Bishop Montgomery proved to be worthy of the No. 1 spot once again this week as the top three remain unchanged. However, there was a lot of shaking up in the 4-10 positions with additions and dismissals.
No. 1 Bishop Montgomery (19-0, 2-0 Del Rey League) — Last week was supposed to provide a huge test for the Knights. They passed with flying colors. Bishop Montgomery defeated Serra by 24 points in a Del Rey League matchup and traveled to Bellflower the next night to defeat St. John Bosco, 74-63. Up next is La Salle for Doug Mitchell’s clan.
No. 2 Long Beach Poly (15-1, 4-0 Moore League) — The Jackrabbits continued to roll through Moore League action by defeating Long Beach Jordan and Long Beach Millikan by a combined 57 points. Poly has rival Lakewood on Monday.
No. 3 Mater Dei (18-0, 4-0 Trinity League) — Stanley Johnson is proving why he’s a man among boys. Head coach Gary McKnight told OCVarsity “He might be the best we’ve ever had.” In a matchup of top 10 teams at St. John Bosco with huge Trinity League implications, Johnson proved without of a shadow of a doubt that he is and was the best player of on the floor scoring 25 points, 21 rebounds, and five assists in a 79-63 win for the Monarchs. He followed that up with 29 points, eight rebounds, and five steals in a 75-59 win over Orange Lutheran. The three-game road trip concludes at rival Servite on Wednesday before returning home on Friday to face JSerra for the third time this season.
No. 4 Etiwanda (12-2, 2-0 Baseline League) — The Eagles move up a spot after extending their winning streak to 10 games with a 60-37 win over Beverly Hills last Saturday at Providence High School. Jordan McLaughlin chipped in with 17 points. Sheldon Blackwell added 11 points and four blocks. It’s a three-game week for the Eagles with Baseline League games at Alta Loma and at home against Rancho Cucamonga, followed by a nonleague game on Saturday against Eisenhower.
No. 5 Corona Centennial (17-1, 2-0 Big VIII League) — The Huskies move up a spot after returning to the floor opening up Big VIII League play with an 84-59 win over Corona. They followed that up by blitzing Norco, 70-29. King is next on Tuesday followed by Corona Roosevelt on Thursday.
No. 6 Loyola (13-2, 3-0 Mission League) — Max Hazzard did his best Parker Jackson-Cartwright impression with 16 points and 10 assists in the Cubs’ 70-33 win over St. Francis last week as Loyola moves up two spots in this week’s poll. You can argue that wasn’t as impressive as the 62-61 win at then-No. 7 Chaminade. The shorthanded Cubs, with Jackson-Cartwright out of the lineup (foot/ankle), only had one player score in double figures. The Cubs will go through a grueling three-game week, first trying to slow down talented Crespi guard London Perrantes, followed by the rivalry game against Harvard Westlake and concluding with a trip to Alemany.
No. 7 Pacific Hills (13-2, 4-0 Alpha League) — Three road games for the Bruins last week in Alpha League play. No problem. The Bruins came away with wins at Sierra Canyon, at Windward, and at Campbell Hall as they climb three spots in this week’s poll. Jahmel Taylor averaged 30.3 points in the three wins. They defeated Windward without the services of injured guard Marcus Jackson. A huge matchup with No. 9 Brentwood looms on Wednesday.
No. 8 St. John Bosco (11-3, 3-1 Trinity League) — The stage was set. The lights were bright, but perhaps a little too bright for the Braves in their 79-63 home loss to No. 2 Mater Dei last week putting a huge dent in their Trinity League championship hopes. Head coach Derrick Taylor says this team is the hardest he’s had to coach. The Braves, who fall four spots this week, are going to have to be more committed to the defensive end of the floor if they are going to have a chance against the top-tier teams going forward. After bouncing back with a win over Servite, the Braves suffered an 11-point home loss to No. 1 Bishop Montgomery despite 30 points from Isaac Hamilton. The Braves wrap up the four-game homestand against Santa Margarita before hitting the road for the 29th Annual Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions Jan. 17-19 in Springfield, Missouri where they’ll face Texas Prestonwood Christian in their first game.
No. 9 Brentwood (15-1, 3-0 Alpha League) — A 10-point loss to Loyola is the lone blemish on the record for the Eagles, who enter the top 10 this week under second-year head coach and former UCLA Bruin Ryan “Moose” Bailey. There’s a tough week ahead with league games against Campbell Hall and at No. 7 Pacific Hills. Junior Tra Holder leads the team in scoring with 23 points per game. Brown commit Leland King is averaging a double-double, 19.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.
No. 10 Santa Monica (13-4, 2-0 Ocean League) — Two of the losses for SAMO, who enters the top 10 for the first time this week, came to No. 6 Loyola, the other to No. 5 Corona Centennial, and the fourth to previously ranked Chaminade. Last week, the Vikings opened up Ocean League play with a road win over previously ranked Inglewood behind 18 points from Jordan Mathews. Beverly Hills and Morningside are on the agenda for this week.
Dropped Out: Chaminade, Mission Viejo
