Northern California Boys Basketball Rankings
(Includes results for games through February 21)
(Previous ranking in parenthesis)
The list has been expanded for the playoffs to include over 60 teams
1. (1) Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 21-4
As expected, the Dragons closed out the regular season with an 84-68 win over San Leandro. There are those that don’t agree with Cal-Hi Sports and Grassrootshoops Ronnie Flores that O’Dowd is No. 1 in the state, but the bottom line is head coach Lou Richie's club did not lose to a team from California during the regular season, and has wins over some national powers, plus a 28-point win over Sacramento. Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year front-runner Ivan Rabb netted 25 points on senior night in the win over San Leandro. Per Flores teammate Isaiah Thomas recently committed to Northern Arizona University and Rabb will take an official visit to Cal this weekend. O’Dowd is the top seed in the CIF North Coast Section Division III playoffs and drew a first round bye. The match-up looming is a potential title game with Moreau.
2. (2) Moreau Catholic-Hayward 21-5
The Mariners have nowhere to move up in this bunch again this week but for the second-straight week they got a two-spot bump and have now jumped to No. 10 in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings. A pair of home wins last week over Kennedy-Fremont and American-Fremont allowed Moreau to finish 14-0 in Mission Valley Athletic League play and gives them 17-straight victories. It’s also the first outright league title and first undefeated season in school history. In a 107-50 win over American in which they had 91-points through three quarters, the boys hit the century mark for the third time this season. The CIFNCS Division III No. 2 seed is opposite O’Dowd on the bottom of the bracket and also has a first round bye
3. (3) Monte Vista-Danville 23-3
Despite the fact the Mustangs had already sewed up the East Bay Athletic League title one can’t possibly think head coach Nick Jones is happy his team lost 48-40 to cross-town arch rival San Ramon Valley in the league finale. After talking to Cal-Hi Sports and Grassrootshoops Flores over the weekend and then Prep2Prep NCS analyst Nate Smith as well, the following was concluded. Because they had the league wrapped up and have two wins over De La Salle, plus they still drew the CIFNCS Division I top seed as expected, Jones and his boys held tight at No. 13 in the state, No. 3 in Smith’s North Coast Section rankings, and here as well. However, there are no more hall passes from this point on. Monte Vista opens with Antioch.
4. (4) Sacramento 23-4
The top team from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section here and in the state rankings, can’t move up here yet, but they did get a two-spot bump up to right behind Monte Vista at No. 14 in the state after finishing unbeaten in Metro Conference play with a 90-49 thumping of cross-town McClatchy. After a first round bye the CIFSJS Division II the top-seed now faces Vacaville in the second round.
5. (5) El Cerrito 25-3
The Gauchos added the Tri-County – Rock League playoff championship their regular season title with a convincing 78-56 win over St. Patrick-St. Vincent. In the victory junior Sayeed Pridgett had a double-double 17 points and 10 rebounds and fellow junior Carlos Johnson added 17 points and nine rebounds with five steals. Tyrell Alcorn chipped in with 14 points. The CIFNCS Division II No. 1 seed moved up two spots in the state rankings to No. 15 and now faces Washington-Fremont in the first round of the playoffs.
6. (6) De La Salle-Concord 23-3
After a 57-51 win on the road at a San Ramon Valley-Danville team that then took it out on Monte Vista, the Spartans finished up EBAL play with an 82-45 thrashing of California San Ramon that held them tight her but moved them up a notch to No. 18 in the state. The CIFNCS Division I No. 2 seed now enters the playoffs with the two losses to Monte Vista by a total of eight points, and a six-point loss to state No. 3 Bishop Montgomery-Torrance. On tap is a first round match-up with Liberty-Brentwood but the ultimate goal is another shot in the finals against Monte Vista.
7. (7) Modesto Christian-Modesto 24-3
The No. 2 team from the CIFSJS just missed the cut in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings last week but broke in this week after snagging the No. 20 and final spot. The CIFSJS Division II No. 2 seed behind Sacramento is now on a 14-game winning streak since a 63-61 loss to El Cerrito. After a first round bye they now face Ponderosa-Shingle Springs, a 67-50 winner over Vintage-Napa.
8. (8) Campolindo-Moraga 23-3
This Cougars finished up a perfect 12-0 Diablo Foothill League with a 76-65 win over Dublin. A loss to Drake early in the season didn’t cost Campo in these rankings because of their overall resume that includes a win over CIFSJS D3 top-seeded Sacramento, a split with El Cerrito, and a win over Modesto Christian, but rankings take into account a lot more than seedings where a head-to-head loss is a major criteria, so it did cost them in the seedings where they landed at No. 4 and face De Anza-Richmond. Being fourth instead of third-seeded means if they get to the semis O’Dowd is in their future.
