No. 14 Harvard-Westlake (CA) on a ‘Mission’ for league title; No. 19 Bishop Montgomery (CA) moves into Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings

BENSALEM, Pa. – When the Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings have teams with at 15 to 20 games on the résumé, it’s an indication they have built up enough equity or capital to absorb an unexpected loss.

That was the case for mid-January when the Elite 25 teams were done with major national events for the most part and have settled into local schedules. No. 1 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) is still the best in the land until someone sneaks up on them. That may not occur (if at all) until the GEICO High School Nationals are played the first week of April in Fort Myers, Fla.

The top-10 experienced a reshuffling with nine teams sliding up and down and one, No. 23 West Linn (Ore.), dropping a whopping 13 slots after a loss. No. 9 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) suffered a shock loss and went down seven and No. 10 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) dipped five. Gonzaga is still unbeaten in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and face rival St. Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) Friday for league supremacy.

No. 22 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) lost to rival Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) by 11 points at home and lost six spots. The Saints built enough equity by winning the Iolani Classic in Honolulu before Christmas. Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) is a league rival and ready to enter the Elite 25 on some team’s slippage.

All told, nine dropped in the Elite 25 this week, eight rose, four stayed the same, 20 had some movement and No. 19 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) enters. The Knights are the fifth team from the Golden State in the Elite 25 and have a solid ledger that will likely include the Del Rey League title and a spot in the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Open Division playoffs when the tournament field is revealed next month.

This weekend the games of the week are Gonzaga-St. Paul VI in the WCAC and in Philadelphia it’s No. 17 Camden (N.J.) versus No. 18 Imhotep Institute Charter (Philadelphia) in a sold-out trans-Delaware River fixture.

In tournament action, No. 2 Montverde (Fla.) Academy hosts the MAIT tipping on Thursday through Saturday. It’s a six-team, competitive bracket. There are two girls’ games with the nationally ranked host school involved.

In California, the Nike Extravaganza XXIII will have a two-day run at the state-of-the-art Meruelo Athletic Center on the campus of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, beginning Friday afternoon. There are five games on Friday and 10 more Saturday. The lineup is here. Elite 25 teams Corona (Calif.) Centennial, West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.) and Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, California) play Saturday. The Mater Dei girls are in the Elite 25 girls’ rankings and will host a game on Friday night.

No. 14 Harvard-Westlake (23-1) is a team to watch and are in line to finish first in the competitive Mission League.

There’s more from California.

Apparently, Bronny James is down to three schools. The recruitment of LeBron’s eldest son is nearing the end as the senior guard from No. 24 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, Calif.) is eyeing two schools from the Pac-12 and another from his dad’s home state.

According to reports, Bronny is considering Ohio State, Southern California and Oregon. There is no hint of where he is leaning. If he remains local, USC is the pick. Ohio State is where LeBron would have played if he attended college when he graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. LeBron’s tie in with Nike is well known and the swoosh’s founder, Phil Knight, is an Oregon alumnus. Bronny has already signed an NIL deal with Nike.

Bronny is a likely one-and-done college kid and would be eligible for the NBA Draft in 2024.

We’ll stay on this one.

Staying in southern California, one of the nation’s winningest boys’ basketball coaches entered rarified air last week. Gary McKnight of Mater Dei moved into third with all-time wins with his 1,230th, surpassing Steve Smith of Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) at 1,229. Mater Dei beat rival Servite (Anaheim), 82-56, for the milestone victory.

Next up is Hall of Famer Morgan Wootten of DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) (1,274) and the leader Robert Hughes of Fort Worth (Texas) Dunbar (1,333). McKnight is currently in his 41st season.

Kudos, coach!

That’ll do it for another week.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings will return on Jan. 31.

Stay safe.

Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball Rankings, Jan. 24, 2023

1. Link Academy, Branson, Mo. (19-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: At the Quincy (Ill.) Shootout, the Lions beat Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, Utah), 62-54, and Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas), 70-40. In the latter win, B.J. Davis scored 13 points and Cameron Carr 10. The Lions play two games this weekend at the Duel in the Desert in Arizona.

2. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (15-2)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Won for the seventh straight time, defeating Central Pointe Christian Academy (Kissimmee), 89-40. Sophomore forward Copper Flagg pumped in 16 points and Kwame Evans Jr. and Derik Queen threw in 10 apiece.

3. AZ Compass Prep, Chandler, Ariz. (14-3)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Idle.

4. St. Paul VI Catholic, Chantilly, Va. (18-1)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: In the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, the Panthers defeated Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.), 94-45, and Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.), 90-33.

Also stopped Bishop Walsh (Cumberland, Md.), 79-42. The Panthers tangle with No. 10 Gonzaga (Washington) Friday in a league showdown.

5. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (12-2)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: V.J. Edgecombe scored 26 points with six 3-pointers and Godswill Eheriene doubled up with 14 points and 12 rebounds in a 99-41 victory over Portledge (Locust Valley). Also, defeated Poughkeepsie, 96-34. Jayden Reid tallied a game-high 19 point and Edgecombe had 17. The Crusaders entertain New Jersey powerhouse Roselle Catholic Sunday

6. Sunrise Christian School, Bel Aire, Kan. (12-5)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Idle.

7. Ben Davis, Indianapolis (20-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Defeated Decatur Central (Indianapolis), 82-44, and Gary West Side, 74-37.

