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Rankings & School Lists

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Top 25 Poll

By Jeff Goodman
JGood67213@aol.com
March 18, 2003

For most teams, the season is over. It is time to take another look at which teams have made the PrepStars Top 25 list.

The top few may look familiar, but as teams finish up their final games of the season, there is some movement within the top 25. No. 11, Bakersfield (CA) Garces Memorial dropped out of the poll completely after losing to San Diego (CA) Horizon in the Southern Division IV title game.

1. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) — (23-1*) *1

Results: Beat Ottawa-Glendorf, 69-59; Pounded Tallmadge, 82-32, in the regional semifinals.
Next: Friday vs. Canton South in the Division II state semifinals.

Notes: LeBron James scored 19 points and grabbed 9 boards in the rout over Tallmadge while Dru Joyce III had 19 points in the victory over Ottawa-Glendorf to earn the fourth straight Division II state final four berth for the Irish.

2. Brookhaven (Columbus, Ohio) — (25-1) *2

Results: Beat Lancaster, 46-43, in the Division I state quarterfinals; Defeated Newark, 52-44, in the Division I state tournament.
Next: Friday vs. Toledo St. John’s in the Division I state semifinal

Notes: Senior forward Brandon Foust finished with 16 points while Denzel Lyles added 12 in the win over Newark. Lyles had 12 while sophomore big man Jamelle Cornley finished with 10 points and 11 boards against Lancaster.

Loss: St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio)

3. McQuaid Jesuit (Rochester, N.Y.) — (27-0) *3

Results: Defeated Mount Vernon, 57-50, to win the Class A state title; Beat Christian Brothers Academy, 58-52, in the state semifinals.
Next: Season over.

Notes: Marty O’Sullivan and Tyler Relph (West Virginia) each scored 20 points in the victory over CBA while Relph, who earned tournament MPV honors, had 15 in the state title game and rallied McQuaid from a 7-point fourth-quarter deficit.

4. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) — (34-2) *4

Results: Crushed Inglewood, 88-54, in the Division II regional final; Defeated Mayfair, 70-59, in the Southern Section Division II-A title game.
Next: Friday vs. Woodcreek in the CIF State Division II title game

Notes: The Monarchs got 14 points from both D.J. Strawberry (Maryland) and junior Marcel Jones in the win over Mayfair. Senior guard Wesley Washington had 19 points and 15 boards in the win over Inglewood.

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

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

Results: Beat Towson Catholic, 43-34.
Next: Season over.

Notes: Unsigned big man Linas Kleiza continued his strong play with 23 points in the low-scoring win over Towson Catholic.

Loss: Fairfax (Cal.)

6. Pike (Indianapolis, Ind.) — (27-0) *6

Results: Defeated Ben Davis, 65-52, to win the Class 4A regionals; Beat Lawrence North, 55-47, in the Class 4A regional semifinals.
Next: Saturday vs. Evansville Harrison in the Class 4A state semifinals.

Notes: Senior Justin Cage scored 17 points was the only player to reach double-figures while junior Robert Vaden finished with 9 points and 11 boards in the win over Lawrence North. Vaden had 15 points, 10 boards and 4 assists against Ben Davis.

7. Woodlawn (Baton Rouge, La.) — (39-0) *8

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

Notes: Kentrell Gransberry had 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Panthers won their 53^rd 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.

8. Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) — (30-1) *10

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

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.)

9. Fort Worth Dunbar (Texas) — (37-1) *12

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

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

10. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) — (32-3) *13

Results: Defeated Fairfax, 43-41, in the Southern Section Division I title game; Beat Eisenhower, 71-57, in the Division I regional semifinals.
Next: Saturday vs. Oakland Tech in the Division I state title game.

Notes: Bobby Brown scored 22 and Anthony Tolliver added 14 in the Comets win over Sean Marshall and Eisenhower. Forward Trevor Ariza (UCLA) scored 14 points, including the game-winning dunk with 14 seconds left, against Fairfax as the Comets won three of four this season against Fairfax.

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

11. Ozen (Beaumont, Texas) — (33-1) *14

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.
Next: Season over.

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.) — (25-4) *15

Results: Beat Paterson Catholic, 76-64.
Next: Season over.

