By Ronnie Flores

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Playoffs formats in various states can sometimes be confusing for fans of the national high school scene to follow, as there are some that conduct regional and sectional playoffs with pool play or double elimination formats where a losing team can bounce back in the state tournament. We've reached the point where various governing bodies are conducting their state tournaments, so coaches and teams are now in "Win of Go Home" and "Survive and Advance" mode that all fans of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com understand. You either win and advance to the next round, or lose and risk tumbling down in the FAB 50.

One team that has captured its state crown is Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.), which won the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Class 4A state crown with a dominant 64-38 victory over Deer Valley (Glendale, Ariz.). The Matadors, which lost only one game in state to Nico Mannion and his bubble club at Pinnacle (Phoenix, Ariz.), knocked off a game Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.) team in the state semifinals, 77-71.

Shadow Mountain's season may not be done, as the four-time defending state champions look to receive an invite for the third consecutive season to the end-of-the season GIECO Nationals in New York City (April 4-6). One of the Matadors' losses is to FAB 50 No. 2 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.). The top four seeds could conceivably be the top four teams in the FAB 50, with one caveat. McEachern must win the GHSA Class AAAAAAA state crown in order to be eligible. Should the Indians capture their first state crown, four of the eight invites would be fairly obvious, with Shadow Mountain in contention for one of the coveted four remaining spots.

McEachern will face Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee, Ga.) in a state quarterfinal game on Wednesday and could potentially face a Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) team in the state semifinals it lost to by 20 points in last year's state tournament that ended their 2018 GEICO Nationals hopes.

The lone newcomer to this week's rankings is also a state champion, as Haverford School (Haverford, Pa.) breaks in at No. 43 after wrapping up an unbeaten campaign with a 67-62 overtime win over Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PISAA) championship game. Junior guard Jameel Brown led Haverford School with 24 points while Christian Ray and Jameer Nelson Jr. added 17 points apiece.

Since Westtown School handed No. 40 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) one of its four losses, we considered putting the Fords higher in the FAB 50 than the Cahillites, but the latter must still get credit for their win over No. 12 Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) and may face No. 26 Abington (Abington, Pa.) in the Class 6A state playoffs. Roman Catholic plays La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pa.) for the Philadelphia Catholic League title on Monday night.

Another team playing a big game on Monday night is No. 20 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), which faces St. John's (Washington, D.C.) in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship game at American University. Gonzaga defeated No. 21 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) in the semifinals, 63-55, for the first time in three tries this season, while St. John's upset previous No. 5 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 53-52 in the other semifinal.

All four teams are not done with their seasons just yet, and DeMatha Catholic still gets rankings credit for beating St. John's two out of three times, splitting games with Gonzaga and beating Paul VI in both regular season WCAC meetings.

RELATED:  Subscribe on iTunes to new "In the Paint Show” podcast   | Updated Mr. Basketball USA Tracker 

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

(Twelfth poll of 2018-19 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, February 24; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates scrimmages and foundation games not included; ****Indicates season complete)

Dropped Out: Previous No. 42 Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.).

Bubble Teams:  Beecher (Flint, Mich.) 18-2; Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) 24-1; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 22-3; Bettendorf (Bettendorf, Iowa) 21-1; Biloxi (Biloxi, Miss.) 30-1; Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 16-2; Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) 24-6; Bogan (Chicago, Ill.) 24-3; Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 22-2; Brentwood (Brentwood, N.Y.) 23-1; Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.) 26-2; Buford (Buford, Ga.) 26-2; Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) 21-5; Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.) 31-3****; Center Hill (Olive Branch, Miss.) 28-3; Central Plains (Claflin, Kan.) 23-0; Clark (Las Vegas, Nev.) 23-5****; Dublin Coffman (Dublin, Ohio) 21-1; East Coweta (East Coweta, Ga.) 24-4****; East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Ill.) 23-6; Elizabeth (Elizabeth, N.J.) 23-1; Gilbert (Gilbert, Ariz.) 28-1; Grandview (Grandview, Mo.) 20-2; Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) 30-5****; Hilliard Bradley (Hilliard, Ohio) 21-1; Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 24-3; John Hardin (Elizabethtown, Ky.) 32-0; Keenan (Columbia, S.C.) 29-1; Kennedy Catholic (Hermitage, Pa.) 19-3; Las Cruces (Las Cruces, N.M.) 26-0; Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 20-3; Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) 31-5; Lewis-Palmer (Monument, Col.) 24-0; Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas) 33-2; Meadowcreek (Norcross, Ga.) 24-5; Memorial (Tulsa, Okla.) 21-3; Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) 20-8; Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Ky.) 20-2; Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) 26-4; New Haven (New Haven, Mich.) 19-1; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 21-8; North Scott (Eldridge, Iowa) 21-1; Northview (Sylvania, Ohio) 22-0; Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 18-5; Patterson (Baltimore, Md.) 20-3; Pinnacle (Phoenix, Ariz.) 27-3; Pleasant Grove (Pleasant Grove, Utah) 21-2; Poly (Baltimore, Md.) 17-4; River Rouge (River Rouge, Mich.) 17-2; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 32-2; Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.) 29-3; Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) 26-6**; South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 23-4; Southwest Guilford (High Point, N.C.) 25-0; Springfield Southeast (Springfield, Ill.) 26-2; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 27-1; St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) 33-5; St. Raymond’s (Bronx, N.Y.) 19-5; Trinity Catholic (St. Louis, Mo.) 24-3; University of Detroit Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.) 18-2; Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) 29-5; Wright (New Orleans, La.) 30-4.

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 19 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: Win or GO HOME Season! 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
Powered by www.ebooksnet.com

(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.