8. Duncanville, Texas (21-1)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Defeated DeSoto, 83-63, and Mansfield Legacy, 92.74. In the latter win, Kayden Edwards flipped in a career-high 33 points, canning 9 of 12 3-pointers and K.J. Lewis contributed 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.

9. Prolific Prep, Napa, Calif. (21-1)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: The Crew finally lost. At the Crush in the Valley in San Pablo, Calif., it was upset by

Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.), 90-87, but rebounded to beat Veritas Prep (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.), 76-66. Junior post Yves Missi was the Player of the Game after putting up 15 points and 9 rebounds. The Crew are off until Feb. 4.

10. Gonzaga, Washington, D.C. (18-1)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Defeated The Heights (Potomac, Md.), 102-48, and St. John Paul the Great (Dumfries, Va.), 91-60. The Eagles are 5-0 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

11. Simeon, Chicago (19-1)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The Wolverines stopped Chicago schools Longwood, 81-40, and Lindblom, 90-48. Also, edged Moline, 67-66, at the Benet Shootout in Lisle. Robert Smith goes for coaching win No. 500 versus Brooks (Chicago) Tuesday.

12. Columbus, Miami (16-3)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Idle.

13. John Marshall, Richmond, Va. (16-0)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Defeated Tucker (Henrico), 80-32, and Godwin (Richmond), 93-61.

14. Harvard-Westlake, Studio City, Calif. (23-1)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Brady Dunlap scored 20 points and Trent Perry had 15 in a 72-52 blowout of No. 24 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth). The Wolverines also beat Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), 85-78, in double overtime. Robert Hinton scored 23 points and Jacob Huggins added 20 in a 78-59 victory over Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley).

15. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (12-4)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Defeated Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale), 61-39, at the Ascender Classic in Bradenton.

16. Centennial, Corona, Calif. (20-3)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Defeated Salesian College Prep (Richmond), 64-52. The Wolves play Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) Saturday at the Nike Extravaganza in nearby Santa Ana.

17. Camden, N.J. (13-2)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: D.J. Wagner made a rare appearance in Chicago and came away with a 68-54 win over then-No. 21 Kenwood (Chicago). Wagner, the nation’s top-ranked recruit and Kentucky signee, tossed in 26 points and Cian Medley (Saint Louis commit) added 15 and junior Billy Richmond had 14 points and 7 boards. The Panthers have a busy week capped by a visit to No. 18 Imhotep Institute Charter (Philadelphia) Saturday which will be played at a sold-out Saint Joseph’s University’s Hagan Arena.

18. Imhotep Institute Charter, Philadelphia (15-2)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Defeated Lincoln (Philadelphia), 90-36, and Audenried (Philadelphia), 62-32, in Public League play.

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

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Knights finally crack the Elite 25 and are 5-0 in the Del Rey League after an 80-50 thrashing of Serra (Gardena). Christian Jones flipped in a career-high 27 points. The Knights have three league games remaining to record a perfect record, starting with St. Anthony (Long Beach) Friday. Senior guard Kelcy Phipps has already signed with Portland State.

20. Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, N.J. (16-1)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Junior Dylan Harper tossed in 26 points with three 3-pointers, grabbed 4 rebounds and blocked two shots when the Ironmen rallied to beat St. Augustine (Richland), 55-48, at Paul VI Winter Classic in Haddonfield, N.J. The Ironmen closed the week, beating Hudson Catholic (Jersey City), 73-48, with Noah Barnett scoring 17.

21. West Ranch, Valencia, Calif. (23-1)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Defeated Saugus, 90-62, and Valencia, 75-62.

22. Ss. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (12-2)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Split two Philadelphia Catholic League games, beating La Salle College High (Wyndmoor, Pa.), 64-33, and lost to Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), 90-79.

23. West Linn, Ore. (14-1)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: The Lions dropped their first game of the season to De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 63-53, but rebounded to stop Mountainside (Beaverton, Ore.), 68-49. Senior guard Sam Leavitt scored 18 points and Jackson Shelstad and Adrian Mosley had 17 apiece in the win.

24. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (18-5)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: The Trailblazers lost to No. 14 Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 72-52, but Isaiah Elohim and Bronny did not play. The Blazers need to get back untracked or the Elite 25 evaporates.

25. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (12-4)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: In a game shown on ESPNU, the Royals lost to city rival Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains), 68-64. Junior Dwayne Pierce announced at halftime of the broadcast he will sign with Iowa State over several other schools. Elsewhere in the NYCHSAA Class AA, the Royals  defeated pesky Mount St. Michael (Bronx), 55-36.

Dropped: No. 21 Kenwood (Chicago).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Roman Catholic, Philadelphia (15-1)
2. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (7-4)
3. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (17-1)
4. Archbishop Stepinac, White Plains, N.Y. (10-6)
5. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (22-3)

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

Midwest

1. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (7-6)
2. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (13-0)
3. Park Center, Brooklyn Park, Minn. (11-0)
4. Cass Tech, Detroit (11-0)
5. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (22-1)

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

Southland

1. Lake Highlands, Dallas (21-3)
2. Beaumont (Texas) United (23-1)
3. Carmel Christian, Matthews, N.C. (24-3)
4. Carter, Dallas (22-2)
5. Briarcrest Christian. Eads, Tenn. (23-2)

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

Far West

1. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (21-3)
2. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (13-5)
3. Garfield, Seattle (15-0)
4. Perry, Gilbert, Ariz. (21-1)
5. Basha, Chandler, Ariz. (20-1)

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

Records through Sunday

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. 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. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.