By Ronnie Flores

RELATED: All-Time FAB 50 No. 1 Ranked Teams | Final East Top 20 | Final Southeast Top 20 | Final Midwest Top 20 | Final Southwest Top 20 | Final West Top 20 | Each State's Highest Ranked Team (1988-2018) | FAB 50: All-Time Preseason No. 1's |

Entering GEICO Nationals this past weekend in New York, it became clearly evident the winner of the end-of-season tournament (which has been around for a decade) would determine the No. 1 ranked team in the final 2017-18 FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com and capture the mythical national title for boys high school basketball.

The eight-team tournament came down to FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and No. 3 University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) after the Sharks knocked off No. 2 Oak Hill Academy in its semifinal contest, 80-65, to avenge an earlier loss to the Warriors. Montverde Academy was impressive in its 71-53 semifinal win over No. 5 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) after getting a major league scare in its opening round win over unranked Lone Peak (Highland, Utah.).

Oak Hill Academy, which earlier defeated University at the Hoophall Classic,  didn't have McDonald's All-American Keldon Johnson at 100 percent after he turned his ankle in the 71-53 opening round win over No. 19 Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) and had trouble slowing down Mr. Basketball USA candidate Vernon Carey Jr., as he erupted for 29 points on 13-of-16 shooting from the field. For Montverde Academy, its interior team defense rose to the occasion and slowed down Carey when the game was in the balance and limited him to 12 points in its 76-58 title game victory.

With their win, the Eagles captured the tournament championship for the fourth time in six seasons. Montverde Academy has now won the event four times in its 10 years of existence, surpassing the record of three tournament championships it previously held with Findlay Prep (2009-10, 2012).

Six-foot-10 Filip Petrusev (15 points) and 7-foot Balsa Koprivica did a quality job of getting physical with Carey and Monteverde's team defense never wavered, whereas some of the teams at GEICO Nationals had stretches where its defense looked sluggish.

It also helped the Eagles to have R.J. Barrett on its team, as the 6-foot-7 Mr. Basketball USA candidate averaged 26.7 points and 10 rebounds in his team's three victories at GEICO Nationals. Barrett had 25 points and 15 rebounds versus University and finally captured the coveted tournament championship which eluded him in his first two seasons in the program. Montverde Academy also got a huge lift from shooting guard Mike DeVoe, who made 5-of-7 3-pointers and finished with a 21 points. The Eagles led 35-26 at halftime and outscored the Sharks in each quarter.

Barrett not only led his team to the tournament championship, he also broke the event's all-time scoring mark held by former Montverde Academy standout Ben Simmons, now a leading NBA Rookie of the Year candidate with the Philadelphia 76ers. Barrett can also now call himself a FAB 50 national champion as Montverde captured its first mythical national title since 2014-15 when Simmons led Montverde Academy to its last of three consecutive FAB 50 titles. The Eagles also won GEICO Nationals in each of those three seasons (2013-15).

This is the Montverde's fourth FAB 50 national crown under Kevin Boyle since he began coaching at the school in the 2011-12 season. This season also marks the fourth time Boyle's club has opened as preseason FAB 50 No. 1 and also finished at No. 1. This is the program's first wire-to-wire FAB 50 No. 1 finish. The 2014-15 team lose one game in December before returning to No. 1 in the second poll of January. The 2013-14 team lost on-court to Curie (Chicago, Ill.) in a game that was later forfeited by the Condors, and rose back to No. 1 after Curie lost on the court.

This season, the Eagles had zero blemishes on-court, but its perfect record was almost wiped out when Lone Peak went bonkers from 3-point range in the second half and nearly pulled off the opening round upset at GEICO Nationals. Montverde Academy led by as many as 19 points, but Lone Peak made 19-of-43 3-pointers in the game and 12-of-24 in the second half alone to eventually tie the game. With 8.3 seconds remaining and the game tied and with possession of the ball, Lone Peak was charged for a timeout it did not have. After the technical foul shots and change of possession, the Eagles held on for a 87-82 victory.

