By Ronnie Flores

For two consecutive seasons, we went against the grain in placing a team other than Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) as the preseason No. 1 ranked team in California. As compilers of the Cal-Hi Sports Top 20 Weekly Rankings for over 35 years, we don't just judge off talent level, rather a bunch of factors that include tradition, senior-leadership and other mundane factors. We have the luxury of seeing California's top teams year-round and try to use that keen insight to place teams in a sold preseason pecking order.

Other credible national polls placed Sierra Canyon as not only preseason California No. 1, but No. 1 in the nation last season. Our state preseason No. 1 Chino Hills (Calif.) started off No. 11 in the FAB 50 and went wire-to-wire as California's No. 1 ranked team and was able to capture the mythical national title with a 35-0 mark. Sierra Canyon lost its first game of the 2015-16 season.

In 2016-17, we went with Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) as preseason state No. 1, and started the Knights No. 7 in the FAB 50, over perhaps an even better Sierra Canyon team. Again, some polls started Sierra Canyon No. 1 in the nation.

Our rankings didn't look good early on when Bishop Montgomery lost in its opener to unranked Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) at the same event Sierra Canyon lost at a year earlier. There was a caveat to that result, however, as San Diego St.-bound Jordan Schakel didn't start and was severely limited playing in his first game since July 2016 because of injury. To make matters worse, star junior guard Davy Singleton didn't play at all.

Coach Doug Mitchell jokingly told his team it didn't have to worry about rankings the rest of the season, as the focus shifted to getting healthy and peaking at the right time. It all came together last weekend for the Knights, as they knocked off previous FAB 50 No. 2 and top seed Sierra Canyon, 70-63, in the CIF Southern Section Open Division semifinals before 10,258 fans, some who paid over $300 a piece for court side seats at USC's Galen Center as part of a semifinal doubleheader. With the victory, Bishop Montgomery will attempt to win its second CIFSS Open Division title in three years this Saturday.

Bishop Montgomery jumped all over Sierra Canyon and built a 20-4 lead, but after the Trailblazers made their expected run, it was Schakel who hit two daggers 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to fend off the nation's No. 2 team. Schakel finished with 20 points, and Mitchell also got a clutch performance from All-American candidate Ethan Thompson, who finished with 21 points and five rebounds. The Knights will face traditional California power Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), after it avenged its only loss of the season so far with a 83-80 overtime victory over Chino Hills in the second semifinal.

Chino Hills went cold from outside the arch and wasn't able to get to the rim at will as it did in the first matchup of the season at the Tarkanian Classic. The difference was the presence of 7-foot Bol Bol, who blocked five shots, altered a few others and finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Mater Dei has not lost with Bol in the lineup and although it is a stronger team with his presence, Chino Hills had a late lead and ample opportunity to win the game. That's how strong all four of California best teams are and why over 10,000 fans came out for two games that didn't decide any championship.

Now The Rankings Part

With its win, Bishop Montgomery moved up eight spots in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com to its preseason position -- No. 7. Sierra Canyon took a tumble from No. 2 all the way down to No. 12. Montgomery deserves credit for knocking off a legitimate FAB 50 National title contender and a team that owns wins over new No. 2 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) and No. 3 Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.).

Mater Dei jumped up six spots to crack the Top 10, and remains behind Bishop Montgomery for a couple of reasons. First, Mater Dei needed overtime to advance to the CIFSS Open Division final, whereas Bishop Montgomery's win was more decisive against a team with a stronger overall national resume. Mater Dei did avenge its only loss and has a legit 50-50 chance to defeat the Knights despite being ranked three spots lower.

The Sierra Canyon-Bishop Montgomery result was also key for Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.). The Eagles own a victory over a full-strength Bishop Montgomery team and moved up five spots to No. 5 in front of the Knights and No. 6 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). After the Eagles fell to St. Benedict's Prep of New Jersey (a team not eligible for the FAB 50), it fell below the IMG team it defeated at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla, but Montgomery's key win creates a linear pecking order. Montverde has a loss to No. 4 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.), and Sierra Canyon at No. 12 is now in front of the Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson. Va.) teams it defeated head-to-head.

