The playoffs continue around the country and some states are quickly wrapping up. By this time next week, some ranked teams in the updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com will be complete with the 2022-23 season. We already know there will be big changes to next week's rankings even though the Top 20 remained the same this week. There are three newcomers this week, led by UIL Class 5A front-runner Kimball (Kimball, Texas).
The playoffs are when a team can quickly move up in the rankings, or fall out after an untimely loss. For the top teams in the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com last week was relatively calm. No team in the top 20 suffered a loss and only two in the Top 25 tasted defeat. Neither team saw its season end, so it will have a chance to bounce back and perhaps move back up in the rankings.
Previous No. 24 Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) fell to Elk River (Minn.), 73-30, but still rate as the favorite to capture the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Class 4A state title. The Pirates actually have a split with Elk River and fall nine spots this week to No. 33. No. 25 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) actually didn't fall in the rankings, but its loss was much more gut-wrenching than Park Center's. Bosco fell at the buzzer to No. 8 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in the CIFSS open division title game on a break away steal and dunk by LMU-bound forward Aaron McBride, who jumped a passing lane and tipped the ball to himself with 3.9 seconds remaining, took one dribble in the front court and two-hand dunked it right before the clock hit 0.00 to give his team a dramatic 58-56 victory.
Bosco's season is not over and it will have chance for redemption in the CIF Southern open regional tournament, where Centennial is the No. 1 seed and the Braves No. 2. Both teams drew byes in Tuesday's first round and so did No. 3 seed and FAB 50 No. 28 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.). That means one of those team's will see its season end on Saturday March 4 when the Braves and Wolverines meet in a monster SoCal open regional semifinal contest at Bosco. The CIF open champion will be crowned on March 11 at the Golden One Center in Sacramento.
While there wasn't much movement in this week's rankings, that surely won't be the case next week.
On Monday night (February 27) two keys results played out in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) Tournament championship game and the Philadelphia Catholic League title contest. In the WCAC final, No. 13 St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) took down No. 7 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), 65-63, as St. John's junior point guard Daquan Davis (team-high 21 points) scored the game-winning basket on a driving lay-up with time winding down when the Cadets chose not to take a timeout. Paul VI, which was No. 1 in the FAB 50 two weeks ago, had a chance to win it in the final 3.8 seconds but DeShawn Harris-Smith's (game-high 24 points) long 3-point attempt rimmed out. St. John's now owns a split with the Panthers.
In the Philly Catholic League showdown, No. 36 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) took down No. 21 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 57-52, in overtime, to avenge a regular season loss to the Saints. Neumann-Goretti, which needed overtime to defeat West Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the semifinals, couldn't get away with free throw misses down the stretch against the Cahillites in the title game.
Leading by six points with 20 seconds remaining, Neumann-Goretti missed three free throws, which allowed Roman Catholic to sent the game into overtime on a 3-pointer by senior Xzayvier Brown. The Cahillites hit their free throws down the stretch in overtime to account for the final margin. Brown finished with a game-high 20 points.
For Roman, winning the Catholic League title is a big moment; some would even argue its bigger than capturing the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) state crown. The job, however, is not done until the final game is played.
For all the three newcomers to this week's rankings, the season is not over. The highest ranked newcomer, No. 44 Kimball (Texas), is the favorite to capture the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 5A state crown. It's only losses this season are to 4A contender and No. 39 Carter (Dallas, Texas) in overtime and to 6A contender and No. 16 Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas).
Some teams on the bubble are now finished for the season (which is noted by an asterisk ***), including NIAA Class 5A state champ Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.), which captured its first state crown since 1996 over the weekend. For the Trailblazers and other state champs, there is still opportunity to move into the rankings based on the results of various state playoffs around the country.
Remember, every result counts (as does every free throw) and the opportunity to move into the rankings is not over until all the results are played out for every ranked team.
