POWERADE State Rankings: Final
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After CIF state championships played Saturday, March 24; previous rating in parentheses; rankings expanded from 20 to 40 for season final
Compiled by Cal-Hi Sports. Writeups by Ronnie Flores, Mark Tennis, Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend.
Cal-Hi Sports homepage \ Boys basketball POWERADE FAB 50
| 2011-2012 POWERADE California Boys' Basketball Rankings: Final | |||
| RK (LW) | SCHOOL (CITY, STATE) | REC | COMMENT |
| 1 (1) | Mater Dei Santa Ana, CA | 34-2 | The Monarchs went wire-to-wire as the state's No. 1 ranked team after defeating No. 7 Sheldon in the Division I state title game 66-48. There was a lot of focus on the officiating of this game, but it was clear Mater Dei was the more experienced and physical team. Katin Reinhardt (30 points) continued his post-season magic, sophomore Stanley Johnson had a huge game with 21 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and three steals, but it's the contributions from role players such as Josh Cook (9 rebounds) that made this team special. Mater Dei only lost two games in overtime, but it's unlikely the would have been in front of Oak Hill Academy, Findlay Prep or St. Anthony of New Jersey even if the final record was 36-0. |
| 2 (2) | Salesian Richmond, CA | 33-2 | The Pride started off a bit slow in the Division IV state title game, trailing 16-10 after one period, but picked it up in the second half and rolled to a 70-56 victory. With a nucleus of talented underclassmen (Jabari Bird, Jermaine Edmonds, Mario Dunn, Markel Leonard and Jawain Harrison) scoring 54 of Salesian's 70 points, Salesian will challenge for state team of the year honors next year and are a big man short of potentially being a national top 15 team. The team's only losses this year came against private Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and Florida Class 7A state champ Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) |
| 3 (3) | Archbishop Mitty San Jose, CA | 31-3 | For the second consecutive year in the CIF Division II state title game, junior Aaron Gordon took over to lead the Monarchs to a state title. In the 66-48 victory over La Costa Canyon of Carlsbad, the 6-foot-8 Gordon canned both of his 3-point attempts, dribbled the ball up the floor like a guard and dominated the glass with 20 rebounds to go along with his 33 points. After losing to Serra of San Mateo by two points and to De La Salle in back-to-back games as Gordon was recovering from illness, Mitty avenged the Serra loss with a 60-42 victory and closed the season with 18 consecutive victories. |
| 4 (4) | Long Beach Polytechnic Long Beach, CA | 29-3 | The Jackrabbits had a successful year in a season their coaching staff dubbed as "rebuilding." Poly advanced to the finals in the state's toughest section playoff (CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA) where it lost to No. 1 Mater Dei by four points. The team was upset by Bullard of Fresno in the SoCal Div. I regional semifinals, but from a physical standpoint no team in the state with the exception of No. 6 Loyola played Mater Dei as tough. The Jackrabbits should perform at a high level next year when they return seven lettermen, including forwards Roschon Prince and Jordan Bell. |
| 5 (5) | Bishop Alemany Mission Hills, CA | 33-4 | The Warriors pulled out a 71-67 victory over a game Sacred Heart Cathedral team in the Division III state title game behind a 27-point, nine-rebound performance from Nevada-bound Marqueze Coleman. Another senior guard, Max Guercy, was also a key to Alemany winning the school's first-ever state title. Alemany retains a top five ranking for beating Loyola two out of three times this season and winning the tough Mission League in which they beat every team in the loop at least once. |
| 6 (7) | Loyola Los Angeles, CA | 26-6 | For playing top-ranked Mater Dei much closer in two meetings than Sheldon did in the Division I state final, the Cubs get to move up for the final rankings. Loyola lost to the Monarchs in the CIFSS Div. I-AA semifinals by three points and again lost to them in the SoCal regional semifinals 75-63. The Cubs, who should be strong once again next season, also posted an early-season win over No. 4 Long Beach Poly, but remain behind the Jackrabbits because of a late-season loss to Taft and the two losses in league play to Alemany. |
| 7 (6) | Sheldon Sacramento, CA | 29-6 | Few folks other than the raucous locals that rocked Power Balance Pavilion for the boys D1 title game gave the Huskies a real chance of upsetting Mater Dei. Although coach Joey Rollings' team stayed with the Monarchs for most of the game, only trailing 46-40 early in the fourth quarter, the Huskies wilted in a 66-48 defeat. Still, it was a good showing this season for the first team from the Sacramento area since 1994 to make it to a Division I state championship final. Look out next season with returning standouts Dakari Allen and D'Erryl Williams. |
