BENSALEM, Pa. – This is the time of year that all players, coaches, parents and hoop aficionados wait: The postseason! That’s right, the state tournaments are in full swing nationally as California opened last week and Texas is on the verge and the sectional playoffs in New York and Pennsylvania are just lifting off. The Blue Star Media Go-To 25 high school boys’ basketball rankings are reflective of strength, power and no nonsense.

This week two teams join the Go-To 25 and several teams have shifted spots within the ranks. The biggest thud was No. 19 La Lumiere School (La Porte, Ind.) free falling 14 slots after losing decisively at Cathedral (Indianapolis). Granted Cathedral (five losses) is one the state’s top team, but the Lakers—stocked with several high-end prospects—shouldn’t drop this one. However, there’s always another chance.

Joining the Go-To 25 rankings is No. 24 Christ Presbyterian (Nashville, Tenn.) (29-2), which is currently on a 17-game winning skein. The Lions are considered a favorite for a Tennessee state title. Also making headway were No. 7 Whitney Young (Chicago), No. 18 Pershing (Detroit) and No. 20 Hudson Catholic (Jersey City, N.J.). Young and Pershing each bagged city titles fueling their rise in the Go-To 25 rankings.

The stakes keep getting higher as the calendar moves closer to March. Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Varsity Letters

Player of the Week

Tyler Ennis, senior, No. 2 St. Benedict’s, Newark, N.J.: Talk about having a chip on your shoulder and sending a message to a blue-ribbon voting panel. Ennis, a 6-foot-2 Canadian guard, felt slighted when he was not chosen last week for the McDonald’s All-American Game. Instead of pouting he dropped a school-record 53 points in a 116-65 drubbing of Eastern (Voorhees) on Wednesday. Ennis scored 24 points in the opening half and added 25 in the third quarter. The Syracuse recruit was apparently red flagged by some McDonald’s voters—which I am one—questioning whether he’s a fifth-year player. McDonald’s frowns upon fifth year players. However, Ennis will play in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 13 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Additionally, Ennis followed up that smashing effort with a team-high 21 points and dished off six assists in the Gray Bees’ 65-37 win over The Hun School (Princeton Township) in the semifinals of the New Jersey Prep A Tournament Saturday.

Places To Be

Here’s chance to see the best of Chicago under one roof on one court. In what amounts to a preview of the Illinois Class 4A playoffs, the 18^th McDonald’s City-Suburban Showdown at Chicago’s 10,000-seat House of Hope Arena. The facility is south of downtown in the Pullman neighborhood. There are three appetizing games, starting at 4 p.m. CT:

Game 1: De La Salle (Chicago) vs. Proviso East (Maywood):The game features two of the top-10 seniors in the state, Sterling Brown of Proviso East and Alvin Ellis of DLS. Proviso East, whose only loss last season came against Simeon (Chicago), in the 4A state final is regionally ranked by Blue Star Media.

Game 2: No. 7 Whitney Young (Chicago) vs. Benet Academy (Lisle), 6 p.m.: Whitney Young is led by 6-11 junior C Jahlil Okafor while Benet counters with 6-10 junior Sean O’Mara. Last weekend Young captured the Chicago Public School League championship.

Game 3: No. 12 Simeon vs. Marist (Chicago), 8 p.m.: This is a rematch of the 2012 Argo Sectional final. Simeon has won the last three Class 4A titles, featuring Duke-bound Jabari Parker, the reigning Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, and several other blue-chip prospects.

Blue Star Media Go-To 25 boys’ basketball rankings, Feb. 19, 2013

1. Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev. (28-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: The Pilots defeated God’s Academy (Dallas), 71-29, behind Gavin Schilling’s 10 points and 21 rebounds in Wichita Falls, Texas. Washington-bound G Nigel Goss-Williams will play in the McDonald’s All-American Game. Starting Tuesday, the Pilots play four games in five days.

