Northern California Boys Basketball Rankings
(Includes results for games through February 28)
(Previous ranking in parenthesis)
1. (1) Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 22-4
Despite the fact Paris Austin sat out the game nursing a sore foot and Ivan Rabb didn’t start due to illness the Cal-Hi Sports top-ranked and CIF North Coast Section Division III No. 1 seeded Dragons still opened their quarterfinal game with Alhambra-Martinez on an 18-0 run to start the game and never looked back in an 84-51 victory. Freshman guard Elijah Hardy had a standout game with 12 points and seven assists. Things get a little more interesting in the Wednesday semifinal with Campolindo-Moraga, which was state ranked for a portion of the regular season.
2. (2) Moreau Catholic-Hayward 22-5
The CIFNCS Division III No. 2 seed behind O’Dowd came off their first round bye with an 81-67 win over Miramonte-Orinda that extended the Mariners winning streak to 18-games. Sophomore Damari Milstead led the way with 26 points and five assists and junior Oscar Frayer had a double-double 20 points and 18 rebounds. Next up is a semifinal match-up with Drake-San Anselmo and if they can duplicate a 65-64 win at the Prep2Prep NorCal Tip-Off Classic they will be no doubt seeing O’Dowd in the finals this weekend.
3. (3) Monte Vista-Danville 25-3
The playoffs have been anything but a cakewalk for the CIFNCS Division I top-seeded Mustangs but nonetheless head coach Nick Jones and his boys advanced to the semifinals after a 69-63 win over No. 16 seed Antioch and then a 59-52 overtime victory against eighth-seeded Castro Valley. Monte Vista actually moved up a spot to No. 12 in the state rankings. Jones will certainly be looking for a better performance in the semis against No. 5 seed Berkeley.
4. (4) Sacramento 26-4
The top team from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section here and in the state rankings moved up a spot to No. 13 in the state to stay right behind Monte Vista there as well. The top-seeded Dragons moved into the CIFSJS Division II semifinals after 84-51 and 79-64 victories over Vacaville and Rocklin, respectively. In the Rocklin win sophomore Sayvon Hines led the young team with 20 points. The junior duo of Christian Terrell and Solomon Young added 16 and 15 points, respectively. Next up is a semifinal with Cosumnes Oaks and then a potential showdown with Modesto Christian in the title game at Sleep Train Arena on Saturday evening in Sacramento.
5. (5) El Cerrito 25-3
The CIFNCS Division II top-seeded Gauchos barely broke a sweat last week. First was a 67-38 win over Washington-Fremont followed by a 65-39 victory over Newark Memorial-Newark. The Gauchos will be looking to make it 10-straight wins in their semifinal match-up against Las Lomas-Walnut Creek.
6. (6) De La Salle-Concord 25-3
The Spartans had just about the easiest time of any of the top-ranked teams in their two games last week after rolling past Brentwood’s Liberty and Heritage by respective scores of 61-26 and 62-32. The third shot at Monte Vista is still a game away and means Monte Vista has to win its semifinal and Sparta must march past a San Ramon Valley-Danville team they defeated by 21 at home but only by six on the road in East bay Athletic League play. Wednesday’s game is at home.
7. (7) Modesto Christian-Modesto 26-3
The No. 2 team from the CIFSJS and the No. 2 seed behind Sacramento in the D2 playoffs continued to hold down the No. 20 and final spot in the Cal-Hi Sports rankings after a 78-65 win over Ponderosa-Shingle Springs and a 79-42 pasting of Elk Grove. Before head coach Richard Midgley and his boys can look for a shot at Sacramento for the section title they’ll need to defeat an always tough No. 3 seed St. Mary’s-Stockton in Wednesday’s semifinal at Sleep Train Arena.
8. (8) Campolindo-Moraga 25-3
The No. 4 seed is higher in our rankings but behind No. 3 Drake in the CIFNCS D3 playoffs seedings now gets the unenviable task of facing Bishop O’Dowd in the semifinals. The good news for Campo is they will not have to face O’Dowd in the Division III NorCals since that team will go to the Open Division.