Montverde Academy was down by six points versus FAB 50 No. 14 Roselle Catholic in the final minute and a half, but Barrett scored the last seven points of the game to give his team a dramatic 60-59 victory. DeVoe hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to knock off Findlay Prep, 69-67, in the team's first meeting in the championship game of the Montverde Invitational.

In all, Montverde Academy won 15 games against opponents who were ranked or previously ranked in the FAB 50.

Findlay Prep fell one spot in the final rankings to No. 6, as the Pilots must remain in front of the Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) they defeated. University School finished No. 2 as a result of the avenging win over Oak Hill Academy, which drops one spot in the final edition of the weekly rankings.

Undefeated clubs Upson-Lee (Thomaston, Ga.) and Warren Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) did enough to be ranked ahead of first round losers Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) and La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), which won GEICO Nationals in 2017 and finished No. 2 in the FAB 50 to unbeaten Nathan Hale (Seattle, Wash.).

The coach of that team, former NBA standout Brandon Roy, brought his Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) team to New York, but its mediocre performance caused his current team, the Class 3A state champs, to drop eight spots in the final rankings. That result also hurt Class 4A state champ Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), as the Bullpups fell four spots this week. Neither Garfield or Seattle Prep defeated a team that finished in the final edition of the 2017-18 FAB 50.

Upson Lee nor Warren Central were ranked in the 2017-18 preseason FAB 50.

RELATED: All-Time FAB 50 No. 1 Ranked Teams | Final East Top 20 | Final Southeast Top 20 | Final Midwest Top 20 | Final Southwest Top 20 | Final West Top 20 | Each State's Highest Ranked Team (1988-2018) | FAB 50: All-Time Preseason No. 1's |

FINAL FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Sixteenth and final poll of the 2017-18 regular season; Through games played on Saturday, March 31; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: None.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 18 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post FINAL FAB 50: Preseason No. 1 Montverde Academy Goes UNDEFEATED! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

The FAB 50 mythical national champion the past two seasons have both finished the season unbeaten and this year there are some talented teams who can potentially lay claim to the No. 1 spot in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com should they finish unbeaten.

If season-long No. 1 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) finishes unbeaten by winning the 2018 GEICO Nationals in New York (March 29-31) against what should be a strong field of eight teams, the program will be in excellent position to capture its fourth FAB 50 crown in six seasons. Two years ago, it was Lonzo Ball and Chino Hills (Calif.) that worked its way up to No. 1 following a magical 35-0 campaign and last year Nathan Hale (Seattle, Wash.), led by Michael Porter Jr., finished 29-0 to lay claim to the No. 1 spot in a close decision over one-loss La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.).

Ironically, last year's FAB 50 championship coach, former NBA player Brandon Roy, was working on a personal 51-game winning streak entering Washington's SeaKing District 2 playoffs last week. Roy coached Hale to 29 consecutive wins last season before moving over to his alma mater, Garfield (Seattle, Wash.), for the 2017-18 season. Garfield was working on a 22-game winning streak to begin the season and were up to No. 18 in the FAB 50 before they were shocked in the district quarterfinals by Seattle Prep, 58-55.

Before their loss last week, the Bulldogs were one of the clubs looking to climb towards the Top 10 in the FAB 50, and should Montverde Academy falter in New York City, potentially put itself in position to contend for the mythical FAB 50 national championship. That scenario is basically over, although Garfield still deserves to be FAB 50 ranked since it owns an earlier 83-77 overtime win over Seattle Prep and still has an excellent shot to capture the WIAA Class 3A state crown. The Bulldogs fell 14 spots to No. 32 in this week's FAB 50.

Another Washington club that fell from the ranks of the unbeaten was bubble club Richland (Richland, Wash.), which lost 56-53 to still unbeaten Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.) in the District 8 4A championship game. With its win, Gonzaga Prep moved up five spots in the FAB 50 to No. 36, but like Garfield would seem to have only an outside shot at a Geico Nationals berth.

After Montverde Academy, the next highest ranked unbeaten team is No. 15 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.), the defending CIF Open Division state champions. After losing to Montverde Academy at the 2017 Spaulding Hoophall Classic, the Knights won 15 consecutive games to close out the season, and won the coveted CIF Southern Section Open Division and state open crowns to finish ranked No. 6 in the FAB 50 and beginning No. 7 in the preseason.

