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Final Top 25 Basketball Poll

By Jeff Goodman
Jgood67213@aol.com
April 1, 2003

In our final look at the nation's top 25 teams, only one of our top 25 was in action last week. That team, Indianapolis Pike, made its unbeaten run to the state championship.

1. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) (25-1*) *1

Results: Edged Kettering Alter, 40-36, to win the Division II state title; Defeated Canton South, 71-46, in the semifinals.

Notes: LeBron James finished his illustrious prep career at SVSM with a third state title. James scored 25 points and grabbed 11 boards in the state title game and finished the season averaging 25.2 points and his career with 2,646 points, which ranks third in state history. The team’s one setback wasn’t actually a loss as it came because of a forfeit due to James’ taking throwback jerseys.

2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (35-2) *2

Results: Beat Roseville Woodcreek, 70-49, in the CIF State Division II title game.

Notes: The Monarchs had no trouble playing against in-state teams, but a loaded national schedule took its toll with losses to Rice and LeBron James’ SVSM squad. Wesley Washington, who averaged 15.3 points per game this season, had 12 and D.J. Strawberry (Maryland) added 11 points and 12 boards against Woodcreek to give the Monarchs their fifth state crown.

Losses: Rice (N.Y.); St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio)

3. Pike (Indianapolis, Ind.) (29-0) *4

Results: Defeated DeKalb, 65-52, to win the Class 4A state title.

Notes: Junior Robert Vaden scored a team-high 21 points, including a pair of 3-pointers late in the third quarter, while senior Justin Cage and junior Courtney Lee added 15 points in the state title game win over DeKalb. The victory gave the Red Devils their third state crown in the last six seasons.

4. Woodlawn (Baton Rouge, La.) (39-0) *5

Results: Beat Brother Martin, 80-63, in the Class 5A title game; Defeated Fortier, 63-53, in the Class 5A semifinals.

Notes: Kentrell Gransberry had 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Panthers won their 53rd consecutive game against Fortier. RoShon Jacobs had a game-high 21 points and LSU-bound Darnell Lazare had 14 points and 11 boards in the state title victory. Woodlawn became the first team since Class 5A formed in 1991-92 to repeat as champs.

5. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) (20-1) *3

Results: Beat Towson Catholic, 43-34.

Notes: Unsigned big man Linas Kleiza continued his strong play with 23 points in the low-scoring win over Towson Catholic. Kleiza averaged 20.4 points per game for the Mustangs this season and is expected by many to commit to Missouri.

Loss: Fairfax (Cal.)

6. Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) (30-1) *6

Results: Defeated Raytown South, 65-42, to win the Class 5A state title; Beat Poplar Bluff, 76-65, in the state semifinals.

Notes: Senior big man Brandon Argo scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half while Missouri-bound senior guard Spencer Laurie added 21 in the semifinal win. Deven Mitchell led the Chiefs with 16 while Argo added 15 as the school won its first-ever boys basketball title in history and ended the year with 16 straight wins.

Loss: White Station (Tenn.)

7. Fort Worth Dunbar (Texas) (37-1) *7

Results: Beaumont Ozen, 66-54, to win the Class 4A state title; Beat South Oak Cliff, 79-65, in the semifinals.

Notes: Forward Lance Jackson scored 25 points and grabbed 9 boards while junior forward Jeremis Smith added 20 points against South Oak Cliff. Jackson and Smith teamed up to topple Ozen in the state title game with Smith finishing with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals while Jackson, a senior, had 22 points. Coach Robert Hughes is the all-time national leader in victories with 1,282.

Loss: DeSoto

8. Brookhaven (Columbus, Ohio) (26-2) *8

Results: Lost to Cincinnati Moeller, 73-65, in the Division I title game; Beat Toledo St. John’s, 59-53, in the semifinals.

Notes: Oklahoma-bound seniors Andrew Lavender and Brandon Foust didn’t exactly end their careers as they would have liked after being knocked off by Cincinnati Moeller in the state title game. Lavender had 21 and Foust had 16 points and 13 boards in the semifinal win.

Losses: St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio); Cincinnati Moeller

9. McQuaid Jesuit (Rochester, N.Y.) (27-1) *9

Results: Lost to Lincoln, 57-44, in the state federation Class A title game.

Notes: West Virginia-bound guard Tyler Relph, who was the state player of the year, managed just 9 points and McQuaid was 1-of-19 from three-point range in the loss to Sebastian Telfair and Lincoln.

Loss: Lincoln

10. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) (33-3) *10

Results: Beat Oakland Tech, 73-63, in the CIF Division I title game.

