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STUDENT SPORTS FAB 50!

Posted by Patrick Dailey on Jan 02 2002 at 04:00PM PST
Click the Link Above! Final Standings! Student Sports FAB 50 Boys Basketball Rankings By Mark Tennis & Doug Huff Date: Mar 26, 2002 Student Sports is proud to present the final 2001-2002 season boys basketball rankings. (Through games of March 23; released March 25) (Compiled by Mark Tennis & Doug Huff) (Student Sports is the only source for weekly national rankings in eight sports) (Go to StudentSports.Com for more daily updates) (Previous ranking in parentheses) 1. Lincoln (Dallas, Texas) 40-0 (1) The Tigers won the Class 4A title by routing nationally-ranked and defending champion Beaumont Ozen, 71-51, in the final. Lincoln, led by center Chris Bosh (Georgia Tech recruit) and Bryan Hopkins (Southern Methodist), went unscatched against a schedule that included three other FAB 50 teams besides Ozen. Last year, Sugar Land Willowridge was an impressive large class state champ from Texas with a perfect record. This year, Lincoln did it again, but unlike Willowridge the Tigers were able to finish No. 1 in the nation instead of No. 2. 2. Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 32-1 (2) One loss to Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) prevented the Warriors from going coast-to-coast as the FAB 50 No. 1 ranked team. Oak Hill defeated teams from 13 states as coach Steve Smith picked up his 500th win in his 17th season. The senior-dominated team was led by Syracuse recruit Carmelo Anthony, Sani Ibrahim (undercided), Justin Gray (Wake Forest) and Chadd Moore (Cincinnnati). 3. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 29-1 (3) St. Anthony left no doubt about this one -- jumping out to an 11-2 lead and defeating Neptune, 69-49, in last Saturday's New Jersey Tournament of Champions final, the Friars' second straight title. Elijah Ingram led the way with 18 points. Donald Copeland had 16. St. Anthony might even have a stronger argument than Oak Hill about being No. 2 since it finished with two wins over Neptune, the only team it lost to. 4. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 32-2 (5) Coach Ed Azzam's program won its second Div. I state title in the last five years with an 80-75 victory over Oakland Tech last Saturday at ARCO Arena in Sacramento. A three-headed monster of Hassan Adams, Brandon Heath and Brandon Bowman paced the Comets as Adams had 24 points, seven rebounds and three steals, Heath had 20 points and seven rebounds and Bowman had 18 points, including a 35-foot bomb that banked in at the third quarter buzzer. Westchester also finished with wins over New York Federation Class A champ Rice, Florida Class 4A champ Lakewood and Florida Class A champ Miami Christian. 5. Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 29-1 (4) The Wolverines had to drop one spot in the final rankings since the team that defeated them, St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio), lost in the Ohio Division II state finals. Vashon, which has won three straight Class 4A crowns, handed Oklahoma 6A champion Putnam City (Oklahoma City) its only loss in December. Vashon was led by Missouri signee Jimmy McKinney and St. Louis U. recruit Nicholas Kern. 6. Rice (New York, N.Y.) 27-2 (6) With three players sidelined for disciplinary reasons -- including 7-2 junior center Shagari Alleyne, Rice turned to Keydren Clark, who scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Raiders past Henninger, 61-53, in the New York Federation Class A state final. It marked the fifth Federation championship in nine years for the New York City power. In the Federation semifinals, Rice, the Catholic champion, defeated PSAL champion Abraham Lincoln. 7. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 32-3 (7) DeMatha completed one of its most successful seasons ever with a 68-63 victory over league rival Bishop O'Connell (Va.) in the Alhambra Tournament title game. The title was DeMatha's 18th in the Cumberland-based event. The Stags won three other tournament crowns and added their second straight city title. 8. Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 28-1 (8) The Vikings won the Class 3A state title and made it to the championship of the Slam Dunk to the Beach tourney in Delaware where they lost their only game to Cedar Hill, Texas. They made up for that with a series of impressive outings in the state playoffs, which was sparked by senior Nate Robinson and juniors Rodrick and Lodrick Stewart. 9. Brookhaven (Columbus, Ohio) 27-1 (11) The Bearcats dominated what was expected to be a highly competitive Division I state championship game Saturday against state No. 3 Winton Woods (Cincinnati). Raheem Moss scored 15 points and Denzel Lyles added 13 as Brookhaven won its first state title with a 66-49 rout. Brandon Foust contributed 11 points and a team-high six rebounds, while 5-foot-7 junior point guard Andrew Lavender had eight points and five assists. Brookhaven outscored the Warriors 40-19 in the second and third quarters. 10. Miami Christian (Miami, Fla.) 38-2 (10) The Victors ended the season with 29 straight wins and tied a state record with 38 wins by capturing their second state Class A title in three years. Tournament MVP Carlos Rivera ended the season with 131 three-point goals. MC's only losses were to FAB 50 Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) and East regionally-ranked Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.). The Victors were ranked No. 1 in the all-class state poll. 11. White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) 36-2 (12) The Spartans won their second state Class AAA title in three seasons with a 59-45 finals' win over Science Hill (Johnson City). White Station also impressed in a title game victory over Brooklyn Lincoln (N.Y.) in December at the Beach Ball Classic tourney in Myrtle Beach, S.C. 12. Lakewood (St. Petersburg, Fla.) 33-2 (13) There seems to be quite a debate in Florida about the state's final overall No. 1 ranking. While one all-class ranking puts Miami Christian at the top, there appears to be ample evidence to some that the Spartans should be No. 1 instead. The Spartans captured the school's first state Class 4A crown, 59-52, over Glades Central (Belle Glade) for its 20th straight win. Lakewood avenged its only in-state loss to defending state champion Lakeland Kathleen, 86-54, in the regional finals. Its other loss was to FAB 50 Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) by 73-66. 13. Putnam City (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 27-1 (15) The Pirates captured a Class 6A title to cap a season record marred only with a December loss to FAB 50 Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.). Kansas State recruit Marques Hayden was the anchor on a team featuring key underclassmen like junior Keith Smith and super freshman C.J. Henry. 14. B. T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 27-0 (17) The Hornets captured their state record 13th state title by trimming Ardmore, 81-78, for the Class 5A crown. Washington, which has won 39 straight games, loses standout guard Levi Harris but multi-sport star Robert Meachem returns next season. 15. Ozen (Beaumont, Texas) 32-3 (22) Ozen failed to repeat as Class 4A titlist as FAB 50 No. 1 Dallas Lincoln prevailed, 71-51, in the finals. Ozen defeated FAB 50-ranked Fort Worth Dunbar in the semifinals. Kendrick Perkins, the 6-foot-11 center, is one of the nation's top juniors. 16. Westinghouse (Chicago, Ill.) 30-5 (18) The 'House became the first Chicago Public League team since 1998 to win a state title as the Warriors held off Springfield Lanphier, 96-72, in the Class AA finals two weekends ago. Darius Glover scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. One of the team's losses was to region-ranked Minneapolis Henry, but it was by one point and it was early in the season. In our book, winning perhaps the toughest state championship in the nation counts for more than a head-to-head result. 17. Lanphier (Springfield, Ill.) 32-2 (19) Worn out from a hard-fought semifinal win over Centralia in the Class AA semifinals, Lanphier fell to Chicago Westinghouse, 76-72, in the title game. Andre Iguodalo, who is seeking a release from his Arkansas letter-of-intent, scored 54 in the last two games. Lanphier was angling for a top 10 final ranking before its last loss. 18. Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) 33-2 (31) The Kentucky state champion routed Paducah Tilghman, 83-53, in the finals two weeks ago. Its only two season losses were by one point--to FAB 50 No. 7 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and West Jessamine (Nicholasville, Ky.). Most in Kentucky pointed all year to Male of Louisville as the team to beat, which contributed to Lexington Catholic being underrated for most of the season. 19. West Rowan (Mt. Ulla, N.C.) 30-0 (20) The Falcons won their first state title since 1997 to cap their first-ever unbeaten season with an 80-68 win over Parkland (Winston-Salem) in the Class 3A finals. Game MVP Donte Miller, a 6-foot-9 Appalachian State recruit, scored 29 and Most Outstanding Player Phillip Williams netted 22. 20. Charlestown (Charlestown, Mass.) 26-0 (21) Led by Florida-bound Rashid Al-Kaleem, Charlestown staked a claim to being one of the best teams in state history by routing Groton-Dunstable, 88-68, in the Division 2 final for the team's third straight crown. Charlestown also has won 79 of its last 80 games. 21. Neptune (Neptune, N.J.) 28-3 (38) A win last week at the Tournament of Champions over previous FAB 50 member Newark East Side plus a win earlier in the season over No. 3 St. Anthony winds up pushing Neptune into the top 25. The 69-49 loss to St. Anthony in the TOC final was tough to swallow, but it was a team Neptune got a win against earlier in the season and that result also turned out to be pivotal in determining the national champion. 22. Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 30-4 (25) Someone asked the L.A. Westchester players which was the toughest team they faced in the postseason and they all answered, "Poly." That may have been Southern California bravado, but the Jackrabbits' 66-60 loss to the Comets in the SoCal Div. I final was a close one. Coach Ron Palmer's team also owns a head-to-head win over NorCal Div. I champ Oakland Tech. 23. Dunbar (Fort Worth, Texas) 33-3 (26) Dunbar fell 55-53 to FAB 50-ranked Beaumont Ozen in the Class 4A semifinals. Another loss came in December to No. 1 Dallas Lincoln. Legendary coach Robert Hughes finished his 43rd season with a 1,256-246 record--the second highest career total in history behind Morgan Wootten of FAB 50 No. 7 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.). 24. Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, Texas) 32-3 (27) The Longhorns won the December Slam Dunk to the Beach tournament in Delaware but lost, 67-62, in the Class 5A semifinals to Midland Lee after earlier beating Lee. 25. M. L. King (Riverside, Calif.) 31-4 (29) It wasn't as impressive a performance as the week before against Mater Dei, but the Wolves pulled it out at the end in their 53-52 win last Friday over St. Francis of Mountain View for the Div. II state title. Marvin Lea's driving bank shot with 28 seconds left turned out to be the winning points as King (with its first senior class graduating this June) became the first boys team from Riverside County to win a state title. Lea finished with 23 points and six rebounds. Leon Rosborough added 13 points and 13 rebounds. 26. Gulfport (Gulfport, Miss.) 37-1 (28) Gulfport won its eighth state Class5A title, and the first since 1988 with two overtime wins in the final two games: 89-77 over Natchez in the semifinals and 85-83 over Harrison Central in the finals. It was Gulfport's fifth victory in six games vs. Harrison Central this year. Too bad the team didn't venture outside the state for a more difficult schedule because 37-1 would normally merit a higher ranking. 27. Woodlawn (Baton Rouge, La.) 35-3 (30) The Panthers won their final 15 games and captured a state Class 5A title in their first season in the largest class with a 77-69 win over Southwood (Shreveport). Woodlawn was Class 4A runnerup last year and 4A champion in 2000. 28. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-5 (32) The Monarchs would have had to drop pretty far in the final FAB 50 had King been upset in the Div. II state final. As it turned out, though, the Wolves held on for a 53-52 win over St. Francis of Mountain View. Mater Dei should be California's preseason No. 1 team for 2002-2003 with returnees such as forward Wesley Washington, center Harrison Schaen and guard Travante Nelson. 29. St. Mary's (Manhasset, N.Y.) 25-2 (nr) A year after graduating four NCAA Division I players, St. Mary's returned to the Federation Tournament and pulled off the stunner of the week -- a 65-61 overtime victory over Amityvile in the Class B final. Junior Mamadou Diakhate scored the game-tying basket on a layup at the buzzer, forcing overtime. He scored six points in the extra frame and was named MVP after a 17-point performance. 30. Amityville (Amityville, N.Y.) 24-3 (14) Jason Fraser was held to a season-low eight points and fouled out in the final minute of regulation as Amityville lost in the New York Federation Class B final 65-61 to St. Mary's. Fraser did have 20 rebounds and nine blocks. Trevour McIntosh scored 18 points for Amityville and Max Rose added 13. Amityville was going for back-to-back Federation titles. 31. Oakland Tech (Oakland, Calif.) 28-4 (16) The Bulldogs may have been able to knock off FAB 50 No. 4 Westchester in the Div. I state final last Saturday at ARCO Arena had they had just a little more time. With star junior Leon Powe it foul trouble in the first half, it seemed to take the team until the fourth quarter to really get into its rythym. Once it did, Westchester had a big enough lead that it was able to hold off a late Bulldog rally. Powe had 17 points in the second half and finished with 19. Armondo Surratt led Tech in scoring with 23. The close score arguably could have kept the Bulldogs in the top 20, but there wasn't a quality win like Mater Dei had vs. Oak Hill and there was a head-to-head loss to Long Beach Poly. The result is that Tech had to go behind those two in the final California rankings and thus behind those two in the final national rankings. 32. Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) 29-1 (32) Other than in California, Washington and Oregon it was difficult to find many rankable teams all season from other states in the West. One exception was Sunnyslope as the Vikings dominated in Arizona and came within a whisker of going unbeaten. 33. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 30-5 (34) Coach Harvey Kitani's squad received a FAB 50 national ranking the entire season based on how it fared against No. 4 Westchester. There was one blowout loss, but the Lions also got a win and were close in two other losses. They weren't able to get to a possible fifth matchup vs. the Comets in the SoCal Div. I final partly because all-state forward Evan Burns was out with a 14-stitch cut on his shooting hand. 34. Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 29-3 (35) The Wildcats won the state Class 5A title with a 69-55 finals' win over Lakeside (Atlanta). It was the first state title since 1994 when current Atlanta Hawk Shareef Abdur-Rahim starred. His brother Muhammad led this title club. 35. Marietta (Marietta, Ga.) 30-1 (36) Marietta was ranked in the FAB 50 from the preseason until being upset in the state Class 5A playoffs by Lakeside (Atlanta). Marietta handed FAB 50-ranked state champion Wheeler (Marietta) two of its three season losses. 36. Northern (Pontiac, Mich.) 23-4 (nr) It's too bad the Huskies couldn't play this way year-round. They would've challenged for a national top five ranking. The Huskies repeated as Class A state champs with wins over Saginaw (85-77) in the semifinals and Detroit Redford (66-58) in the final at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Michigan signee Lester Abram and fellow senior captain Derrick Ponder combined for 41 and 35 points, respectively, in the two games. Only two teams, Clarkston and Pontiac Central, were able to beat the Huskies this season (twice each), but they came back to beat both later on when it counted most. 37. Lafollette (Madison, Wis.) 25-1 (43) Three Flowers' brothers--Michael, Jason and Jonte, led Lafollette to the state Division title, the school's third crown. Lafollette defeated Fond du Lac, 43-40 in the finals. 38. Vincent (Milwaukee, Wis.) 23-1 (44) Ranked in the FAB 50 since preseason, Vincent's 45-game win streak ended in the Division I quarterfinals to Wauwatosa East, which later lost to eventual champion Madison Lafollette. 