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Wednesday, July 16
SchoolSports Boys' Basketball Top 25
SchoolSports.com

1. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) - (13-0) *1
Last week: Beat Fremont High, 83-62, in the Las Vegas Prep Classic; defeated Bishop Gorman High (Nev.), 70-58, in the semifinals; beat Mater Dei High (Calif.), 66-55, in the championship game Upcoming: Dec. 27-30 at the Glaxo-Welcome Invitational (Raleigh, N.C.); Jan. 9 vs. Timothy Vincent Prep School (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
Outlook: Syracuse-bound guard Billy Edelin scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Bishop Gorman while fellow senior Rashaad Carruth pumped in 25 points -- including seven 3-pointers -- in the title game against Mater Dei to earn tourney MVP honors. It was Oak Hill's fifth Las Vegas Prep title (1986, 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2000).
T.J. Ford, a senior at Willowridge High (Texas), has returned from an ankle injury to lead his team into the Slam Dunk to the Beach tourney.

2. Willowridge HS (Sugar Land, Texas) - (16-0) *2
Last week: Idle
Upcoming: Dec. 28-30 at Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del.); Jan. 2 vs. Clements High
Outlook: T.J. Ford and Daniel Ewing, arguably the nation's top backcourt, will try to defend their title at the Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament. Ford is back after missing five games with an ankle injury.

3. St. Vincent-St. Mary HS (Akron, Ohio) - (6-0) *5
Last week: Beat Central Catholic High, 78-63
Upcoming: Dec. 29 at Ashland Crestview High
Outlook: Super-soph Lebron James led the team to its 33rd straight win with 21 points and nine assists in the win over Central Catholic. Fellow sophomore Romeo Travis added 17 points and Aly Samabaly chipped in with 15, including a trio of 3-pointers.

4. DeMatha Catholic HS (Hyattsville, Md.) - (7-0) *6
Last week: Game against Bishop McNamara High was postponed due to snow.
Upcoming: Dec. 26-30 at the Beach Ball Classic (Myrtle Beach, S.C.); Jan. 3 vs. Good Council High

5. Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, Calif.) - (9-1) *3
Last week: Cruised past Clear Lake High (Texas), 80-65, in the quarterfinals of the Las Vegas Prep Classic; pounded St. Mary's (Ariz.), 94-73, in the semifinals; lost to No. 1 Oak Hill Academy (Va.), 66-55, in the title game.
Upcoming: Dec. 27-30 at the Beach Ball Classic (Myrtle Beach, S.C.); Jan. 1 vs. Foothill High (Calif.)
Outlook: Cedric Bozeman pumped in 30 points in a losing effort against Oak Hill. He led his team with 20 points versus St. Mary's. Center Jamal Sampson added 17 points and six boards versus Oak Hill.

6. Westchester HS (Los Angeles, Calif.) - (11-0) *20
Last week: Crushed Cypress Lake High, 99-42, in the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.; beat Orlando Edgewater High, 108-82, Louisville Male High (Ky.), 100-89, Lakeland Kathleen High, 87-77, and St. Raymond High (N.Y.) in the title game, 82-77
Upcoming: Dec. 26-31 at the Red Cross/Roundball Classic in Charleston, S.C.
Outlook: Hassan Adams scored 24 in the win over Edgewater and Brandon Heath added 18 points. Heath led the team with 17 points in the title contest.

7. Berkshire School (Homestead, Fla.) - (8-0) *9
Last week: Beat H.D. Woodson (D.C.), 100-71, Tabernacle (Bahamas), 96-31, and Arcadia (Mary.), 99-62, at the Xmas at the Beach Tournament in Virginia Beach.
Upcoming: Dec. 28-30 at the Sans Lee Shootout in North Carolina
Outlook: Berkshire had a different leading scorer in all three wins last week. Jamal Levy led the way in the win over Woodson with 19 points. Ismael N'diaye scored 20 in the Tabernacle win and Quemont Greer and Kevin Young each scored 16 in the win over Arcadia.

8. Southern HS (Baltimore, Md.) - (6-0) *10
Last week: Beat Northern High, 82-52, and Carver High, 71-59
Upcoming: Dec. 28-30 at Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del.)
Outlook: UNC signee Melvin Scott scored 21 in the win over Northern and poured in 27 points, four assists and four steals in the victory over Carver.

9. Camden HS (Camden, N.J.) - (3-0) *11
Last week: Beat Bishop Eustace, 86-60, and Camden Catholic, 95-82
Upcoming: Dec. 28-29 in the gomemphis.com Christmas Shootout at the Pyramid (Tenn.)
Outlook: Memphis-bound guard Dajuan Wagner hit for 50 points in the win over Bishop Eustance. He sank his first nine shots against Camden Catholic and finished with a season-high 55 points. Nate Plummer added 13 points and 10 boards. The team was without starting guard Dorjon Brown, who is academically ineligible until Feb. 1.

10. Midwest City HS (Midwest City, Okla.) - (4-0) *12
Last week: Idle
Upcoming: Dec. 27-30 at Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del.)

