Central Section high school boys basketball Top 10 rankings (2/06/2024)

The elite stand firm heading into the postseason as all 10 go unbeaten last week

Strange to see but there’s no movement at all in this week’s Central Section rankings.

The regular season concludes this Friday with rivalry games and a chance to either help or hinder their playoff seedings, which will be announced Saturday.

While St. Joseph is our top team, there’s a chance they may not be the top seed in the D1 playoffs. If No. 2 Clovis North defeats No. 3 Clovis West on the road the Broncos could jump the Knights based on the strength of schedule used by MaxPreps.

League perfection is also on the radar of six teams in our Top 10: St. Joseph, Clovis North, No. 4 Centennial, No. 5 Bullard, No. 8 Bakersfield Christian and No. 10 Dinuba.

Below are the most recent rankings.

1. St. Joseph (24-2)

Last ranking: 1

Another week down and another week of destroying Mountain League opponents for the state’s No. 8 team as they defeated Santa Ynez 103-41, San Luis Obispo 96-54 and Atascadero 103-44. Tounde Yessoufou averaged 35.5 points in those three wins and sophomore Julius Price averaged 20.

2. Clovis North (22-5)

Last ranking: 2

Winners of 13 in a row, the Broncos have a shot at the top seed in the Central Section playoff if they can beat Clovis West on Jan. 9 on the road due to a stronger strength of schedule than St. Joseph. They had no problem last week in wins over Clovis 93-65 and Central 91-53 as sophomore McKay Amundsen, younger brother of star senior Connor Amundsen, scored 17 in the game against Central.

3. Clovis West (22-5)

Last ranking: 3

The Golden Eagles edged by Clovis East 65-62 at home in a game they were behind in the first three quarters then blew out Buchanan 84-57 last Friday. Jackson Young, who recently committed to Azusa Pacific, scored 18 in the win over the Bears and Cameron Ardissino added 16. They host No. 2 Clovis North on Friday in a huge matchup.

4. Centennial (21-6)

Last ranking: 4

The Golden Hawks blew by Highland 81-34 and beat a tough Liberty-Bakersfield team 67-59 behind senior Rippin Gill’s 17 points and 15 rebounds. They finish the regular season with home games against Garces and their rivalry game with Frontier.

5. Bullard (20-7)

Last ranking: 5

The Knights improved to 8-0 in league with wins over Justin Garza 72-21 and Madera 93-44. However, they lost star sophomore Ja’Vance Coleman to a broken foot and will be lost for the season. Sophomore Dalen Felder picked up the slack with 20 points in the win over Garza. They can wrap up a 10-0 league title with wins at Edison and home against San Joaquin Memorial.

6. San Joaquin Memorial (17-9)

Last ranking: 6

The Panthers had big wins at Sanger (81-62) and Justin Garza (60-47) at home this past week. Dre Davis had a double-double with 21 and 14 and sophomore Sijjin Sidhu scored 15 with 5 assists. They need a win this Tuesday against Madera and a Bullard loss to Edison to set up a chance to tie Bullard for a league title when they meet on Friday.

7. Buchanan (19-6)

Last ranking: 7

The Bears went 1-1 last week with a 71-30 win over Central and an 84-57 road loss to Clovis West. They finish the regular season hosting Clovis North and taking on Clovis East on the road. Junior Conner Sheets is playing like a first team all-league player.

8. Bakersfield Christian (16-10)

Last ranking: 8

The Eagles took care of business with wins over Ridgeview (68-54) and Garces (78-57), improving to 6-0 in league. They’ll take on Highland, whom they beat 78-45 on Jan. 18, and Independence to round out league play.

9. Clovis East (15-10)

Last ranking: 9

Split their games last week with a 65-62 loss at Clovis West but bounced back with a 65-31 win at Clovis. Of note, the Timberwolves only shot two total free throws in the games last week. They’ll finish with home games against Central and Buchanan.

10. Dinuba (21-3)

Last ranking: 10

The Emperors clinched a West Yosemite League title with wins over Tulare Western (57-40) and at Lemoore (63-49) and now sit at 8-0 in league. They finish with games against Tulare Union and at Mission Oak and if they win out, will receive the top seed in D2.