The rankings could get shaken up again next week, and to make matters even more interesting, the season is not over for Sierra Canyon and Chino Hills. These four teams are going to be the top four seeds in the upcoming SoCal Open Division regional pairings that will be announced March 5, the day after the CIFSS Open Division final at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Sierra Canyon could conceivably bounce back and beat two of these teams, and then the earlier wins over La Lumiere and Memphis East would come back into play. There still plenty of results that will affect the pecking order and Chino Hills or Sierra Canyon could still end up as CIF State Open Division champions.

There is not as much movement outside the Top 15 of the FAB 50, as the two newcomers are Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) and North (Oshkosh, Wis.).

No. 48 Wood took on Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the Philly Catholic League Final at the famed Palestra on Monday, February 27, and came away with a 65-58 victory. Collin Gillespie had 24 points to help Wood win its first ever Catholic League title. North is the top-ranked Division 1 team in the AP Wisconsin state poll.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Eleventh poll of 2016-17 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 26; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season complete)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 26 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), No. 34 North Side (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

Bubble Teams:  Allen (Allen, Texas) 28-6; Apollo (Glendale, Ariz.) 26-3;
Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) 29-1; Birmingham (Lake Balboa, Calif.) 26-3; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 22-9***; Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 17-3; Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 25-3; Butler (Matthews, N.C.) 29-0; Clark (Las Vegas, Nev.) 27-5***; Corona Del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) 26-3; DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 22-8; Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) 19-6; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 20-2; Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.) 24-2; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 19-5; Godwin Heights (Wyoming, Mich.) 19-0; Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 28-7; Houston Math, Science & Tech (Houston, Texas) 34-2; Kentwood (Covington, Wash.) 23-3; Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 23-3*; Logansport (Logansport, Ind.) 23-1; Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 20-4; Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 22-3; Maple Grove (Maple Grove, Minn.) 21-2; Meridian (Meridian, Miss.) 27-2; Minneapolis North (Minneapolis, Minn.) 24-1; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 32-3; Muskegon (Muskegon, Mich.) 19-0; Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 19-6; New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 21-3; Newark (Newark, Ohio) 22-1; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 24-5; North Side (Fort Wayne, Ind.) 22-2; Oak Ridge (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) 27-2; Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) 20-7; Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) 21-2; Pleasant Grove (Pleasant Grove, Utah) 21-3; Rindge & Latin (Cambridge, Mass.) 20-0; Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 20-8; Reading (Reading, Pa.) 24-2; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 14-10; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 28-4; Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) 27-2; The Rock School (Gainesville, Fla.) 30-3; Tift County (Tifton, Ga.) 26-2; Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) 28-3; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 20-3; Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) 32-2; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 22-4; West (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 21-2; Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 18-11***; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 21-8; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 20-6*; William Allen (Allentown, Pa.) 25-1; Word of God Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) 26-4.

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 Bishop Montgomery, Mater Dei Shake Up New FAB 50! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

The first nine and 16 teams overall that appear in this week's FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com are still playing, as the season is quickly coming to a close. There will be two more sets of ratings after this week, including the final FAB 50 rankings on Monday, April 4.

One of the teams still playing is current FAB 50 No. 1 Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.), which plays for the CIF Open Division state championship next Saturday night versus new No. 50 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Calif. It will be a matchup of two nationally-ranked teams, but it still has a bit of a David vs. Goliath feel. Chino Hills has beaten No. 40 Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) by 20 points twice (106-86 and 82-62), No. 41 High Point Christian (High Point, N.C.) by 25 points (100-75) and just defeated No 36 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) by 22 points (84-62) in the SoCal open regional final to advance to the state title game.

The Huskies, led by Mr. Basketball USA front-runner Lonzo Ball, only beat Bishop Montgomery by four points in their first matchup. The Knights still have a strong enough resume to be ranked No. 2 in the state, according to CalHiSports.com, as Chino Hills is firing on all cylinders right now. Ball, who is averaging a triple-double, was confirmed to be California's all-time assists leader by Cal-Hi Sports and will play in the 6th Annual Ballislife All-American Game taking place the night of April 30 at Long Beach City College (Long Beach, Calif.).