39. Roger Bacon (Cincinnati, Ohio) 25-3 (nr) Roger Bacon shocked the Ohio basketball scene by handing two-time defending champion St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron) its first in-state loss in three seasons, 71-63, in last weekend's state Division II finals. Josh Hausfeld scored 23 points to pace the upset of the Irish, who were led by junior superstar LeBron James, the two-time state Mr. Basketball. 40. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) 23-4 (9) The Irish, ranked in the FAB 50 since pre-season, failed in their bid for a third straight state title by falling to Cincinnati Roger Bacon, 71-63, in the finals--the first in-state loss in three seasons. Junior LeBron James scored 32 points and had six assists but committed seven turnovers. Junior Romeo Travis scored 19 and had nine rebounds before fouling out. 41. Harrisburg (Harrisburg, Pa.) 31-3 (nr) The Cougars claimed their second state PIAA Class 4A title in the last five years with a 69-62 finals' win last week over Uniontown. Lawrence Hamm, a 6-foot-7 senior, scored 25 points and had 19 rebounds. Camar Hall, a 6-5 junior, scored 15 and collected 13 boards. The Cougars defeated Lancaster McCaskey, 69-58, in the East title game. 42. Uniontown (Uniontown, Pa.) 30-2 (24) For the second time in three years, Uniontown fell in the state PIAA Class 4A title game, this time losing to Harrisburg, 69-62, for its first in-state loss. Dierre Jenkins and Terrance Vaughns scored 18 points each. Uniontown handed New Castle both of its season losses, including a 65-47 verdict in the West title game. 43. Douglass (Baltimore, Md.) 28-0 (40) Douglass won the state Class 3A state title and finished as the No. 1 ranked team in the Baltimore area. In the finals, the Ducks defeated Gwynn Park, 76-72. A less than difficult schedule, though, caused a few others to be slotted in at higher positions for this week's final ratings. 44. West Side (Gary, Ind.) 23-4 (nr) The Cougars won a Class 4A title with a thrilling 58-55 win over defending state champion Indianapolis Pike. Seven-footer Chris Hunter, a Michigan recruit, wreaked havoc on both ends of the court with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Penn State recruit Brandon Cameron, a point guard, led with 17 points. 45. Grand Island (Grand Island, Neb.) 23-1 (45) Nebraska-bound center Wes Wilkinson led the Islanders to the Class A title and the final game was 51-29 blowout of Lincoln Southeast. Grand Island also defeated Southeast in one other meeting earlier in the season. 46. Lincoln (Tacoma, Wash.) 27-2 (46) Teams like Garfield of Seattle, Shadle Park of Spokane and Franklin of Seattle were all ranked high during the season, but when the Class 4A playoffs finally rolled around it was the defending champs who were the best. Lincoln won in the title game, 50-47, over Ferris of Spokane. 47. East (Sioux City, Iowa) 25-1 (nr) Although just a three seed at the state tournament, East, ranked ahead of more heralded Iowa City West and Mason City in the previous week's Student Sports regional ratings, proved us right, beating Waterloo West, 55-52, two weeks ago in the Class 4A final in West Des Moines. Northern Iowa recruit Ben Jacobson scored 25 points, including 23 of his team's final 29, to give East just its second state title (the other was 1934). Upsets throughout the rest of the Midwest plus a pivotal 15-point win over three-time Minnesota Class 3A champ Patrick Henry paved the way for the Iowans to land a spot in the final FAB 50 rankings. 48. Latta (Latta, S.C.) 28-3 (48) The Vikings won their second straight state Class A title, 93-78, over Hunter-Kinard-Tyler as All-America guard and North Carolina recruit Raymond Felton scored a tournament record 45 points. In the regular season, Latta defeated North Carolina Class 4A champion Winston-Salem Reynolds. 49. Horizon (San Diego, Calif.) 29-4 (49) The Div. IV state final didn't project to be close as it wasn't as Horizon led 22-5 in the first quarter and went on to rout Valley Christian of San Jose, 78-45. Head coach Zach Jones said the Panthers were motivated throughout the season after an 85-foot full-court heave eliminated them from the playoffs a year ago. The San Diego area's No. 1 team since January, Horizon was led in its last game by Nate Carter's 23 points and 14 rebounds. 50. Hobbs (Hobbs, N.M.) 23-4 (50) Coach Russ Gilmore is four-for-four in winning state titles at Hoobs and 100-10 overall in four seasons after replacing legendary Ralph Tasker the the helm. The Eagles defeated Las Cruces Mayfield, 101-94, in the Class 5A title game to become the first school to win four straight titles. Tasker, who won 1,122 games, led 11 title clubs. DROPPED OUT: Previous No. 23 East Side (Newark, N.J.); No. 37 New Castle (Pa.); No. 39 Pike (Indianapolis, Ind.); No. 41 Winton Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio); No. 42 Saginaw (Saginaw, Mich.); No. 47 Centennial (Compton, Calif.). Midwest Region boys basketball top 15 By Jason Deegan Date: Mar 19, 2002 Former Midwest No. 1 Vincent (Milwaukee, Wis.), No. 2 Lanphier (Springfield, Ill.) and No. 3 Joliet Township (Joliet, Ill.) all fell short of the state championship. Vincent's loss was the biggest shocker, as it snapped a 45-game winning streak. THIS WEEK'S TOP 15: 1. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) 22-3 (4) 2. Brookhaven (Columbus, Ohio) 25-1 (5) * 3. Westinghouse (Chicago, Ill.) 30-5 (nr) * 4. Lanphier (Springfield, Ill.) 32-2 (2) 5. Pike (Indianapolis, Ind.) 24-3 (7) * 6. Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) 33-2 (nr) 7. Winton Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio) 25-1 (9) 8. Saginaw (Saginaw, Mich.) 23-2 (10) * 9. La Follette (Madison, Wis.) 25-1 (nr) * 10. Vincent (Milwaukee, Wis.) 23-1 (1) * 11. East (Sioux City, Iowa) 25-1 (11) 12. Redford (Detroit, Mich.) 22-2 (12) * 13. Joliet Township (Joliet, Ill.) 29-2 (3) 14. West Side (Gary, Ind.) 22-4 (nr) 15. Patrick Henry (Minneapolis, Minn.) 26-4 (nr) DROPPED OUT: No. 6 West Aurora (Aurora, Ill.); No. 8 Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.); No. 13 DeKalb (Waterloo, Ind.) 23-2; No. 14 West (Iowa City, Iowa); No. 15 Mason City (Mason City, Iowa). ON THE BUBBLE: *Ankeny (Ankeny, Iowa) 17-8; *Ballard (Louisville, Ky.) 27-6; *Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 21-3; *Boylan Catholic (Rockford, Ill.) 28-2; *Brebeuf Jesuit Prep (Indianapolis, Ind.) 19-4; *Castle (Newburgh, Ind.) 22-4; *Central (Brookfield, Wis.) 22-3; *Centralia (Centralia, Ill.) 27-6; *Crane (Chicago, Ill.) 21-8; *Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) 27-6; *Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 24-5; *DeKalb (Waterloo, Ind.) 23-2; *Detroit Country Day (Birmingham, Mich.) 23-2; *Dominican (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) 24-1; *Farragut Academy (Chicago, Ill.) 21-10; Finney (Detroit, Mich.) 20-4; Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 25-2; *Male (Louisville, Ky.) 29-8; *Mason City (Mason City, Iowa) 22-2; *New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) 23-2; *New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.) 25-8; *Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.) 19-2; *North (Bloomington, Ind.) 23-3; Northern (Pontiac, Mich.) 21-4; *North Hardin (Radcliff, Ky.) 31-5; *Oldham County (Buckner, Ky.) 29-3; *Paducah Tilghman (Paducah, Ky.) 29-6; *Pekin (Pekin, Ill.) 24-7; *Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.) 26-3; Renaissance (Detroit, Mich.) 21-4; *Richwoods (Peoria, Ill.) 24-5; *Rockford (Rockford, Mich.) 22-1; *Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.) 