11. St. Patrick's HS (Elizabeth, N.J.) - (3-1) *16
Last week: Beat Burlington Life Center; Crushed Berkmar High (Ga.), 70-44, in the Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del.)
Upcoming: Dec. 27-30 at Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del.)
Outlook: Marcus Austin (6-foot-9) didn't play in the rout over Berkmar because of mono, and 6-foot-10 Grant Billmeier is ineligible until mid-January because of transfer rules. But four players have scored in double figures in all four games this season.

12. Miami Northwestern HS (Miami, Fla.) - (8-1)
Last week: Beat De La Salle High (Calif.), 48-40, in the semifinals of the Iolani Classic (Hawaii); defeated Montrose Christian School (Md.), 50-48, in the championship game
Outlook: Mississippi State-bound senior guard Winsome Frazier scored 13 in the win against De La Salle and added 14 in the title contest. Point guard Joel Brown won tournament MVP honors.

13. De La Salle HS (Concord, Calif.) - (6-1) *7
Last week: Played in the Iolani Classic (Hawaii), where it beat Castle High, 87-37; defeated Iolani High, 40-39, in the quarterfinals; lost to Miami Northwestern High (Fla.), 48-40, in the semifinals; beat Roman Catholic High (Pa.), 53-42, in the consolation round
Upcoming: Dec. 28-30 at the National Prep Classic (San Diego, Calif.)
Outlook: Joe See scored 20 points, including six 3-pointers, in the quarterfinals win over Iolani. Charles Brown finished with 14 points in the consolation finals against Roman Catholic.

14. Male HS (Louisville, Ky.) - (9-1) *8
Last week: Pounded Andrew Jackson High (Fla.), 92-66, in the City of Palms Classic (Ft. Myers, Fla.); beat Reynolds High (N.C.), 71-52; lost to Westchester High (Calif.), 100-89; defeated Dillard High (Fla.) in the third-place game, 61-48
Upcoming: Dec. 26-30 at the Arby's Classic; Jan. 3 vs. Trinity High
Outlook: Forward Larry O'Bannon scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds versus Reynolds while sophomore Michael Bush scored 22. O'Bannon was held to five points versus Dillard while Bush thrived again with 21 points and eight boards.

15. Pike HS (Indianapolis, Ind.) - (6-0) *14
Last week: Game against Gary Mann High was postponed due to inclement weather
Upcoming: Dec. 30 in the Hall of Fame Classic (New Castle, Del.)
Outlook: Senior guard Chris Thomas has had a stellar season thus far and has had his long-distance shot on target.

16. White Station HS (Memphis, Tenn.) - (8-0) *15
Last week: Idle
Upcoming: Dec. 27 at the Arby's Basketball Classic in Bristol, Tenn.

17. Dominguez HS (Compton, Calif.) - (9-1) *21
Last week: Won the Les Schwab Invitational (Portland, Ore.); beat Redmond High (Ore.), 54-37; defeated Benson High, 65-63, in the second round; edged Jesuit (Ore.), 54-48, in the semifinals; beat Jefferson High (Ore.), 57-53, in the title contest
Upcoming: Dec. 28-30 at Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del.)
Outlook: Seven-footer Tyson Chandler poured in 21 points and grabbed 13 boards in the opener against Redmond and followed it up with a 22-point output versus Benson. Chandler struggled in the title game, scoring just five points, but teammate Bobby Jones had 23 points and eight boards.

18. Vashon HS (St. Louis, Mo.) - (6-1) *4
Last week: Lost to Farragut Academy (Ill.), 85-84, in overtime to drop 14 spots
Upcoming: N/A

19. Reynolds HS (Winston Salem, N.C.) - (7-2) *18
Last week: Lost to Louisville Male High (Ky.), 71-52, in the City of Palms Classic (Ft. Myers, Fla.); beat Fresno Clovis West High (Calif.), 61-60; defeated St. John Neumann High (Pa.), 84-78, in the fifth-place game
Upcoming: Dec. 26-28 at the Frank Spencer Tournament; Jan. 3 vs. Page High
Outlook: Mitchell Baldwin led the way with 19 points against Clovis West and 15 in the loss to Louisville Male, but managed just eight versus St. John Neumann. Derrele Mitchell led the way against St. John Neumann with 19 points while Brandon Senter added 11.

20. Montrose Christian School (Rockville, Md.) - (5-2) *17
Last week: Played in the Iolani Classic in Hawaii. Beat Leilehua High (Hawaii), 69-53; defeated Kamehameha High (Hawaii), 58-40, in the quarterfinals; beat Roman Catholic High (Pa.), 67-49, in the semifinals; lost to Northwestern High (Fla.), 50-48, in the championship game.
Upcoming: Dec. 28-29 at te Glaxo-Welcome Tournament (Raleigh, N.C.); Jan. 4 vs. Capital Christian
Outlook: Levi Watkins scored 38 combined points in the first two games and poured in 22 in the loss against Northwestern. Georgetown-bound senior guard Tony Bethel had 21 points in the win over Leilehua and 16 in the victory over Roman Catholic.

