: No. 4 Roselle Catholic (N.J.), No. 16 Southport (Indianapolis), No. 22 Simeon (Chicago), No. 24 Pope John XXIII (Sparta, N.J.)