SoCalHoops HS Top 20
Division V-AA--(Feb. 4, 2001)
SoCalHoops HS Top 20
Division V-AA--(Feb. 4, 2001)
Heading into the last week of regular season competition before the playoffs, this is the last poll we will issue before the end of the playoffs, because by next Sunday, the playoff brackets will be announced and then the following week, single-elimination play will commence, and the rankings will be largely irrelevant. Most teams in Division V-AA still have two more games to play this week, some have three, and league races for several ranked teams hang in the balance. We've included league rankings, and SCIBCA rankings as well for reference along with the results since our last poll. Here's our view of the Division V-AA rankings:
 Southern Section D-VAA Top 20 as of Feb. 4, 2001 (Games Through 2/3/01) |
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| 1 | Verbum Dei | Record: 19-4, 8-0; SCIBCA/CIF Poll No. 1. Beat St. Monica to secure the league title on 1/31. They've lost to Price but are still the team to beat kin this division. Richard Cheney continues as the offensive leader with Mike Lay at the point. Next Up: Hosting Mary Star on Monday and Don Bosco on 2/7 to conclude the regular season. | ||||
| 2T | Buckley | Record: 19-2, 10-1. SCIBCA/CIF Poll No. 2 (tie with CC Downey). The Griffins beat Oakwood and Windward convincingly after sustaining their only league loss in more than 30 games over two seasons (a 5 point squeaker to D-IVA No. 8-ranked Providence). Colin Ward-Henninger (6'-4" Sr. F/G) continues to average more than 25 ppg and David Gale (6'-1" Jr. PG) leads the region in assists and steals. Royal Weaver (5'-11" Sr. G) and Alex Clancy (6'-0" Sr. G) are also threats. Next: @ Providence 2/5 (for the league title), @ Oakwood 2/7 and @ Yeshiva 2/8. | ||||
| 2T | Calvary Chap. (D) | Record: 19-5, 6-0. SCIBCA/CIF Poll No. 2 (tie with Buckley). Two key losses to Chadwick and Calvary Chapel Santa Ana (No. 4 in Division IV-A) were followed up with big wins over Academy League opponents Capistrano Valley Christian and St. Margarets. Tim Drisdom (6'-4" Jr. PG) continues to lead, averaging more than 20 ppg. Next up: @ St. Michael's on 2/6 Tuesday, and then hosting Capo Valley Christian Friday 2/9 to conclude the regular season. | ||||
| 4 | Kilpatrick | Record: 20-1, 6-0. SCIBCA/CIF Poll No. 4. Beat Marshall last night to secure the Alpha League title. Keilon Fortune (6'-1" Sr. PG) continues to score big, but two big questions remain: other than Marshall, most of the competition has not been strong, and what will happen with Fortune out of the lineup due to injury or foul trouble. Good athleticism and size on this team, now playing well together. Up Next: Village Christian Tuesday and Paraclete on Thursday. | ||||
| 5 | Western Chr. |
Record: 17-3, 9-1. SCIBCA/CIF Poll No. 7 (tie with Serra). Led by All-CIF candidates Brad Meister (6'-7" Sr. F) and Shawn Lokar (6'-4" Sr. G/F), Western beat ACA decisively in the battle for the league title, then beat Woodcrest and Ontario Christian this past week. Next Up: Calvary Chapel Murita on Tuesday, 2/6 and then finish the regular season at Linfield on Friday 2/9 when they will officially be crowned with the Christian League title. | ||||
| 6 | Pacific Hills | Record: 13-8, 4-3. SCIBCA/CIF Poll No 6. Lost to Crossroads, but beat Brentwood on 1/20, then beat Campbell Hall on Saturday 2/3 by 24 points. As Amani Daanish (6'-7" Sr. F) goes, so goes this team, and he is their senior leader and main offensive weapon. Up Next: @ Montclair Prep on 2/6, then finishing out the season @ Whitney on 2/8 | ||||
| 7 | Chadwick | Record: 14-7, 8-0. SCIBCA/CIF Poll No. 5. Beat CC Downey, but lost to Crossroads, and then followed up with predicatable wins over Prep League opponents Webb, Rio Hondo and Pasadena Poly. Seniors Mike Reich (6'-5" Sr. SG/SF) and Peter McCaslin (6'-0" Sr. G) are the two to watch right now. Only one game remaining in the regular season, Flintridge Prep next Friday, 2/9. | ||||
| 8 | Desert | SCIBCA/CIF Poll No 10 (tie with Arrowhead Christian) Record is next to impossible to obtain, but they have been winning. Desert is led by Sidney Melvin (6'-4" Sr. SG/SF) who has excellent hops and can score big. If you can't get news from the high desert, better go see them if you're going to play them or wait until the playoffs to scout them. Up Next: @ Rosamond on 2/6, then hosting Mojave to conclude the season. | ||||
