BENSALEM, Pa. – The updated Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings have been released. Games are through New Year’s Day.

Five teams join the Elite 25 rankings after the holiday tournament season comes to a close. There’s still a window of national games and events remaining this month, with the most impactful stretch on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend.

For now No. 18 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia), No. 20 Skyline (Dallas); No. 21 Shadow Mountain (Phoenix), No. 22 Klein Forest (Houston) and No. 23 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) are in the Elite 25. Each has a unique storyline but mostly they are playing well.

Imhotep won the Beach Ball Classic (in Myrtle Beach, S.C.) on a buzzer-beating tip-in; Shadow Mountain is Arizona’s top team and is coached by local legend and former NBA baller Mike Bibby; Skyline became the first Dallas school to win the Dallas ISD Holiday Invitational since 2011; Klein Forest is a serious threat to win Texas’ Class 6A; and Paul VI is not only one of the nation’s top programs playing in the nation’s best league, but the Panthers have an elite coach and tactician, Glenn Farello, stalking the sidelines and pulling the strings.

The Elite 25 rankings are back on January 10. Make sure you support your local high school teams. Until next time, we hope to see you at a game soon. — Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys Basketball Rankings, Jan. 3, 2017

1. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (14-0)

Previous ranking: 1.

Low-down: Light week for the Lakers, who dispatched Aberdeen (S.D.), 88-43, in the Mike Miller Classic in Sioux Falls, S.D. Huge matchup with No. 3 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) is Saturday in Wheeling, W.Va.

2. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (11-0)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: After winning the City of Palms Classic prior to Christmas, coach Kevin Boyle’s team had off until this weekend.

3. Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev. (15-0)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Idle. The scene shifts this weekend to the highly anticipated Cancer Classic in Wheeling, W.Va.

4. Nathan Hale, Seattle (8-0)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won the Les Schwab Invitational, beating then-No. 2 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, Calif.), 67-65, in the final. Washington-bound F Michael Porter Jr. had 27 points and 15 rebounds while scoring the decisive basket with 17 seconds remaining in a tight contest in Hillsboro, Ore. Porter is a surefire one-and-done college player and likely a lottery pick in 2018. And to think this program won only three games last season.

5. Chino Hills, Calif. (16-0)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Won the MaxPreps Holiday Rancho Mirage Holiday Classic, stopping Sheldon (Sacramento), 91-82, in the final. The Huskies have won 51 straight games dating back to last season. Li’Angelo Ball tossed in 28 and his younger brother LaMelo added 23.

6. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (10-1)

Previous: 2,

Low-down: Junior F Marvin Bagley III was the Most Valuable Player of the Les Schwab Invitational but the Trailblazers fell to then-No. xx Nathan Hale (Seattle), 67-65, in the final. Bagley contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds in the final as the Californians went 3-1 at the prestigious event.

7. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (15-2)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Idle. The Warriors are back at it Friday with Village Christian (Fayetteville, N.C.).

8. Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, Calif. (12-1)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: The Knights captured their second tournament title within a week, bagging the D1 Bound Christmas Classic Platinum Division, defeating Millikan (Long Beach), 93-48, in the final. Oregon-bound G Ethan Thompson was named MVP.

9. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (16-1)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Won The Classic at Damien (La Verne) Gold Bracket, defeating the hosts, 82-63. Spencer Freedman was named MVP.

10. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (9-1)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: The Stags posted a disappointing third place finish at the Hoodie’s House Hoops Classic National Division in Charlotte, N.C.

11. East, Memphis, Tenn. (9-2)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: After a holiday break, it’s District 16-AAA play with Overton (Memphis) on Tuesday. There’s also a rematch with No. 2 Montverde (Fla.) Academy this weekend in Memphis.

12. Simeon, Chicago (11-0)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: For the 13th time in the program’s proud history, the Wolverines are champions of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, edging Chicagoland foes, Benet Academy (Lisle), 52-50, in the final. UTEP-bound Evan Gilyard flipped in 20 points and was named MVP of the 86th tournament.

13. Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology, Houston (20-0)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won three games to take home the Leroy Romines Memorial Hoop Classic championship in Longview, Texas.

14. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (14-0)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Won the Junior Orange Bowl Classic, defeating South Miami, 69-57, in the championship game.

15. Greensboro (N.C.) Day School (20-1)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Won the HAECO Invitational title, topping Northwest Guilford (Greensboro), 54-36, for the sixth straight year. J.P. Moorman, a Temple recruit, was named MVP.

16. Gonzaga, Washington, D.C. (8-2)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Finished third at the Les Schwab Invitational, defeating then-No. 12 Garfield (Seattle), 55-43. Miami-bound PG Chris Lykes tossed in 14 of his 19 points in the first half and handed out six assists. In the semifinals, lost to then-No. 2 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, Calif.), 85-81.

17. The Patrick School, Elizabeth, N.J. (3-2)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Beat St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.), 70-65, at Slam Dunk to the Beach. Jamir Harris scored 16 points and Kentucky-bound C Nick Richards cleared 15 rebounds in the comeback win.

18. Imhotep Charter, Philadelphia (8-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won Beach Ball Classic championship, beating Evanston (Ill.), 78-76. David Beattie tipped in a shot at the buzzer to win it. Daron Russell flipped in 25 points to bag the MVP honors.

19. Garfield, Seattle (9-2)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Went 2-2 at the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon, good for fourth place.

20. Skyline, Dallas (16-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Raiders won five games in three days to take the Dallas ISD Holiday Invitational. Jase Townsend scored 30 points in the championship game victory over Silsbee (Texas), 64-52.

21. Shadow Mountain, Phoenix (16-0)

Previous:

Low-down: Arizona’s top-ranked team from Conference 4A won the Tempe McClintock Shootout Classic, beating Hamilton (Chandler), 69-59, in the final. Mike Bibby’s club is off until Jan. 10.

22. Klein Forest, Houston (16-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Cary Black’s team has mostly District 15-6A games left on the docket after a productive start to the campaign.

23. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (8-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Panthers have three Washington Catholic Athletic Conference games on tap before heading north to Erie, Pa., for the Burger King Classic. The first WCAC showdown is Jan. 16 against No. 16 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.).

24. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (3-1)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: After suffering the loss of the season to Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), 83-72, at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, Del., the Lions have two ranked opponents this weekend at Cancer Research in West Virginia.

25. Jefferson, Portland, Ore. (6-1)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: The Democrats went 3-1 in the Les Schwab Invitational, defeating Clackamas (Ore.), 80-54, in the fifth-place game. Thomas Miles (24 points) and junior Amari Stafford (18) teamed for 42 points.

Dropped: No. 9 Curie, Chicago; No. 17 Hudson Catholic, Jersey City, N.J.; No. 21 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, Chattanooga, Tenn.; No. 24 Natchitoches (La.) Central; and No. 25 Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (6-0)
2. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (10-1)
3. Hillhouse, New Haven, Conn. (3-0)
4. Cardinal Hayes, Bronx, N.Y. (10-1)
5. Bishop Loughlin, Brooklyn, N.Y. (7-2)

Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.

Midwest

1. Whitney Young, Chicago (9-3)
2. Jackson, Massillon, Ohio (7-0)
3. North Central, Indianapolis (8-0)
4. Champlin Park, Champlin, Minn. (7-0)
5. Evanston, Ill. (13-2)

Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Southland

1. Greenforest Christian Academy, Decatur, Ga. (10-2)
2. Trinity, Louisville, Ky. (12-1)
3. Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, Chattanooga, Tenn. (12-5)
4. McEachern, Powder Springs, Ga. (11-0)
5. Scotlandville, Baton, Rouge, La. (13-1)…J3

Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Far West

1. Prolific Prep, Napa, Calif. (12-0)
2. Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant, Utah (14-2)
3. Foothills Christian, El Cajon, Calif. (12-2)
4. Fairfax, Los Angeles (8-1)
5. Basha, Chandler, Ariz. (17-0)

Geography: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

 About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Boys Basketball Rankings are released weekly from November until the conclusion of the high school season in April. Criteria considered are the quality of the team and its players, strength of schedule, tradition, and quality of the team’s league, conference, region or district. Teams with fifth-year players are not eligible to be ranked. The rankings are compiled by Blue Star Media’s Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released in April. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.