Wrapping Up State Titles

Another player who will participate in the Ballislife All-American Game, point guard Shamorie Ponds, just wrapped up a championship season, as Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) won its first ever New York Federation Class AA title with a 72-65 win over FAB 50 bubble club Aquinas (Rochester, N.Y.). Jeff also win its first PSAL title since 1954.

Ponds was in some foul trouble, but his teammates, particularly Rasheem Dunn and C.J. "Big Shot" Smith, stepped up to lead the Orange Wave to victory. Dunn finished with 21 points, while Ponds and Smith added 16 and 15, respectively. Jefferson moved up five spots to No. 38 in this week's rankings, and no matter what the other results are from around the country over the final two weeks, the Orange Wave will remain behind No. 37 West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) in the final rankings. Oregon's Class 6A state champs beat Jefferson at the City of Palms Tournament in December.

Jayson Tatum, a Mr. Basketball USA candidate, led Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) to its first Missouri Class 5 state title with a 72-59 win over bubble club Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.). In his final game in a Chaminade uniform, the Duke-bound forward exploded for 40 points and 14 rebounds, as the Red Devils moved up to No. 18 this week.

No. 11 Stevens Point (Stevens Point, Wis.) wrapped up a Wisconsin Division I state crown by downing Muskego (Muskego, Wis.), 89-64, to end the season on a 37-game winning streak. The Panthers dominated their in-state competition, but lack a signature out-of-area win to be in mythical national title contention. Stevens Point concluded its season with a 33.2 ppg winning margin that actually grew in the state playoffs.

In Pennsylvania, Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) moved up two spots this week to No. 15 after capturing its second consecutive PIAA Class 4A title, while Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) won its sixth Class 3A crown in seven years to move up three spots to No. 24

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Fourteenth poll of the 2015-16 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 20; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season not complete)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 30 Simeon (Chicago, Ill.), No. 34 Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.), No. 44 Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.), No. 47 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), No. 50 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.).

Bubble Teams: Aliquippa (Aliquippa, Pa.) 30-0; Allderdice (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 28-2; Aquinas (Rochester, N.Y.) 23-4**; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 25-7; Benet Academy (Lislie, Ill.) 31-4; Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) 25-4; Columbus (Columbus, Miss.) 27-5; Crespi (Encino, Calif.) 32-4; Dillard (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 28-5; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 27-1; Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) 24-3; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 26-3; Houston Math Science & Tech (Houston, Texas) 33-5; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 24-6; J.O. Johnson (Huntsville, Ala.) 29-5; John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.) 27-11; Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ga.) 28-5; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 29-3; Lee's Summit (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 29-1; Liberty County (Hinesville, Ga.) 28-1; Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 23-8; Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 22-4; Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 27-5; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 32-2; Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) 26-4; Mustang (Mustang, Okla.) 20-7; Natchitoches Central (Nachitoches, La.) 32-3; National Christian Academy (Ft. Washington, Md.) 30-2; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 26-4; Norland (Miami, Fla.) 25-5; Norman North (Norman, Okla.) 24-4; Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.) 29-9*; Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.) 28-1; Ozen (Beaumont, Texas) 31-4; Putnam City West (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 24-5; Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 24-6; Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) 28-7; Sacramento (Sacramento, Calif.) 30-2; Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) 26-2; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 34-3; Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) 27-5; Shenendehowa (Clifton Park, N.Y.) 24-1; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 26-5; Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) 30-4; Southport (Indianapolis, Ind.) 22-7; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 27-6; St. Augustine (Richland, N.J.) 30-2; Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 21-7***; Victory Rock Prep (Sarasota, Fla.) 25-6; Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio) 25-1; Westfield (Chantilly, Va.) 26-3; Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 27-4; Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) 28-6; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 22-6; Wilmington (Wilmington, Ohio) 26-2.

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 NEW FAB 50: No. 1 Chino Hills One Step From Perfection! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

Many teams in this week's FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com have an asterisk by their updated won-loss record. For some, such as bubble club McComb (McComb, Miss.), it indicates a forfeit and/or default not counted against its record.

