City of Basketball Love

Michael Bullock (@thebullp_n)
--

While we brought you our six preseason packages in those anxious days immediately preceding the start of the 2017-18 campaign, here’s a look at our fifth all-inclusive set of rankings for each and every classification.

So, enjoy, squawk and even ponder. There’s plenty more results to come.

Appearing below are all six of our top 10s, with PIAA district and this season’s record displayed in parentheses. Only those schools competing for PIAA state championships are eligible for ranking purposes.

~~~

Previous Rankings: Jan. 2 | Dec. 26 | Dec. 18 | Jan. 2 | Jan. 8 |

~~~

CITY OF BASKETBALL LOVE STATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS

(records through games of Jan. 14/OW-others to watch/NR-not ranked)

CLASS 6A

Speedy Morris capped a tremendous celebration Friday at St. Joseph’s Prep, where the 75-year-old head coach pocketed career victory No. 1,000 as the Hawks turned back Philly Catholic League foe Lansdale Catholic 65-42. Darius Kinnel paced the Prep with 18 points, including the 1,000th of his career. … Daivon Stephens dropped in 21 points and Corey Fulton added 19 as No. 8 Penn Hills held off Woodland Hills 68-60 in a WPIAL Section 3 scrap on Friday night. More news came after the game, when writers from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review were told Penn Hills head coach Dan DeRose and Indians players were unavailable for comment. … From the hard-to-believe category: Cedar Crest and Manheim Twp. both needed four overtimes on Friday night to defeat Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 rivals Lebanon and Warwick, respectively.

No.  School                                              Rec    Pvs
1.     Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1)             11-0        1
2.     Abington (1)                                    7-2       2                            
3.     Hazleton (2)                                    9-0        3
4.     Roman Catholic (12)                      7-4       4
5.     State College (6)                            12-0       5
6.     St. Joseph’s Prep (12)                   10-2       6                              
7.     La Salle College (12)                      9-3       7
8.     Penn Hills (7)                                 14-0      8   
9.     Mt. Lebanon (7)                             12-1      9
10.   Woodland Hills (7)                        10-2    OW

Checked in: No. 10 Woodland Hills.
Checked out: No. 10 Cheltenham.

Others to watch: Abraham Lincoln (12, 9-2); Allderdice (8, 8-2); Butler (7, 11-1); Canon-McMillan (7, 10-1); Cedar Crest (3, 12-2); Central Bucks East (1, 9-3); Central Bucks South (1, 9-3); Central Bucks West (1, 9-4); Central York (3, 8-4); Chambersburg (3, 12-3); Cheltenham (1, 8-4); Coatesville (1, 9-4); Conestoga (1, 7-4); Downingtown East (1, 7-4); East Stroudsburg South (11, 12-1); Father Judge (12, 8-3); Fox Chapel (7, 9-4); Garnet Valley (1, 9-3); Harrisburg (3, 9-4); Hempfield (3, 12-1); Latrobe (7, 9-4); Lower Merion (1, 10-3); Manheim Twp. (3, 11-2); McDowell (10, 9-2); Neshaminy (1, 9-2); Pennridge (1, 9-4); Pine-Richland (7, 9-3); Reading (3, 11-2); Seneca Valley (7, 8-3); Upper Darby (1, 10-3).

