MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard Chino Hills – a CIF-affiliated public school that opened in 2001 – ran the table at City of Palms and will head to the MaxPreps Holiday Classic as the No. 1 team in America.
Photo by Heston Quan
1. (No. 3 last week) Chino Hills (Calif.), 9-0Led by tournament MVP
Lonzo Ball, the Huskies proved they were more than a high-scoring novelty act in winning the prestigious City of Palms Classic. Chino Hills beat then-No. 1 Montverde Academy in the quarterfinals and took home the title by outlasting No. 7 The Patrick School in overtime. Next up is the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.
2. (4) Atascocita (Humble, Texas), 16-0The Eagles will take their unbeaten record to the Neosho Holiday Classic in Missouri after Christmas.
3. (6) Garfield (Seattle, Wash.), 5-0Winners in 59 of their last 62 outings, the Bulldogs will join No. 4 DeMatha and No. 5 Oak Hill Academy in the field at the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon.
4. (7) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 7-0Head coach Mike Jones and the Stags open play at the aforementioned Les Schwab Invitational on Dec. 27 against Westview (Portland, Ore.).
5. (10) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 16-1Ty-Shon Alexander raised some eyebrows at the Chick-fil-A Classic in Columbia, S.C., tallying 28 points in the championship game. The Warriors knocked off No. 14 Huntington St. Joseph Prep 93-85 in overtime to win their 13th game in a row.
6. (NR) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 9-1Pegged as a Top 10 team in the preseason, the Trailblazers proved that's where they belong with wins over then-No. 2 La Lumiere and Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii.
7. (20) The Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.), 2-1What a story the Celtics became in reaching the final at the City of Palms Classic. Interim head coach Mike Rice – infamously fired by Rutgers in 2013 – did wonders with a talented but unproven group on short notice.
8. (1) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 10-1This may look like a soft landing after a quarterfinal loss at the City of Palms Classic, but keep in mind the Eagles fell at the same event last season and wound up winning the national title.
9. (9) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 13-0Wins over Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) headline Findlay Prep's resume.
10. (14) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 10-0Headed to the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina after Christmas, the Monarchs have a pair of tournament titles under their belt already. Just three of 10 opponents have kept the final margin under 20.
11. (2) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), 12-1The Lakers have to move on quickly from the loss to Sierra Canyon as unbeaten St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) awaits at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Delaware on Dec. 29.
12. (16) St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 3-0Missing two potential starters and opening the season on the other side of the country, the Friars picked up a pair of resume-building wins at Hoophall West in Arizona. Bob Hurley's roster is loaded with playmaking guards – a recipe for success on past great St. Anthony teams.
13. (15) Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), 3-0Business picks up after Christmas for the Lions, who face WCAC powers Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) and Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Delaware.
14. (12) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (Huntington, W.Va.), 14-3Key rematch coming up Dec. 28 with No. 23 Prolific Prep. Huntington St. Joseph Prep fell in the first meeting 83-77 back on Dec. 4. The Fighting Irish's other two losses came came against No. 5 Oak Hill Academy and No. 8 Montverde Academy.
15. (NR) Overland (Aurora, Colo.), 7-0Led by tournament MVP
Jervae Robinson and Indiana signee
De'Ron Davis, Overland knocked off Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) on its home court to win the Tarkanian Classic.
16. (NR) Hammond School (Columbia, S.C.), 9-0Seventh Woods captured MVP honors as the Skyhawks tamed previously unbeaten Georgia buzzsaw Greenforest in the Chick-fil-A Classic American Division final. Woods went for 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in the win.
17. (11) Greenforest (Decatur, Ga.), 11-1Tough break for the Eagles as 7-footer
Ikey Obiagu injured his wrist at the Chick-fil-A Classic and missed the final against Hammond. Obiagu should be back soon, however, and Greenforest's resume is too good to fall too far.
18. (18) U-D Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.), 6-0The
Cassius Winston-led Cubs don't take the floor again until Jan. 5 against Romulus.
19. (19) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 4-0The Saints' four victories have come by an average margin of 33.7 points per game.
20. (8) Roman Catholic (Philadelphia), 6-1Despite an opening-round loss to Oldsmar Christian (Fla.) at the Chick-fil-A Classic, the Cahillites bounced back with quality consolation wins over Greensboro Day (N.C.) and Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.).
21. (22) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 9-0The Royals dominated previously unbeaten Champlin Park 101-82 in their last outing.
22. (23) Stevens Point (Wis.), 6-0A rematch of Wisconsin's 2015 Division 1 state championship game between Stevens Point and Germantown is set for Dec. 30.
23. (5) Prolific Prep Academy (Napa, Calif.), 11-2Playing without star
Josh Jackson, Prolific Prep was upset 87-81 in its last outing by Arlington (Tenn.). The program remains in the rankings on the strength of five wins over teams who have appeared in the Top 25 at some point this season.
24. (NR) North Central (Indianapolis), 7-0The Panthers have thrown up totals of 128 and 109 while limiting opponents to just 48.3 points per game.
25. (NR) High Point Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.), 9-2Ranked in the preseason, the Cougars are back after taking third place at the City of Palms Classic. HPCA picked up quality wins over a pair of then-ranked teams in Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio) and Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.).
Dropped out: No. 13 last week
Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.), No. 17
Norland (Miami, Fla.), No. 21
Moreau Catholic (Hayward, Calif.), No. 24
Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio), No. 25
Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.)Knocking on the door: Apple Valley (Minn.),
Bentonville (Ark.),
Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.),
Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.),
Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.),
Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.),
St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.)