SUNSHINE BOYS: Florida school enters Blue Star Media Elite 25 rankings, No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (VA) holds steady

BENSALEM, Pa. – It was a super week for the Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings and had nothing to do with surprise ending at Super Bowl XLIX—sorry Pacific Northwest. And it get better this week with several impactful games on the docket and several states heading to the regular season finish line.

First, a big welcome to No. 19 Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) for joining the Elite 25 after winning the Broward County Athletic Association Big 8 Tournament title. Now the undefeated Tigers need seven more victories to clinch the Class 7A state title. It all starts Thursday against Northeast (Orland Park) in the District 14-7A semifinals. Should coach Melvin Randall’s team win out, they will be selected to participate in the Dick’s Nationals from April 2-4 in New York.

Shoo-ins for the national championship tournament already include No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 2 Montverde (Fla.) Academy and No. 3 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.). That would leave four slots left. We’ll gaze into the crystal basketball next week to reveal more scenarios.

The biggest game this week is No. 14 Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) at No. 13 Greensboro (N.C.) Day on Tuesday. In Seattle, No. 7 Garfield plays defending Class 3A state champions Rainier Beach on the same day.

This weekend the Nike Extravaganza tips off Friday at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., with No. 1 Oak Hill playing No. 8 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, Calif.) and No. 9 Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Mater Dei hosts No. 5 Fairfax (Los Angeles) on Saturday.

The next Elite 25 rankings will appear on Feb. 10. In the meantime, please support your local high school teams. There are plenty of great stories and players out there. Be sure to alert us if you have a story idea that deserves attention. Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys Basketball Rankings, February 3, 2015

1. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (35-0)*

Previous rank: 1.

Low down: Waxed Prominence Academy (Durham, N.C.), 92-61, in the school’s first-ever Homecoming Night game. The Warriors have a busy February with 13 games in 28 days. Trips include Nike Extravaganza (this weekend in southern California) and Nebraska before capping the regular season with six straight home dates. They’ll take some time off in preparation for the Dick’s Nationals starting on April 2 in New York. Last week, Florida State-bound Dwayne Bacon was tabbed for the McDonald’s All-American Game in Chicago on April 1.

2. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (26-1)

Previous: 2.

Low down: Won the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament, beating The First Academy (Orlando), 67-57, in the final. LSU-bund Ben Simmons (26 points) was named Most Valuable Player and teammate Noah Dickerson joined him on the all-tournament team. Earlier in last week, Simmons was named to the McDonald’s All-American Game. The Eagles are off until traveling to coach Kevin Boyle’s old stomping grounds for games with New Jersey powers Roselle Catholic on Feb. 13 and St. Benedict’s (Newark) on Feb. 14.

3. Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev. (19-1)

Previous: 3.

Low down: Arizona-bound, high-scoring G Allonzo Trier celebrated earning an invite to the McDonald’s All-American Game, tossing in 33 points and ripping six boards during a 108-75 win over Elite 1 Academy (Phoenix). F Horace Spencer III posted a double-double, 14 points and 17 rebounds.

4. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (20-1)

Previous: 5.

Low down: Defeated league foes Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.), 84-44, and St. Mary’s Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.), 73-51. The Stags are 11-0 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, with a key game on Monday against archrivals Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) and two more with Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) and one against Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.).

5. Fairfax, Los Angeles (23-0)

Previous: 6.

Low down: The Lions roared on Saturday, crushing then-No. 4 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth), 64-47, at the Fairfax State Preview. Coach Harvey Kitani’s team has a California-best 23-game win streak.

6. Cape Henry Collegiate, Virginia Beach, Va. (21-2)

Previous: 8.

Low down: Toppled Newark (N.J.) Tech, 68-49, and Lawrenceville (N.J.) School, 73-63, at the Battle by the Bay in Atlantic City, N.J. Seniors Marcus Evans (25 points) and Chris Clarke (22) combined to score 47 points versus Lawrenceville.

7. Garfield, Seattle (19-0)

Previous: 9.

Low down: The Bulldogs peeled off a pair of Metro Conference Valley Division wins. The final week of the regular season sees a finale at Ballard (Seattle) on Friday. G Jaylen Nowell is averaging a team-leading 24.1 points.

8. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (16-2)

Previous: 4.

Low down: Lost to then-No. 6 Fairfax (Los Angeles), 64-47, at the Fairfax State Preview in Los Angeles. The Trailblazers trailed throughout and had their win streak halted at 15 games.

9. Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif. (16-3)

Previous: 10.

Low down: Three blowout wins shaped an easy week locally. The Dragons have a huge game Saturday against No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) in the Nike Extravaganza. C Ivan Rabb was voted to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game on April 1 in Chicago.

10. Wheeler, Marietta, Ga. (21-2)

Previous: 11.

Low down: Jaylen Brown had 26 points and 8 rebounds in a 76-61 victory over Walton (Marietta), improving to 14-0 in Region 5-AAAAAA play. Brown, who averages a double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds per game, became the fourth Wheeler player selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game. Currently undecided, the 6-7 senior is considering Georgia Tech, UCLA, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina.

11. Parkview, Little Rock, Ark. (15-0)*

Previous: 12.

Low down: Defeated Hall (Little Rock), 52-40, and Sheridan, 74-24.

12. Stevenson, Lincolnshire, Ill. (17-2)

Previous: 13.

