MaxPreps Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings
Photo by Mike Braca
Head coach Doug Lipscomb and No. 5 Wheeler begin state tournament play in Georgia this week. Lipscomb has led the Wildcats to five state titles since 1994.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
1. (No. 1 last week) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 41-0 *
A team from the state of Nebraska nearly jumped up and bit the Warriors for the second time in three years Saturday night at the Heartland Hoops Classic. Oak Hill Academy survived this time around with a 59-54 win over Omaha South despite entering the final quarter down by three. Omaha Central beat Steve Smith's squad in 2013 at the same event.
2. (2) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 28-1
Head coach Kevin Boyle returned to his old stomping grounds over the weekend and got wins over No. 22 Roselle Catholic and St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.).
3. (3) St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio), 18-0
The Fighting Irish meet No. 9 Villa Angela-St. Joseph on Saturday in a big-time battle between the Cleveland area's top two teams.
4. (5) Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, Va.), 25-2
After closing out the regular season with an 88-31 win over Peninsula Catholic (Newport News) on Thursday, the Dolphins begin postseason play this week.
5. (6) Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), 25-2
Jaylen Brown and the Wildcats open AAAAAA state tournament play Wednesday against Centennial (Roswell).
Oak Hill Academy vs. Sierra Canyon - Nike Extravaganza 2015 6. (4) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 25-2
Running the table in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference is a tall order. DeMatha's bid to do that ended Friday with a 69-65 loss to Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.).
7. (8) Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.), 26-4
No pressure Trojans, but a trip to Dick's Nationals seems likely with three wins in the NCISAA Class 3A state tournament, which begins this week. That will be no easy task with 30-2 Greensboro Day – which beat Wesleyan Christian earlier this season – looming on the opposite side of the bracket.
8. (9) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 22-3
The Trailblazers are the No. 3 seed in the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs and open against St. John Bosco (Bellflower). The 16-team affair may be the nation's toughest postseason bracket.
9. (10) Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland), 15-2
What a scene it will be Saturday at Villa Angela-St. Joseph, as the Vikings host unbeaten No. 3 St. Vincent-St. Mary. Get tickets early for that one.
10. (11) Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.), 24-0
The Tigers meet Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) on Tuesday in the Florida 7A regional semifinals.
Photo by Keith Owens
Ohio State-bound Mickey Mitchell is one of three senior Division I signees for No. 14 Plano West.
11. (13) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), 28-1
Despite 46 points from sophomore Marcus Shaver, the Aztecs emerged with a victory over St. Mary's (Phoenix) in a super sectional championship game Saturday.
12. (14) Jonesboro (Ga.), 27-1
The Cardinals open Georgia AAAA state tournament play Wednesday against New Hampstead (Savannah).
13. (15) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), 28-2
Tough games remain against Hamilton Heights Christian (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Southwest Christian Academy (Little Rock, Ark.).
14. (16) Plano West (Texas), 25-2
Plano East is the final regular season test for the Wolves, who have won 11 in a row.
15. (17) Atascocita (Humble, Texas), 30-1
Junior guard and All-American candidate Carsen Edwards scored 29 points in Atascocita's latest outing, an 88-45 win over Conroe.
Photo by Mike Braca
No. 17 Bishop O'Dowd could lock down its 37th league title dating back to 1956 this week.
16. (18) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 23-2
The Pilots close out the month with six games against West Coast prep and post-grad programs.
17. (19) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), 19-4
O'Dowd can wrap up its 11th league title since 2000 and 37th all-time going back to 1956 on Tuesday against Berkeley.
18. (20) Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.), 20-2
Unheralded junior guard Ryuji Aoki drilled seven 3-pointers and finished with 30 points as the Patriots pasted Mundelein 102-47 over the weekend.
19. (21) Mustang (Okla.), 20-0
Senior guard Aubrey Johnson led the way with 20 points Friday as the Broncos blew past Norman North 96-59. Under legendary head coach Terry Long, Mustang is two wins away from a perfect regular season.
20. (22) Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 29-1
The Chiefs have defeated Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) three times already this season but will have to do it a fourth time Tuesday in order to advance in Florida's Class 5A state tournament.
File photo by Wayne Litmer
Mississippi's Callaway High School joined the Xcellent 25 after a dominant win on national television over the weekend.
21. (23) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.), 26-1
Not many nationally ranked teams will have a tougher postseason opener than the Knights. Bishop Montgomery will meet 24-1 J.W. North (Riverside) in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs.
22. (24) Roselle Catholic (N.J.), 19-3
Despite a loss, the Lions take two steps forward this week. Roselle Catholic played No. 2 Montverde Academy tough in a 71-64 loss Friday at the Metro Classic but bounced back with a big win over Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.) on Sunday as part of the NBA's All-Star weekend festivities.
23. (25) Chaminade (St. Louis), 18-3
Thanks in part to super junior Jayson Tatum contributing 26.8 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, Chaminade has won 14 of its last 15 games and nine in a row.
24. (NR) Callaway (Jackson, Miss.), 26-3
In an ESPNU-televised showdown, the Chargers crushed previously unbeaten Dominican (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) and five-star center Diamond Stone 76-47 on Saturday night. Callaway is unbeaten in 2015 and has reeled off 16 wins in a row.
25. (12) Garfield (Seattle), 21-1
The Bulldogs beat Metro League rival Rainier Beach by 17 back on Jan. 19. Beach got revenge in the league tournament title game Saturday night with an 84-81 win. Meetings in the district and state playoffs are possible so don't close the book on this series in 2014-15 just yet.
Dropped out: No. 7 Fairfax (Los Angeles)
