By Kyle Odegard
East Valley Tribune
Boys basketball rankings as of Jan. 21:
Division I
1. Desert Mountain 17-2
2. Corona del Sol 18-2
3. Cesar Chavez 20-1
4. Mesa 18-3
5. Gilbert 16-5
6. Chaparral 17-4
7. Pinnacle 13-6
8. Millennium 17-3
9. Brophy 18-4
10. Mountain View 13-8
It was an impressive week from the top seven teams in the rankings, as they all went undefeated to hold their spots. Millennium had a big win over Westview and moves up a pair of spots to No. 8, while Brophy rejoins the rankings after a short absence and Mountain View gets in after a long one. The Toros lost to Desert Mountain last week but have recent wins over Carl Hayden and Brophy. Carl Hayden drops out after losses to Mountain View and Cesar Chavez, as does Marcos de Niza, which was blown out by Corona del Sol.
Division II
1. Sierra Linda 20-1
2. Catalina Foothills 21-1
3. Sunnyslope 19-3
4. Shadow Mountain 20-3
5. Poston Butte 16-4
6. Nogales 16-4
7. Paradise Valley 16-5
8. Greenway 15-5
9. Cactus Shadows 15-8
10. Flagstaff 13-6
Sierra Linda takes over the No. 1 spot, as it improved its winning streak to 18 games this week. Catalina Foothills has also won 18 in a row and moves up to No. 2, followed by a surging Sunnyslope team which has victories over Paradise Valley, Shadow Mountain and Greenway in its past three games. Shadow Mountain drops from No. 1 to No. 4, followed by Poston Butte, which is back in the top-5 on the strength of a five-game winning streak, including an impressive performance against Saguaro on Friday. Nogales and Paradise Valley each drop two spot after a loss last week, while Greenway sticks at No. 8. Cactus Shadows and Flagstaff jump into the rankings, replacing Coconino and Saguaro.
Division III
1. Gilbert Christian 18-2
2. Thatcher 19-2
3. Window Rock 18-2
4. Chinle 13-3
5. Scottsdale Christian 16
The top four teams went undefeated last week to keep their spots in the rankings. Scottsdale Christian went 2-1 last week, which included a split of games with ranked Division II team Paradise Valley, so the Eagles remain at No. 5.
Division IV
1. Yuma Catholic 19-2
2. Desert Christian 21-4
3. Joy Christian 21-2
4. Arizona Lutheran 17-4
5. El Capitan 11-2
The top three had perfect weeks and don’t move. Arizona Lutheran lost a close game to Division III heavyweight Valley Christian but isn’t punished and will stay at No. 4. Duncan drops out after losing a pair last week, replaced by El Capitan, winners of nine in a row.