| 8 (10) | Bullard Fresno, CA | 31-4 | Coach Tony Amundsen's team climbs up two spots for the final rankings. If it weren't for a couple of losses from early in the season, such as one against Chico, the Knights would have been even higher. It's also why they aren't in front of Long Beach Poly in the final rankings despite the miraculous win in the Division I SoCal playoffs. Aaric Armstead was sensational throughout the season, including a 33-point outing in the SoCal title game loss to Mater Dei. |
| 9 (11) | Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep. San Francisco, CA | 28-6 | This was the most impressive of the teams that went down to defeat in a state title game, so the Irish move up two spots. They remain in front of De La Salle because they avenged the losses to Serra and Bellarmine and the three losses to Mitty were by a combined eight points. The Irish had a 40-32 lead at the half of the 71-67 loss to Alemany in the D3 state title game. Coach Darrel Barbour's boys were still in the game until the very end when a putback layup that would have tied it with seconds remaining rolled around and out. |
| 10 (12) | De La Salle Concord, CA | 28-3 | With Sacred Heart Cathedral making a strong showing against No. 5 Alemany, the Spartans also get a two-spot bump while staying behind the Irish in the final rankings. A win over a Mitty team that pinned three losses on the Irish, plus the fact they only have three losses on their resume helps validate the Spartans ranking. Standout junior Elliot Pitts will return to anchor Sparta next season. |
| 11 (8) | Price Los Angeles, CA | 26-9 | It would not have been that big of an upset had the Knights beaten Salesian of Richmond in the CIF Division IV title game due to the very high number of tough teams that they had faced earlier in the playoffs. And although the team ended with nine losses, there were few easy games and enough key wins to keep the boys ahead of Gardena Serra and Newark Memorial. With big men Kahlil Johnson and Skylar Spencer leading the way, Price avenged two earlier losses by beating both La Verne Lutheran and Serra to advance to Sacramento. |
| 12 (14) | Junipero Serra Gardena, CA | 31-3 | Led by senior captains Kajon Mack, Dakarai Tucker and Daddy Ugbede, the Cavaliers won the CIF Southern Section Division 4AA championship with a 69-59 win over La Verne Lutheran. Their season ended a game short of the state finals as they lost in the Division IV South finals to a Price of Los Angeles squad they had defeated on the way to their section title after losing to Price earlier in the year. Besides the two losses to Price, the only other loss was against Bishop Montgomery, a team Serra also defeated twice. |
| 13 (13) | Newark Memorial Newark, CA | 28-5 | The Cougars stay put after a strong season that came to an end at the hands of Mitty, and that's no disgrace. The Craig Ashmore-coached boys' notched quality wins over No. 15 Taft, No. 16 Jesuit and Oregon runner-up Lake Oswego. Plus, the second loss to Mitty in the NorCal D2 final was by five points as opposed to 20 from early in the season. Standout Casey Norris graduates but Ashmore always seems to field a competitive team. |
| 14 (15) | Lutheran Of La Verne La Verne, CA | 25-8 | Last year's CIF Division III state champions attempted to capture a Division IV state title this year, but came up short in the SoCal semifinals by just one point against Price of Los Angeles, a squad they defeated earlier in the year. Some of the team's marquee wins were against Etiwanda, Pasadena, La Costa Canyon and Crespi while the losses included a just a five-point loss at eventual state team of the year Mater Dei. Mr. Basketball finalist and Arizona-bound Grant Jerrett averaged over 22 points per game while junior Eric Cooper hit for more than 15 per game. |
| 15 (18) | Woodland Hills-Taft Woodland Hills, CA | 29-4 | At the time of the Toreadors' CIF D1 South playoff loss to Bullard of Fresno it looked like a major upset. But after Bullard went ahead and knocked off Long Beach Poly that loss didn't seem as bad. Another reason the CIF L.A. City champions get to move up for the final rankings is that they posted wins during the season against Loyola of Los Angeles, La Costa Canyon of Carlsbad and Lincoln of San Diego. |
| 16 (16) | Jesuit Carmichael, CA | 26-7 | The Marauders keep their spot based on credit for beating De La Salle and playing Sheldon very tough in three losses this year. They still have to be behind Newark Memorial and some of the loaded CIFSS Division 4 teams. Seven seniors and most of the scoring graduates so next season is a question mark. |
| 17 (17) | Etiwanda Etiwanda, CA | 30-3 | Winners of 29 of their first 30 games, the Eagles reached the CIFSS IAA semifinals before a loss to Long Beach Poly and then a loss two games later to Loyola ended their season. Sophomore point guard Jordan McLaughlin was the lone player to average in double figures as he hit for 17.8 per game. |
