At least there’s a sense of consistency.
With all sorts of wacky things occurring throughout yet another topsy-turvy week, PennLive’s Class AAAA boys’ basketball rankings have been forced to keep up with the zaniness by making a few more changes.
Not at the top — where Roman Catholic continues to hold steady at No. 1 and undefeated New Castle checks in at No. 2 — but just about everywhere else.
Start with previous No. 4 Chester, which began the week by losing to Interboro for the first time since James Earl Carter Jr. called the White House home and ended it by splitting two games at a showcase in Trenton, N.J. While Larry Yarbray’s up-and-down Clippers nearly fell out of the top 10, they’re now at No. 10. At least they have a few days to catch their collective breath before the 1-AAAA playoffs begin.
Checking back into the top 10 last week at No. 9, St. Joseph’s Prep is back on the outside peering in following losses to Roman Catholic and Conwell-Egan. As a result, Abington climbs back in at No. 8 after registering wins over Pennsbury and Bensalem.
Five other teams ranked last week climbed one rung apiece.
As we’ve repeated over and over and over again all season long, stay tuned. More wackiness is bound to occur in a fluid Class AAAA field flush with parity.
Short synopses of our top 10 appear below — PIAA district, overall record and record for the week are displayed in parentheses — as does a list of teams that merit watching as the 2013-14 campaign hustles toward the postseason.
1. Roman Catholic (12, 19-3, 3-0) — previous ranking: 1 — Secured the No. 1 seed in the Philly Catholic League playoffs by spending last week sweeping St. Joseph’s Prep (58-44), Cardinal O’Hara (80-48) and Archbishop Ryan (77-42). And while Chris McNesby’s Cahillites picked up nine double-digit efforts, Rashann London (16/17) and TreVaughn Wilkerson (10/15) were the only players to post more than one. London’s performance in the win over Ryan enabled him to reach 1,000 career points. Up next for Roman is a home game Friday in the PCL playoffs.
2. New Castle (7, 21-0, 2-0) — previous ranking: 2 — Wrapped up the WPIAL’s Section 3 championship by defeating North Allegheny (64-48) and Hampton (66-55). Malik Hooker (18/27) and Stew Allen (13/14) pocketed double figures in both victories for Ralph Blundo’s Red Hurricane, which will close out the regular season tonight against visiting Central Valley.
3. Martin Luther King (12, 19-4, 2-0) — previous ranking: 3 — Sean Colson’s Cougars squeezed in a regular-season date with Glasgow (Del.) (56-40) just 24 hours before the Philly Public League playoffs tipped off, then opened the Pub postseason by edging South Philadelphia (56-52). Greg Bennett (17/19) and Jabri McCall (13/14) cracked double figures in both victories, while Sammy Foreman’s 15-point effort against South bumped him over 1,000 career points. Up next is a Pub playoff scrap Tuesday night against Frankford.
4. Hampton (7, 19-3, 1-1) — previous ranking: 5 — Joe Lafko’s Talbots split their final two regular-season outings, defeating Seneca Valley (75-65) before dropping a 66-55 decision at New Castle. Pitt recruit Ryan Luther topped Hampton in both outings with a pair of double-digit efforts (17/28), while David Huber (10/14) also reached double figures twice. Bound for the WPIAL playoffs.
5. North Allegheny (7, 18-3, 2-1) — previous ranking: 6 — Dave DeGregorio’s Tigers may have opened the week by falling to New Castle (64-48), but they closed it with wins over North Hills (72-56) and Penn-Trafford (86-47). Cole Constantino (15/21) and Elijah Zeise (13/15) booked double-digit efforts in NA’s first two outings, while Joe Mancini (13/17) totaled 30 points in the last two. Will close out the regular season tonight against Blackhawk.
6. Great Valley (1, 20-2, 2-0) — previous ranking: 7 — With Blake McGlond banking a pair of double-digit performances, Jim Nolan’s Patriots ran their winning streak to seven games by closing out the regular season with wins over West Chester Rustin (55-51) and Unionville (59-40). Great Valley’s Unionville triumph also featured 12 points from Mikal Bridges, who will lead Nolan’s Patriots into the Ches-Mont League playoffs tonight against Bishop Shanahan.
7. Obama Academy(8, 19-0, 4-0) — previous ranking: 8 — Nate Lofton’s Eagles were extremely busy last week, recording victories over Brashear (65-27), Carrick (79-48), Allderdice (61-49) and Linsly (W.Va.) School (67-46) while improving their record to 19-0. D.J. Porter (20/20/25), Alan Hord (13/10/14), Marcus Johnson (10/12/13), James Taylor (10/13/10) and Calique Jones (15/14-10) each posted three double-digit efforts for a balanced Obama side that will chase yet another victory today at Perry Traditional Academy.
8. Abington(1, 19-3, 2-0) — previous ranking: HM — Didn’t take much time for the Ghosts to blow back into the Class AAAA top 10, as victories over Pennsbury (63-55) and Bensalem (53-44) propelled Abington to the Suburban One League’s National Conference title. Matt Penecale (19/21) and Anthony Lee (12/10) cranked out two double-figure efforts, while Amir Hinton’s 16 certainly came in handy in the Ghosts’ conquest of Pennsbury. Up next is a date in the District 1-AAAA playoffs.
9. Lower Merion (1, 16-6, 3-0) — previous ranking: 10 — Gregg Downer’s Aces continued their recent surge, sweeping Springfield-Delco (58-50), Radnor (64-34) and Harriton (56-42) to run their winning streak to eight games. Lower Merion also has won 14 of its last 15. Justin McFadden was consistent in all three victories, scoring 13, 18 and 22 points, respectively. Up next for Downer & Co. is a Tuesday night scrap in the Central League title game against Conestoga.
10. Chester (1, 17-5, 3-2) — previous ranking: 4 — Larry Yarbray’s Clippers certainly rode the elevator last week, recording victories over Academy Park (73-71), Chichester (98-50) and Union (N.J.) Catholic (61-55) while falling to Interboro (73-62) for the first time in 36 seasons and Lakewood (N.J.) (56-55) at the buzzer. Mahir Johnson closed the week strong, posting 20 or more points in each of the last four games (23/24/21/21). Headed for the District 1-AAAA playoffs.
OTHERS TO WATCH: Bethel Park (7) 17-5, Carlisle (3) 16-6, Cedar Crest (3) 19-4, Central (12) 21-2, Central York (3) 20-2, Conestoga (1) 20-3, Cumberland Valley (3) 17-5, East Stroudsburg North (11) 17-5, Emmaus (11) 16-6, Fox Chapel 16-5, Franklin Regional (7) 15-6, Gateway (7) 13-9, Harrisburg (3) 16-5, Hazleton (2) 18-2, Hempfield (3) 15-7, Hempfield (7) 19-2, Hershey (3) 15-7, LaSalle College (12) 17-5, McCaskey (3) 15-8, McDowell (10) 18-2, Oxford (1) 17-5, Parkland (11) 17-4, Penn Wood (1) 14-6, Penncrest (1) 15-8, Pennsbury (1) 18-4, Plum (7) 18-3, Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1) 19-3, Pocono Mountain West (11) 18-4, Reading (3) 16-6, Red Lion (3) 19-4, Spring-Ford (1) 20-2, St. Joseph’s Prep (12) 16-6, Upper Darby (1) 14-7, Upper St. Clair (7) 16-5, Whitehall (11) 13-9, William Allen (11) 13-9, Wilson (3) 20-2, York (3) 17-5.
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