Bullish matchups of the week: No. 5 State College will bring its unblemished record to Pennsylvania’s Capital City on Tuesday night, where Joe Walker’s Little Lions will meet Harrisburg in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division scrap. State High needed overtime and 49 points from Princeton-bound Drew Friberg to best the Cougars 89-83 last month. … No. 3 Hazleton will make the trip south on Saturday to meet host Reading in the last of five games at the Geigle Shootout. Mike Joseph’s Cougars will meet GAR Memorial and Tunkhannock earlier in the week.

~~~

CLASS 5A

Ajiri Johnson’s putback slam of an Isaiah Wong miss just before the buzzer, propelled Bonner-Prendergast to a 63-61 victory over Class 6A No. 6 St. Joseph’s Prep Sunday in suburban Philly. Wong finished with 22 points. Two nights earlier at Archbishop Wood, Bonner-Prendergast upended the then-No. 1 Vikings 68-55 behind 20 points from Wong and 19 from Michael Perretta. … Slick sophomore A.J. Hoggard totaled 34 points as Archbishop Carroll edged La Salle College (57-54) on Friday, then came back and downed Bishop McDevitt (72-53) Sunday on the road.

No.  School                                             Rec     Pvs
1.     Bonner-Prendergast (12)          11-2        2
2.     Archbishop Carroll (12)              8-4        3
3.     Archbishop Wood (12)                5-6        1
4.     Mars (7)                                      8-2        4
5.     Abington Heights (2)                   10-2       5
6.     Martin Luther King (12)               8-5         6
7.     Northeastern (3)                         11-0         7
8.     Bishop Shanahan (1)                   8-1         8
9.     Penncrest (1)                               12-1     OW
10.  Allentown C.C. (11)                       13-1        9

Checked in: No. 9 Penncrest.
Checked out: No. 10 Milton Hershey.

Others to watch: Bangor (11, 11-1); Blue Mountain (11, 12-1); Cardinal O’Hara (12, 5-3); Carrick (8, 11-2); Central Mountain (6, 7-2); Chartiers Valley (7, 6-4); Dallas (2, 9-2); Dover (3, 9-2); Franklin Regional (7, 9-2); Great Valley (1, 8-4); Greencastle-Antrim (3, 10-2); Hershey (3, 12-1); Highlands (7, 8-3); Lampeter-Strasburg (3, 12-1); Lower Dauphin (3, 9-3); Mastery Charter North (12, 8-3); Meadville (10, 9-1); Milton Hershey (3, 10-1); Moon (7, 10-1); New Oxford (3, 9-4); Pottsville (11, 7-3); Shippensburg (3, 11-1); Trinity (7, 9-3); Upper Perkiomen (1, 9-3); Wissahickon (1, 8-4).

Bullish matchups of the week: Bonner-Prendergast will try to hang on to its new No. 1 ranking on Friday night, when the Friars put their four-game winning streak on the line at Class 6A No. 4 Roman Catholic. Bonner-Prendergast also will play host to Class 3A No. 6 West Catholic on Sunday at home. … No. 6 Martin Luther King will be busy, playing four times without leaving Philly. King will host Roosevelt (D.C.) on Monday and visit Class 2A No. 1 Constitution on Tuesday, before welcoming Class 4A No. 1 Imhotep Charter on Thursday and Overbrook on Saturday.

~~~

CLASS 4A

Lancaster Catholic won all four of its outings, climbing one rung to No. 7 after defeating Lebanon Catholic (52-27), Northern Lebanon (61-38), Lancaster Mennonite (72-66 in OT) and Eastern York (67-43) — the last three victories arriving on consecutive days. Johnny Besecker totaled 50 points in the Crusaders’ four successes. … Hickory, which moved into the top 10 for the first time last weekend, celebrated by downing Oil City (86-79 in 3 OTs) and Slippery Rock (69-35). Donald Whitehead collected 40 points in the two wins, while teammate Brandon Beader tossed in 35. … Scranton Prep also moved up, ascending to No. 6 by knocking off ranked Class 5A side Abington Heights 51-45 on Tuesday. Wes Simons, Leo O’Boyle and Rhys Merritt shared 41 points for the Cavaliers, who also downed Valley View. … New No. 5 Lower Moreland swept its three outings, the big win coming Wednesday when the Lions turned back Class 3A No. 2 Valley Forge 67-62 in overtime. Shane Cohen rang up 24 points for Lower Moreland, which also defeated Bristol and MaST Community Charter.

No.  School                                                    Rec     Pvs
1.     Imhotep Charter (12)                       12-2         1
2.     Bethlehem Catholic (11)                  10-1         2
3.     Quaker Valley (7)                              9-0         3
4.     Berks Catholic (3)                            10-2         4
5.     Lower Moreland (1)                          11-2         6
6.     Scranton Prep (2)                              8-3         7
7.     Lancaster Catholic (3)                      12-2          9
8.     Hickory (10)                                        8-1         8
9.     Ambridge (7)                                       9-2       10
10.  New Castle (7)                                     8-3         5

Checked in: No one
Checked out: No one.

