BENSALEM, Pa. – The biggest news out of the high school basketball community is No. 1 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) dropped out of the GEICO High School Nationals. There a variety of excuses the players came up with for not wanting to compete at the prestigious event.

Last week the Indians were crowned Georgia Class AAAAAAA state champions and Mike Thompson was named the Naismith National Coach of the Year. The GEICO bracket was released and the Indians were the No. 2 seed. Then a word out of Georgia was McEachern was backing out of the tournament. Then they were back in but ultimately the players had other things on the agenda. The coach wanted to go and GEICO would have taken McEachern, even with a reduced squad. 

There will be changes atop the Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ basketball rankings and the GEICO Nationals will play a major role in the final order.

So instead, No. 18 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), the eight-time Nevada state champions, are headed to New York in their place. The Gaels (28-4) play La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) in the quarterfinals on April 4 at 4 p.m. ET, at Christ the King High School in Middle Village, New York.

That winner plays No. 10 Wasatch Academy (Mount Pleasant, Utah) vs. No. 7 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) from the same day at 6 p.m. The top half of the bracket from April 4 has No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) vs. No. 11 Sunrise Christian (Bel Aire, Kan.) at noon, with that survivor facing No. 3 Montverde (Fla.) Academy or No. 15 University School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at 2 p.m. All opening round games are on ESPNU and all the teams are currently ranked in the Blue Star Media Elite 25. The Montverde-University School matchup is a rematch of last year’s title game won by Montverde.

The semifinals are April 5 at 3 and 5 p.m. on EPSN2 and the title game is April at noon on ESPN. The girls’ tournament starts April 5 with the semifinals at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on ESPNU. The final is April 6 at 10 a.m. on ESPN.

This weekend the final grouping of state champions will be crowned in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and Minnesota.

There weren’t any additions to the Elite 25 but there’s sure to be fresh look when the rankings return on March 26. After that it’s down to the final rankings that are released on April 8.

Thank you to all our readers. Get out to a game before the season ends but I’m sure most hoopheads will be glued to the TV for March Madness. Who are you picking? I’m going on a limb and sticking with the Michigan Wolverines; Duke is my secondary selection now that Zion Williamson is back in a dominating role. 

Enjoy at the madness this month. Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor 

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball Rankings, March 19, 2019

1. McEachern, Powder Springs, Ga. (32-0)*

Previous ranked: 1.

Low-down: Won the Class AAAAAAA state championship. Back out of the GEICO Nationals. Season complete.

2. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (28-0)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Idle. The Lakers are the top seed at the GEICO Nationals that start on April 4 in New York.

3. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (21-2)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Idle. Next stop is New York to defend their GEICO Nationals championship.

4. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (26-1)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Idle. The GEICO Nationals are next starting on April 4 in New York.

5. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (32-3)*

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Won second straight CIF Open Division state championship. Season complete.

6. Mountain Brook, Birmingham, Ala. (31-3)*

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Won a third straight Class 7A state championship. Season complete.

7. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (31-4)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Idle. The GEICO Nationals for next for coach Steve Smith and the Warriors.

8. Moeller, Cincinnati (27-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: The Crusaders are back in the Ohio Division I Final Four after dispatching Centerville, 59-41, in the regional final and Lakota East (Liberty Township), 47-33,  in the semifinals. Next is St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) Friday in the state semifinals at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus.

9. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (23-2)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Idle. The Crusaders play PSAL champions South Shore (Brooklyn) in the New York State Federation Class AA semifinals this weekend in Glens Falls. That winner gets Christ the King (Middle Village) or West Genesee (Camillus) in the Class AA Federation final.

10. Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant, Utah (26-3)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Idle. The Tigers are going to the GEICO Nationals on April 4.

11. Sunrise Christian Academy, Bel Aire, Kan. (22-5)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Idle. The Buffaloes play in the GEICO Nationals on April 4.

12. Ranney School, Tinton Falls, N.J. (31-3)* *

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won first-ever New Jersey State Tournament of Champions title, topping Bergen Catholic (Oradell), 67-63. The game was tied at 63 in the final minute, but Ahmadu Sarnor’s free throw with 15.6 seconds left gave the Panthers the lead for good. Scottie Lewis scored 20 points and hauled down 11 rebounds and fellow McDonald’s All-American Bryan Antoine added 11. In the semifinals, the Panthers crushed Moorestown, 62-40. Antoine scored 16 points and Lewis had 14. Season complete.

13. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (33-5)* *

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Won the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament and Maryland Private Schools titles. Season complete.

14. Carmel, Ind. (25-1)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: The Greyhounds coasted into the Class 4A championship game, crushing Penn (Mishawaka), 71-42, in the Semistates. Next is Ben Davis (Indianapolis) Saturday in the final at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Greyhounds won the regular-season meeting, 49-39, on Jan. 25.

15. University School, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (27-4)*

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Idle. Florida’s two time Class 5A state champions are headed back to the GEICO Nationals on April 4 and have a rematch with No. 3 Montverde (Fla.) Academy in the quarterfinals.

16. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (27-5)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Advanced to the Non-Public B final. Won The Non-Public B North title. Season complete.

17. Nicolet, Glendale, Wis. (27-1)*

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Won Division 2 state championship, stopping Milwaukee Washington, 67-54. Junior All-American forward Jalen Johnson scored 23 points and Jamari Sibley added 20 points and 20 rebounds. Also beat Elkhorn, 70-46, in the semifinals. Season complete.

18. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (28-4)*

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Won eighth straight Class 4A state championship. The Gaels accepted in invite to the GEICO Nationals on April 4 in New York and drew No. 2 La Lumiere School (La Porte, Ind.).

19. Belleville (Ill.) West (34-4)*

Previous: 19.

Low-down: For the second straight year, the Maroons are state champions. Ohio State-bound EJ Liddell contributed 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in a 71-59 victory over Evanston in the Class 4A final. Will Shumpert added 21 points in the win. In the semifinals, throttled No. 6 Curie (Chicago), 70-48. Liddell’s double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds were more than enough. Also defeated Bolingbrook, 72-60, in the Normal Super-Sectional. Season complete.

20. Southwest Guilford, High Point, N.C. (32-0)*

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Won Class 3A state championship, defeating Williams (Burlington),67-60. It was the Cowboys’ second title in the last three years. Joel Pettiford and Keyshaun Langley scored 18 points apiece. Season complete.

21. Curie, Chicago (35-2) 

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Placed third in the Class 4A state tournament, beating Rockford East, 64-55. In the semifinals, lost No. 19 Bellville West, 70-48.  In the Evanston Super-Sectional, Trevon Hamilton drilled clutch 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining to rally the Condors over Simeon (Chicago), 56-54. Junior Ramean Hilton contributed 16 points and 5 boards. Season complete.

22. Salesian College Prep, Richmond, Calif. (31-1)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Advanced to the CIF-Northern California Region semifinals. Season complete.

23. Rancho Christian, Temecula, Calif. (26-6)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Advanced to the CIF-Southern California Region Open Division tournament. The Eagles played the nation’s most aggressive schedule. Season complete.

24. Gonzaga, Washington, D.C. (28-9)* 

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Won Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship. Season complete.

25. Shadow Mountain, Phoenix (26-3)*

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Won the Arizona 4A state championship. Season complete.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (27-4)* 

2. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (38-7)* *

3. Imhotep Charter, Philadelphia (24-6)*

4. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (19-10)*

5. South Shore, Brooklyn, N.Y. (27-5)*

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

Midwest

1. Bogan, Chicago (30-4)

2. East St. Louis, Ill. (30-6)*

3. Vashon, St. Louis (26-5)*

4. Morgan Park, Chicago (29-5)

5. Lincoln, Ypsilanti, Mich. (23-4)*

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

Southland

1. Scotlandville, Baton Rouge, La. (35-2)*

2. Carmel Christian, Matthews, N.C. (31-3)*

3. Timberview, Mansfield, Texas (38-2)*

4. Duncanville, Texas (32-7)*

5. Starkville, Miss. (26-1)*

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

Far West

1. Gonzaga Prep, Spokane, Wash. (25-2)*

2. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (29-5)

3. Fairfax, Los Angeles (27-2)

4. Federal Way, Wash. (26-3)

5. Pinnacle, Phoenix (27-3)*

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

* Won a state, national or conference/league postseason tournament championship

(Note some schools have won multiple tournament titles]

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. 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 Senior Writer 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.