| 9 | Ribet | Record: 16-2, 8-0. SCIBCA/CIF Poll No 9. The Fighting Frogs are led by freshman Thomas Woods, sophomore Yancy Clark and Shomar Thomas. Ribet will likely take their league again this year and could be a big factor in the D-VAA playoffs with good athleticism, but they will need to play smarter. | ||||
| 10 | Arrowhead Chr. | Record: 17-6, 8-2. SCIBCA/CIF Poll No 10 (tie with Desert). Beat CC Murrieta Valley Friday night. Adam Dohner leads the team. A very good team but whether they have the depth to contend with teams like Verbum Dei and CC Downey is an open question. Up Next: Hosting Western Christian 1/26. | ||||
| 11 | Yeshiva | Record: 13-5, 7-4: SCIBCA/CIF Poll "Others". Lost some key league games, including to Div. IV-A Providence, and then suffered a loss of Kenny Pollack to an ankle injury. Coach Ed Gelb's YULA Panthers still have All-CIF guard Abey Malkin (6'-0" Sr. G) and Pollack is likely to return this week. Play @ Holy Martyrs on 2/5, then host Buckley on 2/8 to conclude the regular season. | ||||
| 12 | Ontario Chr. | Record: 17-6, 7-3. SCIBCA/CIF Poll "Others". Ontario has had some good wins lately, but the Christian league is very crowded at the top this year and they lost to Western on Friday. Next up: hosting ACA on 2/6 and then @ Woodcrest Christian to close out the regular season. | ||||
| 13 | Rolling Hills Prep | Record: 15-5, 12-0. SCIBCA/CIF Poll "Others". Secured the Express League title on Saturday with a convincing win over Liberty Christian 105-36. Curtis Allen, Jason Daley, and Alex Elliot (6'-7" Jr. F/C) are the keys to offensive and defensive efforts. Could be dangerous in playoffs because many have not seen this team over the course of the season. Next Up: Hosting La Verne Lutheran on 2/6, and then @ Southlands Christian on 2/9. | ||||
| 14 | GH Hillcrest Chr. | Record: 15-3, 10-0. SCIBCA/CIF Poll "Others". Even though the competition in Westside League is down this year, this team is for real with junior Alex Martino at the point, Amir and Amrit Nat on the perimeter, and several others inside. Two more games remain, hosting West Valley Christian on 2/6 and then @ Santa Clarita Christian on 2/9. | ||||
| 15 | Bell Jeff | Record: 13-10, 3-5. SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked. Better than their record would indicate, Bell-Jeff plays in a Division IV-dominated league and the Guards are admittedly down a bit from prior years. Casey Markovic (6'-5" Sr. SG) has been providing the key offensive punch and while they've lost some to higher enrollment division league opponents, they will still be a tough team during the playoffs. Next: @ Murphy on Monday 2/5, then @ St. Genevieve on Wed. 2/7 to close out the regular season. | ||||
| 16 | Serra | Record: 12-12, 2-5. SCIBCA/CIF Poll No. 7 (tie with Western Christian). Lost to St. Paul again this past week and then to Bishop Montgomery, Serra will likely finish 4th in league but will have enough wins to qualify by petition for the D-VAA playoffs. The big question continues to be overall depth, even though quite a few of their losses are to Division IV and higher teams. Up Next: One more game remaining on 2/5 against St. Bernard, which beat Serra in the first meeting in league. | ||||
| 17 | Campbell Hall | Record: 10-10, 4-4. SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked. An erratic season, this team has more talent than it's overall record would indicate and they've also had tough scheduling. Led by Derrick Williams (6'-3" So. F/G), Devaughn Nixon (6'-1" Sr. G), and Robert Locke (6'-0" So. PG) this young team has had a tough time in league but will be a playoff contender if they can capture the third place spot in Delphic League; if not they may not have enough wins overall to qualify by petition and there are no guarantees even if they get 11 wins. Next up: Hosting Brentwood on Tuesday 2/6, then @ Crossroads to close out the season. Tuesday is a "Must Win" for the Vikings. | ||||
| 18 | Oakwood | Record: 15-5, 7-4.SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked. Nick Mark (6'-8" Sr. F/C) and point guard Eric Noble continue to provide the offense now that Stan Musgrave has gone down with an ACL injury. Next: Three games to conclude the regular season, all at home: Viewpoint on Monday 2/5, Buckley on Wednesday 2/7, then Providence on 2/9, as the Gorrillas make the playoffs for the first time in recent memory. | ||||