This season Bishop Montgomery is 26-0 and riding a 41-game winning streak entering this Saturday's CIFSS Open Division semifinals versus No. 47 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.). California teams are not quite as strong as last season, but should the Knights win their upcoming section semifinal game and the open championship over either No. 33 Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.) or bubble club Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Bishop Montgomery will put itself in FAB 50 title contention even though CIF champions are currently ineligible for Geico Nationals.

How high can Bishop Montgomery climb if it remains unbeaten?

The same question can be asked of No. 17 Riley (South Bend, Ind.), No. 21 Upson-Lee (Thomaston, Ga.), No. 25 Warren Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) and No. 31 Plymouth-Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.). Riley and Warren Central both compete in Indiana Class 4A, so one of those teams will fall in the state playoffs. The FAB 50's other unbeaten clubs may not be facing another unbeaten FAB 50 team, but the competition will be tougher and the pressure will mount, so whichever teams remain unbeaten will be rewarded accordingly in the rankings as the season wears on.

One club trying to climb back in the FAB 50 after injuries and a slow start knocked it out is Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.). You can watch the Statesmen and their highly-regarded, uncommitted point guard Courtney Ramey take on Kirkwood (Kirkwood, Mo.) in a rivalry game to close out the Ballislife HS Basketball Weekly Showcase regular season, Friday February 23 at 8:30 pm (ET).

RELATED: Ballislife HS Basketball Weekly Showcase | Webster Groves (MO) vs. Kirkwood (MO) Game Link 

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Tenth poll of 2017-18 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 18; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates foundation games not included)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 35 John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.), No. 46 Curie (Chicago, Ill.).

Bubble Teams:  Belleville West (Belleville, Ill.) 23-2; Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 21-2; Canton (Canton, Mich.) 16-0; Canton (Canton, Miss.) 26-3; Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 19-5; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 23-4; Cypress Falls (Houston, Texas) 29-3; DeKaney (Houston, Texas) 31-3; Gate City (Gate City, Va.) 23-1; Hazel Park (Hazel Park, Mich.) 15-1; Hazelwood Central (Florissant, Mo.) 22-2; John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.) 26-7; Lake Taylor (Norfolk, Va.) 20-1; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 26-0; Loundon Valley (Purcellville, Va.) 23-1; Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 21-6; McPherson (McPherson, Kan.) 17-1; Memorial (Tulsa, Okla.) 21-2; Mills University Studies (Little Rock, Ark.) 23-2; Morgan County (Madison, Ga.) 27-1; Mountain Brook (Mountain Brook, Ala.) 31-5; Newton (Covington, Ga.) 25-3; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 25-3; Northside-Jax (Jacksonville, N.C.) 24-0; Northwest Classen (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 24-1; Olive Branch (Olive Branch, Miss.) 22-4; Olympus (Salt Lake City, Utah) 22-0; Orr (Chicago, Ill.) 23-4; Oshkosh North (Oshkosh, Wis.) 20-1; Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) 26-3; Ranney School (Tinton Falls, N.J.) 22-4; Rayville (Rayville, La.) 30-0***; Richland (Richland, Wash.) 22-1; Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.) 30-1***; Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch, Col.) 21-2; Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.) 22-1; Skyline (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 16-0; South Central (Winterville, N.C.) 24-0; South Garland (Garland, Texas) 31-3; Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.) 27-1**; Trinity Episcopal (Richmond, Va.) 23-3; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 18-4; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 21-2; Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.) 15-8.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 18 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: Playoff Pressure Mounts For Remaining Unbeatens! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

When looking for the top teams in the greater Washington, D.C. Metro region (also known as the DMV), it's easy to begin with the powerful Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. The WCAC annually fields some of the nation's best teams, and member program DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) is a four-time mythical national champion (1962, 1965, 1978, 1984).

