Sabrina Ionescu from Miramonte of Orinda and Steven Thompson Jr. from Bishop Montgomery of Torrance are both key starters for teams in this week’s Top 20 state rankings. Photos: Harold Abend & Ronnie Flores.
Chaminade makes move into the top six after knocking off Loyola, but otherwise few changes in the Top 20 on the boys side. For the girls, Great Oak and Alemany are newcomers toward the bottom of the Top 20 but not many changes near the top.
Check below for this week’s new list of the State Top 20 boys and girls basketball rankings.
To read our breakdowns on each Top 20 team, why some of these rankings moves were made, which teams are on the bubble and for the first CIF divisional state rankings for both boys and girls basketball, you need to be a member of our Gold Club. Join our team today by CLICKING HERE..
Coach and trainer Chris Asher works with state stat stars and players from state-ranked teams of all ages, helping them to improve their speed, quickness and agility. He is based in Hollywood, also has a role with the UCLA track program and serves athletes within many miles of his location. For more about him, CLICK HERE. For more about his Gold Medal Excellence training program, CLICK HERE.
NEW BOYS BASKETBALL
TOP 20 OVERALL RANKINGS
Both Loyola of Los Angeles and Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth lost last week, but the overall log doesn’t call for a rankings change for the Cubs and there also are no newcomers this week.
For Sierra Canyon, the scenario is a bit different as the Trail Blazers drop down 10 spots with Chaminade, the team that beat Loyola, moving up seven spots.
Top-ranked Mater Dei opened up Trinity League play with wins over Santa Margarita (71-49) and Orange Lutheran (65-48) and hasn’t lost since a 54-51 setback to Etiwanda in last year’s CIF Southern Section Division I-AA title game.
(Compiled by Ronnie Flores with assistance from Mark Tennis; updated through games played Saturday, Jan. 18; no results from Monday included; previous rating in parentheses)
1. (1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 16-0
2. (2) Loyola (Los Angeles) 14-1
3. (4) Centennial (Corona) 12-2
4. (5) Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) 7-4
5. (6) Etiwanda 14-3
6. (13) Chaminade (West Hills) 13-1
7. (7) Redondo Union (Redondo Beach) 12-3
8. (8) Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 14-1
9. (9) Capital Christian (Sacramento) 14-2
10. (10) Westchester (Los Angeles) 13-4
11. (11) Compton 12-3
12. (12) Cantwell Sacred Heart (Montebello) 12-2
13. (3) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 15-2
14. (14) Jesuit (Carmichael) 16-0
15. (15) Monte Vista (Danville) 14-0
16. (16) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 11-5
17. (17) Chino Hills 11-4
18. (18) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 10-2
19. (19) Mayfair (Lakewood) 12-5
20. (20) El Camino Real (Woodland Hills) 11-4
Dropped Out: None.
NEW GIRLS BASKETBALL
TOP 20 OVERALL RANKINGS
The biggest news in the state girls rankings is a major difference between the Cal-Hi Sports Top 20 for the state and one major national ranking (MaxPreps) that ranked the Monarchs behind both Long Beach Poly and St. Mary’s of Berkeley.
This was obviously done after St. Mary’s won a head-to-head game over Mater Dei, but it was Mater Dei’s first loss compared to two for the Panthers. The Monarchs also have a win over St. Mary’s from earlier in the season, beat Long Beach Poly at the Nike TOC (LB Poly has a win over St. Mary’s) and won the top division at the West Coast Jamboree. St. Mary’s also has an additional loss to Bishop O’Dowd. The good news is that eventually it will all be settled on the court because of the CIF’s Open Division format.
On the court, not including any results from Monday games, Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly and St. Mary’s all won last week and kept their positions in this week’s state rankings.
Kelsey Plum of La Jolla Country Day is already off to a great start as a freshman at the University of Washington. She was the 2013 Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year. Her former team isn’t in the Top 20 but is “on the bubble.”
(Compiled by Harold Abend with assistance from Mark Tennis; updated through games played Saturday, Jan. 18; no results from Monday included; previous rating in parentheses)
1. (1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 13-1
2. (2) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 11-1
3. (3) St. Mary’s (Berkeley) 10-2
4. (4) St. Mary’s (Stockton) 9-3
5. (5) Windward (Los Angeles) 12-2
6. (6) Carondelet (Concord) 10-2
7. (8) Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) 10-3
8. (7) Salesian (Richmond) 10-5
9. (9) Miramonte (Orinda) 13-0
10. (10) Serra (Gardena) 11-2
11. (11) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth 15-1
12. (12) Etiwanda 9-4
13. (13) Bishop’s (La Jolla) 16-1
14. (14) Chaminade (West Hills) 14-3
15. (15) Clovis West (Fresno) 13-2
16. (17) Camarillo 14-3
17. (18) Enterprise (Redding) 14-1
18. (NR) Great Oak (Temecula) 12-1
19. (20) St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 12-1
20. (NR) Alemany (Mission Hills) 13-4
Dropped Out: Previous No. 16 Santiago (Corona); No. 19 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose).
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark, Ronnie Flores and Harold Abend on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
4 Comments
Good for you Harold, It’s interesting that Clay said that only wins etc count and not players as that is not demonstrated in his rankings as why would 3 teams be ahead of Mater Dei in Clays rankings when Mater Dei beat them at one of the biggest tournaments of the year and followed up at another of the biggest tournamenst at WJC! Quite the contradiction.
I saw LB Poly before they added their transfers. Their big, press like banshees, pass and run. Add to that the fact that they are very well coached and deep, I saw them switch all 5 players at once and continue adding to their lead. Obviously if Mater Dei beat them they should be ranked higher but I’m really looking forward to a rematch.
Against Mater Dei it was their guards that had trouble not their big.
Nice to see the Great Oak Wolpack team recognized after beating several top teams and losing to Bishop’s by one, at the So Cal Holiday Prep Classic in December. Best wishes for much continued success this season!