| 18 (9) | La Costa Canyon Carlsbad, CA | 34-3 | This drop for the final rankings is commensurate with the performance in relation to others against Mitty. Against the Monarchs, David Travers was on fire in the first half, scoring 18 of his team's first 21 points, but he got little or no help from the rest of his teammates. La Costa Canyon was not in Mitty's class but 34 wins is nothing to sneeze about in what was a great season. It's a big tumble since the Mavericks now must drop below the Taft and La Verne Lutheran teams they lost to, but they stay in the top 20 as the only team from the CIF San Diego Section. |
| 19 (NR) | Pacific Hills Los Angeles, CA | 30-5 | Winning their five section playoff games by an average of 28.6 points, the Bruins defeated Cantwell-Sacred Heart to capture the CIFSS Division 4A championship. In their attempt for a state title, they defeated Sierra of Tollhouse and Crespi of Encino before a three-point loss to Serra of Gardena ended the season. All five of their losses came against teams that ended the season with at least 20 wins. The team's only two seniors were captains Brandon Taylor, who is headed to Utah, and Jason Kidd Jr. |
| 20 (NR) | Crespi Carmelite Encino, CA | 24-8 | Opening the season by winning their first 12 games and 18 of their first 19 overall, the Celts' season ended with a two-point loss to La Verne Lutheran in the CIFSS Division IVAA semis and then a loss to Pacific Hills in the regional playoffs. To reach the semifinals, the Celts defeated Bishop Mongtomery of Torrance and earlier in the year they had impressive wins over Loyola, Price and Alemany. |
| 21 (NR) | Bishop Montgomery Torrance, CA | 23-5 | Lamond Murray Jr. was the top player for the Knights, who recorded quality wins during the season against Taft of Woodland Hills, Serra of Gardena, Pacific Hills, Price and Bullard. |
| 22 (NR) | Windward Los Angeles, CA | 20-9 | Splitting a pair of games against Pacific Hills, the Wildcats captured a co-Alpha League championship before a CIFSS Division 4AA quarterfinals' loss to Price ended their season. Led by Nick Stover and his 21.7 points per game, Windward played a challenging schedule while picking up impressive wins against Lutheran of La Verne, Taft of Woodland Hills and the eventual Division II state champions from Archbishop Mitty of San Jose. |
| 23 (19) | Abraham Lincoln San Diego, CA | 24-10 | Coach Jason Bryant had the Hornets play one of the toughest non-league schedules of any non-large school with seven of their losses coming in the first 16 games, most of which were in national tournaments. One of those losses was by one-point to Sheldon. They beat Lakewood Mayfair in the SoCal De semis, but Lincoln's biggest problem were two four-point losses to La Costa Canyon in the CIFSDS and SoCal D3 title games. |
| 24 (20) | Mayfair Lakewood, CA | 27-6 | The Monsoons won 19 straight games that included the CIFSS Division 2A section championship along with two SoCal playoffs win over Elsinore and Righetti. A two-point loss to San Diego Lincoln then ended the streak. Senior Dion Wright averaged nearly 20 points per game while junior Brian Wright averaged 11.5 per game. |
| 25 (NR) | Saint John Bosco Bellflower, CA | 25-8 | After losing in an upset to Oak Park in the CIFSS Division III-A playoffs, the Braves bounced back to reach the D3 South regional title game. With brothers Isaac and Daniel Hamilton both back, next year's team should be outstanding. |
| 26 (NR) | Bishop O'Dowd Oakland, CA | 26-6 | Five of the Dragons' losses were in tournaments or showcases with two coming against Sheldon and one against Jesuit. The only other loss was to Sacred Heart Cathedral in the CIF D3 North final game, a 61-57 defeat in a game they were in from start to finish. It also was the last game for coach Doug Vierra, who announced he was stepping down earlier this month. No one wanted to talk about it, but Brandon Ashley leaving for Findley Prep probably cost the Dragons a shot at a state title that has eluded them for over 30 years. |
| 27 (NR) | Junipero Serra San Mateo, CA | 24-7 | Believe it or not, but it wasn't Sacred Heart Cathedral that took second-place behind Mitty in the tough West Catholic Athletic League, but the Chuck Rapp-coached Padres. They had their share of losses, but went 11-3 in the WCAL, including splitting with Mitty and the Irish. They also gave Newark Memorial all it could handle before falling 48-46 in the NorCal D2 semifinals. |
| 28 (NR) | Lutheran Orange, CA | 22-11 | Arizona-bound Gabe York concluded an outstanding four-year career by leading the Lancers past Mission Viejo in the CIFSS Division I-A title game. York was out of the lineup when most of the 11 losses were incurred. |