In recent seasons, three, and sometimes four, WCAC programs have been consistently ranked in the weekly FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballisife.com. This season is no different, as the No. 37 Stags are currently joined by No. 25 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) and No. 28 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.). Since the WCAC teams typically play national schedules and beat up on each other in conference play, they often get the benefit of the doubt in national and local rankings.

In recent weeks, the Washington Post Top 20 has listed Rock Creek Christian (Upper Marlboro, Md.) as its No. 1 team. The Eagles were supposed to play cross-town Wise in a battle of unbeaten teams on January 21, but condensation in the gym postponed the showdown until February 11. In between, the Eagles continued to win and cracked last week's FAB 50 at No. 40. Wise rose to No. 2 in the local rankings and when the dust finally settled, it was the Pumas that won the showdown game at the DMV Tip-Off Classic, 64-58.

Darron Barnes led Wise to victory with 18 points and 11 rebounds and point guard Michael Speight netted a team-high 19 points to hand Rock Creek Christian its first loss of the season. The win also validated a public school as the No. 1 team in local rankings.

"We live in an area where the excitement is about private schools," Wise coach Rob Garner told The Washington Post. "But there are some great public schools out there. We felt like we were playing for all of them, too."

From a national perspective, we are not quite ready to place Wise as our No. 1 ranked team in the region. Similar to last year's H.D. Woodson (Washington, D.C.) club that won the DCSAA title, however, Wise will have plenty of opportunity to rise in the FAB 50 if it remains unbeaten. Woodson's 32-0 team finished No. 17 in last season's final FAB 50.

For now, Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) remains the top-ranked FAB 50 team in the region after Gonzaga fell to unranked St. John's (Washington, D.C.) and DeMatha lost to unranked Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) last week. Both clubs remain in the FAB 50, as Paul VI faces Gonzaga on Valentines' Day and DeMatha on February 20, but Wise has now done enough to now be ranked ahead of Stags in the FAB 50. DeMatha fell 12 spots, Gonzaga seven and Rock Creek Christian just two spots this week. (The Eagles fell to No. 5 in the Washington Post Top 20).

Wise in the highest ranked among three newcomers this week. No. 48 Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook, Ill.) in the highest ranked team by the Chicago Sun-Times and No. 50 Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) returns to the rankings. One of the Wolverines' two losses is to No. 8 Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ark.) and they have a big game coming up against regionally-ranked Webster Groves (Mo.) on February 16. Webster Groves just recorded a big 76-68 win over bubble club Iowa City West (Iowa City, Iowa.).

No. 1 Hale Rolls

Nathan Hale (Seattle, Wash.) met No. 24 Garfield for the third time this season in the Seattle Metro League title game. The first time these two teams played, Hale rolled, 87-64, as Garfield's Daejon Davis sat out that December game. That game was played in the semifinals of the Les Schwab Tournament in Oregon and the conventional thinking was the regular league contest at Garfield could be anyone's ballgame, especially with Davis back in the lineup.

That proved to be true, as the game was tight before Hale pulled out a 69-65 victory before a national television audience with Mr. Basketball USA front-runner Michael Porter Jr. scoring 34 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The Metro League title game figured to be a close and emotional affair. It surely had its drama, but the actual contest wasn't close at all, as Hale took a 49-16 halftime lead and cruised to 91-58 win over the defending Metro League champs.

Garfield couldn't figure out a way to slow down the nation's No. 1 ranked prospect, as Porter (who went for 34 points and 20 rebounds in the first game) finished with 39 points and 13 rebounds. Jontay Porter, Michael's younger brother, added 21 points, while sophomore P.J. Fuller III (who played his freshman season at Garfield) contributed 17.

As its quest for a mythical national title continues, Hale won its first Metro League crown since the 1991-92 season. As for Garfield, it drops 22 spots to No. 46. The Bulldogs remain in the FAB 50 because despite the lopsided score, Garfield has lost to only one other team so far this season: No. 28 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.).

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Ninth poll of 2016-17 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 12; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 31 Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.), No. 36 Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.), No. 42 Wagner (San Antonio, Texas).