9. (9) Woodcreek-Roseville 25-4
The Sacramento Bee No. 2 ranked Timberwolves only got the No. 3 seed behind No. 2 Sheldon, but after two rocking chair victories to open the CIFSJS Division I playoffs our top D1 team to match the Bee’s pecking order gets the shot at Sheldon it was looking for in the semis, and since the game is Wednesday evening at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento the seedings don’t amount to a hill of beans at this point.
10. (10) Folsom 25-4
The CIFSJS D1 top-seeded Bulldogs are in the semis as expected and face No. 4 seed Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove in the 7:30 p.m. marquee game on Wednesday at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. After a 79-51 win to open against Tokay-Lodi No. 9 seed Granite Bay gave them a bit of a tussle before Folsom posted a 61-54 second round victory.
11. (11) Sheldon-Sacramento 20-6
Our pecking order is a little different than the CIFSJS D1 seedings but the top three teams/seeds are still all bunched together and at this point with the games on a neutral court the best teams are going to win and the rankings will take care of themselves.
12. (12) Saint Francis-Mountain View 21-4
Like everyone above them the top team from the CIF Central Coast Section holds tight after a 57-34 win for the Open Division top seed over Fremont-Sunnyvale. Next up is a Tuesday semifinal at Independence-San Jose with a No. 4 Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton team that knocked off No. 5 seed Riordan-San Francisco.
13. (13) Serra-San Mateo 20-5
The No. 2 team in the West Catholic Athletic League as well as the CIFCCS and the No. 2 seed in the Open Division put the hurt on Half Moon Bay in a 66-29 rout. The Padres now play in the game before Saint Francis when they take on No. 3 seed Archbishop Mitty, a 63-55 winner over Palma-Salinas.
14. (14) San Ramon Valley-Danville 23-5
The NCS D1 No. 3 seeded Wolves had little trouble with Dougherty Valley-San Ramon or San Leandro but now they face a De La Salle team that’s had their number. Will the third time be a charm?
15. (15) Drake-San Anselmo 24-4
The Marin County Athletic League playoff champion Pirates continue to hold onto the final expanded spot after winning their first two CIFNCS D3 playoff games over Sonoma Valley-Sonoma and Encinal-Alameda by an average of just over 30 points. Things will certainly change with Moreau Catholic in the semifinals. Drake had several opportunities to beat Moreau at the Prep2Prep NorCal Tip-Off Classic but ended up falling by a single point. Can head coach Doug Donnellan get his boys to turn it around this Wednesday in Hayward?
The next 10
16. (16) Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 16-9
17. (18) Capital Christian-Sacramento 21-8 won twice
18. (19) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 28-2 won twice
19. (20) St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo 22-8 won twice
20. (NR) Marin Catholic-Kentfield 20-10
21. (21) Salesian-Richmond 19-11 lost to Marin Catholic
22. (25T) Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton 23-2 beat Riordan
23. (NR) Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove 21-7
24. (23) Palma-Salinas 21-4
25T. (NR) St. Mary’s-Stockton 22-7
25T. (25T) Sierra-Manteca 27-2
25T. (NR) Vanden-Fairfield 24-5
Dropped out: Previous No. 17 Kennedy-Sacramento, No. 22 Albany, No. 24 Half Moon Bay
On the Bubble
Antelope 23-7, Albany 28-2, Archbishop Riordan-San Francisco 14-9, Bellarmine-San Jose 15-10, Berkeley 19-9, Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove 22-7, Enterprise-Redding 20-6, Foothill-Palo Cedro 19-8, Fremont-Sunnyvale 17-6, Half Moon Bay 24-3, Jesuit-Carmichael 17-11, Kennedy-Sacramento 22-6, Leland-San Jose 21-4, Liberty Ranch-Galt 25-4, McClymonds-Oakland 18-8, Mission-San Francisco 23-6, Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco 14-11, St. Mary’s-Berkeley 17-10, San Leandro 17-9, Shasta-Redding 18-7, Stuart Hall-San Francisco 27-3, University-San Francisco 24-6, Washington-San Francisco 25-6
