Central Section high school boys basketball rankings (1/16/2024)

Despite one-point loss to Roosevelt of Eastvale, St. Joseph of Santa Maria still obvious No. 1 team, though Clovis West and Clovis North continue to peak

We have now entered Phase 3 of the Central Section basketball season and St. Joseph and Clovis West are still No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, despite each dropping a road game in the last week. However, the Knights impressively defeated Branson 69-66 at the MLK Classic at De La Salle.

We already have Clovis West and No. 3 Clovis North on our radar for Jan. 23. On that same date No. 5 Bullard travels to face rival No. 6 San Joaquin Memorial.

Dinuba enters the rankings at No. 9 with an impressive 17-3 record while Centennial holds strong at No. 4, Bakersfield Christian No. 7, Clovis East No. 8 and Arroyo Grande at No. 10.

1. St. Joseph (15-2)

Last week rank: 1

Despite dropping a tight one 62-61 to Roosevelt of Eastdale, the Knights remain at the top spot. They took out their frustrations on league foes Mission Prep (74-35) and Santa Ynez (122-43) with standout junior Tounde Yessoufou scoring 28 and 33 points respectively. Beat Branson 69-66 behind Yessoufou’s 31 points and 14 rebounds.

2. Clovis West (17-4)

Last week rank: 2

Started off league play with a 86-60 win at Central and 79-52 at Clovis East in a game they led just 27-24 at half. However, they fell Saturday on the road at Redwood in Larkspur, but stay No. 2. Against Clovis East, DJ Stickman led with 17 points and Zach Chauhan scored 16.

3. Clovis North (15-5)

Last week rank: 3

The Broncos have reeled off five straight wins including two to begin league: a 68-54 home win over Clovis East and a 90-37 victory over Clovis at home. Senior guard Connor Amundsen–who holds four D1 offers–scored 21 with four assists and senior Jordan Espinosa chipped in 19 with 11 rebounds. Beat Jesuit 78-66 behind Amundsen’s 25.

4. Centennial (14-5)

Last week rank: 4

The Hawks had two easy wins over Stockdale (74-35) and Highland (74-28) before a 77-70 come-from-behind win over Hoover at the Martin Luther King Jr. Super Saturday Showcase at Edison-Fresno. Six-foot-six senior Rippen Gill was named Player of the Game in that one, scoring 36 points with six rebounds.

5. Bullard (14-6)

Last week rank: 7

The Knights winning streak is now at five with impressive league wins over Sanger (62-50) and Justin Garza (75-38). Sophomore guard Dalen Felder (18 points, 4 rebounds) and Ja’Vance Coleman (12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) led the charge against Sanger.

6. San Joaquin Memorial (12-7)

Last week rank: 5

The Panthers were stunned by Edison-Fresno 81-72 on the road to open up league but recovered with a nice 64-44 win at Sanger. Abram Potts led SJM with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists against Sanger and Julius Olanrewaju recorded 16 points and 15 rebounds.

7. Bakersfield Christian (10-9)

Last week rank: 6

The Eagles won two straight to open up league play, defeating Ridgeview 97-77 and South 63-57. They’ll take on Centennial on Jan. 27.

8. Clovis East (12-7)

Last week rank: 8

The Timberwolves lost their two first games of league, however, they were to the top two teams in the TRAC: Clovis North (68-54) and Clovis West (79-52). Six-foot-six freshman Asher Thompson scored 21 points on 10-12 shooting against Clovis North and Aiden Beechler led with 13 against Clovis West.

9. Dinuba (17-3)

Last week rank: Not ranked

The Emperors enter the rankings after defeating Kingsburg 54-48 at home, and Hanford 55-50 and Tulare Western 67-59 on the road. In the Kingsburg win, Javier Torres led with 16 points and entered the 1,000 point club.

10. Arroyo Grande (14-5)

Last week rank: 10

The Eagles recorded two league wins with victories over San Luis Obispo (60-36) and Mission Prep (50-44). They have two dates with No. 1 St. Joseph on Jan. 23 and Feb. 9.