Bubble Teams:  Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.) 24-3; Apollo (Glendale, Ariz.) 23-3; Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 19-3; Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) 26-1; Birmingham (Lake Balboa, Calif.) 24-3; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 17-9; Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 22-3; Brandon (Brandon, Miss.) 26-2; Butler (Matthews, N.C.) 24-0; Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, Texas) 27-4; Clark (Las Vegas, Nev.) 23-3; Corona Del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) 23-3; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 22-2; Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) 17-5; East Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.) 14-0; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 19-1; Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.) 20-1; First Love Christian Academy (Washington, Pa.) 19-2; Houston Math, Science & Tech (Houston, Texas) 31-2; Iowa City West (Iowa City, Iowa) 16-2; Jackson (Massillion, Ohio) 17-1; Lakeview Centennial (Garland, Texas) 28-3; Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 20-3*; Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 17-4; Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 19-3; Maple Grove (Maple Grove, Minn.) 17-2; McCallie School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 25-5; Meridian (Meridian, Miss.) 24-2; Minneapolis North (Minneapolis, Minn.) 20-1; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 27-3; Muskegon (Muskegon, Mich.) 16-0; Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 16-6; New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 19-3; Newark (Newark, Ohio) 20-1; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 22-5; North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 18-3; Oak Ridge (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) 24-2; Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) 18-7; Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) 19-2; Pleasant Grove (Pleasant Grove, Utah) 18-2; Rindge & Latin (Cambridge, Mass.) 15-0; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 12-9; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 26-3; Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) 21-2; St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 16-4; St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park, Kan.) 13-2; Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 20-4; Tift County (Tifton, Ga.) 24-2; Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) 24-3; Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) 29-2; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 21-4; Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.) 18-2; Wesley Christian (Allen, Ky.) 28-6; Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 17-10; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 19-8; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 19-5*; William Allen (Allentown, Pa.) 22-1; Woodcreek (Roseville, Calif.) 23-2; Word of God Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) 25-4.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 17 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post NEW FAB 50: Playoff Time Is HERE! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

 RELATED: 2016 Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Standouts |  Jalen Green Breaks Out at Pangos Jr. All-American Camp

The post Jamon Kemp Shines at Frosh/Soph Camp in LA in Front of Father "The Reign Man" appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

After it lost 76-69 in a Metro League showdown to city rival Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) on February 2, not only did we keep the team at Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) ranked ahead of the Vikings, we didn't drop them from last week's FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com. Garfield had the stronger overall resume, with its only other loss to FAB 50 No. 10 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.).

We knew there was a good chance the two clubs could meet for the Metro League championship and on February 12, the two locked horns again with Garfield coming away with a 65-63 win to capture its first Metro League championship since 1991 and avenge the loss ten days earlier. In a close game that came down to foul shooting, Garfield junior Jaylen Nowell nailed two with 7.7 seconds remaining to put his team up four points. Nowell paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 25 points, while fellow elite junior Daejon Davis added 19 for the winning club.

After falling from No. 11 to No. 38 in last week's FAB 50, Garfield is back up 14 spots this week to No. 22. Avenging wins are a big factor in our rankings criteria, especially when a team otherwise has an exceptionally strong resume. Similar to Garfield last week, Penny Hardaway's team at Memphis East doesn't drop out of the rankings after a tough defeat, in its case a 71-70 loss to Germantown (Germantown, Tenn.) in the SCIAA Class AAA County Championship game. The Mustangs drop 25 spots to No. 35, one spot behind unbeaten Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.). A couple of key national results in its favor had Memphis East steadily climbing in the FAB 50, but the Blaze now deserve major rankings credit as an unbeaten team. Blackman was also ranked ahead of Memphis East in the Associated Press Class AAA State Poll even before the Mustangs' second loss.

Other high risers this week besides Garfield and Blackman are unbeaten Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.), which is up four spots to No. 27, and Advanced International Prep (Dallas, Texas). API, which is up six spots to No. 37, has a high loss count, but the talented club is meshing better now than it did during the holiday tournaments and has won 15 consecutive games. The Bulldogs have also split games with Hillcrest Academy of Pheonix, Ariz. and Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), the latter which handed Memphis East its first loss of the season.