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Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by Ballislife.com
(11th poll of 2022-23 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, Feb. 26; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season complete)
| No. | Prev. | High School (City) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) | 23-2 |
| 2 | 2 | Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) | 24-1 |
| 3 | 3 | John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) | 25-0 |
| 4 | 4 | Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) | 28-1*** |
| 5 | 5 | Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) | 26-0 |
| 6 | 6 | Columbus (Miami, Fla.) | 24-4 |
| 7 | 7 | Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) | 28-2 |
| 8 | 8 | Centennial (Corona, Calif.) | 29-3 |
| 9 | 9 | Lake Highlands (Dallas, Texas) | 29-3 |
| 10 | 10 | Camden (Camden, N.J.) | 23-2*** |
| 11 | 11 | Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) | 16-2 |
| 12 | 12 | Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 24-3 |
| 13 | 13 | St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) | 28-2 |
| 14 | 14 | Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) | 20-6 |
| 15 | 15 | Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) | 29-0 |
| 16 | 16 | Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) | 32-1 |
| 17 | 17 | Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) | 29-1 |
| 18 | 18 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) | 16-7 |
| 19 | 19 | AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) | 20-5 |
| 20 | 20 | West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) | 25-1 |
| 21 | 21 | Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 21-2 |
| 22 | 22 | Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) | 19-5 |
| 23 | 23 | Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) | 26-2 |
| 24 | 27 | Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.) | 21-0 |
| 25 | 25 | St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) | 26-6 |
| 26 | 28 | Penn (Wishawaka, Ind.) | 23-1 |
| 27 | 29 | Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) | 20-1 |
| 28 | 32 | Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) | 30-2 |
| 29 | 30 | Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) | 25-0 |
| 30 | 34 | De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) | 24-0 |
| 31 | 26 | Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) | 35-4 |
| 32 | 35 | West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.) | 29-2 |
| 33 | 24 | Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) | 22-1 |
| 34 | 36 | Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) | 23-6 |
| 35 | 40 | Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) | 24-4 |
| 36 | 47 | Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 21-3 |
| 37 | 38 | Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) | 26-3** |
| 38 | 39 | Carter (Dallas, Texas) | 29-3 |
| 39 | 42 | Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) | 24-0 |
| 40 | 41 | Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) | 28-3 |
| 41 | 43 | Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) | 22-4 |
| 42 | 44 | Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) | 31-1 |
| 43 | 45 | Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) | 23-0 |
| 44 | NR | Kimball (Kimball, Texas) | 28-2 |
| 45 | 48 | Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) | 27-2 |
| 46 | 46 | Lake City (Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho) | 23-0 |
| 47 | NR | Central Pointe Christian (Kissimmee, Fla.) | 29-10 |
| 48 | 49 | Warren Central (Bowling Green, Ky.) | 29-1 |
| 49 | 50 | Radnor (Radnor, Pa.) | 25-0 |
| 50 | NR | Curtis (University Place, Wash.) | 25-3 |
Dropped Out: Previous No. 31 Pinson Valley (Pinson, Ala.), No. 33 DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.), No. 37 Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.).
Bubble Teams: Bentonville West (Centerton, Ark.) 25-3; Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.) 31-2**; Bullis (Potomac, Md.) 25-2; Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.) 28-4***; Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 22-3; Chambers (Charlotte, N.C.) 23-6; Christ School (Arden, N.C.) 31-4***; Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) 22-2; DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) 25-7**; Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.) 21-6***; Eagle’s Landing (McDonough, Ga.) 27-1; East Nashville (Nashville, Tenn.) 26-0; Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) 19-8; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 22-2; Ellison (Killeen, Texas) 34-3; Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.) 27-1; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 22-2; Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc, Mich.) 19-2; Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 23-5; Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) 30-5***; Hammond Central (Hammond, Ind.) 22-1; Hayfield (Alexandria, Va.) 27-1; Highland Park (Topeka Kan.) 19-0**; Horn Lake (Horn Lake, Miss.) 30-1; Joliet West (Joliet, Ill.) 27-5; Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ark.) 27-3; Kapun Mt. Carmel (Wichita, Kan.) 19-1; Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 25-2; Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 21-0; Kenwood Academy (Chicago, Ill.) 26-6; Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) 21-10***; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 23-6; Metamora (Metamora, Ill.) 29-2; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 26-6; Muskegon (Muskegon, Mich.) 19-2; Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) 25-4; Newton (Covington, Ga.) 19-10; Nixa (Nixa, Mo.) 26-0; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 25-4; North Farmington (Farmington Hills, Mich.) 17-1; North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 28-2; Northern Nash (Rocky Mount, N.C.) 28-2; Northside (Roanoke, Va.) 26-1; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 22-10; Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 20-13; Oak Park (Kansas City, Mo.) 24-1; Reading (Reading, Pa.) 25-1; Sacred Heart Griffin (Springfield, Ill.) 29-3; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 30-3; Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas) 33-4; Staley (Kansas City, Mo.) 24-2; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 24-5***; St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.) 27-4; St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 19-2; St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) 23-10; St. Maria Goretti (Hagerstown, Md.) 25-6; UOD Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.) 17-4; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 19-7; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 25-1; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 13-10; West Oaks (Orlando, Fla.) 19-8.
Note: The FAB 50 powered by Ballislife.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 23 years ago.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores