By Ronnie Flores

RELATED:    | Ballislife Podcast Network | How To Create A High School March Madness |  State Champions Invitational Announced   | History of High School Team Rankings | All-Time No. 1's

Just as no ranking is set in stone until the final edition of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com, no championship is secure until the final whistle.

Centerville (Ohio) entered last weekend's Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division I Final Four at the University of Dayton Arena as the prohibitive favorite and with an unbeaten record. The Elks took apart St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio), 64-33, in the semifinals and entered the final against then No. 43 Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) with a 29-0 record and No. 11 FAB 50 ranking. Pick Central was a battle-tested club that figured to give the Elks a much tougher test than St. Ignatius.

Pick Central did much more than give the Elks a good game.

The Tigers led 21-17 at halftime and started the second half with a 10-0 run and eventually got their lead to 33-22. Centerville fought back and trailed 38-36 at the end of the third period, but were outscored 19-14 in the final period as Pick Central won its second OHSAA state championship with a 55-48 victory. In the process, the Tigers ended the Elks' bid for an unbeaten season and snapped their 45-game winning streak. Centerville got as close as 42-41 on a jump shot by Gabe Cupps, but got no closer in a game played without a shot clock.

Junior Devin Royal led Pick Central with 20 points, four rebounds and two assists, while senior Josh Harlan added 11 points. Cupps led Centerville with 14 points, while fellow senior Rich Rolf added 12 points and seven records. As a result of winning its first state title since 2011-12, Pick Central moves up 19 spots in this week's FAB 50 to No. 24. As for Centerville, the Elks drop 20 spots to No. 31.

As national rankings compilers, we are going to miss the New Jersey Tournament of Champions conducted by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). The NJSIAA decided to end the unique end-of-season tournament to decide an ultimate champion among state champions by an overwhelming vote last November. The thought process behind the decision is the season is extended too long for the benefit of a few, whereas adding a week earlier would benefit more student-athletes. The event started with a victory by one of the best high school teams of all-time (1988-89 St. Anthony of Jersey City) and has produced some memorable games over the years.

For Camden (N.J.) and junior D.J. Wagner, winning a TOC title was a season-long goal. The Mr. Basketball candidate had never won the TOC in his time at The High and Camden was the last public school to win the TOC when Wagner's father, Dajuan Wagner, led the Panthers to the 1999-00 TOC crown and No. 16 final FAB 50 ranking.

Wagner and company had plenty of incentive to win the program's second TOC crown, but the 2000 edition of the Panthers will go down and the final public school to capture the prestigious title. That's because Roselle Catholic (N.J.) was able to avenge a regular season defeat to Camden with a 61-58 overtime victory.

Camden, which came into the game No. 10 in the FAB 50, had a chance to take the the overtime lead with 4.5 seconds remaining on a pull-up 17-foot jumper from Wagner, but the shot was off. After two made free throws by Nebraska-bound Jamarques Lawrence, the talented junior had another shot to potentially tie the game, but Wagner's heave from near half court missed right and Roselle Catholic stormed the court at Rutgers University's Jersey Mike's Arena after capturing its fourth TOC crown, and first since 2017-18. The others for coach Dave Boff's program came in 2013 and 2015.

Roselle Catholic senior Braxton Jones hit the jump shot to give the Lions a 58-57 lead with 27.7 seconds remaining in overtime and it was his only points of the hotly-contested contest. North Carolina-bound Simeon Wilcher led Roselle Catholic with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Rich Brisco added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Wagner finished with 23 points and six steals. St. Joseph's-bound Rasheer Fleming added 13 points and eight rebounds for Camden, which fell alot less in this week's FAB 50 than Centerville after the crushing loss. Camden simply swaps places with Roselle Catholic, which now sits at No. 10 after the evening the only in-state loss, while the Panthers come in at No. 12. Roselle Catholic's other loss is to No. 8 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.). Camden ended its season with losses to No. 3 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 9 Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and the split with Roselle Catholic.

The final ranking for both clubs won't be determined until all the games are complete because their losses, besides those to each other, came against teams still playing (see below).

There are still a few states going with FAB 50 ranked teams where results will affect next week's FAB 50 edition. No. 18 Chesterton (Ind.) is trying to complete a perfect season and has one game left vs. Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) in the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Class 4A state title game on March 26.

FAB 50 No. 36 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.), No. 37 Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and No. 48 Catholic Central (Grand Rapids, Mich.) are also attempting to close out championship seasons this week.

GEICO Nationals & State Champions Invitational Fields Announced

The 2021-22 FAB 50 national champion will ultimately be decided by the results at GEICO Nationals, but the high school basketball will last another week. That's because the first-ever State Champions Invitational will take place April 7-9 at Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Fla. The championship game of the four-team bracket will take place on April 9 at 12 pm ET (ESPN2).

FAB 50 No. 9 Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) will take on No. 16 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) in the first semifinal on April 7 at 4 pm ET (ESPNU). No. 33 Auburn (Auburn, Wash.) faces No. 49 Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) in the second semifinal at 6 pm (ESPNU).