We looked hard at the resume of Germantown for a possible spot in the FAB 50, but the Red Devils' lost 75-63 to Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ga.) at the Memphis vs. Atlanta Roundball Classic held in Memphis. That allows Jonesboro to break in at No. 47 as one of the seven newcomers this week. The only in-state loss for Jonesboro, led by elite junior M.J. Walker, is to Norcross (Norcross, Ga.), which fell out of this week's FAB 50. Jonesboro's other losses to FAB 50 ranked teams were against No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and top-ranked Chino Hills.

This week's top newcomer is No. 36 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.), which gave Chino Hills all it could handle before falling to the Huskies in overtime in the title game of the City of Palms Tournament in Ft. Myers, Fla. A review of the Celtics' schedule includes wins over No. 18 Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.), a split with talented Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), with its other three losses to No. 5 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), No. 16 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) and post-grad program St. Thomas More of Connecticut.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Ninth poll of the 2015-16 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 14; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 20 Hammond (Columbia, S.C.), No. 29 High Point Christian (High Point, N.C.), No. 33 Norcross (Norcross, Ga.), No. 41 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.), No. 46 Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.), No. 48 West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.), No. 50 Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.).

Bubble Teams: Aliquippa (Aliquippa, Pa.) 21-0; Allderdice (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 21-1; Archbishop Malloy (Queens, N.Y.) 19-4; Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 18-2; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 20-7; Brandeis (San Antonio, Texas) 29-1; Burlington School (Burlington, N.C.) 33-0; Coatesville (Coatesville, Pa.) 24-1; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 20-2**; DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas) 28-2; Dublin Jerome (Dublin, Ohio) 20-2; Fayetteville (Fayetteville, Ark.) 20-1; Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) 19-4; Fort Bend Bush (Richmond, Texas) 25-7; Fort Bend Elkins (Missouri City, Texas) 29-2; Germantown (Germantown, Tenn.) 24-2; Gwynn Park (Brandywine, Md.) 17-1; Hammond (Columbia, S.C.) 21-2; High Point Christian (High Point, N.C.) 22-5; Houston Math Science & Tech (Houston, Texas) 28-4; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 21-2; Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas) 28-2; Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 17-4; Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 19-3; McComb (McComb, Miss.) 23-0; Merrillville (Merrillville, Ind.) 19-1; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 25-1; National Christian Academy (Ft. Washington, Md.) 20-1; New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 18-1; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 25-3; Norland (Miami, Fla.) 24-4; Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.) 26-8*; Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.) 21-1; Overland (Aurora, Colo.) 18-3; Peabody (Alexandria, La.) 28-1; Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 18-5; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 20-0; Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) 22-4; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 16-6; Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) 16-2; Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) 23-5; Shenendehowa (Clifton Park, N.Y.) 20-0; Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 14-5; Tascosa (Amarillo, Texas) 28-0; Victory Rock Prep (Sarasota, Fla.) 22-6; Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio) 18-4; Westfield (Chantilly, Va.) 18-2; Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 22-4; West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 22-4; Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) 24-6; Wing’s Academy (Bronx, N.Y.) 20-2; Wilmington (Wilmington, Ohio) 20-1.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 16 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

The post UPDATED FAB 50: Playoffs Are HERE! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

Longtime Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.) coach Ron Naclerio made no bones about his team's 96-60 loss to Long Island Lutheran (Glen head, N.Y.) this past Saturday at the second annual Apparel Challenge at Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.). "It was one of those days," Naclerio told www.ebooksnet.com.

Since LuHi was already a bubble club in last week's FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, we considered keeping Naclerio's Judges in this week's FAB 50. At this point in the season, a bad loss can really hurt a team's ranking and we ultimately decided Cardozo had to drop out at 22-2. Had Cardozo lost on a fluke play or wild ending, such as was the case with its other loss to Queens Teaching on a half court buzzer beater while 'Dozo was missing two starters, it likely would have remained in. LuHi's margin of victory, however, means other teams from around the country deserve a crack in the nation's deepest set of national weekly rankings.