Low down: Idle. After 10 days off, the Patriots host Libertyville on Tuesday. PG Jalen Brunson, a Villanova signee, will play in the McDonald’s All-American Game on April 1 at the nearby United Center in Chicago.

13. Greensboro (N.C.) Day (27-1)

Previous: 7.

Low down: Lost to Davidson (N.C.) Day, 53-51, but rallied to stop Calvary Baptist (Winton-Salem), 69-35. Tuesday’s game vs. No. 14 Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point) is one of the nation’s top showdowns this season.

14. Wesleyan Christian School, High Point, N.C. (25-4)

Previous: 14.

Low down: Tuesday is redemption day is for the Trojans, who travel to No. 13 Greensboro (N.C.) Day. Also edged Forsyth Country Day (Lewisville), 55-51.

15. Roman Catholic, Philadelphia (18-1)

Previous: 15.

Low down:  Coach Chris McNesby’s crew gained control of the Philadelphia Catholic League regular season title, beating neighborhood rivals St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia), 53-38. Junior enforcer Nazeer Bostick had 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. The Cahillites are 9-1 in the league with three games left this week against Bonner-Prendergast (Drexel Hill), Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) and Bishop McDevitt (Wyncote, Pa.).

16. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (14-1)

Previous: 16.

Low down: The Friars routed Bergen County schools Ridgewood, 77-30, and Bergen Catholic (Oradell), 64-51.

17. Corona del Sol, Tempe, Ariz. (22-1)

Previous: 17.

Low down: Won three games, but impressively stopping regionally-ranked Desert Vista, 71-57. Sophomore PG Alex Barcello flipped in 31 points. The Aztecs close out the regular season  this week with three games.

18. St. Vincent-St. Mary, Akron, Ohio (15-0)

Previous: 18.

Low down: Defeated Warrenville Heights, 68-58, and Athens, 60-48. Junior Henry Baddley topped the Irish with 22 points and Josh Williams added 20 in the Athens win.

19. Ely, Pompano Beach, Fla. (22-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: Won Broward County Athletic Association Big 8 Tournament title, beating previously unbeaten Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale), 69-63. LaQuincy Rideau tossed in 16 points, earning tournament MVP honors, and Javon Heastie added 15. Up next this week is the district tournament.

20. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (16-2)

Previous: 19.

Low down: Alex Olesinski posted a double-double, 14 points and 16 rebounds, in a hard-fought Don Bosco Prep (Crown Point, Ind.), 60-56.

21. Plano West, Plano, Texas (22-2)

Previous: 20.

Low down: Texas A&M-bound F D.J. Hogg was a main man, scoring 29 points in slim 55-53 win over Lewisville. The Wolves are 12-0 in district games with four remaining over the next two weeks.

22. Huntington (W.Va.) Prep (22-2)

Previous: 21.

Low down: C Thomas Bryant, a senior from Rochester, N.Y., was named to the McDonald’s All-American Game. Meanwhile, he had 19 points and 10 boards in a 69-42 win over Mountain Mission School (Grundy, Va.). This weekend the Irish play three straight days, beginning on Friday but the most important game might be on Saturday against Bowman Academy (Gary, Ind.) at the Shawnee Showcase in Portsmouth, Ohio.

23. Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, Calif. (23-1)

Previous: 22.

Low down: Stephen Thompson Jr., an Oregon State recruit, pumped in 37 points in only three quarters to drill Loyola (Los Angeles), 94-34 at the Fairfax State Preview. The Knights carry a 15-game win streak into Tuesday’s contest with Cathedral (Los Angeles).

24. Muskegon, Mich. (11-1)

Previous: 23.

Low down: The Big Reds opened the second half with a 25-6 spurt propelling them to a 59-42 win over Kenowa Hills (Grand Rapids). Deyonta Davis had 21 points and cleared 15 rebounds and Joevair Kennedy scored 15. Davis was named to the McDonald’s All-American Game.

25. Villa Angela-St. Joseph, Cleveland (12-2)

Previous: 25.

Low down: PF Carlton Bragg, a Kansas recruit and newly minted McDonald’s All-American, scored 18 points to help knock off Holy Name (Parma Heights, Ohio), 78-59, improving to 5-0 in the North Coast League. Up next is Kennedy (Warren) on Friday.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (18-1)

2. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (15-2)

3. Jefferson, Brooklyn, N.Y. (20-2)

4. Sacred Heart, Waterbury, Conn. (13-0)

5. Cardozo, Bayside, N.Y. (21-1)

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

Midlands

1. St. Rita, Chicago (17-2)

2. Champlin Park, Champlin, Minn. (20-0)

3. Dominican, Whitefish Bay, Wis. (12-1)

4. Simeon, Chicago (19-2)

5. Reitz, Evansville, Ind. (19-0)

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

South

1. Providence School, Jacksonville, Fla. (26-1)

2. Jonesboro, Ga. (23-1)

3. Callaway, Jackson, Miss. (21-3)

4. Atascocita, Humble, Texas (26-1)

5. Ballard, Louisville, Ky. (21-2)

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

Far West

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (19-3)

2. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (17-6)

3. Regis Jesuit, Aurora, Colo. (17-0)

4. Redondo Union, Redondo Beach, Calif. (17-5)

5. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (16-4)

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

* Record adjusted includes forfeit wins

 About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Boys’ Basketball Rankings are released weekly from December until the conclusion of the high school season. 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. 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 April 6, 2015. Follow him on Twitter: @clawlor.