STAND OR FALL: GEICO Nationals will determine who’s No. 1 in Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings; No. 22 Imhotep Prep Charter (PA) bags PIAA Class AAAAA title

BENSALEM, Pa. – It what amounted to four states determining their boys’ basketball champions, the action was confined to Alaska, Indiana, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.

And when the buzzer sounded sometime in the middle of the night in the Eastern Time Zone, the Alaska’s Class 4A championship was the final one. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were complete and the Blue Star Media Elite boys’ rankings are two weeks from revealing the final set.

In Hershey, Pennsylvania, five boys’ champions were crowned, with No. 22 Imhotep Prep Charter (Philadelphia) capturing the Class AAAAA state title in a 54-39 win over New Castle. The Panthers, who improved to 28-4, sizzled from the field, connecting on 57% in the first half to capture the program’s eighth state title in as many tries since 2009. When the 2022-23 preseason rankings are dropped in November, coach Andre Noble’s team will be among them.

The Philadelphia Catholic League, cleaned up, winning three of the five state titles. Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) took Class AAAAAA; Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) Class AAAA and Devon Prep Class AAA. Roman Catholic, the regular season PCL champions, beat league rival Archbishop Wood (Warminster), 77-64. Neumann-Goretti won the treble this season, annexing the PCL Tournament, City and PIAA state titles. Neumann-Goretti is another shoo-in for the next season’s preseason rankings with several key players returning.

In Class AA, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Coraopolis) won the championship and in doing so, stretched its win streak to a state-tying record 68 games. The Chargers stopped Constitution (Philadelphia), 92-71, in the final and can own the record they equaled of West Philadelphia (1976-78).

GEICO Nationals

With state championships in the rear-view mirror, the action shifts this week to Fort Myers, Florida for the GEICO High School Nationals. The boys’ eight-team bracket tips for three days, starting Thursday, at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

Seven of the eight teams are in the Elite 25.

The first-round pairings are (all games on ESPNU, times are Eastern):

No. 8 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs. No. 2 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.), 12 p.m.

No. 4 Montverde (Fla.) Academy vs. No. 12 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), 2 p.m.

No. 5 La Lumiere School (La Porte, Ind.) vs. No. 3 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 4 p.m.

No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) vs. Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.). 6 p.m.

The semifinals are Friday at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The championship game is Saturday at 12 p.m. on ESPN. That’s quite a day for hoops with the NCAA Men’s Final Four semifinals played later in the day from New Orleans, Louisiana.

Once the GEICO Nationals are over, the last three boys’ games of the season will be contested April 7-9 at Berkeley Pre in Tampa, Florida. Here’s the breakdown of the inaugural event.

Since Imhotep Prep was the lone Elite 25 team playing, the rankings don’t shift. Don’t expect the same next week as the GEICO National will have a final say who the Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions will be.

The McDonald’s All American Games will be played on Tuesday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago after a two-year pause over pandemic concerns. The girls’ game is 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and the boys’ follows at 9 p.m. on ESPN. Several players from the GEICO Nationals will hop on a plane Wednesday and join their teams in Fort Myers.

Additionally, the Games recognized Kiki Rice from Sidwell Friends and Dereck Lively II from Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) as the 2022 Morgan Wootten Players of the Year – continuing the long-standing tradition of honoring the top players for their commitments on and off the court. Great job!

That’s it for the fourth week in March. We’ll be in Florida for the GEICO Nationals, looking forward to some serious hoop games.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings will return on April 5. We’re down to two weeks until the final rankings will be revealed.

Stay safe and make sure your vaccines are up to date. Congratulations to all the state champions.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball Rankings, March 29, 2022

1. Sunrise Christian Academy, Bel Aire, Kan. (25-1)

Previous rank: 1.

The Low-down: Idle. Up next is Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) at the GEICO Nationals Thursday in the first round in Fort Myers, Fla.

2. Link Academy, Branson, Mo. (32-1)

Previous: 2.

The Low-down: Idle. The Lions will make their first appearance at the GEICO Nationals against No. 8 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) Thursday in the first round.

3. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (22-4)

Previous: 3.

The Low-down: Idle. Up next is a trip to the GEICO Nationals and a first-round game with No. 5 La Lumiere School (La Porte, Ind.) Thursday.

4. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (21-4)

Previous: 4.

The Low-down: Idle. The Eagles play at the GEICO Nationals Thursday in Fort Myers, Fla.

