California cool moves to No. 1; Blue Star Media Go-To 25 boys’ basketball rankings

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – It was quite a weekend at the birthplace of basketball. The Hoophall Classic was just that … a classic.

Several great matchups with Blue Star Media Go-To 25 boys’ basketball teams. Only one team enters the rankings and their performance at the Hoophall helped No. 17 Huntington (W.Va.) Prep.

There’s also a new No. 1. That’s because previous top-ranked Montverde (Fla.) Academy lost at the Hoophall. The Eagles drop three slots, allowing Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) take over the top spot. Kudos to No. 2 Curie (Chicago) for ending Montverde’s win streak at 23 games. Cliff Alexander showed why he’s the nation’s top senior.

Here are the latest Blue Star Media Go-To 25 rankings.

The next rankings will appear on January 27.

In the meantime, we hope to see you at a game soon. —  Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Boys Basketball Rankings, Jan. 20, 2014

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (19-0)

Previous rank: 2.

Low-down: Improved to 4-0 in the Trinity League with a 62-47 win over Servite (Anaheim). Also beat ranked Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 79-67, at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Junior F Rex Pflueger pumped in 30 points.

2. Curie, Chicago (14-1)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Colossal day for the Condors, knocking off previous No. 1 Montverde (Fla.) Academy, 73-69, at the Hoophall Classic. Kansas-bound C Cliff Alexander had 30 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks, bagging the game’s Most Outstanding Player. Also defeated Martin Luther King (Chicago), 58-47.

3. Rainier Beach, Seattle (14-0)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Edged Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.), 65-60, at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Senior G David Crip was named his team’s Most Valuable Player, scoring 20 points (draining four 3-pointers).

4. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (18-1)

Previous: 1.

Low-down: Lost to then-No. 8 Curie (Chicago), 73-69, at Hoophall Classic in Spring, Mass. Won the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, beating No. 3 White Station (Memphis), 73-60, in final before 10,086 at Missouri State’s JOH Arena. Ohio State-bound D’Angelo Russell was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, scoring 64 points in three games.

5. White Station, Memphis, Tenn. (16-1)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Lost to top-ranked Montverde (Fla.) Academy, 73-60, in Bass Pro Tournament of Champions final in Springfield, Mo. Nych Smith tossed in 14 points.

6. Northside Christian Academy, Charlotte, N.C. (19-1)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Defeated Christ School (Arden), 62-44. Keyshawn Woods, a Charlotte recruit, pumped in a game-high 17 points. Four games left in the regular season.

7. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (23-2)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Three easy wins for the Warriors, but they lost to Whitney Young (Chicago) at the Hoophall Classic.

8. Providence Christian, Jacksonville, Fla. (17-3)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Chris Terrell (19 points) and Duke-bound Grayson Allen (15) combined for 35 points in a 77-55 win over Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) at the Wally Keller Classic in Punta Gorda Charlotte.

9. Converse (Texas) Judson (24-1)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Drilled San Marcos, 77-40. Julian Erickson paced four double-digit scorers with 17 points. The Rockets are 3-0 in district play.

10. Arsenal Tech, Indianapolis (13-1)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Crushed Northwest (Indianapolis), 97-51. Next up is the Indianapolis City Tournament on Tuesday.

11. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (14-2)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Pulled away in the second half from No. xx Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), 66-55, at the Hoophall Classic. The Lakers had not played since Jan. 1.

12. Our Savior New American, Centereach, N.Y. (13-2)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Fell to No. xx La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), 65-55, at the Hoophall Classic. Kolbie Eubanks dropped in 25 points during a 73-65 win over Pope John XXIII (Sparta, N.J.) at the Dan Finn Classic in Jersey City, N.J.

13. St. John’s, Washington, D.C. (13-1)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The Cadets have a conference showdown with No. xx Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) on Wednesday. Paul VI won the previous matchup by 20 points in December.

14. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (15-3)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Placed third at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo., going 2-1.

15. Cardinal Hayes, Bronx, N.Y. (14-0)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: The Cardinals peeled off three important league wins, most notably a 73-62 win over borough rivals St. Raymond.

16. Lincoln, Brooklyn, N.Y. (13-3)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Defeated Yates (Houston), 90-66, at the Hoophall Classic. Elisha Boone, a Saint Peter’s recruit, was named his team’s Most Outstanding Player, scoring 26 points on 10 of 16 shooting and clearing 11 rebounds.

17. Huntington (W.Va.) Prep (17-4)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Irish knocked off then-No. xx Prime Prep (Dallas). Junior Montaque Gill-Caesar had 13 points and nine rebounds.

18. Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev. (21-3)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: The Pilots crushed Wesleyan Christian (High Point, N.C.), 73-44, at the Hoophall Classic.

19. Sagemont, Weston, Fla. (22-0)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Defeated Miami Senior, 70-41, at the MLK Classic in Miami. Junior G Ali Prince, a Connecticut recruit, scored 12 of his 28 points in the second quarter.

20. Arlington Country Day, Jacksonville, Fla. (13-3)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Upended No. 22 St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, N.J.), 64-54, at the Hoophall Classic. Terrell Miller had double-double, with 14 points and 11 boards.

21. St. Benedict’s Prep, Newark, N.J. (11-3)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Lost to Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.), 64-54, at the Hoophall Classic. Trevon Duval provided 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals.

22. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (11-3)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Miami-bound G Ja’Quan Newton had 14 points, 6 steals, 4 assists and 6-8 freshman Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree collected 7 rebounds and 6 points in a 94-53 thrashing of Cardinal O’Hara (Springfield).

23. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (14-4)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: The Gaels next play Desert Oasis (Las Vegas) on Tuesday.

24. Prime Prep, Dallas (14-5)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Lost Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, 52-48, at the Hoophall Classic but beat Garfield Heights (Ohio), 72-53, at Flyin to the Hoop Invitational.

25. Loyola, Los Angeles (15-1)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Bounced back after a loss with a 65-47 victory over St. Francis (La Canada).

Dropped: No. 15 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Roman Catholic, Philadelphia (13-2)

2. Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.).  (12-2)

3. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (7-1)

4. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (11-4)

5. St. Joseph, Metuchen, N.J. (10-1)

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

Midlands

1. Marian Catholic, Chicago Heights, Ill. (14-1)

2. Whitney Young, Chicago (12-4)

3. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (9-1)

4. Pershing, Detroit (8-1)

5. Apple Valley, Minn. (15-1)

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

South

1. Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep (19-0)

2. Scotlandville, Baton Rouge, La. (24-1)

3. DeSoto, Texas (19-3)

4. Callaway, Jackson, Miss. (15-1)

5. Columbia, Decatur, Ga. (13-0)

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

Far West

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

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

3. Lone Peak, Highland, Utah (10-2)

4. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (14-2)

5. Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, Calif. (16-1)

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

About: The Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Boys High School Rankings are released weekly from September 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 7, 2014. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.

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