21. St. Raymond HS (Bronx, N.Y.) - (4-2) *19
Last week: Beat Bishop Verot, 65-47, in the City of Palms Classic (Ft. Myers, Fla.); beat Clovis West High (Calif.), 94-81; beat Dillard High (Fla.), 59-45; lost to Westchester (Calif.), 82-77, in the title game
Upcoming: Dec. 27-30 at the Beach Ball Classic (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Outlook: Guard Julius Hodge scored 27 points against Bishop Verot, 21 in the loss to Westchester and a career-high 38 (16-of-19 from the field) versus Clovis West. Chris McRae added 13 boards versus Bishop Verot and 17 in the title game.

22. Thornwood HS (South Holland, Ill.) - (7-1) *24
Last week: Beat Thornridge High, 60-45
Upcoming: Dec. 27 at the State Farm Holiday Classic in Normal, Ill.
Outlook: Seven-footer Eddy Curry scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds despite getting into foul trouble, while David Moss added 10 points and nine boards.

23. West Aurora HS (West Aurora, Ill.) - (7-0) *25
Last week: Idle
Upcoming: Dec. 28-30 at the Pontiac Tournament in Detroit, Mich.
Outlook: Senior forward Jamaal Thompson and the rest of the Blackhawks are looking to strut their stuff on the national stage this week at the prestigious Pontiac Tournament.

24. Flint Northern HS (Flint, Mich.) - (4-0) *NR
Last week: Beat Flint Northwestern High, 57-46, Lansing Everett High, 77-52, and Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 53-34
Outlook: The Vikings had 11 days off, then proceeded to cut a wide swath through the state of Michigan. They knocked off three top teams in three days, including Flint Northwestern and its All-American, Kelvin Torbert (who was held to 2-of-10 shooting), as well Orchard Lake St. Mary's, the defending state Class B champs.

25. St. Edward's HS (Lakewood, Ohio) - (6-1) *NR
Last week: Beat Germantown Academy (Pa.), 74-63, in the Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del.); defeated Mayfair High (Calif.), 56-42
Outlook: Despite the removal of Troy Smith from the team, the Eagles continue to be tough. Jawad Williams was a one-man show against Germantown and added 16 points and eight boards in the win over Mayfair and its Stanford-bound guard, Josh Childress.

Team to Watch:
Champagnat Catholic HS (Hialeah, Fla.) - (11-0)
Last week: Champagnat won the Collegetown Classic in Gainesville (Fla.), winning the title game over Dr. Phillips High (Fla.), 67-59. Champagnat also enjoyed wins over Lincoln, Oak Ridge and Rickards.
Upcoming: Dec. 27 in the Hooters Holiday Tournament in St. Petersburg (Fla.)
Outlook: Champagnat didn't miss a beat in Gainesville, despite playing its first two tournament games without star center Manuel Guzman and power forward Leberth Roberts, who were suspended for violating team rules.

Dropped out:

Berkmar HS (Lilburn, Ga.) - (9-2) *13
Last week: Lost to Lakeland Kathleen High (Fla.) in overtime, 71-69, in the City of Palms Classic (Ft. Myers, Fla.); crushed Bishop Verot, 81-30, in the consolation bracket; defeated Glynn Academy (Ga.), 78-67; beat Huntsville Lee (Ala.), 89-61, in the consolation bracket title game; lost to St. Patrick's, 70-44, in the Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del).
Upcoming: Dec. 28-30 at Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del.); Jan. 5 vs. South Gwinnett High
Outlook: Clark Williams had 31 against Huntsville Lee, 18 versus Bishop Verot and 22 against Lakeland Kathleen. Shawn Ipka had a double-double (13 points, 13 boards) versus Huntsville Lee and Wayne Arnold added 22 points, including five 3-pointers.

Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.) - (11-2) *22
Last week: Beat Bishop McDevitt High, 69-39; defeated Central High, 74-32, in the first round of the Make A Wish Foundation Tournament; beat Engineering & Science, 66-34, in the second round; lost to St. Edward's (Ohio), 74-63, in the Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del.); beat Bishop Loughlin High (N.Y.), 63-57
Upcoming: Dec. 26-30 at Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament (Lewes, Del.)
Outlook: Troy Holiday led the team with 16 points in the win over Central while Matt Walsh added 15 and Lee Melchionne chipped in with 13. Walsh and Mike Slattery each scored 15 in the loss to St. Edward's, a rematch of last year's game won by Germantown by six points. Walsh poured in 29 in the win over Bishop Loughlin.

Dillard HS (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) - (8-4) *23
Last week: Defeated Glynn Academy (Ga.), 65-52, in the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.; beat St. John Neumann High (Pa.), 54-52; lost to St. Raymond (N.Y.), 59-45; lost to Louisville Male High, 61-48; lost to Simon Gratz High (Pa.) in the first round of the Beach Ball Classic, 47-36
Upcoming: Dec. 26-30 at the Beach Ball Classic (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Outlook: Kelvin Brown had an outstanding tournament. He had 15 points and eight rebounds in the third-place game against Male, 18 points and eight boards versus St. John Neumann, and 23 points and 10 rebounds against Glynn Academy.

*: last week's ranking



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