THE LAST DANCE: No. 10 Roselle Catholic wins final New Jersey Tournament of Champions title; No. 22 Imhotep Prep (PA) returns to Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings

BENSALEM, Pa. – After 33 years, the New Jersey State Tournament of Champions played its final boys’ basketball championship. When the event debuted in 1989, the state wanted to see who the best of the best is.

The tournament grouped six state champions into a bracket that took only a week to play. The top two seeds earned the bye to the semifinals and then the final. The top two seeds met on Sunday in the final and the game didn’t disappoint as No. 10 Roselle Catholic outlasted No. 11 Camden, 61-58, in overtime. Camden won the regular season matchup in December but the Lions were up for the challenge and took home the golden basketball trophy.

This weekend in Hershey, Pennsylvania, there are 12 state championship games, including the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAAAA final. No. 22 Imhotep Prep Charter (Philadelphia) slides back into the Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings. The Panthers play New Castle Friday in the final.

In addition to Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan will conduct their state championships.

Imhotep is the lone newcomer with three weeks remaining in the high school season. The first two weekends April will be the GEICO High School Nationals (March 31-April 2) in Fort Myers, Florida and GEICO State Champions Invitational will be played a week later in Tampa, Florida.

No. 10 Roselle Catholic moves up four spots after winning the New Jersey State Tournament of Champions and No. 11 Camden (N.J.) and three others fall one position. Five schools advanced one slot. The top-nine teams remained the same and the latest postseason champions tote board to 11 titles from 10 schools. Kudo to all the champions!

Last week the 21^st annual Jordan Brand Classic announced boys and girls’ rosters for the game that returns after two-year pandemic pause. The games are slated for Hope Academy in Chicago on April 15. The games tip at 6 p.m. ET (girls) and 8 p.m. (boys). The rosters are here.

That’s it for the third week in March.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 boys’ rankings will return on March 29. We’re down to three weeks remaining until the final rankings will be revealed.

Stay safe and make sure your vaccines are up to date.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Boys’ Basketball Rankings, March 22, 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 first round on March 31 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.) on March 31 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.) on March 31.

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

Previous: 4.

The Low-down: Idle. The Eagles await the GEICO Nationals on March 31 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 March 31 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 March 31 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 edging No. 11 Camden, 61-58, in overtime. It was the fourth TOC title for the Lions. Junior Simeon Wilcher scored 22 points. North Carolina-bound Wilcher pumped in 22 points and Jamarques Lawrence added 18 to eliminate Bergen Catholic (Oradell), 76-64, in the semifinals. Trailing 31-28 at halftime, the Lions delivered a 26-4 knockout punch in the third quarter to move on. Season complete.

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

Previous: 10.

The Low-down: Lost to No. 10 Roselle Catholic, 61-58, in overtime in the State Tournament of Champions final. Junior D.J. Wagner finished with 23 points. Wagner’s monster 30-point game helped subdue Elizabeth, 60-40, in the semifinals. Aaron Bradshaw had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Season complete.

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

Previous: 11.

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

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

Previous: 12.

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

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

Previous: 13.

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: 17.

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

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

Previous: 18.

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

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

Previous: 19.

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

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

Previous: 20.

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: 21.

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

21. Columbus, Miami (29-2)*

Previous: 22.

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

22. Imhotep Prep Charter, Philadelphia (27-4)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: The Panthers are back in the Elite 25 after demolishing Chester, 66-41, in the PIAA Class AAAAA semifinals. Junior forward Justin Edwards had 18 points and 8 rebounds. Up next is New Castle in the Class AAAAA final Friday at the GIANT Center in Hershey.

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: No. 16 Centerville (Ohio).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Mount Vernon, N.Y. (24-0)*
2. Mount St. Joseph, Baltimore (32-7)**
3. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (29-1)*
4. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (22-4)*
5. Bristol (Conn.) Central (29-0)*

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

Midwest

1. Chesterton, Ind. (29-0)
2. Pickerington (Ohio) Central (26-2)*
3. Whitney Young, Chicago (26-10)*
4. Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central (23-1)
5. Park Center, Brooklyn Center, Minn. (28-1)

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 Sunday’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.