File photo by Andrew Bershaw No. 1 prospect Ben Simmons notched a triple-double in top-ranked Montverde Academy's big win Friday. MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard 1. (No. 1 preseason) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 7-0 The Eagles – winners of 41 in a row – were in attack mode and wore out then-No. 7 Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) 78-64 in an ESPN-televised showdown Friday. Australian phenom Ben Simmons notched a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. A three-peat attempt at the prestigious City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., is up next. 2. (2) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 17-0 After a 70-54 win over then-No. 22 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) over the weekend at the National High School Hoops Festival in Maryland, the Warriors head to the Iolani Classic in Hawaii. Aforementioned Bishop O'Dowd and Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) are among the contenders that will join Oak Hill Academy in the Iolani field. 3. (3) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 10-0 The Pilots ran away in the second half for an 82-66 win over Mike Bibby's Shadow Mountain (Phoenix) team Saturday night. Findlay will stay close to home for the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas this week. 4. (4) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), 9-0 Jalen Coleman pumped in 28 points as the Lakers remained unbeaten with an 83-55 win over Midwest Elite Prep Academy (Merrillville, Ind.) on Saturday. La Lumiere is headed to Fort Myers for the Signature Series portion of the City of Palms Classic. 5. (5) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 1-0 After opening their season with a 94-38 win over Yeshiva University (Los Angeles) last week, the Trailblazers head to the City of Palms Classic. Sierra Canyon opens play Thursday against Trinity (Louisville, Ky.). Photo by Randy Sartin Ronshad Allen-Shabazz is one of many weapons for No. 6 Huntington St. Joseph Prep. 6. (6) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), 12-0 Ronshad Allen-Shabazz (22 points), Miles Bridges (18) and Thomas Bryant (15) all had big games as the Fighting Irish stayed perfect Saturday with an 84-57 win over Walnut Ridge (Columbus, Ohio). 7. (8) Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.), 6-0 The Patriots will tune up for a repeat run at the storied Proviso West Holiday Tournament by hosting Warren Gurnee on Friday. 8. (7) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), 2-1 After traveling across the country to face No. 1 Montverde Academy in Florida, O'Dowd will pile up even more airline mileage by joining No. 2 Oak Hill Academy in Hawaii for the Iolani Classic. 9. (9) Roselle Catholic (N.J.), 0-0 Opens Dec. 19 vs. Plainfield. 10. (10) Simeon (Chicago), 3-0 The Wolverines passed their toughest test of the season Sunday with a 71-66 win over Chicago Public Schools rival Morgan Park. Nebraska-bound forward Ed Morrow scored 15 points and grabbed 17 boards in the victory. Photo by Heston Quan Career victory 1,000 for Gary McKnight of Mater Dei came Friday night against Corona del Mar. 11. (11) Plano West (Texas), 8-1 After losing to No. 1 Montverde Academy at a West Virginia showcase, the Wolves bounced back last week with wins over Lancaster and Boyd (McKinney). 12. (12) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 6-0 Head coach Gary McKnight got the 1,000th victory of his illustrious career Friday night as the Monarchs beat Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) in the semifinals of the Beach Bash tournament. Mater Dei went on to beat Tustin in the final Saturday – the program's 45th win in a row. Up next is a trip to the City of Palms Classic. 13. (13) Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, Va.), 5-0 The Dolphins beat Amelia Academy (Amelia Court House, Va.) 64-40 in their final tune-up before heading to the Chick-fil-A Classic in South Carolina. 14. (14) Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.), 10-0 Junior star Harry Giles put up 32 points as Wesleyan Christian got past a good High Point Christian Academy (N.C.) program 72-66 on Saturday night. 15. (16) Atascocita (Humble, Texas), 13-0 After winning its second tournament of the season last weekend, Atascocita got a much-deserved week off. The Eagles will hit the floor again Monday against Clear Brook (Friendswood). File photo by Steven Ryan Head coach Adam Ross has helped Sagemont go 50-2 since January of 2013. 16. (17) Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), 5-0 The Wildcats are headed to the City of Palms Classic and open Friday against Malik Monk and Bentonville (Ark.). 17. (18) Muskegon (Mich.), 0-0 Michigan's defending Class A state champions beat Rockford 79-49 on Friday to open their 2014-15 campaign. All-American candidate Deyonta Davis, a 6-foot-9 Michigan State signee, led the way with 24 points. 18. (20) Sagemont (Weston, Fla.), 8-0 The Lions face three tough round robin games at the Kreul Classic against Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Mount Vernon (N.Y.) and Pembroke Pines Charter (Fla.). 19. (21) St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), 5-0 So far, so good for the Gray Bees. St. Benedict's Prep has dispatched its first five opponents by an average margin of over 30 points per game. 20. (23) Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 3-0 The Huskies will be put to the test this week at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, which features host Bishop Gorman, Chino Hills (Calif.), Lone Peak (Highland, Utah), Overland (Aurora, Colo.), Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) and West Linn (Ore.) among others. Photo by Wayne Litmer Brian Parker and Villa Angela-St. Joseph are off to a hot start. 21. (15) Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), 7-2 OSNA is getting a bit of a pass for losses each of the past two weekends at the hands of No. 2 Oak Hill Academy and Canadian powerhouse Orangeville Prep featuring Thon Maker. A third loss would create a much deeper hole to climb out of from a rankings perspective. 22. (25) Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland), 3-0 After dispatching Pennsylvania powerhouse Archbishop Carroll (Radnor) last week at the Marshall County Hoopfest, the Vikings returned home and topped the century mark twice in wins over Holy Names (Parma Heights) and Euclid. 23. (24) Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), 3-0 Delaware's Slam Dunk to the Beach after Christmas will be huge for the Royals. Christ the King will have a tough, three-night run at the event with games against Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) and Sanford (Hockessin, Del.). 24. (NR) Greensboro Day (N.C.), 13-0 The Bengals are a bit of a mystery but have some quality wins on the resume and will get an opportunity to prove they belong with a home-and-home against No. 14 Wesleyan Christian Academy later this season. 25. (NR) Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.), 7-0 It's hard not to get on the Wildcat bandwagon after they drilled perennial Memphis power White Station 101-65 on Friday, then knocked off defending Missouri state champ Christian Brothers (St. Louis) the next night. Dropped out: No. 19 Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.), No. 22 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.).
