Ohio boys high school basketball Top 25 rankings: St. Ignatius rises to the top (01/29/2024)

St. Ignatius takes over at No. 1, while Mentor and Shelby make their Top 25 debuts

Sam Houseworth | Jan 29, 2024

A loss at the top of the SBLive Ohio boys basketball Power 25 opened the door for a new team to take over and St. Ignatius took the invitation with wins over defending Division II state champion Buchtel and defending Division III state champion Lutheran East this past week.

Archbishop Moeller and Delaware Hayes each made the leap into the top 10 this week, while Mentor and Shelby found their way into the SBLive Ohio Power 25 for the first time this season.

SBLive Ohio boys basketball Power 25

1. St. Ignatius, (14-3)

Last Week: 2

St. Ignatius reclaims the top spot that they held when we debuted the SBLive Ohio Power 25 earlier this month. The Wildcats continued to show they are better than their already impressive record with a 69-54 win over then-No. 5 Lutheran East. Quinn Woidke led the team with 24 points including 5 3-pointers. The Wildcats finished the weekend with a 55-46 win over Buchtel. St. Ignatius heads to St. Edward on Saturday before hosting Avon on Sunday.

2. Olentangy Orange (16-0)

Last Week: 3

Olentangy Orange is one of only seven undefeated teams remaining in the state of Ohio after this week. The Pioneers improved to 7-0 in the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division with a 49-37 win over Hilliard Davidson and a 57-48 win at Dublin Coffman. The Pioneers will look to stay undefeated with home games against Upper Arlington and Pickerington Central this weekend.

3. Findlay (12-1)

Last Week: 1

Findlay drops from the top spot after falling to Perrysburg, 40-37. Perrysburg is right on the heels of Findlay and Whitmer in the Northern Lakes League standings. They host Anthony Wayne on Tuesday and Bowling Green on Saturday.

4. Garfield Heights (17-0)

Last Week: 6

Garfield Heights continues to roll with a pair of double-digit wins this past week. The Bulldogs defeated Shaw, 75-36, on the road, followed by a 62-30 win against Lorain. The Bulldogs will have a chance to clinch the Lake Erie League title this weekend when they head to Warrensville Heights, who sits in second in the conference.

5. Lutheran East (13-2)

Last Week: 5

It's tough to punish Lutheran East too much after a loss at St. Ignatius. They are the top team in the state for good reason. The Falcons will look to rebound when they host Brush on Wednesday and face Lutheran West on Saturday in a rivalry showdown.

6. Whitmer (13-1)

Last Week: 8

Whitmer's winning streak improves to eight straight after a 71-42 win over Glenn (Michigan) this past weekend. With Findlay's loss to Anthony Wayne, the Panthers are tied for first place in the Northern Lakes League. They have a chance to gain ground when they host Perrysburg on Tuesday, followed by a non-conference contest against Fremont Ross on Saturday.

7. Brunswick (13-2)

Last Week: 7

Brunswick is in a two-horse race for the Greater Cleveland Conference championship as we head into the final month of the season. The Blue Devils earned a pair of road wins against Euclid and Cleveland Heights this past week, improving to 6-1 in conference. The top team in the GCC? Mentor, a team the Blue Devils will host on Tuesday for a share of the conference lead. Brunswick wraps up the week at home against Nordonia and Shaker Heights.

8. Archbishop Moeller (16-1)

Last Week: 11

Moeller debuts in the top 10 following a pair of double-digit wins this week. On Friday, Moeller stayed undefeated in the Greater Catholic League South with a 54-38 win over La Salle. The Crusaders followed that up with a 46-28 win at Walnut Hills. Moeller can clinch a share of the conference title on Friday when they head to Elder. They follow that up when a home game against Newport Central Catholic (Kentucky).

9. Delaware Hayes (13-1)

Last Week: 13

Delaware Hayes' win streak improves to nine in a row with a huge conference win over then-No. 4 Westerville North, 72-66. Sophomore Landon Vanderwarker led the Pacers with 17 points with three of his teammates finishing in double figures. The Pacers finished the week with a 58-48 win over Worthington Kilbourne. The only game on the schedule for Delaware Hayes is Westerville South this Saturday.

10. Westerville North (13-3)

Last Week: 4

Westerville North was unable to get revenge against then-No. 13 Delaware Hayes this past Tuesday, falling 72-66 on the road to the division rival. However, the Warriors bounced back with a big win over crosstown rival Westerville South, 68-61. The Ohio Capital Conference Capital Division isn't out of reach yet, but the Warriors will need help along the way. Westerville North heads on the road to face Canal Winchester and St. Vincent-St. Mary this weekend.

11. Centerville (11-5)

Last week: 9

Centerville holds onto the top spot in the Greater Western Ohio Conference as the Elks fought off Beavercreek on the road, 65-54. Baboucarr Njie posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 boards in the big win. However, that effort would be undone as they suffered an upset loss to Northmont on Friday, 59-54. The Elks return to action on Friday when they face Fairmont on the road.

