Jason Hickman
File photo by Nicholas Koza
Allonzo Trier poured in 33 points as No. 2 Findlay Prep beat No. 11 Our Savior New American over the weekend at Hoophall West in Arizona.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
1. (No. 1 last week) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 21-0
The Warriors are nearing the end of a lengthy break after winning the Iolani Classic in Hawaii pre-Christmas. Oak Hill Academy returns to action Wednesday against a touring team from Australia.
2. (3) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 15-0
They are who we thought they were. The Pilots notched their biggest win of the season Friday night at Hoophall West in Arizona, handling No. 11 Our Savior New American 82-69.
3. (4) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), 16-0
On the heels of a statement win at the Cancer Research Classic, the Fighting Irish will face Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and Callaway (Jackson, Miss.) this weekend in Kentucky.
4. (5) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 15-1
LSU fans can get a sneak peek at No. 1 prospect Ben Simmons this week at the Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans.
5. (2) Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), 13-1
The Wildcats beat No. 4 Montverde Academy in the final of the City of Palms Classic. But Wheeler fell in the semifinals of the Les Schwab Invitational while Montverde went on to win the tournament title.
Photo by David Hood
An impressive win streak catapults Cody Riley and Sierra Canyon to No. 9 this week.
6. (9) Roselle Catholic (N.J.), 7-0
Head coach Dave Boff and the Lions continue to haunt legendary Bob Hurley at St. Anthony (Jersey City). Roselle Catholic rallied to beat the storied Friars on Friday night, 51-48.
7. (14) Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, Va.), 9-1
It was a signature victory for head coach Mark Hall and the Dolphins on Saturday night at the Chance Harman Classic, beating No. 8 Wesleyan Christian Academy 70-61.
8. (7) Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.), 16-2
Going 6-2 during a stretch that included four nationally ranked opponents and the best team in Canadian history shouldn't be penalized. The Trojans will join No. 1 Oak Hill Academy and No. 10 Bishop O'Dowd in the field at the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions in Missouri later this month.
9. (21) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 10-1
Just three days after winning the MaxPreps Holiday Classic title, the Trailblazers swept DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) – both previously unbeaten – at Hoophall West.
10. (8) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), 5-2
Despite early losses to No. 1 Oak Hill Academy and No. 4 Montverde Academy, the Dragons have a chance to be a serious player down the stretch. O'Dowd could meet Oak Hill twice more and faces No. 5 Wheeler at the Spalding Hoophall Classic.
Photo by Jim Redman
Pennsylvania transfer Maverick Rowan has taken No. 15 Cardinal Gibbons of Florida to another level.
11. (10) Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), 11-3
Credit OSNA for taking on a challenging schedule. The New York school came up short against No. 1 Oak Hill Academy and No. 2 Findlay Prep, but beat No. 7 Cape Henry Collegiate at the Chick-fil-A Classic.
12. (15) Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland), 7-0
The Vikings rallied for a 69-67 win over preseason Top 10 squad Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) at the Cancer Research Classic in West Virginia.
13. (NR) St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio), 8-0
With quality wins over Ohio defending state champ St. Edward (Lakewood), St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) and Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), LeBron James' alma mater probably has a strong case to be ranked even higher.
14. (6) Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.), 12-1
Junior phenom Jayson Tatum and Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) upended Stevenson at the Cancer Research Classic. The Patriots responded the next day with a win over Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.).
15. (NR) Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 17-0
The Chiefs closed out 2014 with a 7-0 run in tournament play at the Kreul Classic and Kingdom of the Sun. Cardinal Gibbons' best win was a 19-point shellacking of Sagemont (Weston, Fla.), which turned around and reached the semifinals of the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina.
Photo by Mark Jones
No. 18 Corona del Sol has won 56 of its last 58 games.
16. (22) Greensboro Day (N.C.), 20-0
The Bengals are one of the nation's stingiest defensive teams, allowing just 38.8 points per game. Greensboro Day surrendered 11 points in the second half Saturday in a 48-26 win over Durham Academy.
17. (25) Southport (Indianapolis), 9-0
The Cardinals won the City Securities Hall of Fame Classic title over the break – an event played in the world's largest high school basketball gym in New Castle, Ind. Tournament MVP Joey Brunk scored 22 points and grabbed 11 boards in the final, a 66-49 drubbing of state-ranked Brownsburg.
18. (NR) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), 12-1
Freshman Marvin Bagley III is playing a prominent role for the Aztecs. Corona del Sol let one slip away against No. 9 Sierra Canyon over the weekend at Hoophall West – just the program's second loss in its last 58 outings.
19. (NR) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 12-1
The Stags will have a couple major positioning opportunities later this month against No. 6 Roselle Catholic and MaxPreps Holiday Classic runner-up Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.).
20. (NR) Jonesboro (Ga.), 13-1
Led by sophom*ore star James Walker Jr., the Cardinals have quality wins over Bartow (Fla.), Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) and Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) and have blasted 11 opponents by 20 points or more. The lone loss came against No. 4 Montverde Academy.
Photo courtesy of Precision
The National Guard honored Garfield of Seattle after a banner 2013-14 season and the Bulldogs look to be formidable once again.
21. (23) Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.), 9-0
The questions surrounding the Wildcats end Saturday when they face No. 1 Oak Hill Academy at the Penny Hardaway Hoopfest in Memphis. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
22. (NR) Garfield (Seattle), 10-0
The storied Seattle program is off to another hot start, averaging nearly 85 points per game and disposing of opponents by an average margin of nearly 35 points per game. Garfield will meet Rainier Beach (Seattle) in a key showdown Jan. 19.
23. (NR) St. Joseph (Westchester, Ill.), 11-2
The Chargers have already avenged one of their two losses this season. The other came in the final of the Proviso West Holiday Tournament against No. 14 Stevenson. On the positive side, St. Joseph beat Tarkanian Classic champion and Under Armour Holiday Classic runner-up Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) by 16 in early December.
24. (NR) Fairfax (Los Angeles), 10-0
Eating crow here. We scoffed at another media outlet's inclusion of Fairfax in its national Top 25 and the Lions turned around and won the Under Armour Holiday Classic in San Diego – a good lesson in Twitter humility. The scouting report on Fairfax is very favorable and head coach Harvey Kitani is one of California's all-time greats.
25. (NR) Pope John XXIII (Sparta, N.J.), 6-0
Syracuse signee Moustapha Diagne and Pope John XXIII put themselves on the map with a win at the inaugural Battle of the Villages tourney in Florida.
Dropped out: No. 11 Plano West (Texas), No. 12 Atascocita (Humble, Texas), No. 13 Muskegon (Mich.), No. 15 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), No. 16 Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), No. 17 Oldsmar Christian (Fla.), No. 19 Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), No. 20 St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.), No. 24 Rainier Beach (Seattle)