| 29 (NR) | Mission Viejo Mission Viejo, CA | 28-5 | The season ended for the Diablos the same way it started with losses to Mater Dei of Santa Ana. In between, though, the Diablos picked up a bunch of wins with the help of sharp shooting by senior Michael Cramer. Splitting a pair of games against Capistrano Valley, they shared the South Coast League championship while getting postseason wins over Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta and Torrey Pines of San Diego with a loss to Orange Lutheran in the CIFSS Division 1A finals sandwiched in between. |
| 30 (NR) | Cathedral San Diego, CA | 30-4 | It was a year to remember for the Dons as they captured their first section championship since 2000 with a 65-64 come from behind win in the San Diego Section Division III finals over Mission Bay of San Diego. Junior forward Xavier Williams was one of three players to average in double figures with a team-high 13.1 points a game. Before a loss to Alemany in the regional semifinals they defeated Palm Desert and Oak Park. |
| 31 (NR) | Oak Park Oak Park, CA | 25-9 | Led by Ventura Star co-POY junior guard Ron Lee and his 21.6 points per game, the Eagles reached the CIF-SS championship for the second time in school history. They also made history with a first ever state playoff win over Grant. After capturing the Tri-Valley League title, Oak Park defeated St. John Bosco in the section semifinals before its season came to an end in a double overtime loss to Cathedral Catholic of San Diego. |
| 32 (NR) | Crenshaw Los Angeles, CA | 24-6 | With senior guard Brandon Baker in a starring role, the Cougars were playing their best at the end of the season. They nearly came back to defeat Taft of Woodland Hills in the CIF L.A. City Section semifinals and lost by a respectable margin to Loyola in the D1 South playoffs. Crenshaw also beat L.A. City finalist Dorsey twice in Coliseum League games. |
| 33 (NR) | Capistrano Valley Mission Viejo, CA | 25-7 | Senior Aleks Lipovic averaged 14.5 points per game and senior Nick Thomas averaged 12.4 as the Cougars split a pair of games against Mission Viejo to finish as co-champs of the South Coast League. Reaching the CIFSS Division 1A semifinals, they lost to eventual champion Orange Lutheran by seven and then in the opening round of the SoCal regional they lost by just six points in overtime to Long Beach Poly. |
| 34 (NR) | McClymond Oakland, CA | 19-11 | The top team from the Oakland Section gets a shout out in the final expanded rankings. Mack started the season with a two-point loss to Sheldon. From there, the Warriors had a couple of stinker losses, but they also posted a solid win over Newark Memorial. They only lost two games in what is a perennially tough Oakland Athletic League. They also went down fighting in the NorCal D1 semifinals, losing 59-55 to Sheldon. |
| 35 (NR) | Dorsey Los Angeles, CA | 27-9 | The No. 3 team from the CIF Los Angeles City Section gets a nod for the expanded rankings after making it all the way to the section title game, where they lost 58-42 to Taft. They also gave Orange Lutheran a good game in the first round of the D1 South region playoffs before falling 64-57. |
| 36 (NR) | Oaks Christian Westlake Village, CA | 22-6 | Coach Andre Chevalier's team gains this spot for owning a big win over Calababas during the regular season and for losing by just two points to La Verne Lutheran in the loaded CIFSS Division IV-AA playoffs. The Lions were led by standout senior guard Chass Bryan. |
| 37 (NR) | Calabasas Calabasas, CA | 30-4 | The Coyotes' season ended with a 75-71 loss to St. John Bosco in the CIF Division III South quarterfinals but it already was a season to remember as they captured their first-ever section championship with a 69-39 win over South of Torrance in the CIFSS Division 3A finals. Despite splitting a pair of games against Westlake, the Coyotes also won the Marmonte League title because they defeated Royal of Simi Valley twice |
| 38 (NR) | Santa Monica Santa Monica, CA | 21-9 | There's a solid group of four teams from L.A.'s Westside that would be grouped together next in these rankings. The Vikings got the nod because they won a Bay League title over an Inglewood team that won a CIFSS title. They also had quality wins against Palisades, Windward and Sacramento. |
| 39 (NR) | Fairfax Los Angeles, CA | 20-10 | One of the Lions' top players was senior guard Landon Drew, son of Atlanta Hawks' coach Larry Drew. Fairfax lost twice to Palisades, but beat Westchester twice and also was able to notch a win against Mayfair of Lakewood. |
| 40 (NR) | Westchester Los Angeles, CA | 22-8 | Key wins for the Comets were against La Verne Lutheran and Capistrano Valley. They lost twice to Fairfax and were eliminated in the L.A. City Section playoffs by Dorsey. Palisades (17-11) was close to getting the 40th position as well. |
| On the bubble: Check final divisional state rankings for many more top teams from the state during the 2011-12 season. | |||