12. Richmond Heights (8-6)

Last Week: 15

Richmond Heights has not backed away from any competition in the 2023-24 season. That was again on display this week when they tallied a pair of tough-fought victories over Brush and St. Vincent-St. Mary. This team has faced significantly more adversity this season, now they have the freedom to schedule who they want. The Spartans will look to ride the momentum from two marquee wins as they host Revere on Tuesday.

13. Hilliard Bradley (12-4)

Last Week: 22

For a team that started the season 1-2, Hilliard Bradley has come on to be one of the biggest threats in central Ohio. The Jaguars began the week with wins over Upper Arlington and Hilliard Davidson, but the real test was a road contest at Newark, a team that just missed out on last week's SBLive Ohio Power 25. The Jaguars showcased some of the best defense we have seen all season, winning 51-31. Hilliard Bradley faces Olentangy Liberty and Perrysburg this weekend.

14. St. Edward (11-5)

Last Week: 18

Five in a row for St. Edward. The Eagles opened the weekend with their biggest win of the season, a 62-55 victory over then-No. 10 Louisville. Brian Sullivan led all Eagles with. 15. St. Edward rode that momentum to a 95-57 win at Benedictine. Up next is rival and new No. 1 St. Ignatius on Friday.

15. Ottawa-Glandorf (14-2)

Last Week: 12

Ottawa-Glandorf improved to 5-0 in the Western Buckeye League with a 73-44 win over Van Wert. The Titans followed that up with a come-from-behind victory over Hiland, 59-56, a game in which the Titans never led until Colin White hit a last second 3-pointer to win. Ottawa-Glandorf will look to hold onto first place in the WBL when they host a greatly improved Celina team this Friday.

16. Lutheran West (14-2)

Last Week: 14

Lutheran West rebounded with an 80-44 win over Bay this past Friday. However, the new winning streak would be short lived as the Longhorns suffered a 68-62 loss against Archbishop Hoban. Hoban's Jonas Nichols was lights out, leading the way with 22 points. The tough stretch of the schedule continues for the Longhorns with Fairview on Tuesday and rival No. 5 Lutheran East on Friday.

17. Louisville (14-2)

Last Week: 10

Louisville opened the week by extending their win streak to 13 with an 83-51 win over Uniontown Lake. However, that is where the streak would end after a loss at new No. 14 St. Edward, 62-55. The Leopards return to action on Tuesday at Marlington, followed by a weekend contest against Canton McKinley.

18. Elder (15-2)

Last Week: 19

Elder was home to the Tyler Johnson show as he led the Panthers in scoring in both of their wins this weekend. Johnson was the only player in double figures as Elder defeated St. Xavier, 45-36 on Friday. The following night, Johnson scored 18 as Elder outlasted Fairmont, 61-38. The Panthers will have revenge on their minds when they host the new No. 8 Moeller on Friday.

19. Russia (16-0)

Last Week: 21

Russia earned plenty of style points with a pair of home wins over Houston and Versailles this past week. The Raiders have won seven straight by double-digits. Russia will head on the road this weekend to face Anna on Friday, followed by Ansonia on Saturday.

20. Archbishop Alter (11-4)

Last Week: 16

The only contest for Alter this week was a 47-42 defeat at the hands of undefeated Linsly (West Virginia). The Knights have a pair of road games this weekend with Fenwick on Friday and Urbana on Saturday.

21. Reynoldsburg (11-5)

Last Week: 24

Reynoldsburg climbs up the rankings after a pair of wins, including a 55-43 home win against Newark. Junior Jordan Fisher was the catalyst in the statement win, scoring 19 points despite barely seeing the floor in the second quarter. Reynoldsburg hosts Columbus St. Francis on Tuesday followed by a road game against Lancaster on Friday.

22. Lexington (17-1)

Last Week: 20

The Minutemen made it three straight wins, all by 20+ since their January 14 loss at Gahanna Lincoln. The Minutemen earned conference wins over Madison Comprehensive and Ashland to improve to 11-0 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. Next up is New Philadelphia on Friday.

23. Green, Uniontown (11-3)

Last Week: 25

Green outpaced Massillon on Tuesday for an 84-59 win over the Tigers. That win was followed up with a 45-36 victory against Hoover, seeing the Bulldogs climb into sole possession of second place in the Federal League. Green will have more opportunities at first place when they head to Uniontown Lake and Massillon Perry this coming week.

24. Mentor (8-4)

Last Week: NR

Mentor has displayed the most exciting offense in Ohio high school basketball in the 2023-24 season. It wasn't until the calendar turned that the defense caught up with the offense. Starting the season 4-3, Mentor has been one of the hottest teams in the Cleveland area, winning four of their last five games. The only loss in that frame was at No. 8 Moeller. The new ranking will be tested when Mentor heads to Brunswick on Monday, then Medina on Friday, wrapping up the week with Cleveland East Tech at home on Saturday.

25. Shelby (13-2)