No. 19 Paul VI (VA), No. 21 Neumann-Goretti (PA) rejoin Blue Star Media Go-To 25 boys’ basketball rankings

BENSALEM, Pa. – The first thing that jumps out from the Blue Star Media Go-To boys’ basketball rankings are asterisks. Meaning we have a quandary when it comes to No. 2 Curie (Chicago), which last week was stripped of 25 wins after it was discovered—by an anonymous tip—that seven member of their team were playing academically ineligible.

The Condors will be without their coach, Michael Oliver (appeals are pending), and the program’s first-ever Chicago Public Schools city title will be vacated. It also means No. 4 Montverde (Fla.) Academy gets an undefeated regular season—the Eagles lost to them at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.—heading into the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament (formerly the National High School Invitational).

For our purposes, Curie remains at No. 2 because they are eligible for the Class 4A state tournament. Once the Condors lose—if they do—we’ll deal with it then. Navigating Illinois’ 4A bracket won’t be easy as defending champion Simeon (Chicago), Marion Catholic (Chicago Heights) and Whitney Young (Chicago) present obstacles.

The asterisks remain—two for teams receiving forfeits or Curie’s own forfeits; and one for state champions. This week the Go-To 25 rankings extend kudos to seven schools, which this week won state, national or conference tournament championships.

In the biggest shakeup since the post-Christmas rankings, four schools rejoin or join the rankings: No. 19 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.); No. 21 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia); No. 22 Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) and No. 25 Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.).

The former two rejoin after winning conference titles. Paul VI also took the Virginia Independent crown and Neumann-Goretti seeks a PIAA Class AAA chip. Corona del Sol won a third straight state championship and Scotlandville is the top seed in the Class 5A tournament and looking to repeat in Louisiana’s largest-school classification.

With the season closing down later this month, at least six schools have punched their tickets for the HSNT: Montverde, Oak Hill, Findlay, Northside Christian, La Lumiere and Huntington Prep. The two other bids should be determine by next week’s rankings. If No. 3 Rainier Beach (Seattle) wins the Washington Class 3A title, their state association recently gave the thumbs up for the Vikings to participate. Again, Rainier must win out! Otherwise that creates an opening.

Get out and enjoy a game in your hometown—sooner than later. Hope to see you at a state playoff game soon.—Christopher Lawlor 

Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Boys Basketball Rankings, March 3, 2014

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (29-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Stanley Johnson’s 42 points staked the Monarchs to a 77-59 win over Mayfair (Lakewood) in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division quarterfinals. Next up is Riverside North in the semifinals Tuesday.

2. Curie, Chicago (0-25)**

Previous: 2.

Low-down: The Condors must forfeit all their games after it was discovered they were playing with ineligible players. They open the postseason Tuesday as the top seed in the Class 4A Marist Sectional but their coach has been suspended for the remainder of the season.

3. Rainier Beach, Seattle (26-0)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Downed Mercer Island, 61-55, in Class 3A regional. The Vikings were cleared by their state association to participate in the Dick’s Sporting Good High School National Tournament provided they win the Class 3A title.

4. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (25-0)**

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Regular season complete. Now the Eagles await the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament in April. They also received a forfeit victory from Curie (Chicago).

5. Northside Christian Academy, Charlotte, N.C. (28-1)*

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Won Class 2A Independent state championship. An invitation to the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament is all but assured. Regular season complete.

6. Converse (Texas) Judson (36-1)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Tony Allen contributed 17 points and 4 assists, leading the Rockets over San Antonio Madison, 52-41, in the Class 5A, Region 4 final. Next up is the Class 5A state tournament semifinals Friday in Austin.

7. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (23-2)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: The Lakers swept a pair of Canadian schools, topping MacNab Secondary (Hamilton, Ontario), 57-34; and United Leadership (Hamilton, Ontario), 68-57. It appears a third-straight invitation to the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament is in the bag.

8. Lincoln, Brooklyn, N.Y. (26-3)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Eliminated Westinghouse (Brooklyn), 84-67, in the PSAL AA Tournament quarterfinals. Next up are Brooklyn rivals, Thomas Jefferson, in the semifinals.

9. Huntington (W.Va.) Prep (26-4)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Closed out regular season, beating Legacy Charter (Greenville, S.C.), 71-61. Also beat Bull City Prep (Durham, N.C.), 113-72, as junior Thomas Bryant tossed in a career-high 41 points. Regular season is complete.

10. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (37-3)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Crushed Faith Baptist (Fredericksburg, Va.), 75-53, on Senior Night. The Warriors have two games left. Then it’s the Dick’s Sporting High School National Tournament tipping on April 3 in New York.