Notes: Senior big man Grant Billmeier (Seton Hall) scored 14 points and grabbed 12 boards, but it was Jason Patterson’s three-point shooting that ended up being the difference against Paterson Catholic. Patterson finished with 22 in the title game.

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

13. White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) — (33-2) *16

Results: Beat Barlett, 41-33, in the Class AAA sectionals; Defeated Hamilton, 84-68, in the Class 8-AAA title game; Beat Fairley, 69-52, in the semifinals.
Next: Thursday vs. Dobyns Bennett in the Class AAA state quarterfinals

Notes: Leon Pattman scored 14 and Travis Strong added 12 against Fairley while the Dartmouth-bound Pattman scored 22 and Courtney Pigram added 18 in the victory over Hamilton. Dane Bradshaw had a game-high 13 points in the victory against Barlett.

Losses: Ridgeway; McQuaid (N.Y.)

14. St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) — (24-3) *17

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.
Next: Season over.

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) *18

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

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) *19

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

Notes: Unsigned senior guard Jimmy Tobias scored all 15 of his points in the first half to lead the Panthers to their 25^th 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) *20

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.
Next: Season over.

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) *21

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.
Next: Season over.

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.) — (29-2) *23

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

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) *24

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

Notes: Junior guard Ron Steele scored 25 points for the Cavs and DeMarre Carroll added 23 points and 14 rebounds in the title game.

21. Horizon (San Diego, Calif.) — (32-1) *NR

Results: Beat Garces, 59-56, in the Southern Division IV title game.
Next: Saturday vs. Hercules in the Division IV state title game.

Notes: Senior forward Jared Dudley scored 25 points and knocked down three of four free throws in the final 18 seconds as the Panthers pulled the upset over Robert Swift’s Garces squad.

22. King (Milwaukee, Wis.) — (23-0) *NR

Results: Beat Washington, 62-50, in the sectional finals.
Next: Thursday vs. Madison La Fallette in the Division I state quarterfinals.

Notes: Junior Dupree Fletcher scored 19 points and Jahi Craig added 14 as King earned its first state tournament berth since 1998 with the win over Washington.

23. St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.) — (26-4) *7

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.
Next: Season over.

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) *9

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

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.

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

25. St. Joseph Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) — (30-2) *22

Results: Lost to Bishop O’Connell, 60-50, in the title game of the Alhambra Catholic Invitational; Beat Archbishop Spalding, 54-52, in the semifinals; Defeated Bishop Walsh, 93-47.
Next: Season over.

Notes: The Hawks had already claimed their first Catholic League crown since 1971 and were looking to win the Alhambra tournament, but they were knocked off in the title game by Bishop O’Connell. Center Mark Zoller scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the rout over Bishop Walsh.

On the Fence:

Life Center (N.J.) — (27-6); Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) — (28-4); Waterloo East (Iowa) — (22-1); Our Savior New American (29-11); El Camino (Calif.) — (32-3); Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) — (25-7); Franklin (Seattle, Wash.) — (25-2); Tulsa Washington (Okla.) — (21-3); Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) — (25-5); St. Anthony’s (Jersey City, N.J.) — (21-5); Mt. Zion (Durham, N.C.) — (18-4); Mt. Vernon (N.Y.) — (26-1); Rockford (Mich.) — (24-0); Peoria Central (Ill.) — (28-1); Minneapolis North (Minn.) — (28-2); 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)

Dropped Out:

No. 11 Garces Memorial (Bakersfield, Calif.) — (35-2)

Results: Lost to Horizon, 59-56, in the Southern Division IV title game; Crushed Lincoln, 118-68.
Next: Season over.

Notes: Kyle Shiloh scored 27 points and junior 7-footer Robert Swift added 16 points and 14 boards against Lincoln and while Shiloh had 23 points and Swift finished with 14 points and 11 boards in the title game against Horizon, it wasn’t enough. Zach Ryan managed just one point in the finale.

Loss: Carson (Calif.); Lincoln

No. 25 Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) — (28-4)

Results: Lost to Westchester, 43-41, in the Southern Section Division I title game; Beat El Camino, 62-61, in the Division I regional semifinals.
Next: Season over.

Notes: Jamal Boykin and Alex Bausley combined for 30 points and 13 rebounds in the win over El Camino. Josh Shipp had 11 in the season-ending loss, the team’s third setback in four tries against Westchester.

Loss: El Camino; Westchester (three)