McComb was forced to forfeit a home game to Florence (Florence, Miss.) on February 9 after referees failed to show up in a timely fashion for a district game. The MHSAA ruled there must be a result for district standings and the burden fell on the Tigers, but in our rankings criteria it is a default (i.e. No Contest) because there wasn't a final result on the scoreboard. For our rankings purposes, McComb is unbeaten on the court as it eyes a Class 4A state title.

For other clubs, unfortunately, the asterisk indicates its season is over -- in some cases with a state title in tow. Some clubs who play an independent schedule have completed their regular season but don't yet have an asterisk because they are hopeful to be one of eight teams invited to Dick's Nationals in New York, March 31-April 2. No. 12 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) falls into this category, with newly or to-be crowned state champions from North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida or Utah also in the running. No. 9 Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.) falls into the latter category. The Chargers recently won the NCISAA Class 3A crown, but there isn't an asterisk by their record because their season likely isn't done just yet.

Eyeing The Big Prize

Look for the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament to feature La Lumiere, Providence Day, No. 2 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 10 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) and No. 11 St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.) along with two other state champs.

La Lumiere would love to see No. 7 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) knock of top-ranked Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.) in the CIF Southern Section Open Division title game March 5 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The Trailblazers handed the Lakers one of their three losses (the other two are to St. Benedict's and No. 38 Wasatch Academy of Utah) and are coming off an impressive 78-69 CIFSS Open Division semifinal victory over previous No. 7 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.).

The Knights, which lost to Chino Hills by four points in a game streamed by BIL, fall twenty spots as they have yet to defeat a FAB 50-ranked club. Chino Hills is five victories away from a perfect 35-0 season and it's likely RUN GMZ will play no more than that. Paragon Marketing, which executes Dick's Nationals, hasn't had any luck getting a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) member program on board at the event in eight years.

Speaking of Chino Hills, No. 23 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) leaps up eight spots in this week's FAB 50. The Celts took the Huskies to overtime in the City of Palms Tournament title game and now deserve to be ranked ahead of new No. 24 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.). Not only did it take the No. 1 ranked team in the country into overtime, other results dictate Patrick School be ranked higher, including Roman Catholic's 30-point loss to No. 2 Montverde Academy.

Even though Roman was leaped by Patrick School, the Cahillites did some leaping of their own after knocking off previous No. 14 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the Philadelphia Catholic League Tournament final 72-65. Two two Philly rivals split its two games this season.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

(Eleventh poll of the 2015-16 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 28; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season complete)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 43 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 48 Cardozo (Bayside, N.Y.).

Bubble Teams: Aliquippa (Aliquippa, Pa.) 25-0; Allderdice (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 24-1; Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 20-2; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 25-7***; Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 19-7; Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.) 28-1; Dillard (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 28-5***; Dublin Jerome (Dublin, Ohio) 22-2; East English Village Prep (Detroit, Mich.) 16-3; Fayetteville (Fayetteville, Ark.) 23-2; Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) 22-4; Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 22-7; Grandview Prep (Boca Raton, Fla.) 34-0***; Hammond (Columbia, S.C.) 22-2; Houston Math Science & Tech (Houston, Texas) 31-4; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 24-2; Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas) 31-2; Lee's Summit (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 25-0; Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 22-7; Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 20-4; Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 22-3; Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 27-4; McComb (McComb, Miss.) 27-0**; Merrillville (Merrillville, Ind.) 22-1; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 28-1; Mustang (Mustang, Okla.) 18-6; National Christian Academy (Ft. Washington, Md.) 23-1; New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 21-1; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 26-4***; Norland (Miami, Fla.) 25-5***; Norman North (Norman, Okla.) 21-3; Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.) 29-9***; Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.) 24-1; Overland (Aurora, Colo.) 21-3; Ozen (Beaumont, Texas) 29-3; Peabody (Alexandria, La.) 32-1; Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) 24-5; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 18-7; Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) 19-2; Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) 26-5; Shenendehowa (Clifton Park, N.Y.) 22-0; Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 14-6; Tascosa (Amarillo, Texas) 31-0; Victory Rock Prep (Sarasota, Fla.) 25-6***; Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio) 20-4; Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 26-4; Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) 28-6***; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 22-6***; Wilmington (Wilmington, Ohio) 23-1.

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: Teams Eye Prize! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.