9. (9) Woodcreek-Roseville 23-4
The Sacramento Bee No. 2 ranked Timberwolves only got the No. 3 seed so at this point the boys are out to prove the local seeding committee naysayers that made them the No. 3 seed in the Division I behind Folsom and Sheldon. Many feel Woodcreek may very well be the best team in the CIFSJS and 6-2 senior guard Noah Blackwell the best player in the section, but at this point it’s on the court where they will prove their mettle. The journey starts with Chavez-Stockton and points toward a semifinal match-up with Sheldon.
10. (10) Folsom 23-4
The Bulldogs continue to fall in behind Woodcreek here just like last week in the Sacramento Bee rankings. The CIFSJS Division I top seed opens on Wednesday with Tokay-Lodi. The top half of the bracket should not pose too much difficulty for Folsom with a potential match-up with Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove looking like a semifinal opponent.
11. (11) Sheldon-Sacramento 18-6
The CIFSJS seeding committee liked the Huskies enough to put them ahead of Woodbridge but a close look at their resume shows some stinker losses that based on our way of ranking teams keeps them as the No. 4 team from the CIFSJS until they take care of business on the court in the playoffs. Turlock is on tap for the Division I second seed with a possible semifinal showdown with Woodcreek what will decide things.
12. (12) Saint Francis-Mountain View 20-4
Originally it was felt if the Lancers lost at Riordan they would drop, but much like Monte Vista losing in a somewhat insignificant game Saint Francis loss to the Crusaders has to be treated likewise since the setback didn’t change the fact the top team from the CIF Central Coast Section still received the No. 1 seed in the Open Division playoffs. Fremont-Sunnyvale is on tap in the opening round.
13. (13) Serra-San Mateo 19-5
The No. 2 team in the West Catholic Athletic League as well as the CIFCCS finished up the regular season with two league wins over St. Ignatius-San Francisco and Valley Christian-San Jose to finish at 11-3 but in second place in the WCAL. The padres now have an interesting match-up with Half Moon Bay in the first round of the CCS Open Division playoffs.
14. (14) San Ramon Valley-Danville 21-5
The Wolves get to stay in front of Drake for now after a win over Monte Vista earned them the No. 3 seed in the CIFNCS Division I playoffs. Should the seeds stay in order San Ramon Valley will probably meet a De La Salle team that beat them twice in league should they get past first round opponent Dougherty Valley-San Ramon and then get through to the semis where Sparta likely awaits.
15. (15) Drake-San Anselmo 24-4
The Marin County Athletic League playoff champion Pirates hold onto the final expanded spot based on an overall resume that includes a win over Campolindo and the Heritage team that beat San Ramon Valley, as well as a 2-1 record with the Marin Catholic-Kentfield team that has a win over state No. 3 Bishop Montgomery. In the MCAL playoff championship the Pirates led 40-39 at the end of three quarters and 46-42 with 5 minutes left before pulling away in the final moments for a 62-51 win over Marin Catholic.
The next 10
16. (16) Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 15-9
17. (17) Kennedy-Sacramento 21-5
18. (18) Capital Christian-Sacramento 19-8
19. (NR) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 26-2
20. (19) St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo 20-8
21. (20) Salesian-Richmond 18-10
22. (21) Albany 27-1
23. (25T) Palma-Salinas 21-3
24. (22) Half Moon Bay 24-2
25T. (NR) Christian Brothers-Sacramento 21-6
25T. (NR) Montgomery-Santa Rosa 18-10
25T. (25T) Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton 22-2
25T. (23) Sierra-Manteca 25-2
Dropped out: Previous No. 23 Stuart Hall-San Francisco
On the Bubble
(Expanded for playoffs)
Antelope 22-6, Arcata 20-7, Archbishop Riordan-San Francisco 15-9, Bear Creek-Stockton 22-5, Bellarmine-San Jose 14-10, Berkeley 17-9, College Park-Pleasant Hill 22-6, Cordova (Rancho Cordova) 22-5, Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove 20-7, Enterprise-Redding 20-6, Foothill-Palo Cedro 18-8, Foothill-Sacrament 16-10, Freedom-Oakley 17-9, Fremont-Sunnyvale 18-5, Jesuit-Carmichael 17-10, Leland-San Jose 20-4, Liberty Ranch-Galt 23-4, Marin Catholic-Kentfield 18-10, McClymonds-Oakland 18-7, Mission-San Francisco 21-6, Palo Alto 17-7, Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove 19-8, Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco 13-11, St. Mary’s-Berkeley 15-10, St. Mary’s-Stockton 20-7, San Leandro 17-8, Shasta-Redding 17-7, Stuart Hall-San Francisco 25-3, St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda 14-14, University-San Francisco 22-6, Vanden-Fairfield 22-5, Washington-San Francisco 24-5