Others to watch: Belle Vernon (7, 8-3); Bishop McDevitt (3, 6-5); Central Martinsburg (6, 9-3); Danville (4, 8-1); Forest Hills (6, 9-3); Franklin (10, 9-2); Grove City (10, 8-2); Huntingdon (6, 9-1); Indiana (7, 8-1); Johnstown (6, 7-2); McGuffey (7, 10-3); Middletown (3, 6-4); Nanticoke (2, 8-2); Overbrook (12, 6-4); Sharon (10, 11-2); Tamaqua (11, 11-2); Tyrone (6, 9-2); Universal Audenried (12, 6-4); Valley View (2, 9-4).

Bullish matchups of the week: Those looking for interesting matchups out west should circle Tuesday night, since that’s when No. 3 Quaker Valley will entertain No. 9 Ambridge. After defeating Hillhouse (Conn.) at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., No. 1 Imhotep Charter will meet up with a pair of Philly Public League opponents, hosting Math, Civics & Sciences on Tuesday before encountering Martin Luther King on Thursday. … No. 8 Hickory will have a pair of testy road scraps this week, as the Hornets will visit Sharon on Tuesday and Franklin on Friday.

~~~

CLASS 3A

No. 1 Neumann-Goretti stretched its winning streak to four games by spending the week defeating Conwell-Egan (93-73), Roman Catholic (56-54) and Father Judge (67-59). Christian Ings totaled 52 points in the Saints’ three victories, while Noah Warren finished with 38 and Marcus Littles 37. … Weather limited new No. 5 Richland to just one outing all week, but it was a dandy as Greg Burke’s Rams rolled previously unbeaten and ranked Class 2A opponent Bishop McCort 75-49. Trevy Hardison collected 22 points, while Collin Instone tacked on 18 and Tyler Paul finished with 13. Two others finished with eight points apiece for Richland.

No.  School                                                   Rec    Pvs
1.     Neumann-Goretti (12)                       9-3        1
2.     Valley Forge (1)                                 9-2        2
3.     Fairview (10)                                      9-1        3
4.     Lincoln Park (7)                                  5-4        4
5.     Richland (6)                                        10-1        7
6.     West Catholic (12)                              6-6         6
7.     Holy Redeemer (2)                             8-2         8
8.     Greenville (10)                                   6-2         5
9.     Westinghouse (8)                              10-1      OW
10.   Wellsboro (4)                                     12-1      OW

Checked in: No. 9 Westinghouse and No. 10 Wellsboro.
Checked out: No. 9 Trinity and No. 10 Lancaster Mennonite.

Others to watch: Aliquippa (7, 8-4); Bellwood-Antis (6, 8-3); Bishop McDevitt (12, 9-2); Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (7, 5-6); Catasauqua (11, 9-4); Central Cambria (6, 7-5); Dunmore (2, 6-4); Kutztown (3, 11-1); Lancaster Mennonite (3, 9-5); Loyalsock (4, 9-3); Mount Carmel (4, 9-2); Notre Dame-Green Pond (11, 11-4); Seton-La Salle (7, 7-3); Shady Side Academy (7, 7-4); Steel-High (3, 8-4); Trinity (3, 9-3); Washington (7, 7-3); Wyoming Seminary (2, 9-2); York Catholic (3, 9-3).

Bullish matchups of the week: Although No. 6 West Catholic will begin the week at home Monday night against Archbishop Ryan, the Burrs will close it out in brutal fashion, facing a pair of Class 5A hammers in No. 1 Bonner-Prendergast and No. 2 Archbishop Carroll on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Both games are on the road. … No. 2 Valley Forge Military Academy will entertain formidable Class 2A adversary Church Farm School.

~~~

CLASS 2A

In Tuesday’s showdown between Class 2A’s top-ranked squads, No. 1 Constitution wheeled to an 87-67 decision over No. 2 Math, Civics & Sciences at home. Jahmir Marable-Williams netted 22 points for the Generals, while Damon Wall tacked on 20 and Tyree Mitchell wound up with 16. Kwahzere Ransom topped MC&S with 19 points. … Owen Chambers enjoyed a memorable week, reaching the 1,000-point plateau by scoring 55 points in two Coudersport victories. Chambers hit 1K right on the nose Wednesday by pouring in 37 points in Coudy’s 77-34 smothering of North Tier League playmate Smethport. Two days earlier, Chambers netted 18 points and Jared Green collected 28 in a 60-24 triumph over Otto-Eldred.

