Previous rankings are in parentheses.
1 (1) Bishop O’Dowd 18-4
The Dragons have won 13 in a row after cruising to wins over Alameda and San Lorenzo and a non-league win over Modesto Christian on Saturday.
Ivan Rabb had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks in the 70-52 win over a Crusaders team that knocked O’Dowd out of the CIF NorCal quarterfinals last season.
O’Dowd will play at Mt. Eden before a home game versus Berkeley on Friday. The Dragons beat Berkeley, 80-74, in the first meeting.
2 (2) Monte Vista 21-1
Since their first loss to San Ramon Valley, the Mustangs have won three straight games by an average margin of 23.7 points.
Monte Vista now looks to grab sole possession of first place when it plays at De La Salle on Tuesday before a home game versus Amador Valley.
3 (3) El Cerrito 24-2
The Gauchos won games over St. Mary’s and Pinole Valley by an average of 22 points and now prepare for the TCAL playoffs.
4 (5) St. Joseph Notre Dame 21-5
The Pilots are also getting ready for the league playoffs.
St. Joe’s finished the TCAL regular season strong with wins at Salesian and at home versus St. Pat’s on senior night. Marcus Harris averaged 10.5 points and Jade Smith scored 11.0 points in the two wins. Temidayo Yussuf, by his standards, averaged a modest 16 points, 13.5 rebounds, and three blocks.
5 (6) St. Ignatius 18-4
St. Ignatius is one of the hottest teams around after a 54-47 win at Mitty, completing a series sweep of the Monarchs and giving the Wildcats an advantage in the WCAL race.
After scoring 29 of his team’s 39 points in a 39-38 win over Riordan, Trevor Dunbar scored 26 in the win over the Monarchs. SI swept its season-series with Sacred Heart Cathedral, 68-60, as Dunbar stepped up late and made some big shots. The Wildcats followed it up with a 64-50 win at Valley Christian.
SI doesn’t get to enjoy the Mitty win for long as it plays at Serra in the Jungle Game on Tuesday before a home game in the regular season finale versus St. Francis.
6 (4) Mitty 18-4
The Monarchs were 60-4 versus WCAL opponents over the last four seasons before the loss to SI on Saturday night. Mitty had also won 44 in a row at home with the last loss coming to Woodcreek in the NorCal semifinals in 2010, Aaron Gordon’s freshman year. The Monarchs had won 31 WCAL games in a row in its home gym as well.
Mitty did have two good wins last week before the SI loss. The Monarchs won at home versus Serra, 62-52, behind 27 points from J.P. Rindfleisch and also ended the game on a 16-0 run in a 62-53 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral as Rindfleisch scored 25 more.
The Monarchs can still win its fourth straight outright WCAL title with two wins this week at Bellarmine and versus Valley Christian and if St. Ignatius slips up in one its two games.
7 (7) Serra 16-6
The Padres bounced back from their loss to Mitty with wins over Valley Christian and Bellarmine. In the 60-45 win over the Bells, Danny Mahoney scored 21 of his 30 points in the first half.
Serra hosts SI in the Jungle Game and plays at Sacred Heart Cathedral.
8 (8) De La Salle 17-5
The Spartans have won seven straight after two wins in Pleasanton, including a 48-47 victory at Amador Valley. Nikhil Peters scored 15 points in each game.
The Spartans have the big game versus Monte Vista on Tuesday and then another important home game versus San Ramon Valley on Friday. Both games can be seen on delasalletv.com each night at 7pm.
9 (9) San Ramon Valley 19-3
The Wolves avenged a loss to Granada, 62-55, and scored a 71-55 home win over Cal. David Gunn averaged 16 points and Austin Henderson averaged 13.5 in the two games.
Road games at Foothill and De La Salle are on the docket for this week.
10 (12) Newark Memorial 16-7
The Cougars have won 13 in a row, including a 65-64 win at Moreau Catholic on Tuesday. Matthew Thomas had 19 points, 17 rebounds, and six blocks but it was Mike Pinckney who made the winning free throw in the closing seconds.
It won’t be easy but Newark is expected to extend its MVAL winning streak to 44 games with games at James Logan and Washington this week.
11 (14) Riordan 14-8
Riordan suffered a close loss to SI but also won at home over Sacred Heart Cathedral and St. Francis.
