Full Court High School Top 25: Week of January 27, 2010
Credit: Full Court Press/Lee Michaelson©
By Simmie Colson
Correspondent
The high school season is well under way, with leagues in all states now in active competition. But the task of selecting the best of the best hasn’t gotten much easier, particularly at the top, where the elite teams are busy knocking one another off.
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) established itself as the team to beat by defeating St. Mary’s of Stockton to take the title in the premiere Joe Smith Division of the Nike Tournament of Champions. The Ladycats of Brea Olina recently knocked off the Mater Dei Monarchs, however. So why isn’t Brea No. 1? Well, turns out St. Mary’s beat them in the Nike semifinals. So which of these dominant teams is the best? It may take another head-to-head meeting to decide that question.
And why doesn’t another, among the several undefeated teams in the field, ascend to the top spot? Most haven’t faced top-ranked national competition thus far this season. So for now, with plenty room for discussion and debate, here are the Full Court Top 25 high school teams in the country.
1. St. Mary’s (Stockton, CA), 20-1
The Rams’ only loss so far was to Mater Dei in the finals of the Nike Tournament of Champions’ Joe Smith Division. St. Mary’s then took the title in the T-Mobile Classic in December and since then has been on a tear against California opponents.
2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA), 18-1
The Monarchs, who took the title at the Nike Tournament of Champions, were undefeated until they were recently beaten by Brea Olinda (see Brea Olinda Upsets Top-Ranked Mater Dei in Southern California Prep Shoot-Out). They quickly rebounded from the loss, beating St. Anthony’s, 66-34. Mater Dei jumped out to a 25-point first-quarter lead and never looked back.
3. Brea Olinda (Brea,CA),18-2
The Wildcats have won 12 in a row, including knocking off previous No. 1 Mater Dei in the Tony Matson Memorial Classic and most recently defeating Etiwanda, 61-47. Next up,Villa Park on 1/29.
4. Whitney Young (Chicago, IL), 17-0
The undefeated Dolphins have been challenged only once this season, taking a three-point victory over No. 12 Incarnate Word. They also own victories over teams from seven states.
5. Bolingbrook (IL), 15-1
The Raiders won their tenth game in a row, defeating Lincoln Way, 54-26. They host a national-quality team in Vincent (Milwaukee, WI) on January 31.
6. Ben Davis (Indianapolis, IN), 18-0
The Giants defeated Center Grove, 68-46, and Avon, 67-28, this past week. But despite their undefeated status, so far, their schedule has been relatively weak.
7. Poly (Long Beach, CA), 16-2
The Jackrabbits’ only two losses came back-to-back at the Nike Tournament of Champions at the hands of the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in our rankings.
8. Hoover (Hoover, AL), 24-1
The Buccaneers are tearing through Alabama and their only loss was to No.1 St. Mary’s 50-44 in a game that was close from start to finish.
9. Murry Bergtraum (New York, NY), 15-1
The Blazers have won 10 in a row since losing their only game to No. 7 Poly.
10. Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburg, PA), 15-2
The Blue Devils’ two losses have been to No. 1 St Mary’s and No. 3 Brea Olinda. They are currently on an 11-game winning streak after beating Canon-McMillan, 75-39.
11. Mac Arthur (Irving, TX), 30-1
It’s hard to rank the Texas teams, as most do not travel out of state. It’s also hard to argue against a 30-1 record, especially against other Texas teams loaded with nationally ranked talent. The Cardinals’ 27-game winning streak was stopped recently by district rival Cedar Hill. Since that loss, MacArthur has handled South Grand Prairie and Irving and most recently, Duncanville.
12. Incarnate Word Academy (St Louis, MO), 16-1
The Red Knights have gotten back on track after their first (and only) loss to No. 6 Whitney Young, 52-49. Most recently, Incarnate Word has defeated Hazelwood East and Notre Dame during the past week. Next up: They travel to undefeated Fort Zumalt West.
13. Redan (Stone Mountain, GA),16-0
The Raiders beat Atlanta’s Douglass, 61-45, at home to stay undefeated, then took to the road against rival King (2-5) Tuesday night for another victory, 64-49. Up next: Luella, on Friday, January 29.
14. Norcross (GA), 15-2
The Blue Devils stumbled at the Nike Tournament of Champions against top-notch competition. Since then, they have continued to roll, most recently beating Collins Hill and Peachtree Ridge.