No.  School                                                    Rec    Pvs
1.     Constitution (12)                                   6-5         1
2.     Sewickley Academy (7)                        9-1         3
3.     Math, Civics & Sciences (12)               7-5         2
4.     Our Lady Sacred Heart (7)                  11-1         4
5.     Ridgway (9)                                          9-0         6
6.     Bishop Guilfoyle (6)                              8-3         8
7.     Coudersport (9)                                    8-1         9
8.     Bishop McCort (6)                                 9-1         5
9.     Dock Mennonite (1)                              10-1     OW
10.   Jeannette (7)                                         7-1     OW

Checked in: No. 9 Dock Mennonite and No. 10 Jeannette.
Checked out: No. 7 Church Farm and No. 10 Serra Catholic.

Others to watch: Berlin Brothersvalley (5, 9-4); Cambridge Springs (10, 7-2); Chartiers-Houston (7, 8-2); Church Farm (1, 5-5); Clarion-Limestone (9, 9-1); Halifax (3, 10-1); Homer-Center (6, 7-3); Keystone (9, 8-2); Lakeview (10, 8-3); Moravian Academy (11, 8-4); Paul Robeson (12, 10-3); Purchase Line (6, 9-2); Rocky Grove (10, 11-2); Serra Catholic (7, 10-2); West Middlesex (10, 7-5); Wyalusing Valley (4, 11-2).

Bullish matchups of the week: We’ll start with Tuesday’s slate, which will be highlighted by a scrap between No. 2 Sewickley Academy and No. 4 Our Lady of Sacred Heart. … No. 6 Bishop Guilfoyle and No. 8 Bishop McCort will collide Thursday at McCort’s Johnstown playpen. … Freshly minted No. 9 Dock Mennonite will close out a three-game week Saturday at home against Class 3A No. 2 Valley Forge Military Academy. Earlier in the week, Dock will play Jenkintown and New Hope-Solebury.

~~~

CLASS 1A

No. 4 Sankofa Freedom knocked off a pair of Philadelphia Public League adversaries, defeating Northeast (58-41) and West Philadelphia (70-48). Scott Spann banked 14 points in each of Sankofa’s successes. … No. 3 Faith Christian extended its winning streak to 11 games by popping Delco Christian (70-51), Phil-Mont Christian (70-34) and Collegium Charter (92-44). Charles Ervin reached double figures in all three wins, totaling 49 points.

No.  School                                                   Rec    Pvs
1.     Kennedy Catholic (10)                       9-1        1
2.     Girard College (1)                              9-5        2
3.     Faith Christian (1)                             11-1        3
4.     Sankofa Freedom (12)                       8-4        4
5.     Millville (4)                                         11-0        5
6.     Shade (5)                                           10-1        6
7.     Lourdes Regional (4)                          9-3        7
8.     Elk County Catholic (9)                      9-1        8
9.     Clairton (7)                                         8-1      10
10.  Sullivan County (4)                              8-3        9

Checked in: No one.
Checked out: No one.

Others to watch: Bishop Carroll (6, 9-3); Cameron County (9, 8-1); Cornell (7, 9-3); Eden Christian (7, 9-1); Johnsonburg (9, 4-4); Juniata Valley (6, 7-5); Lancaster Country Day (3, 9-2); Monessen (7, 3-6); Nativity (11, 8-5); North Clarion (9, 9-2); Plumstead Christian (1, 8-2); Shanksville-Stonycreek (5, 8-3); Southern Fulton (5, 6-3); St. John Neumann (4, 6-3); St. Joseph’s Catholic (6, 7-4); Turkeyfoot Valley (5, 7-2); Union Area (7, 6-4); Vincentian (7, 6-5).

Bullish matchups of the week: No. 5 Millville will put its perfect record on the line Tuesday night on Williamsport’s East End, where the Quakers will visit perennial District 4 hammer St. John Neumann. Millville will spend the rest of the week hosting Line Mountain (Thursday) and visiting Bucktail (Saturday). … No. 9 Clairton also has an interesting matchup, as the Bears will play Tuesday at Monessen. Clairton also will meet up with Elizabeth Forward (Wednesday) and West Mifflin (Friday). … No. 8 Elk County Catholic will take on Class 2A No. 5 Ridgway on Friday, the second time these squads will meet. Ridgway won the earlier skirmish 45-32 in the title game of the Elk County Holiday Tournament.