Plenty of shaking up in this week’s top 10, but in all, just one team was dropped from the rankings. Mater Dei had a scare, while Long Beach Poly was humbled at the Hoop Hall Classic in Massachusetts last week. On the slate this week is just one top 10 matchup on Saturday at the Fairfax State Preview Classic.
No. 1 Bishop Montgomery (20-0, 3-0 Del Rey League)
Slow week for the Knights, just a 42-point win over La Salle. Del Rey league play continues on Wednesday at St. Bernard.
No. 2 Mater Dei (20-0, 6-0 Trinity League)
The Monarchs move up a spot this week. On the heels of being called, perhaps the best to come through Mater Dei by his head coach Gary McKnight, Stanley Johnson responded with a modest double-double –11 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks—in a 53-16 dismissal of rival Servite. The week didn’t end that easy. The Monarchs were pushed to the limit overcoming JSerra with a 82-80 double overtime win. Having won 41 in a row, going back to last season, Mater Dei will go across to country to take on Ohio St. Edward on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
No. 3 Long Beach Poly (17-2, 6-0 Moore League)
The Jackrabbits drop a spot this week. They suffered their second loss of the season last week. The Jackrabbits are still undefeated against California teams but were humbled by with a 33-point defeat against the No. 3 team in the country, Illinois Whitney Young at the Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts. Whitney Young shot 69 percent for the game and held the Jackrabbits to 38 percent shooting. Poly’s only other loss came to the team considered the No. 1 team in the country, Florida Montverde Academy. The Jackrabbits return to Moore League play with trips to Long Beach Jordan on Wednesday and Long Beach Cabrillo on Friday.
No. 4 Etiwanda (15-1, 4-0 Baseline League)
The Eagles have now won 13 in a row, after a three-win week in which they defeated the likes of Alta Loma, Rancho Cucamonga, and Eisenhower by a combined 34.3 points. Jordan McLaughlin was the difference in the win against Rancho Cucamonga. He scored 21 points and knocked down five three-pointers. He didn’t play in the Eagles eight-point win over Rancho Cucamonga in an early season tournament. The suffocating Eagles defense held Eisenhower to 5-of-28 shooting in the first half of the win last Saturday. They’ll have three more games this week, beginning on Tuesday with a Baseline league matchup at Glendora. The Eagles will host Upland on Friday before taking on San Diego La Costa Canyon at Azusa Pacific on Saturday.
No. 5 Corona Centennial (19-1, 4-0 Big VIII League)
Quiet week for the Huskies, defeating Riverside King and Corona Roosevelt in Big VIII play. They’ll travel to Corona Santiago on Tuesday and host Corona on Thursday. On Saturday, the Huskies will take on Damien in the Southern California Shootout at Azusa Pacific.
No. 6 Pacific Hills (15-2, 6-0 Alpha League)
The Bruins move up a spot this week after surviving their week in the tough Alpha League. The Bruins nearly squandered a 15-point second half lead in their 75-71 win over previously ranked Brentwood. Jahmel Taylor scored 18 points in the win. Another tough week looms for the Bruins who’ll take on West Ranch in the Martin Luther King Jr. Classic at Providence and will host Windward and Campbell Hall on Wednesday and Friday, respectively, in league games.
No. 7 Loyola (14-4, 4-2 Mission League)
The Cubs drop a spot after what was a rough week. They lost on a buzzer beater to Crespi, which made national headlines and lost by two to rival Harvard Westlake, falling to 2-1 this season against the Wolverines. However, the one loss came in Mission League play. This was all done as star guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright continued to look on in a walking boot. They finished the week with a 16-point win over Alemany, thanks to Thomas Welsh’s 28 points and 20 rebounds. Meanwhile, Jackson-Cartwright’s return is still in question. They’ll play at Notre Dame, host Chaminade and take on No. 8 St. John Bosco in Fairfax State Preview Classic on Saturday.
No. 8 St. John Bosco (14-4, 4-1 Trinity League)
The Braves took care of Trinity League business with a six-point win over Santa Margarita before traveling to Missouri and finishing third in the 29th Annual Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions. Sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey scored 22 points and had nine assists in a 73-63 win in the third place game against Missouri Nixa. Isaac Hamilton pitched in 22 points as well. A tough Trinity League slate awaits them, beginning on Monday at Orange Lutheran and Friday in a home encounter with JSerra. Saturday, they’ll take on No. 7 Loyola in the Fairfax State Preview Classic.
No. 9 Mission Viejo (19-2, 3-1 South Coast League)
Mission Viejo returns to the top 10 this week. Notre Dame football commit Max Redfield showed he’s force on the hardwood as well. He scored 24 points and had eight rebounds as the Diablos held off Tesoro, 90-80, for a South Coast League win. Tesoro actually outscored Mission Viejo, 33-28, in the fourth quarter as the Diablos nearly squandered a 21-point lead. Evan Zeller’s 30 points marked the third time he’s scored 30 or more points in a game this season. On Friday, the Diablos will return to the floor to take on Capistrano Valley exactly one week after the Tesoro win.
No. 10 Santa Monica (15-4, 4-0 Ocean League)
The Vikings narrowly got past Beverly Hills, 63-62, last Wednesday and went to Morningside last Friday and came out with a 17-point win. The Vikings have just one league game this week, at Hawthorne on Wednesday. On Saturday, they’ll take on Compton in the Fairfax State Preview Classic.
Dropped Out: Brentwood