Long Island Lutheran is the highest ranked of five newcomers this week at No. 41, seven spots behind the Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) team it previously lost to. LuHi's other loss is to Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.). The highest ranked team in New York's Five Boros ahead of Cardozo is bubble club Archbishop Malloy (Queens, N.Y.).

The highest ranked team to taste defeat last week was previous No. 10 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), which was upset in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) play by unranked Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), 69-65. The Eagles' resume is too strong, however, for them to drop out, as they have lost to No. 7 St. John's (Washington, D.C.) twice, including once in overtime, and have a split with No. 6 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.). The natural spot for coach Steve Turner's club to fall is to No. 36, one spot behind the Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) club it lost to in overtime.

The week's other big loss was a 76-69 victory by bubble club Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) over previous No. 11 Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) in a Metro League showdown played between Washington's top top Class 3A clubs at Rainier Beach before an overflow crowd. Seattle loves its hoops and the crowd was treated to a dandy, as Rainier Beach's Sam Cunliffe netted 25 points to hand Garfield its first in-state loss of the season against a team it could potentially meet three more times. Rainier Beach and Garfield could meet in the Metro League tournament, in SeaKing District 2 play and potentially at the Tacoma Dome in the 3A state tourney March 3-5.

Rainier Beach had a letdown after its big win, falling to Seattle Prep 70-63. Had it not lost last week, the Vikings may have cracked the FAB 50, but the more deserving team regardless is new No. 44 Simeon (Chicago, Ill.). Coach Robert Smith's club defeated Rainier Beach, 70-56, at the Hoophall West in December. Two of Simeon's three losses are two clubs ranked ahead of them in local polls: No. 37 Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) and No. 40 Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.). The fourth Illinois team that is playing terrific ball as of late is No. 32 Althoff Catholic (Belleville, Ill.), which recorded a convincing 80-64 win over Kenwood (Chicago, Ill.) on Saturday and could be the one team that keeps a Chicago Public League program from winning the Class 3A state title.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Eighth poll of the 2015-16 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 7; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 19 Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.), No. 22 DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas), No. 32 Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.), No. 43 Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio), No. 47 Lone Peak (Highland, Utah).

Bubble Teams: Allderdice (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 19-1; Archbishop Malloy (Queens, N.Y.) 17-3; Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 16-2; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 18-7; Brandeis (San Antonio, Texas) 27-1; Burlington School (Burlington, N.C.) 30-0; Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.) 22-2; Clarkston (Clarkston, Mich.) 12-1; Coatesville (Coatesville, Pa.) 21-1; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 18-2**; DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas) 26-2; Dublin Jerome (Dublin, Ohio) 19-2; Eaglecrest (Centennial, Col.) 18-1; Father Tolton (Columbia, Mo.) 15-2; Fayetteville (Fayetteville, Ark.) 18-1; Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.) 21-0; Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) 17-4; Fort Bend Bush (Richmond, Texas) 23-6; Fort Bend Elkins (Missouri City, Texas) 27-2; Gwynn Park (Brandywine, Md.) 16-0; H.D. Woodson (Washington, D.C.) 24-0*; Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ga.) 21-4; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 19-2; Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas) 26-2; Lee's Summit (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 19-0; Lincoln (Gahanna, Ohio.) 20-1; Linden (Linden, N.J.) 13-3; Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 16-4; Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 23-3; McComb (McComb, Miss.) 22-0; Merrillville (Merrillville, Ind.) 17-1; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 23-1; National Christian Academy (Ft. Washington, Md.) 17-1; New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 16-1; Norland (Miami, Fla.) 23-4; Norman North (Norman, Okla.) 17-2; Overland (Aurora, Colo.) 15-3; Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) 16-4; Peabody (Alexandria, La.) 26-1; Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 16-4; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 18-0; Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) 14-2; Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) 21-5; Shenendehowa (Clifton Park, N.Y.) 19-0; Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 12-5; Tascosa (Amarillo, Texas) 27-0; Thornton (Harvey, Ill.) 18-1; Victory Rock Prep (Sarasota, Fla.) 19-5; Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio) 17-4; Westfield (Chantilly, Va.) 15-2; Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 19-4; Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) 22-6; Wilmington (Wilmington, Ohio) 18-1.

Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 16 years ago.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

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