26-4; St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 20-5; *St. John's (Toledo, Ohio) 25-1; *Thornwood (South Holland, Ill.) 27-5; *Waterloo East (Waterloo, Iowa) 22-4; *Waubonsie Valley (Aurora, Ill.) 28-2; *Wauwatosa East (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 22-4; *West (Iowa City, Iowa) 24-1; *West Aurora (Aurora, Ill.) 27-3. * -- Season complete NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE MIDWEST Although just a three seed at the state tournament, Region No. 11 East (Sioux City, Iowa), which was ranked ahead of more-heralded Iowa City West and Mason City in last week's Student Sports regional ratings, proved us right, beating Waterloo West 55-52 last Saturday in the Class 4A final in West Des Moines. Northern Iowa recruit Ben Jacobson scored 25 points, including 23 of his team's final 29, to give East (25-1) just its second state title. The other was in 1934. After a close 60-56 win over Detroit Mackenzie, Region No. 12 Redford (Detroit, Mich.) routed Detroit Martin Luther King 69-47 to advance to the Class A quarterfinals against fellow Detroit Public School League rival Detroit Finney (20-4) on Tuesday. Junior Dion Harris combined for 43 points. Redford is 22-2. Region No. 13 Joliet Township (Joliet, Ill.) saw its great season come crashing down in a 46-45 loss to Thornwood (South Holland) in a Supersectional last Tuesday at the United Center in Chicago. Brandon Dillard (13 points) and Kellen Easley (10 points and 10 boards) couldn't outdo Thornwood stars David Moss and Melvin Buckley, who both scored 12 points. Joliet finished 29-2. Region No. 14 West Side (Gary, Ind.), which was overlooked in the final state Associated Press poll, upset former Midwest No. 13 DeKalb (Waterloo) 69-64 to advance to face Indianapolis Pike in the Class 4A final on Saturday in Conseco Fieldhouse. West has a trio of Division I recruits -- 7-foot center Chris Hunter (Michigan), who had 17 points and 12 boards; guard Brandon Cameron (Penn State), who had nine points and six assists; and forward Keith Christmas (Idaho), who scored 22 points. The Cougars are 22-4. Region No. 15 Patrick Henry (Minneapolis, Minn.), which has bounced in and out of the regional rankings, returns as it makes a run at a third straight Class 3A state championship. The Patriots (26-4) beat St. Thomas Academy (St. Paul) 75-63 to advance to the quarterfinals against Alexandria (19-9) this Tuesday at St. Cloud State. New Kentucky state No. 1 Lexington (Ky.) Catholic rolled to its first Kentucky state title, winning the four games in the 85th annual Sweet 16 by an average of 18.5 points. LexCath beat Ashland Blazer 65-51, Oldham County (Buckner) 60-43, North Hardin (Radcliff) 61-48 and Paducah Tilghman 83-53 in the final. It was the most lopsided Kentucky final since 1953. Sophomore Demetrius Green, who had 24 in the final, was named MVP after scoring 60 points and grabbing 25 rebounds in the event. Sophomore William Graham added 71 points, while University of Kentucky coach Tubby Smith's son, junior Brian Smith, had a tournament-high 21 assists and just five turnovers. (Dad couldn't be at the title game, as he was coaching UK to an NCAA Tournament win over Tulsa the same day.) LexCath will lose two starters but will return four of its top five scorers for next season. After rolling over Owensboro 64-49 and Whitesburg 92-43, Kentucky No. 2 North Hardin (Radcliff) ran into the state champions, Lexington Catholic, in the semifinals and lost 61-48. Junior Andre Woodson led the way with 47 points in the tournament, including 14 and 11 points in the loss. Leading scorer Quinton Smith scored just 27 points in three games, including 10 on 4 of 14 shooting against LexCath. Starter Jarius Sykes went down with a knee injury in the opener and missed the rest of the tournament. Hardin finished 31-5. It looked like Orlandus Hill might single-handedly lead the Kentucky No. 3 Paducah Tilghman (29-6) to a state title, before the Blue Tornado's spirits were dashed by LexCath, 83-53, in the title game. Hill, a 6-4 senior, finished with a tournament-high 91 points and 47 rebounds. Tilghman did beat Rockcastle County (Mt. Vernon) 58-43, Mason County (Maysville) 64-51 and former state No. 1 Louisville Male 74-55 to reach the final. Toledo St. John's was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press state poll in Ohio, but without a tough schedule to prove its worth, Student Sports refused to nationally rank the Titans, while others did. The Titans (25-1) proved us right, losing to Lakewood St. Edward 64-61, as Neil Fronhapple hit a 3-pointer at the final buzzer Saturday in a Division I regional final. St. John's, which routed St. Edward 97-69 back on Dec. 15, got 21 points from senior guard John Floyd and 19 from sophomore guard Brian Roberts. What a disappointing end for Iowa City (Iowa) West and coach Steve Bergman. Heading into the state Class 4A semifinals undefeated at 24-0, the Trojans were upset by Waterloo East 57-56. Mike Henderson scored 12 points as East avenged a 64-62 loss earlier this season. Justin Wieck scored 22 points for West, which beat Muscatine 55-33 in the quarterfinals behind 31 points from James Ebert. After an 82-61 win over Mt. Clemens, Birmingham Detroit Country Day's season ended with a 65-48 loss to Detroit Renaissance in a Class B regional final. Two Renaissance players posted a double double -- sophomore guard Malik Hairston with 25 points and 13 rebounds and senior guard Joseph Car with 21 points and 10 assists. Senior forward Andre Hester scored 23 points for the Yellowjackets. The West Aurora (Aurora, Ill.) Blackhawks have a great history of success in the Supersectionals, but that didn't help in a 68-65 loss to Glenbard North (Carol Stream) last Tuesday. The Panthers got 29 points from Greg Klos and 17 from Ray Gamaro. Jaeh Thomas had 23 points and Shaun Pruitt 20 for the Blackhawks, who drop out of the regional rankings with a 27-3 record. Even with two big-time recruits, Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.) underachieved all season and dropped out of the regional rankings with a 60-51 loss to New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.) in the Supersectionals last Tuesday. The Trevians shut down Dee and Shannon Brown, who combined for just 33 points, well below their 50-point average. East finished 26-3. Ted Rosinski scored 17 points while Nick Nikitas and James Romey added 11 points. Former Region No. 15 Mason City (Mason City, Iowa) was another upset victim, as Ankeny cruised to a 62-52 victory in the Class 4A quarterfinals. Iowa recruit Jeff Horner scored 16 points, finishing his career with a Class 4A-record 2,196 career points. He averaged 31 points per game this season. Ankeny avenged an 80-58 season-opening loss to Mason City, thanks to 22 points from Aaron McCombs and 12 first-half points from Zach Egli. West Region boys basketball top 15 By Mark Tennis Date: Mar 19, 2002 The season ended in Colorado, and the California playoffs are rapidly drawing to a close. The results in the Golden State drastically affected this week's regional rankings. THIS WEEK'S TOP 15: 1. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 31-2 (1) 2. Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 28-1 (2)* 3. Technical (Oakland, Calif.) 28-3 (5) 4. Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 30-4 (4)* 5. M.L. King (Riverside, Calif.) 30-4 (12) 6. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-5 (3)* 7. Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) 29-1 (6)* 8. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 30-5 (7)* 9. Lincoln (Tacoma, Wash.) 27-2 (8)* 10. Centennial (Compton, Calif.) 31-1 (nr) 11. Horizon (San Diego, Calif.) 29-4 (9) 12. Tigard (Tigard, Ore.) 24-4 (11)* 13. Iolani (Honolulu, Hawaii) 27-2 (13)* 14. Ferris (Spokane, Wash.) 25-4 (14)* 15. Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) 30-4 (nr) DROPPED OUT: No. 10 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.); No. 15 Garfield (Seattle, Wash.). ON THE BUBBLE: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 28-6*; C.M. Russell (Great Falls, Mont.) 20-3*; Campbell County (Gillette, Wyo.) 22-4*; Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.) 28-4*; Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 18-7*; De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 27-5*; Garces (Bakersfield, Calif.) 