15. Potter’s House Christian (Jacksonville, FL), 21-4
The Lions have suffered several setbacks, dropping losses most recently to No. 3 Brea Olinda (66-78) and to a national-quality team in Start (OH) (58-61). But they have recovered nicely by knocking off previously unbeaten Shabazz (62-52) and Trenton Catholic Academy by 25 (70-45).
16. Shabazz (Newark, NJ),12-1
The previously undefeated Bulldogs were down by as much as 51-35 to No. 15 Potter’s House Christian (FL) at home, but managed to cut the gap to down to six in the last quarter before losing, 60-52.
17. North Little Rock (Little Rock, AR), 19-0
One of the best, if not the best, team In Arkansas has won every game by 11 or more points. They might be ranked higher, but have played only Texas and Arkansas opponents.
18. Lake Taylor (Norfolk, VA), 16-0
Lake Taylor has had one scare this season, a close call Princess Anne in which the Titans managed to pull out a 48-45 win, to go along with a number of lopsided victories, including a 111-8 win over local rival Granby.
19. South Broward (Hollywood, FL), 17-0
The undefeated Bulldogs started the season with a two-point victory, 50-48, over Nova. Since then, with the exception of a four-point win over Jupiter, no one has come closer than 14 points. South Broward might be ranked even higher had they played anyone outside Florida.
20. Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, MI), 9-0
The undefeated Yellowjackets, led by sophomore Aerial Powers’ double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds, beat the second-best team in the state, East Lansing, 73-55.
21. Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, TX), 26-2
The Wolves are a 4A school and their two miscues have been an early season 40-43 loss against a pretty good West Mesquite team, and a more recent, 52-56, squeaker to No. 25 Duncanville, a 5A school, who together with No. 22 Cy Fair are favorites to make it to the Texas State Tournament Final Four.
22. Cy Fair (Cypress, TX), 23-1
The Bobcats are the best team in the Houston area and maybe even the state of Texas. They continue their quest for a fourth straight trip to the state championships in Austin. Led by the consensus No.1 player in the country, Chiney Ogwumike, their only loss was to Summit (Arlington, TX), 56-63.
23. Oregon City (OR), 16-0
The Pioneers took home the title in the Mike Desper division of the Nike Tournament of Champions. Since then, they have remained undefeated, winning both their games this week by huge margins—Lake Oswego, 83-29, and Lakeridge, 87-54. Next up is a cupcake opponent in Putnam (4-10) at home on January 29.
24. Neptune (Neptune, NJ), 12-1
The Scarlett Fliers have one loss against undefeated No. 9 Murry Bergtraum. Most recently, they took a 91-25 win over Freehold Boro (NJ), but apart from an occasional venture into New York, they have met only in-state opponents.
25. Lakeville North (Lakeville, MN), 16-0
The undefeated Panthers are the top-ranked team in Minnesota and have won all but two of the their games by double digits.
Originally published Thu, January 28, 2010
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Riverdale Baptist, which has journeyed to the tournament all the way from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has brought along its own contingent of family members and supporters, but understandably has a decidedly smaller cheering section.
Still, in the eyes of most of the journalists who follow the sport, a St. Mary’s win would be a major upset.
Riverdale Baptist entered the competition with a 5-0 record, ranked No. 1 in the country in the “Xcellent 25” girls’ high school basketball rankings promulgated by Full Court’s former publisher and continuing columnist Clay Kallam for MaxPreps.
The Crusaders had finished last season with a 30-5 record and ranked No. 10 nationally. They have a solid core of seniors returning from that campaign, three of them already signed with Division 1 programs in major college conferences—6-0 wings Jennie Simms (West Virginia) and Jonquel Jones (Clemson) and 5-10 guard Kelila Atkinson (Wake Forest). To that nucleus they have added two senior transfers—6-0 center Brittany Jenkins-Murray (LaSalle) and 5-6 point guard Dominique Johnson (Towson). Even some of their younger players are nationally watch-listed.
Across the board, they are bigger, more powerfully built, and more athletic than their opponents from St. Mary’s. Six of their players (as opposed to just three for St. Mary’s) stand six-feet or better. They play a hard-nosed, physical, blacktop style of basketball. And the Crusaders arrived at the Nike hot off an East Coast tournament in which they had totally pummeled the competition, which included Regis Jesuit, another of the top-ranked teams in the country. There is a reason the pundits have them ranked at No. 1.
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And as Riverdale Baptist is about to find out, the Knights also own a special kind of chemistry. Part of it may come from playing together year-round, not just in the regular high-school season. Part of it may come from the fact that their coach has never shied away from competition, but instead has sought out challenges, pitting them against some of the best at the Nike and other elite tournaments year after year.
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