| 19 | Bloomington Chr | Record: 17-2, 7-2. SCIBCA/CIF Poll "Others". The Ravens have cut through Victory League with only two losses behind Mike Martin's and Aaron Rollings' play. Two more likely wins coming up this week to close out the regular season: 2/6 @ Calvary Chapel Redlands and hosting Academy of Academic Excellence on 2/9. | ||||
| 20 | Woodcrest Chr. | Record: 13-8, 5-5. SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked Continue to be a bubble team heading into the playoffs. Could take third behind Western Christian and ACA in the crowded Christian League, but even if they don't they should make the playoffs coming out of the 7 team league. Next: @ Calvary Chapel Murrieta Valley 1/23. | ||||
| 20T | Santa Clara | Record: 12-6, 6-1. SCIBCA/CIF Poll "Others". Clinched a share of the Frontier League title on Saturday. A mystery because many in the division have not seen them play. Albert Soria provides most of the offensive scoring. Only one game remaining, @ Santa Paula on Thursday 2/8, so the best they can finish is 13-6 with a win. | ||||
Others not ranked or no longer ranked this week |
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| Pasadena Poly | SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked. Not a pretty record, and inconsistent results, but with Marshall Duncan, Ini Archibong, and high-scoring freshman Matt Sargeant and a third place finish in Prep League, Poly could surprise someone during the playoffs. | |||||
| La Verne Lutheran | SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked. Record: 14-5, 9-2, currently in second in Express League and they could be tough in the playoffs. Two more games, on Tuesday at Rolling Hills Prep and then on Friday 2/9 at Eastside Christian. | |||||
| Pilibos | Record: 15-2. SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked. We haven't seen this team this year, but we do know they are likely to win the Valley League. Could be a dangerous opponent with good outside shooting in the playoffs, but have played mostly V-A schools during the season, so they will be tested early. | |||||
| Flintridge Prep | Record:11-10, 3-2. SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked. Flintridge will qualify for the playoffs, but with another game on Wednesday against Chadwick @ Chadwick likely to be a loss, don't look for many more wins this season as league concludes. They have one more liekly win against Webb on Friday 2/9. Will likely survive beyond the first round of playoffs, but it will be tough. | |||||
| St. Anthony | Record 9-14, 4-3. SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked. The defending Southern Section V-AA Champions will likely not even make the playoffs with a 4th place standing in tough Camino Real League unless they win their last two games, against Cantwell @ St. Anthony's on Monday 2/5, and then @ St. Monica's on 2/7 to finish the regular season (which doesn't seem likely). Still, if they make the playoffs, they could also be a team that does some damage. | |||||
| Montclair Prep | Record: 9-13, 4-4. SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked. The Mounties are in the unenviable position of having to qualify with only two games remaining, and one of them against Pacific Hills on Tuesday 2/6 @ Montclair and then hosting Brentwood on Thursday 2/8, and not even a win against Brentwood is a sure thing. Montclair only beat Whitney (0-8 in league) by a single point at the buzzer on Friday. A puzzling team. | |||||
| Holy Martyrs | Record: 11-9, 6-6. SCIBCA/CIF Poll Unranked. The Armens are plagued by injuries, having lost their two best players for the season. Will qualify for the playoffs but only if they choose to petition with a likely 5th place league finish in the 8 team Liberty League. Could still surprise a weaker first round opponent with good outside shooting and excellent coaching, but it will be hard if they face a seeded opponent. Next: Hosting Yeshiva on 2/5, Providence on 2/7 and @ Windward on 2/9 to conclude the regular season. | |||||
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