5. La Lumiere School, La Porte, Ind. (20-4)

Previous: 5.

The Low-down: Idle. The Lakers are headed back to the GEICO Nationals and play No. 3 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) on Thursday in the first round.

6. Duncanville, Texas (35-1)*

Previous: 6.

The Low-down: Won a third consecutive UIL Class 6A state championship. Season complete.

7. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (33-1)*

Previous: 7.

The Low-down: Won the CIF Open Division state championship. Season complete.

8. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (33-7)

Previous: 8.

The Low-down: Idle. The Warriors face No. 2 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) on Thursday at the GEICO Nationals first round in Fort Myers, Fla.

9. Calvary Christian Academy, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (24-2)*

Previous: 9.

The Low-down: Won FHSAA Class 4A state championship. The Eagles will play in the GEICO State Champions Invitational in April in Tampa.

10. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic (29-2)**

Previous: 14.

The Low-down: Won the State Tournament of Champions and Non-Public B titles. Season complete.

11. Camden, N.J. (31-3)*

Previous: 11.

The Low-down: Won Group 2 state championship. Season complete.

12. AZ Compass Prep, Chandler, Ariz. (25-4)

Previous: 12.

The Low-down: Idle. The Dragons are headed back to the GEICO Nationals this week.

13. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (26-5)

Previous: 13.

The Low-down: Advanced to the CIF Southern Region Open Division final. Season complete.

14. Glenbard West, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (37-1)*

Previous: 14.

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

15. St. Paul VI, Chantilly, Va. (31-5)**

Previous: 15.

The Low-down: Won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champions and Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division 1 championships. Season complete.

16. North Little Rock, Ark. (28-3)*

Previous: 16.

The Low-down: Won the second straight Class 6A state championship. Season complete.

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

Previous: 17.

The Low-down: Won the New Jersey Prep A state championship. Season complete.

18. Cardinal Hayes, Bronx, N.Y. (27-3)*

Previous: 18.

The Low-down: Won NYCHSAA Class AA Intersectional championship. Season complete.

19. Archbishop Stepinac, White Plains, N.Y. (26-4)

Previous: 19.

The Low-down: New York CHSAA Class AA Archdiocesan championship but lost in the CHSAA AA Intersectional final. Season complete.

20. Beaumont (Texas) United (36-3)*

Previous: 20.

The Low-down: Won second straight UIL Class 5A state championship. Season complete.

21. Columbus, Miami (29-2)*

Previous: 21.

The Low-down: Won the FHSAA Class 7A state championship. Season complete.

22. Imhotep Prep Charter, Philadelphia (28-4)*

Previous: 22.

The Low-down: Won Class AAAAA state championship, beating New Castle, 54-39, in the final. Junior Justin Edwards scored 20 points and added 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Rahmir Burno had 12 points and 6 rebounds. The Panthers return a loaded roster for next season. Season complete.

23. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (30-1)

Previous: 23.

The Low-down: Advanced to Nevada Class 5A final. Season complete.

24. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (21-7)*

Previous: 24.

The Low-down: Won the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Conference championship for the 26^th time. Season complete.

25. Richardson, Texas (32-2)

Previous: 25.

The Low-down: Advanced to UIL Class 6A, Region I quarterfinals. Season complete.

Dropped out: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (24-0)*
2. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (23-4)**
3. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (32-7)**
4. Roman Catholic, Philadelphia (24-4)*
5. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (29-1)*

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

Midwest

1. Pickerington (Ohio) Central (26-2)*
2. Whitney Young, Chicago (26-10)*
3. Park Center, Brooklyn Center, Minn. (31-1)*
4. Vashon, S. Louis (27-4)*
5. Williamston, Mich. (27-0)*

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

Southland

1. Weddington, Matthews, N.C. (31-0)*
2. Christian Brothers, Memphis, Tenn. (28-0)*
3. George Rogers Clark, Winchester, Ky. (37-1)*
4. Norcross, Ga. (26-6)*
5. Carmel Christian, Matthews, N.C. (26-3)*

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

Far West

1. Damien, La Verne, Calif. (30-4)*
2. Prolific Prep, Napa, Calif. (25-6)
3. Perry, Gilbert, Ariz. (25-5)*
4. Liberty, Henderson, Nev. (22-4)*
5. Tualatin, Ore. (26-2)*

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

Records through Saturday’s games

 * Won state, national or recognized conference/league postseason tournament championship [Note: Multiple asterisks indicate a school has won at least two postseason 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 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.