Many state champions were crowned over the weekend, including No. 4 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) capturing the coveted CIF open crown in Sacramento, Calif. That result created plenty of movement among the teams below the Mustangs in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com. The teams have now been announced for Chipotle Nationals, set for April 3-5, in Indianapolis, and there are more teams now complete with their season than there are playing. The five newcomers have a Midwest Region flavor, including newly crowned IHSA Class 3A champ DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) at No. 46.
By Ronnie Flores
State champions were crowned in many states over the past two weekends and still upcoming are Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. This week’s FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com definitely have a Midwest Region flavor among our five traditional regions, as four of the five newcomers hail from that part of the country.
In Illinois, new No. 46 DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) captured the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 3A title with a thrilling 55-52 double overtime victory over Brother Rice (Chicago, Ill.). DePaul College Prep trailed by nine in the fourth period, but came roaring back to tie the game at 40-40 when Rykan Woo was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three shots from the line. Both teams scored three points in the first overtime, but the Rams took control in the second extra period by scoring the first four points.
With the victory, DePaul College Prep avenged an earlier loss to Brother Rice and the Rams also split two games with IHSA Class 4A champ and bubble club Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.). The Redwings defeated Warren Township (Gurnee, Ill.), 55-54, after that club defeated the Rich Township (Olympia Fields, Ill.) club in the semifinals (66-49) that shocked then state No. 1 and previous FAB 50 No. 27 Kenwood (Chicago, Ill.) in overtime, 70-65, in a Class 4A Super Sectional final.
DePaul College Prep, which has now won three consecutive IHSA state titles, slides one spot in front of No. 47 Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.), which is playing Potosi (Mo.) in the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 4A semifinals on March 21. DePaul College Prep other loss is to No. 31 Oak Park (Kansas City, Mo.), which faces Nixa (Mo.) in a MSHSAA Class 6A semifinal on March 19.
Championship Rundown
New No. 49 East Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.), captured the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) D1 title with a 66-46 victory over bubble club Wayne Memorial (Wayne, Mich.) behind 20 points from St. Louis-bound Cam Hutson. Sophomore Kingston Thomas added 19 points and junior K.J. Torbert netted 16 points for a club that won its first state title since 1958. Its closest game in the state tourney was its 51-44 semifinal victory over perennial MHSAA power and defending champ St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.).
After capturing the New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) “AA” Intersectional City Championship with a 63-61 overtime victory over St. Raymond (Bronx N.Y.) on March 9, No. 30 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) will take on No. 43 Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) in the CHSAA/PSAL state championship, which takes place on March 23 at LIU Brooklyn.
Stepinac defeated St. Raymond behind 17 points from junior Jasiah Jervis and 13 points and eight rebounds from senior Hassan Koureissi to capture the program’s third consecutive AA City title. The last team to three-peat prior to Stepinac was Christ The King (Middle Village, N.Y.) from 2013-15. Thomas Jefferson, meanwhile, downed Eagle Academy (Bronx, N.Y.), 56-55, in the New York Public School Athletic League (PSAL) 4A title game behind 21 points from senior Connor Sprattley.
Highest ranked newcomer North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.), captured the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) Class 4A state crown for the second straight year with a 59-56 victory over New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.). The Vikings also defeated Chambers (Charlotte, N.C.), 64-56, in the state semifinals to check in at No. 40 in this week’s FAB 50.
North Meck’s ranking is predicated on defeating Chambers twice in three games this season. No. 41 Christ School (Arden, N.C.), which recently captured its third straight North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) Class 4A state crown, has a loss to Chambers. North Meck’s other two losses are to No. 38 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Baltimore, Md.) and No. 39 St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.).
Brayden Burries Dominates CIF Open Title Game
In a highly-anticipated California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open state title game pitting then No. 5 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) vs. then No. 16 Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.), the SoCal open representative dominated its NorCal counterparts, 80-60, behind the play of Mr. Basketball USA candidate Brayden Burries.
Before a crowd of approximately 6,000 fans at Golden One Center in Sacramento, Burries’ 44-point, 12-rebound, 3-block, 2-steal performance will long be remembered as one of the best individual performances in CIF history (in any division) among those who led their respective team to a CIF state title. Burries made 15-of-22 shots from the field, including 4-of-6 3-pointers, and 10-of-12 free throws. Burries is still uncommitted for college.
His performance evoked images of some of the all-time best performances in CIF history among winning teams from players such as John Williams of L.A. Crenshaw as a junior in 1983 (29 points, 13 rebounds, five blocked shots in OT win) and Jason Kidd as a senior in 1992 (29 points, nine rebounds, three assists in dominant victory). Williams was honored as Mr. Basketball USA for his senior season in 1984 and Kidd was honored as well after that dominant performance vs. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
This week Roosevelt jumps up one spot in the rankings after going undefeated vs. CIF opponents. Riordan was trying to pull off the upset, but unfortunately has to tumble all the way out of this week’s FAB 50. That is because the Crusaders, which last won a CIF state title in 2002 in Division 3, did not defeat a FAB 50 ranked opponent this year and will finish no higher than No. 5 in the final Cal-Hi Sports state rankings.
Riordan’s other loss is to JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), a team that failed to be selected for the CIF SoCal open playoffs and did not advance to the CIF SoCal D1 championship game last Tuesday. Riordan was also hurt by not having an opportunity to play No. 17 St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) in the NorCal open playoffs. The CIF chose to place the CIF Central Section D1 champs in the South open regional, where it fell at home to No. 12 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) in the regional semifinals, 66-64, despite 38 points from Baylor-bound Tounde Yessoufou, who finishes as the CIF’s all-time leading scorer with 3,659 career points.
