Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings: Montverde, Long Island Lutheran showdown looms (2/12/2024)

Cooper Flagg, Montverde stay No. 1 entering a massive battle in New York with VJ Edgecombe, No. 4 Long Island Lutheran

Some of the top high school boys basketball teams around the country have started their playoff runs, and others will be joining them soon.

While most of the top squad took care of business last week, there were some surprising results and shuffling among the bunch.

The very top of the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings remained the same, with Montverde Academy (Florida) holding on to No. 1 for another week. The Eagles’ dominant run could be in danger this weekend when they make the trip to New York to take on No. 4 Long Island Lutheran for one of the biggest games of the season.

Stony Point (Texas) re-entered the national rankings, while Ridge View (South Carolina) fell to the bubble. 

Find the complete breakdown of the latest SBLive/SI Power 25 rankings update below:

PREVIOUS RANKINGS: PRESEASON | DEC. 12 | DEC. 26 | JAN. 4 | JAN. 16 | JAN. 22 | JAN. 29 | FEB. 5

SBLIVE/SI POWER 25 NATIONAL BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS

February 12, 2024

1. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) (26-0)

Montverde Academy senior Derik Queen looks for a lane against Prolific Prep (California) during the MAIT championship game on Jan. 14, 2024 / Photo by Bill Kemp, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 1; Up next: Feb. 16 at No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (NY)

The top-ranked team in the country went to Tennessee and took down Whitehaven and Bartlett, keeping their perfect season alive with a pair of dominant wins. The Eagles will visit New York this week to take on VJ Edgecombe and No. 4 Long Island Lutheran, a team with the second most ranked wins (7) in the country.

2. Columbus (Miami, Fla.) (22-4)

Columbus junior Cameron Boozer takes the court against Harvard-Westlake (California) in the Les Schwab Invitational championship game on Dec. 30, 2023 / Photo by Naji Saker, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 2; Up next: Feb. 15 vs. Boca Raton (FL)

Columbus got past Coral Gables and MIami to win a district championship. The Explorers earned one of eight No. 1 seeds for the upcoming FHSAA Class 7A state playoffs and will host Boca Raton in the opening round of the 32-team tournament.

3. St. Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) (25-2)

Previous rank: 3; Up next: Feb. 13 at DeMatha (MD)

St. Paul VI kept its conference record unblemished, beating a trio of WCAC foes from Maryland in St. Mary’s Ryken, Good Counsel and DeMatha. The Panthers are 13-0 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, one of the nation’s toughest leagues on a yearly basis.

4. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) (16-3)

Long Island Lutheran junior Nigel James passes the ball in a win against Link Academy (Missouri) at the City of Palms Classic on Dec. 21, 2023 :: Photo by Amanda Inscore/The News-Press USA Today Network-Florida/USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous rank: 4; Up next: Feb. 16 vs. No. 1 Montverde Academy (FL)

Long Island Lutheran threatened to take over the No. 3 spot following an overtime win on the road against No. 15 IMG Academy. The Crusaders will have more opportunities to boost their stock when they play host to No. 1 Montverde Academy and No. 16 Brewster Academy this weekend.

5. Dynamic Prep (Irving, Tex.) (19-1)

Previous rank: 5; Up next: Feb. 17 vs. Houston PSATA (TX)

Dynamic Prep edged out Douglass (Oklahoma) by two points after defeating iSchool of Lewisville (Texas) by double digits for the second time this season. District play for the Texas Christian Athletic League (TCAL) continues for Dynamic Prep this week against Houston PSATA.

6. Wasatch Academy (Wasatch, Utah) (12-3)

Previous rank: 6; Up next: Feb. 15 vs. Veritas Academy (CA)

Wasatch Academy will be in Wichita, Kansas, this weekend to play EYBL Scholastic league games against Veritas Academy (California) and Sunrise Christian (Kansas). 

7. Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) (26-5)

Prolific Prep junior AJ Dybantsa drives with the ball in a win over Riviera Prep (Florida) at the MAIT on Jan. 25, 2024

Previous rank: 7; Up next: Feb. 23 vs. Trinity Prep (NV)

Prolific Prep went 2-0 during a trip to Arizona, downing Trinity Prep (Nevada) and Accelerated Prep (Colorado) behind National Player of the Year candidate AJ Dybantsa, who averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds per game. The Crew have less than a month to go before the Grind Session playoffs. 

8. Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) (19-6)

Link Academy senior Tre Johnson dribbles around a screen in Link Academy's win against The Burlington School (North Carolina) at the Quincy Shootout on Jan. 20, 2024 / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 8; Up next: Feb. 15 vs. Sunrise Christian (KS)

The Lions were off last week after going 0-2 the previous week at the Metro Classic, falling to No. 4 Long Island Lutheran and No. 16 Brewster Academy. They’re set to visit Wichita this week for EYBL Scholastic league games against Sunrise Christian (Kansas) and Veritas Academy (California).

9. AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ari.) (20-5)

Previous rank: 9; Up next: Feb. 15 vs. Taylor Made Prep (AZ)

The Dragons blew by PHH Prep, 100-45, behind 38 combined points from Jeremiah Fears and Moses Hipps. They'll host Taylor Made Prep (Arizona) this week, with a big matchup against No. 18 Oak Hill Academy a few weeks away. 

10. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) (21-3)

Previous rank: 10; Up next: Feb. 13 at Ridgewood (NJ)

Don Bosco added wins against in-state opponents Bergen Catholic, Paramus Catholic and Northern Highlands. The Ironmen have won 11 games in a row since falling to No. 22 Archbishop Stepinac at the Hoophall Classic last month.

11. La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) (17-4)

Previous rank: 12; Up next: Feb. 13 vs. Elite Prep (IN)

La Lumiere took down Centerville (Ohio) and St. Francis (Illinois) in home games last week. The Lakers’ only loss in the last month came against No. 1 Montverde Academy, and they’re only scheduled to see one more ranked team (No. 15 IMG Academy) the rest of the season.

12. Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) (18-2)

Previous rank: 13; Up next: Feb. 13 vs. Berry (NC)

Myers Park stayed hot with conference wins against Ardrey Kell and Olympic. The Mustangs have won 16 games in a row with only two games remaining in the regular season.

13. Plano East (Plano, Tex.) (32-0)

Previous rank: 14; Up next: Feb. 13 vs. Flower Mound (TX)

Plano East took down region opponents Plano West and Hebron to stay undefeated. The Panthers can complete a perfect regular season with a win over Flower Mound this week.

14. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) (23-4)

Previous rank: 18; Up next: Feb. 13 at St. John’s (DC)

Gonzaga avenged its loss to Bishop O’Connell (Virginia) with a 70-52 win against the previously-ranked Knights, and then the Eagles raced past Archbishop Carroll (DC) and Bishop McNamara (MD). The Eagles are back to where they were ranked prior to losses against No. 3 St Paul VI and No. 4 Long Island Lutheran in the past month.

15. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) (16-8)

Previous rank: 17; Up next: Feb. 29 vs. No. 11 La Lumiere (IN)

IMG nearly put together another weekend full of upsets, taking down former No. 11 Oak Hill Academy and nearly upsetting No. 4 Long Island Lutheran in an overtime loss. It’s clear the Ascenders are much better than their record reflects, but their eight losses keep them from making a big jump in the rankings.

16. Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) (21-6)

Previous rank: 16; Up next: Feb. 16 vs. Legacy Early College (SC)

Brewster Academy bounced back from a loss to No. 11 La Lumiere with a 3-0 week back home, defeating CATS (Massachusetts), South Shore (New York) and Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.). The Bobcats have a big test on the road this week against No. 4 Long Island Lutheran.

17. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) (26-3)

Harvard-Westlake senior Trent Perry dribbles the ball in a loss to Sierra Canyon (California) on January 19, 2024 / Andy Holzman, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 20; Up next: Feb. 13 vs. Sierra Canyon (CA)

The top seed in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoffs, Harvard-Westlake opened pool play with a 61-51 win over McDonald’s All-American Carter Bryant and Corona Centennial. The Wolverines have a pair of big contests this week against formerly-ranked teams Sierra Canyon and St. John Bosco.

18. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) (19-4)

Previous rank: 11; Up next: Feb. 13 vs. Believe Prep (SC)

Oak Hill went 1-1 on its trip to Southwest Florida, beating Veritas Academy (California) but losing a close one to No. 15 IMG Academy. The Warriors have one win over a ranked team this season, and they’re running out of opportunities to bolster their resume.

19. The Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.) (21-2)

Previous rank: 19; Up next: Feb. 11 vs. Our Saviour Lutheran (NY)

The Patrick School was off last week after taking a loss to Phelps School (Pennsylvania) in its last outing. Up next is a game against five-star North Carolina signee Ian Jackso and his Our Saviour Lutheran (New York) squad.

20. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) (23-2)

Grayson senior and Purdue signee Gicarri Harris led the Rams to a victory against rival Newton (Georgia) on Jan. 23, 2024 / Photo by Colin Hubbard, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 21; Up next: Feb. 12 vs. Brookwood (GA)

Grayson defeated region foes South Gwinnett and Newton, extending their win streak to eight games since losing to Perry (Arizona) on a buzzer beater at the Hoophall Classic. The Rams are undefeated against Georgia teams with one game left in the regular season.

21. Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) (29-2)

Previous rank: 22; Up next: Feb. 13 vs. McKinley Tech (DC)

Jackson-Reed completed its regular season with a pair of dominant league wins last week against Anacostia and Woodson. The Tigers are set to host McKinley Tech in the opening round of the DCIAA playoffs.

22. Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) (20-3)

Previous rank: 23; Up next: Feb. 13 vs. St. Francis (NY)

After blowing by Monsignor Scanlan, Archbishop Stepinac came from behind in the second half and squeezed by Iona Prep in league play. The Crusaders, undefeated against in-state opponents, have one game left in the regular season.

23. Eastvale Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) (28-2)

Previous rank: 24; Up next: Feb. 13 vs. St. Pius X (CA)

After earning the No. 2 seed in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoffs, Eastvale Roosevelt defeated JSerra Catholic in their first game of pool play. They’ll wrap up pool play this week against St. Pius and formerly-ranked Mater Dei. 

24. St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) (23-2)

Previous rank: 25; Up next: Feb. 14 vs. Christian Brothers (NJ)

Coming off its loss to No. 1 Montverde the previous week, St. Rose got past Freehold Borough and Rumson-Fair Haven in the Shore Conference tournament. The Purple Roses will see Christian Brothers in the tournament semifinals.

25. Stony Point (Round Rock, Tex.) (31-1)

Stony Point's Elijah Clemons goes up for a layup in a win over Manor (Texas) on Jan. 19, 2024.  / Photo by John Gutierrez, Special to American-Statesman, USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous rank: Unranked; Up next: Feb. 13 vs. Manor (TX)

A top-three team in the SBLive Texas rankings, Stony Point has made its way back into the national rankings. Since losing to a Plano East team that has climbed to No. 13 in the country, the Tigers have strung together 11 consecutive wins. They wrap up the regular season this week against Manor (Texas).

DROPPED OUT

Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) (22-2)

ON THE BUBBLE

Salesian College Prep (Richmond, Calif.) (27-1)

Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) (25-2)

Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) (22-0)

Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wisc.) (21-0)

Bullis (Potomac, Md.) (21-2)

Fishers (Fishers, Ind.) (19-1)

Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) (26-3)

McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) (20-5)

John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) (18-3)

Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) (21-4)

Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) (20-1)

-- Zach Shugan | zshugan@gmail.com | @SBLiveSports