Notes: Senior forward Trevor Ariza (UCLA) came up big in his high school finale, finishing with 30 points to give the Comets their second straight state crown. Bobby Brown added10 and Marcus Johnson chipped in with 10 against Leon Powe and Oakland Tech.

Losses: Rice (N.Y.); Fairfax; St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio)

11. Ozen (Beaumont, Texas) (33-1) *11

Results: Lost to Fort Worth Dunbar, 66-54, in the Class 4A state title game; Beat San Antonio Sam Houston, 51-42, in the semifinals.

Notes: Senior big man Kendrick Perkins scored 25 to help Ozen advance to the state title game and finished with 18 points, 13 boards and 6 blocks in his final game. Ozen was playing in its third straight title game and finished 123-12 in Perkins’ career.

Loss: Fort Worth Dunbar

12. St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) (27-4) *12

Results: Defeated Camden Catholic, 61-38, in the NJSIAA state title game; Beat Franklin, 76-53, in the NJSIAA state semifinals.

Notes: Michael Nardi (Villanova) finished with 25 points in the semifinal win and had 17 points and 6 assists in the championship game. St. Pat’s has won eight of the 15 titles. Jason Paterson and Robert Hines each added 13 against Franklin.Nardi finished the season averaging 17.5 points, 8.3 assists and 5.2 boards per game.

Losses: Oak Hill (Va.); Rice (N.Y.); Life Center (N.J.); Blair (N.J.)

13. White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) (36-2) *13

Results: Beat Cleveland Bradley Central, 55-39, to win the Class AAA state title; Defeated Columbia Central, 72-58, in the semifinals; Pounded Dobyns Bennett, 92-56, in the quarterfinals.

Notes: It seemed like a different player led the team every game and the playoffs were no different. Leon Pattman had 18 in the state title victory, the team’s third in four years, while Dane Bradshaw collected MVP honors for the tourney after scoring 17 in the semis and finishing with 12 points and 11 boards in the title contest.

Losses: Ridgeway; McQuaid (N.Y.)

14. St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) (24-3) *14

Results: Beat Winslow Township, 93-53; Edged Blair, 55-53, in the State Prep A title game; Beat Hun, 65-57, in the State Prep A semifinals.

Notes: Coach Dan Hurley and his club ended the season on a roll, knocking off Blair and pounding Winslow Township. Senior Aswan Minatee scored 17, Art Bowers (UMass) added 15 and junior Stanley Branch had 12 in the victory over Hun while junior J.R. Smith scored 18 of his 24 after the break against Blair, which was without Loul Deng (fractured leg)

Losses: Hun (N.J.); Our Savior (N.Y.); St. Patrick (N.J.)

15. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (31-4) *15

Results: Lost to Montrose Christian (Md.), 73-65.

Notes: The Warriors finished the season on a losing note and concluded the season with four losses, the most since going 30-5 in 1996-97. McDonald’s All-American forward Ivan Harris was held scoreless in the loss to Montrose Christian.

Losses: St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio); Blue Ridge (Va.); Mt. Zion (N.C.); Montrose Christian (Md.)

16. Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) (32-1) *16

Results: Defeated Edgewater, 61-59, to win the Class 6A title; Beat Northwestern, 64-54, in the Class 6A state semifinals.

Notes: Unsigned senior guard Jimmy Tobias scored all 15 of his points in the first half to lead the Panthers to their 25th straight win against Northwestern. Chris Rawls added 11 points and 7 boards in the victory. Tobias earned tournament MVP honors with 14 points, but it was Kevin Thomas who hit a pair of free throws with one second left in the victory over Edgewater.

17. Cheyenne (Las Vegas, Nev.) (31-1) *17

Results: Beat Palo Verde, 63-53, to win the Class 4A state title; Defeated Rancho, 64-60, in the semifinals; Pounded Hug, 77-40, in the first round of the Class 4A tournament.

Notes: With swingman Lorenzo Wade in foul trouble, Maurice Andrews scored 15 against Hug and Chris Fuller added 12 and 6 rebounds. Wade made up for it with 22 points and 14 rebounds against Rancho and 20 points in the title game.

18. Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) (26-3) *18

Results: Defeated Issaquah, 65-56, to win the Class 3A title; Beat Meadowdale, 50-34, in the semifinals; Defeated Skyline, 69-45, in the second round; Beat West Valley-Yakima, 66-43, in the first round.