2. St. Benedict’s, Newark, N.J. (25-1)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Tyler Ennis dropped in a career-high 53 points in a 116-65 blowout of Eastern (Voorhees). Also opened the New Jersey State Prep A Tournament, trouncing Hun School (Princeton Township), 65-37. The Gray Bees will ateempt to avenge their lone loss against Blair Academy (Blairstown) in Wednesday’s final.

3. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (22-2)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Regular season complete. The Eagles will play at the National High School Invitational in April

4. Lone Peak, Highland, Utah (21-1)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: The Knights defeated Lehi, 90-71, improving to 9-0 in Class 5A, Region 4. BYU-bound Nick Emery hit for 25 points. Coach Quincy Lewis’ team closes out the regular season Tuesday with Bingham (South Jordan) before embarking on their quest for another state title.

5. Huntington (W.Va.) Prep (26-2)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: The Express played in Ontario, Canada, defeating United Leadership Academy (Toronto), 81-52. It was a homecoming for Express players, who are from Canada, including 6-7 undecided senior F Andrew Wiggins, who was selected for the McDonald’s All-American Game in April.

6. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (27-1)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: The Monarchs opened the CIF-Southern Section Division I-AA Tournament hammering Roosevelt (Eastvale), 83-48. Up next is Warren (Downey) Tuesday in second round. The quarterfinals are Friday.

7. Whitney Young, Chicago (23-3)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The Dolphins won their first Chicago Public School League championship since 1998, following a thrilling overtime victory over ranked Morgan Park (Chicago), 60-56. C Jahlil Okafor, the nation’s No. 1 junior, contributed 19 points, 14 rebounds and blocked seven shots. Defeated Orr, 66-51, in semifinals. Okafor had 26 points and cleared 13 rebounds.

8. Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, Calif. (28-0)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: The Knights thrashed Whittier Christian (La Habra), 101-36, in the opening round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IV-AA and Twentynine Palms, 86-35, in the second round. Anything less than a state title would be a let down.

9. St. Anthony, Jersey City, N.J. (22-1)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: The Friars close out the regular season this week with two games, including the finale Friday against Bishop Eustace Prep (Pennsauken).

10. Morgan Park, Chicago (26-3)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Lost to then-No. 13 Whitney Young, 60-56, in Chicago Public School League Tournament final in overtime. Kyle Davis scored 14 points and DePaul-bound G Billy Garrett Jr. netted 12. In semifinals, beat then-No. 8 Simeon (Chicago), 54-53, Davis scored 15 points.

11. Arlington Country Day, Jacksonville, Fla. (26-3)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The Apaches beat Potter’s House Christian (Jacksonville), 74-51, and West Oaks (Orlando), 76-61. Up next is Faith Baptist Christian (Brandon) Friday.

12. Simeon, Chicago (22-3)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: The Wolverines lost No. 9 Morgan Park, 54-53, in Chicago Public School League semifinals. Duke-bound Jabari Parker, who was picked for the McDonald’s All-American Game, had 14 points and eight rebounds.

13. Blanch Ely, Pompano Beach, Fla. (23-1)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: The Tigers eliminated St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale), 72-37, in the Class 7A Region 4 quarterfinals. F Kahlil Thomas posted 23 points and 12 rebounds. Up next is rivals Northeast (Oakland Park) Tuesday in the semifinals. The region final is Saturday against Palm Beach Lakes (West Palm Beach) or Royal Palm Beach.

14. Prime Prep Academy, Dallas (25-0)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Defeated Oklahoma City Storm, 91-65. Will participate this weekend at the OKC Storm Festival in Moore, Okla.

15. Lake Oswego, Ore. (23-0)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: The Lakers wrapped up the Three Rivers League crown, beating West Linn, 68-55. Calvin Hermanson scored a game-high 33 points, including the game’s first 10, to aid his team’s seventh league title in nine years. Also beat Oregon City, 52-32. Connor Griffin and Hermanson scored 16 points apiece.

16. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (25-2)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: The Jackrabbits hammered Palmdale, 84-38, in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division I-AA Tournament. USC-bound Roschon Prince had 24 points and nine rebounds. Up next is Mayfair (Lakewood) Tuesday in the second round.

17. Gonzaga, Washington, D.C. (25-3)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Coach Steve Turner’s club completed just the third unbeaten season (18-0) in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference history, edging Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.), 58-53. Senior Charles Glover scored 15 points. The WCAC Tournament tips off later this week, with the Purple Eagles garnering the top seed.

18. Pershing, Detroit (19-0)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Won Detroit Public School League title, beating Class Tech (Detroit), 80-61. In the semifinals, Martez Walker scored 19 points and Justin Tillman netted 13 in a 50-40 win over Douglass (Detroit).

19. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (23-3)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Blame it on a dearth of recent games but the Lakers were shocked by Cathedral (Indianapolis), 70-59. The schedule picks up with three games this week,

20. Hudson Catholic, Jersey City, N.J. (25-1)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: The Golden Hawks defeated Union City 75-35, in the quarterfinals of the Hudson County Tournament. F Reggie Cameron netted 30 points. Jared Hall flipped in 19 points, including the 1,000^th of his career, during a 110-43 lopsided win in the first round. The semifinals are Tuesday at Saint Peter’s College’s Yanitelli Center; the final is Saturday.

21. Salesian, Richmond, Calif. (26-3)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Won three games to capture the Tri-County Athletic League title, capped by a 65-51 victory over El Cerrito in the final. California-bound Jabari Bird was selected for the McDonald’s All-American Game and tallied 16 points in the final.

22. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (28-5)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: The Warriors went 4-0 last week; now it’s five home games to end the regular season. Sindarius Thornwell, a South Carolina recruit, had a rare triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 103-42 victory over Genesis Academy (Lynchburg).

23. DeSoto, Texas (31-2)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: The Eagles won the District 7-5A championship. Also defeated Woodrow Wilson (Dallas), 58-48, in a playoff tune-up at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Thee players scored 12 points for the Eagles.

24. Christ Presbyterian Academy, Nashville, Tenn. (29-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: At 6-7, freshman Braxton Blackwell and 6-6 junior Jalen Lindsey are the Lions’ cornerstones. Coach Drew Maddux’s club carries a 17-game win streak into Tuesday’s District 10-AA final against East Nashville. The Lions dropped two games at the Beach Ball Classic over the holidays but have since recovered.

25. South Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, Texas (32-3)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Closed out regular season edging Grand Prairie, 59-55, in overtime.

Dropped out: No. 24 Theodore Roosevelt (Washington, D.C.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (21-2)

2. Chester, Pa. (20-3)

3. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (20-3)

4. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (22-6)

5. Wings Academy, Bronx, N.Y. (25-3)

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

Midlands

1. Proviso East, Maywood, Ill. (21-3)

2. Germantown, Wis. (22-0)

3. Omaha (Neb.) Central (21-4)

4. West, Iowa City, Iowa (21-0)

5. Munster, Ind. (21-0)

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

South

1. Scotlandville, Baton Rouge, La. (28-2)

2. Miller Grove, Lithonia, Ga. (25-3)

3. Carver, Montgomery, Ala. (24-1)

4. Lewisville (Texas) Hebron (32-2)

5. Olympic, Charlotte, N.C. (22-0)

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

Far West

1. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (27-3)

2. Jesuit, Portland, Ore. (20-2)

3. Sheldon, Sacramento, Calif. (21-5)

4. Garfield, Seattle (22-1)

5. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (26-2)

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

Records are through Sunday.

About: The Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Boys Basketball Rankings are released weekly 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 league, conference, region or district. The rankings are compiled by Blue Star Media’s senior writer/evaluator Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, evaluators and prep sports writers. Follow him on Twitter @clawlor or @BlueStarMedia1, and at www.bluestarmedia.org.