Calvary Christian, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 4A State Champion, rate as the early SCI favorite. Led by LSU-bound Marvel Allen and UCF-bound Taylor Hendricks, the Eagles own wins over No. 12 Camden (Camden, N.J.), No. 17 North Little Rock (Little Rock, Ark.), No. 25 Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando, Fla.) and No. 47 Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.). The only losses for Calvary Christian Academy are to unranked Milton (Ga.) and to No. 3 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.).

Montverde Academy has won GEICO Nationals a record five times and is part of perhaps the most wide-open and balanced field in the event's 13-year history. FAB 50 No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy comes in as a slight favorite and could wrap up its first ever FAB 50 title with three consecutive wins in an eight team field. A loss by Sunrise Christian (which has split with Montverde Academy) could open up the door for University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 6A champ and No. 2 Duncanville (Texas) to move up to No. 1 in the FAB 50. The results of GEICO Nationals could also open up the door for another team such as Montverde Academy or IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), which has beat MVA two times this season. Duncanville beat MVA at the buzzer in November.

GEICO Nationals matchups are as follows: FAB 50 No. 1 and top seed Sunrise Christian vs. eight seed Prolific Prep Napa (Calif.). No. 4 and four seed Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) vs. No. 8 and five seed Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.). The opposite bracket will pit No. 3 and three seed Montverde Academy vs. six seed AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) and No. 6 and two seed IMG Academy vs. No. 7 and seven seed La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.).

The first round games on March 31 will all be televised on ESPNU between 12 pm - 6 pm ET. The semifinals on April 1 will be at 2:30 pm ET and 4:30 pm ET on ESPN2. The 2022 GEICO Nationals title game will take place on April 2 at 12 pm ET on ESPN.

RELATED:    | Ballislife Podcast Network | How To Create A High School March Madness |  State Champions Invitational Announced   | History of High School Team Rankings | All-Time No. 1's

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(15th poll of 2021-22 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 20; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season not complete)

Dropped Out: None.

Bubble Teams:  American Fork (American Fork, Utah) 16-12; Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) 21-7***; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 34-7; Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) 36-3; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 21-9; Berkmar (Lilburn, Ga.) 26-5; Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) 29-1; Bristol Central (Bristol, Conn.) 28-0; Brophy Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) 25-3; Campolindo (Moraga, Calif.) 28-2; Carver Collegiate Academy (New Orleans, La.) 33-5; Chambers (Charlotte. N.C.) 22-7; Christian Brother’s (St. Louis, Mo.) 26-6; Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) 25-5; Curtis (University Place, Wash.) 27-3; Damien (La Verne, Calif.) 32-4; Del City (Cel City, Okla.) 24-4; DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 21-7; Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) 26-6; Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.) 20-6; Eagle Academy (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 19-6; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 24-5; Fox Chapel (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 27-2; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 25-1; Gill St. Bernard’s (Gladstone, N.J.) 20-7; Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 18-12; Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.) 23-4; John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) 22-4; Kimball (Kimball, Texas) 30-9; Kingfisher (Kingsfisher, Okla.) 28-1; King’s Fork (Suffolk, Va.) 24-1; Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville, Tenn.) 28-4; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 31-1; Liberty (Liberty, Mo.) 24-3; Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 19-7; Madison Prep (Baton Rouge, La.) 31-6; Magnolia (Magnolia, Ark.) 29-0; Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas) 36-5; Milton (Milton, Ga.) 22-8; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 28-6**; Mount Si (Snoqualmie, Wash.) 25-1; Mt. Vernon (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) 24-0; Newton (Covington, Ga.) 24-6; North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 27-5; Northview (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 24-1***; North Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 26-2; Panther Creek (Cary, N.C.) 23-8; Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) 28-3; Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 25-5; Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wis.) 27-3; Quaker Valley (Leetsdale, Pa.) 27-0***; Raymond (Raymond, Miss.) 29-5; Richardson (Richardson, Texas) 32-2; Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 23-4***; South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 23-3**; St. Francis Prep (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) 22-4; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 20-4***; St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) 25-4; The Burlington School (Burlington, N.C.) 30-7; The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.) 25-8; Tualatin (Tualatin, Ore.) 26-2; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 14-10; West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 23-5; Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 26-10**; Williamston (Williamston, Mich.) 24-0***; York Prep (Rock Hill, S.C.) 27-1; Zachary (Zachary, La.) 36-3.

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 22 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: Historic Endings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

By Ronnie Flores

There are five new teams in the latest?FAB 50 National Team Rankings?powered by?www.ebooksnet.com, but the big news from the past week is how this year's Dick's Sporting Good National High School Tournament (March 30-April 1,?Christ the King of Middle Village, N.Y.) will affect the final rankings set for April 3.