Notes: Senior forward Josh Love scored 16 points and grabbed 7 boards while the Stewart twins Rodrick and Lodrick each had 14 in the win over West Valley. Lodrick had 34 and 8 steals against Skyline while Rodrick came up huge in the state title game with 35 points and 10 rebounds. Junior big man C.J. Giles finished with 12 points and 9 boards in the win over Meadowdale. Rainier won its second straight state crown.

19. Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) (30-2) *19

Results: Beat Jonesboro, 63-56, to win the Class AAAAA state title.

Notes: Tremaine Aaron scored 18, including four trifectas, while senior Jamareo Davidson added 16 and sophomore Sharaud Curry chipped in 14 in the state title win over Jonesboro. It was the team’s third state crown in the last 10 years.

20. John Carroll (Birmingham, Ala.) (36-0) *20

Results: Beat Bob Jones, 76-71, to win the Class 6A title.

Notes: Junior guard Ron Steele scored 25 points for the Cavs and DeMarre Carroll added 23 points and 14 rebounds in the title game. Steele, also a star football player, averaged 19.7 points, 7.6 assists and 4.1 steals per game this season.

21. Horizon (San Diego, Calif.) (33-1) *21

Results: Beat Hercules, 77-62, to win the CIF Division IV state title game.

Notes: Senior forward Jared Dudley had 16 points and 14 rebounds against Hercules while Ryan Reed added 16 as the Panthers defended their state crown.

Loss: Westchester

22. King (Milwaukee, Wis.) (25-0) *22

Results: Beat Appleton West, 57-46, to win the Division I state title; Defeated Fond du Lac, 39-27, in the semifinals; Beat Madison La Follette, 55-48, in the quarterfinals.

Notes: Junior Dupree Fletcher scored 17 in the quarterfinal win over La Follette and the Generals were led by Brian Terrell’s 9 points in the low-scoring semifinal game. It was the team’s first state crown since 1995. The team’s one loss, to Farragut (Ill.), was reversed after Farragut used an ineligible player.

Loss: Farragut *

23. St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) (26-4) *23

Results: Lost to Christ the King, 71-54, in the CHSAA State Class A title game; Beat Christ the King, 75-69, in the CHSAA New York City Class A title game.

Notes: Louis McCroskey, who was benched after punching a window during the previous game last week, was the MVP after scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 boards against CK in the city title game. Junior Brian Laing added 18 points and 14 rebounds. However, St. Ray’s couldn’t beat CK in the state title game.

Losses: Mater Dei (Calif.); St. Patrick (N.J.); White Station (Tenn.); Christ the King

24. Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.) (34-2) *24

Results: Lost to Dillard, 61-59, in the Class 6A state title game; Beat Palm Beach Lakes, 68-55, in the state tournament semifinals.

Notes: Junior guard Darius Washington was 9-of-23 for 32 points as the Eagles got past Palm Beach Lakes, but he was just 8-of-24 in the title game setback and finished with 23 points.

Losses: Archbishop Molloy (N.Y.); Dillard

25. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (31-4) *25

Results: Beat Christ the King, 75-73, in overtime to win the state federation Class A title game; Defeated McQuaid Jesuit, 57-44, in the semifinals.

Notes: Junior point guard Sebastian Telfair had 15 in the semifinal win, but it was sophomore big man Antonio Pena who scored eight of his 18 in overtime against CK. The Railsplitters won their first title since 1995, when they knocked off Telfair’s cousin, Stephon Marbury’s CK squad. Telfair received the MVP award and immediately handed it to Pena.

ON THE FENCE

Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) (25-2); Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) (28-4); Garces Memorial (Bakersfield, Calif.) (35-2); Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) (25-5); St. Joseph Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) (30-2); Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) (25-2); Peoria Central (Ill.) (31-1); Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) (26-8); Cincinnati Moeller (Ohio) (23-4); Friendly (Md.) (26-0); South Christian (Mich.) (27-0); Waterloo East (Iowa) (25-1); El Camino (Calif.) (32-3); Tulsa Washington (Okla.) (21-3); Mason County (Ky.) (35-2); St. Anthony’s (Jersey City, N.J.) (21-5); Mt. Zion (Durham, N.C.) (18-4); Mt. Vernon (N.Y.) (26-1); Rockford (Mich.) (28-0); Minneapolis North (Minn.) (28-3); Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) (28-3); Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.) (20-3); Provine (Miss.) (26-5); Olathe South (Kan.) (22-0); Iolani (Hawaii) (31-2); Crane (Chicago, Ill.) (26-1*); West Aurora (West Aurora, Ill.) (25-3); Lanier (Jackson, Miss.) (31-4) ; Life Center (N.J.) (27-6); Our Savior New American (29-11).

Dropped Out: None