Notre Dame remains No. 2 among CIF clubs in front of No. 14 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), which beat the Blue Knights two out of three times, because Notre Dame played Roosevelt down to the wire twice. In last Tuesday’s SoCal open final, Notre Dame was leading Roosevelt until Burries nailed a 3-pointer with just over one minute remaining in an eventual 79-76 victory. Burries, who scored 1,094 points as a senior, finished the game with 37, including 16 in the fourth period.
Chipotle Nationals Field Set
All the other eight clubs in the top nine of the FAB 50 that surround Roosevelt will compete at Chipotle Nationals, set for April 2-5, at Hamilton Southeastern High School (Fishers, Ind.). The 10-team field was announced on March 13.
No. 9 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) is actually playing prior to that event. The Crew will face No. 35 DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) in a semifinal contest of The Grind Session World Championships, set for March 22 at Haskell Indian Nations (Topeka, Kan.). The other semifinal will pit Ft. Erie (Ontario, Canada) vs. No. 22 Utah Prep (Hurricane, Utah). Ft. Erie upset No. 2 seed and previous FAB 50 No. 44 Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.) in the quarterfinals, 66-65.
Updated FAB 50 National Team RankingsPowered by Ballislife.com
(13th poll of 2024-25 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 16; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season not complete)
No. Prev. High School (City)Record
11Columbus (Miami, Fla.)27-3***
22Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)20-8***
33Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.)21-6***
45Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.)35-2
54Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)27-4***
66CIA Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.)21-5***
77Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)19-7***
88Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah)24-5**
99Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)32-5***
1012Calvary Christian Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)22-1
1119Fishers (Fishers, Ind.)27-0***
1210Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)28-8
1314Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)27-6
1417Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)31-3
1518Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 29-5
1611John Marshall (Richmond, Va.)24-2
1715St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.)31-2
1820Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) 27-2
1921Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)16-7
2022IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)21-7***
2123AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)15-7
2225Utah Prep (Hurricane, Utah)22-11***
2313Highland (Warrenton, Va.)39-6
2424Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 29-3
2526Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)27-7
2628Hoover (Hoover, Ala.)35-0
2729Bellaire (Bellaire, Texas)26-11
2830Brennan (San Antonio, Texas)33-3
2931Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.)23-10
3032Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.)25-4***
3136Oak Park (Kansas City, Mo.)29-1***
3237Webb (Knoxville, Tenn.)34-2
3333Bullis (Potomac, Md.)23-7
3434Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)24-6
3541DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.)24-11***
3645Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.)27-1***
3739Allen (Allen, Texas)34-2
3846Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Baltimore, Md.)34-4
3948St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)30-2
40NRNorth Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)30-3
4138Chris School (Arden, N.C.)28-3
4242Winston-Salem Christian (Winston-Salem, N.C.)35-7
4350Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.)30-1***
4440Reidsville (Reidsville, N.C.)31-0
4543Patrick School (Hackettstown, N.J.)29-7
46NRDePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.)33-4
4749Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.)25-2***
48NROlentangy Orange (Lewis Center, Ohio)25-2***
49NREast Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.)27-1**
50NRSt. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.)31-2***
Dropped Out: Previous No. 16 Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.), No. 27 Kenwood (Chicago, Ill.), No. 35 Owasso (Owasso, Okla.), No. 44 Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.), No. 47 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).
Bubble Teams: Aiken (Cincinnati, Ohio) 27-1***; Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) 29-2; Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) 33-5; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 27-5; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 24-5; Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) 22-3; Chambers (Charlotte, N.C.) 23-9; Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.) 21-7; De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 28-5; DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 23-7; Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.) 23-9; Eaglecrest (Centennial, Col.) 26-2; Father Judge (Philadelphia, Pa.) 22-7***; Ft. Bend Marshall (Missouri City, Texas) 37-3; Glens Falls (Glens Falls, N.Y.) 25-0***; Great Crossing (Georgetown, Ky.) 31-4***; Gibbs (St. Petersburg, Fla.) 27-5; Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.) 26-2; Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 28-3; Guyer (Denton, Texas) 34-7; Huntsville (Huntsville, Ala.) 32-2; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 26-5***; Jordan (Fulshear, Texas) 35-4; Kenwood (Chicago, Ill.) 31-2; Lake Norman (Mooresville, N.C.) 27-1**; Lake Ridge (Mansfield, Texas) 34-2**; Lincoln (Warren, Mich.) 23-4; Mansfield Summit (Arlington, Texas) 33-7; Milwaukee Academy of Science (Milwaukee, Wis.) 19-1***; New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.) 30-3; Notre Dame (West Haven, Conn.) 26-2; Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 17-11; Olympus (Salt Lake City, Utah) 24-3; Owasso (Owasso, Okla.) 24-5; Quincy (Quincy, Ill.) 31-4; Principia (St. Louis, Mo.) 31-1; Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) 28-6; Reynoldsburg (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) 26-1***; Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 24-5***; Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 27-4; Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas) 32-3; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 27-7; Stranahan (Stranahan, Fla.) 25-7; St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.) 29-4; St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 21-11; St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 26-7; St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) 19-7; St. Michael’s (Austin, Texas) 32-4; Tartan (Oakdale, Minn.) 27-1; Tri-Cities (East Point, Ga.) 26-6; U of D Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.) 22-3**; Wayne Memorial (Wayne, Mich.) 25-4; Weatherford (Weatherford, Okla.) 31-1; Windermere (Windermere, Fla.) 26-6; Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) 26-2***; Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.) 27-5.
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 25 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