The quarterfinal Dick's Nationals matchups are as follows: FAB 50 No. 2 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), the top seed, will open with bubble club?Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), the No. 8 seed on March 30 (ESPNU, 6 pm ET). The winner of that game will take on the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game between FAB 50 No. 11 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) and No. 12 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) at 2 pm ET (ESPNU). In the opposite bracket, it will be FAB 50 No. 6 IMG Academy (Brandenton, Fla.), the No. 2 seed, versus No. 22 Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.), the No. 7 seed (ESPNU, 4 pm ET). In the No. 3 vs. No. 6 game, it's FAB 50 No. 5 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) vs. No. 14 Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) at 12 pm ET (ESPNU).

It's a strong field, but obviously there is a shadow looming with FAB 50 No. 1 Nathan Hale (Seattle) opting not to play in the event despite clearance from the WIAA. Let's quickly break down the field and the FAB 50 scenarios depending on which team wins three games to take the tournament title.

*If La Lumiere wins, it would be nearly impossible to dislodge Hale from the top spot. La Lumiere lost to No. 38 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), a team Hale defeated by two points when it was a consensus top five-ranked team.

*If IMG Academy wins, it would have a strong case for No. 1. The Ascenders defeated 10 teams who are currently or were previously FAB 50 ranked, including two wins over No. 10 Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.). It will also have avenged its only loss (of sorts) to Montverde Academy, since the Eagles are on IMG's side of the bracket.

*If Montverde Academy wins, it would be similar to IMG Academy in that it already has defeated ten currently or formerly ranked FAB 50 teams, including a head-to-head over IMG Academy. Montverde, however, has lost two of three games to No. 2 Memphis East and also lost to No. 4 Imhotep Charter. The latter will have the stronger case provided it wins a state title because Memphis East has also lost to the Sierra Canyon team Hale defeated.

*If Findlay Prep wins, Hale's win over Sierra Canyon agains comes into play. The Pilots lost to Sierra Canyon, 76-47.

*If Oak Hill Academy wins, Hale is even more of a slam dunk No. 1 team. Hale defeated the Warriors head-to-head at the Hoophall Classic.

*If Shadow Mountain wins, it will have a strong case for No. 1 as an unbeaten state champ that just won a tournament field with seven FAB 50 ranked teams.

*If Greensboro Day wins, Memphis East would be happy because unranked?Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) not only beat the nation's No. 3 ranked team, it also defeated coach Freddy Johnson's club and that loss wouldn't look bad at all. The Bengals' entire resume would have to be compared to Hale's.

*If Wasatch Academy wins, the rankings would be shaken up because that team is currently unranked. Wasatch would in essense avenge losses to Findlay Prep and IMG Academy, but it also lost to No. 19 Chino Hills and unranked Windward (Los Angeles) during the regular season.

Speaking of Patrick School, it takes on the highest-ranked newcomer in the FAB 50, No. 29 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), on Monday night in the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title game. The Ironmen defeated No. 41 Linden (Linden, N.J.) in the TOC semifinals, 65-58, behind 23 points and 14 rebounds from Grid-Hoop stud Marcellus Earlington.

The Patrick School has lost to IMG Academy twice, to Memphis East and split games with Linden, while one-loss Don Bosco Prep has beaten Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) two out of three times.

Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Fourteenth poll of 2016-17 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 19; 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. 24 Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Ill.), No. 29 East Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.), No. 31 Fern Creek (Louisville, Ky.), No. 38 St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.), No. 46 Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook, Ill.).

Bubble Teams:? Apple Valley (Apple Valley, Minn.) 27-2***; Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) 30-1; Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 23-5***; Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 24-3; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 22-9; Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 22-3; Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 21-3; Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook, Ill.) 30-2; Bowling Green (Bowling Green, Ky.) 36-2; Butler (Matthews, N.C.) 30-1; Clark (Las Vegas, Nev.) 27-5; Cooper (Burlington, Ky.) 34-5; Corona Del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) 26-4; DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 25-10; Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Ill.) 30-2; Evanston (Evanston, Ill.) 28-4; Fern Creek (Louisville, Ky.) 35-3; First Love Christian Academy (Washington, Pa.) 24-3; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 21-6; Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 31-7; Keller (Keller, Texas) 33-3; Kentwood (Covington, Wash.) 27-3; Klein Forest (Houston, Texas) 34-1; L.C. Bird (Chesterfield, Va.) 27-1; Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 23-5; Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas) 32-7; Maple Grove (Maple Grove, Minn.) 27-2***; Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) 26-6; Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) 35-4; Mt. Vernon (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) 23-4***; Muskegon (Muskegon, Mich.) 23-1; Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 22-7***; Newton (Covington, Ga.) 28-2; North (Oshkosh, Wis.) 25-1; Oak Ridge (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) 31-3; Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) 21-8; Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) 26-2***; Rock Creek Christian (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 28-4; Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 18-11; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 31-4; Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) 30-4; Southwest Guilford (High Point, N.C.) 28-3; St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.) 28-5; Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 23-7; Union (Tulsa, Okla.) 28-1; Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) 36-3; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 24-4***; Wesley Christian (Allen, Ky.) 33-9; West (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 25-3; Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 18-11; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 21-9; Wise (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 21-1.

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 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 UPDATED FAB 50: How Does Dick's Nationals Impact Rankings? appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.