Ohio boys high school basketball Top 25 rankings: St. Ignatius leads the way

Three of last year's four state champions are ranked in the top 25

The turn of the calendar to a new year means it is time to unveil the first edition of this season's SBLive Ohio boys basketball Power 25. 

The young basketball season has been met with countless surprises already. While in past seasons there seems to be a small handful of teams who rose to the top, that is not the case this season. Very few teams have been truly dominant, which will make for an exciting state playoff beginning next month. But for now, it makes the job of picking the top 25 extremely difficult.

A strong start to the season has earned head coach Cameron Joyce and St. Ignatius the top spot. 

Three defending state champions - Lutheran East (No. 4), Buchtel (No. 20) and Richmond Heights (No. 21) - and two runners-up from last year - Ottawa-Glandorf (No. 10) and Lutheran West (No. 13) - find their way into the rankings, 

SBLive Ohio boys basketball Power 25

1. St. Ignatius (10-2)

St. Ignatius debuts in the top spot going into 2024. Frankly, there are about a half dozen teams who have a legit claim to the No. 1 spot in Ohio high school boys basketball. The Wildcats clawed their way to the top with a trio of in-state wins against St. Vincent-St. Mary, St. Edward, and Brunswick over the past two weekends. The Wildcats, led by 4-star forward Damon Friery, hit the court this coming weekend against Centerville on Saturday and Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) on Sunday.

2. Findlay (8-0)

Findlay had tempered expectations heading into the 2023-24 season. After a sectional final exit in 2023 and being introduced to a new conference, the Northern Lakes League, there were a ton of question marks surrounding the Trojans. However, Findlay opened the season a perfect 8-0 with wins all of their games decided by double digits. The Trojans host Sylvania Northview and Ottawa-Glandorf next weekend.

3. Olentangy Orange, Lewis Center (9-0)

Olentangy Orange appeared destined for a trip to state in 2023, being untouchable in the early rounds. However, a loss to Pickerington Central in the regional final dashed those hopes. Now, in the 2023-24 season, the Pioneers capped off the calendar year of 2023 with back-to-back wins over Westerville North and Westerville Central. The Pioneers host Hilliard Bradley on Tuesday, followed by Thomas Worthington and Grove City this weekend.

4. Lutheran East (10-1)

Lutheran East is our first departure away from Division I in the countdown. The Falcons have started the new calendar year with a pair of marquee wins over Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin and defending Division IV champion Richmond Heights. Jesse McCulloch continued his campaign for player of the year in their win over NDCL with 30 points, 20 rebounds, and eight blocks. The Falcons host Maple Heights on Wednesday with a game against Newman (New Orleans) on Saturday.

5. Centerville (8-3)

Centerville could be en route to make it four straight trips to state given how they have started off their 2023-24 campaign. Xavier commit Jonathan Powell has been a machine in the first part of the season, averaging 21.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. The Elks have a pair of tough tests this weekend with No. 1 St. Ignatius on Saturday and Newman (New Orleans) on Sunday.

6. Westerville North (7-2)

Westerville North is back and as dangerous as last season. In one of their two losses, the Warriors gave No. 3 Olentangy Orange their tightest contest of the season, falling 59-54. Afterwards, they opened January with a big road win at Big Walnut, 60-57. Eyon Robinson led the team with 15 points on the night. The Warriors host Worthington Kilbourne on Tuesday, with Dublin Scioto and Kettering Alter this weekend.

7. Brunswick (9-2)

Brunswick was in the conversation to be the top team in the state in our debut as recently as a week ago. Nonetheless, losses to Strongsville and No. 1 St. Ignatius shelved those conversations. The Blue Devils are still one of the top teams in Northeast Ohio and could get a rematch with St. Ignatius late in the state playoffs. The Blue Devils head to Medina this Friday.

8. Whitmer, Toledo (8-1)

Whitmer joined Findlay in the Northern Lakes League and the Panthers hold dominant conference wins over the likes of Clay, Perrysburg, and Holland Springfield. Their only blemish was against No. 2 Findlay just before Christmas. The Panthers take a break from conference play with contests against Western International (Detroit) and Anthony Wayne this week.

9. Garfield Heights (9-0)

Garfield Heights proved to be one of the toughest teams to rank in this first iteration of 2024. On one hand, the Bulldogs are undefeated against a mostly Division I schedule. On the other hand, many of the marquee contests on their schedule have been against teams having down years. There will be plenty of opportunities for the Bulldogs to impress later this month though, like when they face Reynoldsburg and Cleveland Heights back-to-back in less than two weeks.

10. Ottawa-Glandorf (9-1)

Ottawa-Glandorf may be on a collision course with Lutheran East at the state tournament in Dayton for the second straight year. The Titans will test their 21-game Western Buckeye League winning streak against St. Marys on Friday, before heading to No. 2 Findlay on Saturday.

11. Louisville (10-1)

Louisville comes into the debut ranking riding a 9-game win streak. After a road loss to No. 1 St. Ignatius in early December, the Leopards have been on a tear, earning wins over Archbishop Hoban, Farmington (Utah), and Walsh Jesuit. The Leopards will face Woodridge this Saturday.

12. Archbishop Alter (8-1)

Alter is arguably one of the best defensive teams in the state. The Knights held a high-powered Chaminade Julienne offense to 37 points in their mid-December win. They followed that up with a 42-31 win over Fenwick, holding the Falcons to 31% shooting. The Knights host Beavercreek on Tuesday, followed by three games in three days this weekend against Badin, Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), and Westerville North.

13. Lutheran West (12-0)

Lutheran West comes in at No. 13 and is the first Division II team in this ranking. The Longhorns picked up where they started, coming off a trip to the Division II state championship game last season. So far, Lutheran West holds a revenge win over defending Division II champion Buchtel, as well as Brush and St. Vincent-St. Mary. The schedule really gets spicy with Wayne on Sunday and No. 1 St. Ignatius in less than two weeks.

14. Delaware Hayes (9-1)

Delaware Hayes was not on a lot of radars outside of the area before the season. However, a 9-1 start with wins against Cooper (Union, Ky.), Big Walnut, and Westerville North has put everybody on notice. The Pacers are currently tied for first place in the Ohio Capital Conference - Capital Division with Westerville North and a grunge match scheduled for January 23. Until then, the Pacers face Canal Winchester on Tuesday and head to Franklin Heights on Friday.

15. Hilliard Bradley (7-2)

Hilliard Bradley is riding a 6-game win streak after a slow start against some elite competition. The Jaguars opened the season with Alter, Upper Arlington, and Westerville Central, predictably finishing 1-2, which is better than most would do. Since then, the Jaguars have been unstoppable, winning their last 6 by double digits, including a 55-38 win over Olentangy Liberty. Hilliard Bradley heads to No. 3 Olentangy Orange on Tuesday.

16. Lexington (12-0)

Lexington creates possessions like few teams are capable of at the high school level. The high-risk, high-reward defense creates buckets upon buckets in transition and is why the Minutemen are undefeated midway through the season. The Minutemen have marquee wins at Mansfield Senior and against Shelby so far. They will get their biggest test to date when they head to Gahanna Lincoln this Sunday.

17. Archbishop Moeller (9-1)

Archbishop Moeller opened the season with a 9-game win streak including winning the Ram Jam Classic Championship in Florida over the holiday break. There, the Crusaders won the title in dominant fashion with a 42-26 win over Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota, Fla.) The Crusaders face Hughes on Tuesday before they open Greater Catholic League South play against Elder on Friday. Speaking of...

18. Elder (10-1)

Elder is in the midst of a 7-game win streak with conference play just over the horizon. The two-headed monster of Tyler Johnson and Cam Williams are averaging 28.5 points per game. Then you have Ryan Brass, who is in the top 5 in the conference in both rebounds and assists, an impressive combination. The Panthers face Turpin on Tuesday before heading to No. 17 Moeller to open Greater Catholic League South play.

19. Brecksville-Broadview Heights (8-1)

Brecksville could be nearly unstoppable in the Suburban League this season. The Bees opened the season with an 8-game win streak before falling to Lakota East in the Nature Coast Christmas Tournament in Brooksville, Florida. Then, the Bees came back to Ohio where they started a win streak with a 66-50 win at North Royalton. In that game, future Miami Redhawk Luke Skaljac dropped 40 points in the win. The Bees host Wadsworth on Tuesday, then head to Stow-Munroe Falls this Saturday.

20. Buchtel (6-2)

Buchtel is sitting in the top 25 based more on their title of defending state champion than any marquee win the Griffins have this year. The Griffins have looked like a dominant team in the Akron City games, but this is commonplace for Buchtel. In their two marquee games, Buchtel fell in overtime to Pickerington North and lost to an undefeated Lutheran West team. The Griffins are tough to pinpoint. They could be a top 10 team or could be way down in 2024, we simply don't know. Buchtel heads to Firestone on Tuesday.

21. Richmond Heights (5-6)

Richmond Heights was the preseason top team in the state among most analysts going into this season. Many fans will disagree with the Spartans' placement in the top 25 after a slow start. However, the Spartans have played one of the toughest schedules in the state to date. Richmond Heights' next contest is against Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) next Monday.

22. Pickerington Central (6-3)

Pickerington Central has been on a roll after a slow start to the season. Going 3-3 before the holiday break, the Tigers have a trio of double-digit wins since their big loss to Richmond Heights. The schedule doesn't get easy throughout January with Lancaster, New Albany, and Lima Senior all on the horizon.

23. St. Edward (6-5)

St. Edward started off the season strong, going 4-1 before Christmas. However, the Eagles have won just two of the last six games. It must be stated that St. Edward out-of-state opponents are the cream of the crop, followed by 2024 contests against two teams mentioned earlier in this ranking: St. Ignatius and Centerville. St. Edward will look to find their footing against Cleveland Central Catholic and Toledo St. John's this week.

24. Westerville Central (7-4)

Westerville Central is another victim of their own brutal schedule. Two of their four losses are against teams already ranked in the top 10. Still, the Warhawks hold several big wins over the likes of Pickerington North, Hilliard Bradley, and Gahanna Lincoln. The Warhawks have a busy week with Westland, Hilliard Darby, and Belmont all on their schedule.

25. St. Marys (7-2)

St. Marys was supposed to take a step back after the graduation of Austin Parks. However, apart from a loss to Findlay and a nail-biter to Toledo St. Francis de Sales, the Roughriders look to be the first real competition to Ottawa-Glandorf  at the top of the Western Buckeye League.