29-5; Highland (Salt Lake City, Utah) 18-7*; Jesuit (Portland, Ore.) 22-6*; Kalaheo (Kailua, Hawaii) 17-2**; Marcos de Niza (Tempe, Ariz.) 25-8*; Page (Page, Ariz.) 29-2*; ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) 20-5*. * -- Season complete. ** -- Season complete and record may be incomplete. NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE WEST It seems cruel to drop De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) completely out of the regional top 15, since the Spartans came within an eyelash of upsetting Oakland Tech in last Saturday's CIF Northern Regional Division I final. But new Region No. 15 Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) is still playing and has a chance to beat Region No. 10 Centennial (Compton, Calif.) in the Division III state final. Rekalin Sims, who is headed to USF, had 22 points to lead De La Salle. Speaking of Riordan, the Crusaders advanced to the Division III state final for the second straight year with a 67-61 win last week over city rival Sacred Heart Cathedral. The one-two punch of John Tofi (24 points, 16 rebounds) and Marquise Kately (20 points, 12 rebounds) was again potent for Riordan, but other players stepped up, too, as Ryan Bruno had 12 points and Matt Straus 10. This week's complete state-title schedule for California shows it to be Westchester vs. Oakland Tech (Division I), M.L. King vs. St. Francis (Division II), Centennial vs. Riordan (Division III), Horizon vs. Valley Christian (Division IV) and Price of Los Angeles vs. University of San Francisco (Division V). Price is attempting to win a third straight state title. Alaska is the only other state in the west that will conclude its season this weekend. Region champions heading to the Class 4A tourney include Juneau-Douglas (20-1), Bartlett of Anchorage (22-2) and Wasilla (21-5). Colorado ended its season last weekend. ThunderRidge of Highlands Ranch won the title in a wild-open Class 5A tourney, downing Wheat Ridge 66-43 in the title game, played at the Pepsi Center in Denver. ThunderRidge, which entered the playoffs seeded 11th in the 64-team Class 5A bracket, snapped Wheat Ridge's 22-game winning streak. Guard Kent Grams received tournament MVP honors after scoring 17 points in the title game. In the semifinals, ThunderRidge beat pre-season No. 1-ranked (and second-seeded) Arapahoe of Littleton 50-42. East Region boys basketball top 15 By Sheldon Shealer Date: Mar 19, 2002 You could call it the Syracuse shuffle as the four bottom teams in last week's top 15 have all been replaced this week, led by Henninger High of Syracuse. This Week's Rankings: 1. Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 32-1 (1) 2. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 27-1 (2) 3. Rice (New York, N.Y.) 27-2 (3) 4. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 32-3 (4) 5. Amityville (Amityville, N.Y.) 24-2 (5) 6. Charlestown (Charlestown, Mass.) 26-0 (6) 7. Uniontown (Uniontown, Pa.) 29-1 (7) 8. East Side (Newark, N.J.) 29-1 (8) 9. New Castle (New Castle, Pa.) 30-1 (9) 10. Neptune (Neptune, N.J.) 27-2 (10) 11. Douglass (Baltimore, Md.) 28-0 (11) 12. Henninger (Syracuse, N.Y.) 24-1 (nr) 13. J.P. McCaskey (Lancaster, Pa.) 28-4 (nr) 14. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 25-5 (nr) 15. Sanford School (Hockessin, Del.) 25-2 (nr) ON THE BUBBLE: *All Hallows (Bronx, N.Y.) 18-11, *Annapolis (Annapolis, Md.) 25-1, *Archbishop Molloy (Jamaica, N.Y.) 21-6, Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 25-6, *Bishop O?Connell (Arlington, Va.) 30-7, *Brookline (Brookline, Mass.) 23-2, *Cabell Midland (Ona, W.Va.) 25-3, *Camden Catholic (Camden, N.J.) 24-3, *Cave Spring (Cave Spring, Va.) 18-10, *Elizabeth (Elizabeth, N.J.) 23-4, *George Wythe (Richmond, Va.) 29-2, *Germantown Academy (Ft.Washington, Pa.) 23-7, *Gwynn Park (Brandywine, Md.) 24-3, Harrisburg (Harrisburg, Pa.) 29-3, *John Bartram (Philadelphia, Pa.) 26-1, *Kolbe Cathedral (Bridgeport, Conn.) 24-1, *McQuaid Jesuit (Rochester, N.Y.) 24-3, *Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) 23-6, *Mount Vernon (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) 25-2, *Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) 23-1, *Northwest Catholic (West Hartford, Conn.) 25-2, *Oxon Hill (Oxon Hill, Md.) 22-2, *Peekskill (Peekskill, N.Y.) 24-3, *Robeson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 29-4, *St. Augustine (Richland, N.J.) 24-5, St. Mary's (Manhasset, N.Y.) 23-2, *St. Patrick's (Elizabeth, N.J.) 21-6, *St. Peter?s (Staten Island, N.Y.) 24-4, *St. Raymond's (Bronx, N.Y.) 17-10, *Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) 21-1, Strawberry Mansion (Philadelphia, Pa.) 24-4, *Tabor Academy (Marion, Mass.) 24-6, *Thomas Johnson (Frederick, Md.) 25-2, *Trinity Catholic (Stamford, Conn.) 24-3, *Weaver (Hartford, Conn.) 22-4, *Wicomico (Salisbury, Md.) 28-0, *Xaverian (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 18-10. MORE NOTES &HIGHLIGHTS FROMAROUND THE EAST(Not including teams in the FAB 50)After knocking off former regionally ranked Mount Vernon in the semifinals, Region No. 12 Henninger got a record-setting performance by Chris Turner to handle McQuaid Jesuit, 71-56, in the Class A state final. Turner hit 13 of 18 field goal attempts and 12 of 15 free throws for a Class A state tournament record 38 points. Turner also had 19 rebounds. Henninger advances to the New York Federation tournament. Region No. 13 J.P. McCaskey advanced to the PIAA State 4A Final Four for the first time in school history by defeating Lower Merion, 59-43, in the second round of the state tournament and 2001 PIAA State 4A champion Coatesville, 56-54, in the quarterfinals. Perry Patterson scored 16 points and had 14 rebounds and Dustin Salisbery scored 16 points and had 12 rebounds against Lower Merion. Salisbery had 21 and Cameron Whittington scored 18 points -- all in the second half -- in the win over Coatesville. McCaskey faces Harrisburg in the PIAA State 4A East Championship game on Wednesday night at Hersheypark Arena. Elliah Clarke had 16 points and 15 rebounds while Sebastian Telfair chipped in with 16 points and three assists as Region No. 14 Lincoln handled Robeson, 65-51, in the PSAL championship at Madison Square Garden. Lincoln advances to the Federation Tournament and will face Rice in the semifinals Friday. For Clarke, the appearance at The Garden gives him a rare D.C.-N.Y. sweep. Last year, he played for Spingarn (D.C.), which reached the City Title game and played at the MCI Center. Region No. 15 Sanford claimed its first state title since going back-to-back in 1991 and 1992 with a 63-44 victory over Hodgson Vo-Tech. Sanford went undefeated against Delaware schools, losing only to Charlestown (Mass.) and Inglewood (Calif.) at the Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament. Sanford's season included a victory over Virginia Group AAA state champion Cave Spring. Wil Sheridan and Earl Miller were the team's top players. Dropping out from last week's rankings were previous No. 12 Mount Vernon (Mount Vernon, N.Y.), No. 13 George Wythe (Richmond, Va.); No. 14 Robeson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and No. 15 Kolbe Cathedral (Conn.). Southeast Region boys basketball top 15 By Doug Huff Date: Mar 19, 2002 This Week's Rankings 1. Miami Christian (Miami, Fla.) 38-2 (1) 2. Lakewood (St. Petersburg, Fla.) 33-3 (2) 3. White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) 36-2 (3) 4. West Rowan (Mt. Ulla, N.C.) 30-0 (4) 5. Gulfport (Gulfport, Miss.) 37-1 (5) 6. Woodlawn (Baton Rouge, La.) 35-3 (6) 7. Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 29-3 (7) 8. Marietta (Marietta, Ga.) 30-1 (8) 9. Latta (Latta, S.C.) 28-3 (9) 10. Nease (St. Augustine, Fla.) 31-3 (10) 11. Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) 23-3 (11) 12. Central Park Christian (Birmingham, Ala.) 26-1 (12) 13. Spartanburg (Spartanburg, S.C.) 28-3 (14) 14. Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.) 37-4 (nr) 15. Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 31-1 (15) ON THE BUBBLE: Bradley Central (Cleveland, Tenn.) 33-3; Dyer County (Newbern, Tenn.) 30-4; Father Ryan (Nashville, Tenn.) 30-2; Fayetteville 71st (Fayetteville, N.C.) 28-3; Lakeside (Atlanta, Ga.) 27-6; Lanier (Jackson, Miss.) 34-5; LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) 28-5; Marlboro County (Bennettsville, S.C.) 28-1*; Myrtle Beach (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 30-1; Ouachita (Monroe, La.) 36-2; Reynolds (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 26-6; Richland Northeast (Columbia, S.C.) 29-2; Science Hills (Johnson City, Tenn.) 35-5; St. Martinville (St. Martinville, La.) 37-4; Picayune (Picayune, Miss.) 36-2; West Forsyth (Clemmons, N.C.) 26-3. *-not including two forfeits. MORE NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE SOUTHEAST (Not including teams in the FAB 50) Region No. 14 Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.) made it a Memphis sweep for state Class AAA and AA championships by capturing the Double-A title with a 77-46 championship game rout of Marshall County (Lewisburg). The Roadrunners salted the game with an incredible 33-3 third quarter run. Virginia recruit, and tourney MVP, Derrick Byars fought off a severe ankle sprain to score a game-high 22 points. Another Memphis school, FAB 50 ranked White Station, captured the Class AAA crown. Ridgeway and White Station also scored a Memphis double-title in 2000. Southwest Region boys basketball top 15 By Murray Evans Date: Mar 19, 2002 There wasn't much action this week, as only Missouri small schools (Class 1A and Class 2A) wrapped up their seasons. This week's regional rankings are the final ones of the 2001-2002 season. THIS WEEK'S TOP 15 FINAL 1. Lincoln (Dallas, Texas) 40-0 (1) 2. Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 29-1 (2) 3. Putnam City (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 27-1 (3) 4. Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 27-0 (4) 5. Ozen (Beaumont, Texas) 32-3 (5) 6. Dunbar (Fort Worth, Texas) 33-3 (6) 7. Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, Texas) 32-3 (7) 8. Grand Island (Grand Island, Neb.) 23-1 (8) 9. Hobbs (Hobbs, N.M.) 23-4 (9) 10. East (Wichita, Kan.) 22-3 (10) 11. Ardmore (Ardmore, Okla.) 26-2 (11) 12. Parkview (Little Rock, Ark.) 26-3 (12) 13. Union (Tulsa, Okla.) 25-3 (13) 14. The Colony (The Colony, Texas) 29-3 (14) 15. Jay (San Antonio, Texas) 28-9 (15) DROPPED OUT: None. ON THE BUBBLE: Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 22-5; Burke (Omaha, Neb.) 17-5; Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 24-7; Cibola (Albuquerque, N.M.) 22-3; DeSmet (St. Louis, Mo.) 26-5; Elkins (Missouri City, Texas) 32-8; Hightower (Fort Bend, Texas) 34-4; Hutchinson (Hutchinson, Kan.) 22-3; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 26-2; Kimball (Dallas, Texas) 30-7; Mayfield (Las Cruces, N.M.) 18-8; Memorial (Tulsa, Okla.) 22-5; North (Wichita, Kan.) 19-6; Parkway West (Ballwin, Mo.) 27-2; Rio Grande (Albuquerque, N.M.) 21-6; Robert E. Lee (Midland, Texas) 29-6; Southeast (Lincoln, Neb.) 20-4. NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE SOUTHWEST The only game action in the region last week came in Missouri, where the Class 2A and 1A championships were held. In 2A, Lutheran North (St. Louis) became the third St. Louis school to win a boys hoops title in the Show-Me State this season. The Crusaders (25-7) beat Elsberry 72-62 in the title game at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. Senior forward Riebeil Durley-Petty finished the game with 27 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Lutheran North joined Vashon (4A) and Mary Institute-Country Day School (3A) as state champs from St. Louis. It's the first time three schools from St. Louis have won titles in the same season, and there's a connection between two of them. One of Lutheran North's players, Altonio Irons, is the son of Vashon coach Floyd Irons. The 1A champ came from far southeast Missouri. Bell City, under 23-year-old coach David Heeb, routed Santa Fe (Alma) 88-68 to win its first state title. C.J. Hadley (28 points, 10 rebounds), Eric Henry (27 points, 10 rebounds) and Dominitrix Johnson (21 points) led the way for the Cubs, who finished 29-5 after going 1-20 four seasons ago. Student Sports FAB 50 Boys Basketball Rankings By Student Sports Date: Mar 11, 2002 Top-ranked Lincoln of Dallas (Texas) finished its season up at 40-0, locking up the FAB 50 crown and holding off a possible challenge from 2nd-ranked Oak Hill Academy of Virginia. (Through games of March 10; released March 11) (Previous ranking in parentheses) 1. Lincoln (Dallas, Texas) 40-0 (1) The Tigers closed the deal and solidified their hold on the No. 1 ranking and FAB 50 national title by capturing the state Class 4A crown with victories over San Antonio Roosevelt and FAB 50 member Beaumont Ozen, the defending state champion. In a 62-49 semifinal winover Roosevelt, Bryan Hopkins scored 15 and Chris Bosh 14. In the 71-51 title win over Ozen, state tournament MVP Bosh tallied 21 points and had 11 rebounds and five blocked shots. Kevin Shipman scored 16. 2. Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 32-1 (2) Season complete. With Lincoln finishing up at 40-0 in Texas, the Warriors' loss to Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in February at the Nike Extravaganza wound up costing them another mythical national title. 3. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 27-1 (3) The Friars claimed their 23rd state title with a 58-43 Parochial B finals win over St. Rose. The outcome was never in doubt including a 19-point halftime lead. Donald Copeland scored 18 points and Dwayne Lee added 13. Next up is the state Tournament of Champions this week. 4. Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 29-1 (4) The Wolverines captured their third straight Class 4A title by setting a finals' margin of victory mark in an 82-27 rout of DeSmet (St. Louis). Missouri recruit Jimmy McKinney scored 22 of his 26 points after halftime. St. Louis U. recruit Nicholas Kern contributed 23 points including five of eight three-point goals. In the semis, McKinney scored 19 points in a 64-39 romp over Jefferson City. 5. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 30-2 (5) Clovis West's scrappy, in-your-face, three-point shooting, up-tempo style played right into the hands of the immensely talented Comets, who won easily, 91-74, last Saturday in the southern regional semifinals. Brandon Heath, who is such a good player he was first team all-City as a junior but who has such talent around him that he now comes off the bench in most games, had one of his best games for Westchester and finished with 28 points. Trevor Ariza, the 6-9 junior, had 16 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. Westchester will now play FAB 50 No. 21 Long Beach Poly in the regional final on Saturday at Long Beach Arena. 6. Rice (New York, N.Y.) 26-2 (6) Led by a three-point barrage, Rice buried Xaverian, 90-54, in the CHSAA Class A semifinals. Keydran Clark led the way with 24 points. Seven-footer Shagari Alleyne added 17 and Steve Burtt Jr. had 13. Xaverian is the only in-state team to defeat Rice this season. Rice will face All Hallows (Bronx) in this week's finals. 7. Vincent (Milwaukee, Wis.) 23-0 (7) Trailing heading into the fourth quarter, Vincent rallied for a 72-60 sectional final win over Menomonee Falls to extend its winning streak to 45 games. Maurice Wade and Greg Brown scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, for the two-time defending state champs, who face Wauwatosa East on Thursday in the state quarterfinals. 8. Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 28-1 (8) Season complete. The Vikings ended their year with the Class 3A state championship. They should be among the nation's elite once again next season due to the return of twin standouts Rodrick and Lodrick Stewart. They will miss graduated star Nate Robinson, MVP of the state tourney. 9. Lanphier (Springfield, Ill.) 29-1 (9) Wins over Lincoln, 64-52 and Mount Zion, 76-64, advance the Lions to a Supersectional matchup with Pekin (24-6) on Tuesday with a bid to the Class AA quarterfinals on the line. Andre Iguodala totalled 56 points in the two wins, including 39 vs. Mount Zion. 10. Miami Christian (Miami, Fla.) 38-2 (10) The Victors ended the season with 29 straight wins and captured their second state Class A title in three years by becoming the winningest team in state history with a 79-49 state final victory over Bronson. The previous state win mark of 37 was held by three teams, most recently Malone in 1994. Jose Juan Barea had a triple-double (19 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) in the 75-64 semifinal win over Tallahassee FAMU and had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists in the finals. Tournament MVP Carlos Rivera led the finals' win with 22 points and ended the season with 131 three-point goals. 11. Joliet Township (Joliet, Ill.) 20-1 (11) After victories over Lockport (52-39) and Palos Heights Shepard (59-45), the Steelmen face their toughest test yet--Class AA defending state runnerup Thornwood (South Holland) in a Supersectional Tuesday. Forward Kellen Easley had a double-double in both games, combined for 34 points and 23 rebounds. Brandon Shoemaker added 19 points vs. Shepard. 12. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) 20-3 (12) A three-point play by Romeo Travis with 10.2 seconds left lifted the Irish to a 66-61 win over rival Akron Central-Hower before a crowd of 5,349 in a Division II district final. Travis finished with 16 points. Junior star LeBron James scored a game-high 32 and had a career-high 17 rebounds plus eight assists and five steals. The Irish qualified for their fourth straight Sweet 16. 13. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 29-3 (13) Warren Williams scored a game-high 23 points and Maryland-bound center Travis Garrison had 20 rebounds to lead the Stags past Spingarn (Washington, D.C.), 59-52, for the team's second straight City title. DeMatha has won 16 City titles in 24 finals' appearances. Coach Morgan Wootten has won City crowns in five decades. The Stags conclude their season this week at the Alhambra (Md.) Tournament. 14. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-4 (14) The Monarchs only led by two at the halftime break in their southern regional Div. II semifinal last Saturday against Pasadena, but came on strong in the third quarter and built a solid lead in winning, 88-79. Mater Dei was led on offense by Wesley Washington's 19 points and Mike Strawberry's 18 points. Next up is the regional title game on Saturday at Long Beach Arena against upstart M.L. King of Riverside. 15. Lakewood (St. Petersburg, Fla.) 33-2 (15) The Spartans captured the state Class 4A crown, and the school's first, with a 59-52 title game win over Glades Central (Belle Glade), its 20th straight victory. Kevin Dorsey led the way with 23 points. Brian Ligon scored 12 and collected nine rebounds. Lakewood avenged its only in-state loss to defending state champion Lakeland Kathleen, 86-54, in the regional finals. Its other loss was to FAB 50-ranked Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) by 73-66. 16. Brookhaven (Columbus, Ohio) 23-1 (16) Junior guard Andrew Lavender finished with 19 points, six assists and six rebounds to help the Bearcats to a 50-47 win over Zanesville in a Division I district final. Ronald Lewis added 15 points. Next up is a regional semifinal Wednesday vs. Pickerington. 17. White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) 33-2 (17) The Spartans defeated Bolton, 47-35, in the Class AAA sectionals to qualify for this week's state tourney. Dane Bradshaw scored 15 and Travis Strong 12. On Thursday, the Spartans take on 33-2 record Bradley Central (Cleveland) in the state quarterfinals. 18. Putnam City (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 27-1 (18) The Pirates closed the deal with two remarkable rallies enroute to their first state 6A title since future NBA player Alvan Adams led the way 30 years ago. In the finals, Putnam City gained its first lead with 49 seconds left and held on for a 55-53 win over Tulsa Union as Keith Smith scored 18 points -- including the go-ahead 3-point play, and collected 13 rebounds. In the semis, the Pirates outlasted Broken Arrow, 68-66 in overtime. Putnam City opened the tourney with a 69-54 win over Bartlesville. The lone season loss was to FAB 50 member Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.). 19. Amityville (Amityville, N.Y.) 22-2 (20) Trevour McIntosh's 18th birthday present was a pair of thunderous dunks in a 15-point performance as Amityville eased past Bethpage, 67-42, in the Class B Regional final/Long Island championship. Villanova-bound center Jason Fraser scored a team-high 19 points. 20. B. T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) 27-0 (23) No program in Oklahoma has won more boys basketball titles than Washington and No. 13 came after a thrilling 81-78 state Class 5A finals win over Ardmore. Guard Levi Harris led the Hornets with 22 points and two-sport junior standout Robert Meachem tallied 15, including a lead-gaining 3-point play with 16.3 seconds left. Earlier, Washington beat Carl Albert (Midwest City) by 64-51 and Tulsa Central, 69-67. The Hornets take a 39-game win streak into next season. 21. Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 30-3 (25) The way the Jackrabbits played in their southern regional Div. I semifinal last Saturday it's doubtful previous FAB 50 No. 21 Fairfax could have won even if UCLA-bound Evan Burns played. Final score: Poly 76, Fairfax 66. The 6-7 Burns couldn't go due to the 14 stitches that were healing on his hand, courtesy of an accident he had a week ago. Poly pounded it inside and hit a lot of its outside shots, too. Reggie Butler made 10 of 14 from the field, finished with 22 points and added seven rebounds and three blocks. Point guard Carlos Rivers had 10 assists and scored 14 points. 22. Oakland Tech (Oakland, Calif.) 27-3 (29) The Bulldogs have had a bad half here and there, but since early January they've been red-hot and have won every game going away. The latest was 72-57 over St. Mary's of Berkeley last Saturday in the northern regional Div. I semifinals. Junior Leon Powe dominated with 32 points and 19 rebounds. Powe also had 27 points and 15 rebounds earlier in the week against Vallejo. Oakland Tech now plays De La Salle of Concord (27-4) on Saturday in the northern regional finals. 23. West Rowan (Mt. Ulla, N.C.) 29-0 (24) The Falcons won the Class AAA Western Regional with a 54-42 finals' win over T.C. Roberson after outsing Ashbrook, 86-75, in the semifinals. West Rowan bids for a state crown vs. Eastern Regional champion Parkland (Winston-Salem). The Falcons, who have won 20 or more games for 10 straight seasons, are led by 6-foot-8 Donte Minter, who passed the 2,000-point career mark last week, including 35 vs. Ashbrook. 24. Ozen (Beaumont, Texas) 32-3 (19) The defending state Class 4A champion Panthers advanced to the finals but fell to FAB 50 No. 1 Dallas Lincoln, 71-51, after edging FAB 50 ranked Fort Worth Dunbar, 55-53, in the semifinals. Junior center Kendrick Perkins totaled 20 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in the loss as Ozen had 27 turnovers. Versus Dunbar, Perkins fouled out with 58 seconds left after scoring 13 points and collecting 11 rebounds. Kenna Young scored 16 and grabbed 10 rebounds. 25. Charlestown (Charlestown, Mass.) 25-0 (26) Carl Boston scored a team-high 23 points while star Rashid Al-Kaleem was limited to four minutes because of a sprained ankle in an 89-63 win over East Boston in the Division 2 North Sectional final. Sophomore Tony Lee filled in for Al-Kaleem and had 17 points and nine rebounds. The two-time defending state champions return to the semifinals vs. Catholic Memorial this week. 26. Uniontown (Uniontown, Pa.) 27-1 (30) The WPIAL champion Red Raiders opened the PIAA state Class 4A playoffs with a 70-55 win over Trinity (Washington). Terrance Vaughns scored 20 points, Carl Farrell 17 and Dave Winfrey 14. Uniontown faces Pittsburgh Central Catholic, a team it has defeated three times, in the Sweet 16 round Wednesday. 27. Dunbar (Fort Worth, Texas) 33-3 (22) The Wildcats dropped a 55-53 decision to FAB 50 ranked Beaumont Ozen in the Class 4A semifinals. Steve Thomas scored 17 points and collared nine rebounds. Dunbar has appeared in 11 state tournaments but this was the first since 1993. Coach Robert Hughes is the second winningest coach of all time with a 1,256-246 record in 43 seasons. 28. Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, Texas) 32-3 (28) Season complete. Longhorns were upset in the Class 5A state playoffs two weeks ago by Midland Lee. Earlier in the season, Cedar Hill won a title at the Slam Dunk to the Beach tourney in Delaware. 29. East Side (Newark, N.J.) 28-1 (31) Randy Foye scored 16 points and dished out seven assists as East Side defeated Shawnee in the state Group 4 final. Foye broke a 47-all tie in the closing minute and added a foul shot with 14 seconds left in the 50-47 win. The state Tournament of Champions is next. 30. Gulfport (Gulfport, Miss.) 37-1 (42) Gilfport survived two overtime games last week to capture its eighth state Class 5A title and the first since 1988. It defeated Natchez, 89-77, in the semifinal overtime. In the finals, Gulfport defeated Harrison Central for the fifth time in six games, 75-63 in overtime. Sophomore standout Henry Salter scored 43 in the two wins. Tim Holmes netted 25 in the semis. 31. Woodlawn (Baton Rouge, La.) 35-3 (34) The Panthers capped their first season in Class 5A with a title after beating Southwood (Shreveport), 77-69, in the finals for their 15th straight win. It was Woodlawn's second title in three years and followed a Class 4A runnerup finish last season. The title game MVP was Kentrell Gransberry, one of three 6-foot-7 starters, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds. 32. Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) 29-1 (35) Season complete. Coach Dan Mannix guided the team to the Class 4A state title. And since the Class 5A champ finished with eight losses, there's little doubt that Sunnyslope also should be regarded as Arizona's top overall team for the season. 33. West Aurora (Aurora, Ill.) 27-2 (38) After a simple 72-52 win over Downers Grove North, the Blackhawks used a 35-foot desperation goal by Marquis Hubbard at the buzzer to beat Waubonsie Valley (Aurora) in a sectional final. Star sophomore Josh Thomas, however, might miss this week's action with an injury. 34. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 30-5 (21) Alex Bausley turned in a strong game and had 19 points in the Lions' 76-66 loss to FAB 50 No. 21 Long Beach Poly in the southern regional Div. I semifinals. Fairfax won its first-round game earlier in the week, 65-49, on the road against San Diego champion Carlsbad. Freshman Jamal Boykin helped pick up the slack for senior standout Evan Burns with 13 points. Burns missed the game with 14 stitches from a cut on his hand. 35. Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 29-3 (nr) The Wildcats won their first state title since 1994 with a 69-55 finals' victory over Lakeside (Atlanta). Muhammad Abdur-Rahim, brother of Atlanta Hawk and 1994 Wheeler star Shareef Abdur-Rahim, scored 14 points and Quennell Green 13 in the finals. In the semis, Wheeler defeated Morrow, 68-52. Two of Wheeler's losses were to rival Marietta, which was upset by Lakeside. 36. Marietta (Marietta, Ga.) 30-1 (37) Season complete. This team was flirting with a final top 10 finish before it was upset in the playoffs. 37. New Castle (New Castle, Pa.) 28-1 (39) The Red Hurricanes defeated North Allegheny (Wexford) by 59-42 in the first round of the PIAA state Class 4A tournament. Mark DeMonaco scored 19 points. New Castle faces State College (22-5) Wednesday in the Sweet 16 round. 38. Neptune (Neptune, N.J.) 27-2 (41) Neptune coasted to an 84-58 win over Weequahic to claim the state Group 3 championship. Marques Alston finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds and was named MVP. Taquan Dean tallied 22 and Terrance Todd scored 10 and passed off for 10 assists. Next up is the Tournament of Champions. 39. Pike (Indianapolis, Ind.) 23-3 (43) The defending state Class 4A champion won twice last Saturday, beating Arlington (Indianapolis) by 73-63 and Greenwood, 51-40, to advbance to the semistates vs. upstart Castle (Newburgh) on Saturday. Castle, under a first-year coach, starts five underclassmen. 40. Douglass (Baltimore, Md.) 28-0 (nr) The Ducks captured the state Class 3A title with a 76-72 finals' win over Gwynn Park. Senior Tyler Smith scored 25 points and Richard Dorsey added 20 points and 12 rebounds. Douglass averaged 83 points per game this season. 41. Mt. Vernon (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) 23-1 (44) Mount Vernon advanced to the Class A state semifinals for the third straight year with a 70-59 win over Kingston in the regional finals. Jomo Belfor scored 23 points and added eight rebounds, five assists and five steals. Mount Vernon faces Henninger (Syracuse) Saturday. 42. Proviso East (Maywood, Ill.) 26-2 (47) After Michigan State coach Tom Izzo watched him score 15 points in a 95-51 win over Proviso West (Maywood), junior Shannon Brown scored 20 in a 59-51 sectional title win over St. Joseph (Westchester). Dee Brown combined for 54 points in the two Pirate wins, who face New Trier (Winnetka) in Tuesday's Supersectional. 43. Winton Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio) 23-1 (49) Forward C.J. Anderson scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Warriors to a 73-40 rout of Lebanon in a Division I district final. Robert Hite added 18 points and six rebounds. 44. Saginaw (Saginaw, Mich.) 21-2 (50) Three games, three wins, 77 points for All-America guard Anthony Roberson in the Class A playoffs. The district champion Trojans face dangerous Flint Central, a two-time victim by six points each game, in Wednesday's regionals. 45. Grand Island (Grand Island, Neb.) 23-1 (46) The Islanders won the state Class A crown by downing Lincoln Southeast, 51-29, in the finals. Nebraska-bound 6-foot-9 center Wes Wilkinson had 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Islanders won two of three games against Southeast this season. In earlier tourney games, Grand Island nipped Millward South (Omaha), 58-52 in overtime, and beat Omaha Burke, 43-25, in the semis. 46. Lincoln (Tacoma, Wash.) 27-2 (nr) The Abes won their second straight 4A state title, 50-47, over Ferris (Spokane) in a rematch of last year's championship game, which Lincoln won 61-54. Tournament MVP Justin Holt, headed for Oregon State, was held to five points on 2-of-4 shooting after averaging 26.0 points and 11 rebounds in their previous wins over Richland (70-43), Garfield (67-48) and Stanwood (72-64), but Robert Crawford picked up the slack with 18 points. 47. George Wythe (Richmond, Va.) 28-1 (nr) Jesse Pellot-Rosa scored 19 points and Tyree Evans added 17 in a 51-34 state quarterfinal win over Oakton, the state's Cinderella team which had sported a 13-16 record. 48. Latta (Latta, S.C.) 28-3 (nr) The Vikings repeated as state Class A champion with a 93-78 finals' win over Hutner-Kinard-Tler. All-America guard, and North Carolina recruit, Raymond Felton set a tourney record with 45 points and charted 10 assists, six rebounds and six steals. In the semis, Latta downed Hemingway, 92-83. 49. Horizon (San Diego, Calif.) 28-4 (nr) Horizon devoured another opponent in the southern regional Div. IV playoffs, disposing of Harvard-Westlake, 77-63, last Saturday in front of an overflow crowd estimated at 1,800 at the school's Clairemont Mesa campus. Nate Carter proved once and for all that he is the best player in San Diego County by going for 28 points and 16 rebounds and igniting a third quarter comeback to propel the Panthers to victory against another top quality opponent. Next up is a southern regional Div. IV title game matchup vs. 29-4 Garces of Bakersfield. 50. Hobbs (Hobbs, N.M.) 23-4 (nr) The Eagles won their fourth straight state Class 5A title under coach Russ Gilmore, who is 100-10 in his four years at Hobbs, the first state school to win four straight in the largest class. Hobbs, which has won 15 state titles--11 under the late, legendary coach Ralph Tasker--downed Mayfield (Las Cruces), 101-94, in the finals after rallying past Rio Grande (Albuquerque), 87-86, in the semifinals. Senior center Chris Dunn scored 22 points and collected 18 rebounds in the final. DROPPED OUT: Previous No. 27 Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls, N.Y.); No. 32 Hightower (Fort Bend, Texas); No. 33 Robert E. Lee (Midland, Texas); No. 36 Lakeside (Atlanta, Ga.); No. 40 John Bartram (Philadelphia, Pa.); No. 45 Thomas Johnson (Frederick, Md.); No. 48 Franklin (Seattle, Wash.). West Region boys basketball top 15 By Mark Tennis Date: Mar 11, 2002 Long Beach Poly knocked off Fairfax in the California playoffs, which shook up the top 10 a bit. Four new teams come into the rankings at the bottom, including two squads from Washington. THIS WEEK'S TOP 15: 1. Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 30-2 (1) 2. Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 28-1 (2)* 3. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-4 (3) 4. Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 30-3 (5) 5. Technical (Oakland, Calif.) 27-3 (6) 6. Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) 29-1 (7)* 7. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 30-5 (4)* 8. Lincoln (Tacoma, Wash.) 27-2 (12)* 9. Horizon (San Diego, Calif.) 28-4 (11) 10. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 27-4 (14) 11. Tigard (Tigard, Ore.) 24-4 (nr) 12. M.L. King (Riverside, Calif.) 29-4 (nr) 13. Iolani (Honolulu, Hawaii) 27-2 (15)* 14. Ferris (Spokane, Wash.) 25-4 (nr) 15. Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 23-4 (nr)* DROPPED OUT: No. 8 Franklin (Seattle, Wash.); No. 9 Clovis West (Clovis, Calif.); No. 10 Thurston (Springfield, Ore.); No. 13 Redondo (Redondo Beach, Calif.) ON THE BUBBLE: Arapahoe (Littleton, Colo.) 20-2; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 28-6*; Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) 26-6; C.M. Russell (Great Falls, Mont.

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