It’s looking like the Crusaders will qualify for the CCS Open Division with games at Valley Christian and home against Bellarmine this week.
12 (10) Sacred Heart Cathedral 14-8
The Irish dropped games to Riordan and Mitty before a win at Valley Christian. SHC has to be most disappointed about the loss to the Monarchs after allowing a 16-0 Mitty run in the final three minutes for a 62-53 loss.
Sacred Heart Cathedral plays at St. Francis and home versus Serra this week and its looking like the Irish will be playing in CCS Division III, instead of the Open, unless they win the league tournament.
13 (15) Campolindo 17-6
The Cougars were just 2-2 on the road before impressive road wins in games at Acalanes and Las Lomas. Five players scored in double figures against the Knights as Campo outscored the home team, 31-17, in the final quarter for a 80-70 win.
Campo should get another road win at Alhambra on Tuesday.
14 (11) St. Patrick-St. Vincent 19-7
The Bruins head into the TCAL playoffs having lost two in a row and three of its last four. The 70-68 home loss to Pinole Valley may cost St. Pat’s a top two or three seed in the NCS Division IV playoffs.
15 (13) Freedom 17-5
Rodney Pope averaged 20.5 points in two games last week but Elliot Smith was held to nine in a 65-61 upset loss to Pittsburg. It was the first time the Pirates beat the Falcons in nine tries.
Freedom plays games at Liberty and Deer Valley this week.
16 (16) Burlingame 19-3
The Panthers have won 10 in a row and clinched the PAL-South with a key 46-42 win at Mills, depsite the season-low point total.
Home games versus Sequoia and San Mateo await this week.
17 (17) College Park 17-4
The Falcons won by an average of 38 points in wins over Ygnacio Valley and Berean Christian last week but will have its hands full at Concord and home versus Clayton Valley this week.
College Park, who won by a combined total of seven points the first time around against those opponents, have won 21 straight DVAL games.
18 (18) Salesian 14-11
The Pride suffered a close loss to St. Joe’s before completing a season sweep of St. Mary’s. Marquel Johnson, DeMar Dunn, and Jonathan Galloway each scored 15 versus the Panthers, which qualified Salesian for a NCS playoff berth.
Before the TCAL playoffs, the Pride have an intriguing non-league game at Berkeley on Tuesday.
19 (22) Moreau Catholic 17-5
The Mariners rise in large part because they nearly knocked off Newark Memorial. Moreau followed it up with a win over Irvington and freshman Damari Milstead scored 17 points in each game.
Moreau is at Mission San Jose and James Logan this week.
20 (19) St. Mary’s 17-9
The Panthers head into the TCAL playoffs on a four-game losing streak.
21 (20) Castro Valley 16-6
Jalen McFerren averaged 14 and Andrew Garcia scored at a 12.5 clip in blowout wins over Piedmont and Mt. Eden last week.
The Trojans are at San Leandro and home versus San Lorenzo this week.
22 (21) Berkeley 19-2
In close wins over Arroyo and San Leandro, Adrian Rico averaged 19.5 points and Bryan Morris scored 15.5 points.
This week will be challenging with Salesian, San Lorenzo, and Bishop O’Dowd on the schedule.
23 (23) Leigh 21-1
The Longhorns have won 14 in a row, including a key 69-51 win over Leland last week, but now play for the Mt. Hamilton title at second-place Piedmont Hills on Wednesday.
24 (24) Montgomery 18-5
The Vikings cruised to wins over Ukiah and at Windsor but have a very challenging week ahead.
Montgomery plays at red-hot Cardinal Newman, hosts Maria Carrillo, and plays at Casa Grande, the only team to give the Vikings a league loss.
25 (25) Miramonte 15-7
The Mats picked up wins versus Dublin and Alhambra but there are teams such as Pittsburg and Half Moon Bay ready to take this spot if Miramonte struggles this week at Las Lomas and home versus Dougherty Valley.
Dropped Out: None
Bubble: Amador Valley 14-8, Branson 20-4, Dougherty Valley 16-7, Half Moon Bay 20-2, Las Lomas 14-8, Piedmont Hills 19-3, Pittsburg 17-5, San Benito 18-2, Sir Francis Drake 19-5