11. Our Savior New American, Centereach, N.Y. (25-3)*

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Won National Association of Christian Athletes Division I Tournament, beating Potter’s House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.), 64-56, in final. MVP Cheick Diallo had 24 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks in title game. The Pioneers travel this weekend to the USA National Prep Championships in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. They won the tournament in 2013.

12. Cardinal Hayes, Bronx, N.Y. (26-1)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Defeated Holy Cross (Flushing), 63-40, in the CHSAA AA intersectional quarterfinals.

13. Arsenal Tech, Indianapolis (20-2)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Defeated Ben Davis (Indianapolis), 62-46. The regular season concludes Tuesday against Lawrence North (Indianapolis).

14. White Station, Memphis, Tenn. (30-2)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Lost in Region 8-AAA final. Played Monday in the Class AAA sectional game.

15. Sagemont, Weston, Fla. (33-0)*

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Won Class 3A state championship, crushing Tampa Prep, 79-48. In the semifinals, the Lions throttled ranked Providence Christian (Jacksonville), 78-59. Season complete.

16. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (30-3)*

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Won Division I state championship, beating Canyon Springs (Las Vegas), 71-58. Chase Jeter poured in 12 points as the Gaels won their fifth state crown in six years. The Gaels claimed a win from Curie (Chicago), which forfeited all its victories. Season complete.

17. Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev. (30-4)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Rashad Vaughan (14 points) and Craig Victor (10) teamed for 24 points in a 55-51 triumph over Bill Crothers Secondary (Unionville, Ontario) at the Air Canada Center in Toronto.

18. Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep (30-1)*

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won Class 2A, beating Grandview Prep (Boca Raton), 53-49. It was the fifth title in the last seven years for the Warriors. Season complete.

19. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (28-6)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Panthers re-enter the rankings after bagging two titles last week. First, they captured the prestigious Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Tournament title. Then they took the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I state championship, beating Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach), 64-56. Glenn Farello’s team is back at it from March 13-15 at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament in Frostburg, Md.

20. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (21-2)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Defeated Valley Forge (Parma Heights), 81-28, in a Division I sectional final. The Eagles play Nordonia on Wednesday in the Broadview Heights Region semifinals. The final is Saturday.

21. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (22-4)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Saints had a monumental week winning the Philadelphia Catholic League Tournament and District 12 Class AAA titles. The Class AAA state tournament opens Friday vs. Berks Catholic (Reading). The main competition is archrival Archbishop Carroll (Radnor), a team they potentially could play in the semifinals on March 18.

22. Corona del Sol, Tempe, Ariz. (33-1)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won third consecutive Division I state championship, nipping Pinnacle (Phoenix), 71-70, in overtime. Casey Benson flipped in a game-high 24 points. In the semifinals, freshman Alex Barcello scored 21 points in a 78-66 win over Perry (Gilbert). Season complete.

23. Prime Prep, Dallas (22-5)                                            

Previous: 22.

Low-down: The Truth plays Sunrise Christian (Bel Aire, Kan.) Friday.

24. Arlington Country Day, Jacksonville, Fla. (27-5)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Lost to The Rock School (Gainesville), 54-49. Regular season is complete. The conference tournament is on deck.

25. Scotlandville, Baton Rouge, La. (31-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The defending Class 5A champions opened the state tournament with a 26-point win. Next up is Acadiana (Lafayette) Tuesday in the regional round. The top-seed needs four more wins to repeat.

Dropped: No. 20 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia); No. 21 Providence Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.); No. 23 Etiwanda (Calif.); and No. 24 St. John’s (Washington, D.C.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (20-1)

2. Bishop Loughlin, Brooklyn, N.Y. (21-5)

3. Roman Catholic, Philadelphia (22-4)

4. Archbishop Carroll, Radnor, Pa.  (21-4)

5. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (32-4)

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

Midlands

1. Whitney Young, Chicago (22-5)

2. Apple Valley, Minn. (25-1)

3. Stevenson, Lincolnshire, Ill. (26-1)

4. Muskegon, Mich. (20-0)

5. Brookfield (Wis.) Central (23-0)

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

South

1. DeSoto, Texas (31-3)

2. Callaway, Jackson, Miss. (28-1)

3. Wheeler, Marietta, Ga. (28-5)

4. Greater Atlanta Christian, Norcross, Ga. (31-0)

5. Putnam City West, Oklahoma City (22-2)

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

Far West

1. Redondo Union, Redondo Beach, Calif. (24-4)

2. Etiwanda, Calif. (26-4)

3. Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif. (24-4)

4. Jefferson, Portland, Ore. (23-1)

5. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (25-3)

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

* Won state, national or postseason conference tournament championship

** Includes forfeits

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.