Central Section high school boys basketball rankings (1/29/2024)
And down the stretch they come!
What seems like in a flash, the regular season has four more games before the playoffs begin on Feb. 13. And while St. Joseph and star Tounde Yessoufou have dominated with only two losses, Clovis North has a shot to be the No. 1 seed in the CIF Central Section playoffs due to a stronger strength of schedule on MaxPreps.
And speaking of red-hot Clovis North, the Broncos get a bump to No. 2 after beating No. 3 Clovis West 79-67. Circle Feb. 9 on the calendar as the rematch will take place at The Eagles’ Nest that will certainly be ripe with drama.
Both No. 4 Centennial and No. 5 Bullard had huge wins over top 10 foes Bakersfield Christian (No. 8) and San Joaquin Memorial (No. 6) last week.
Buchanan (18-5) jumps into the rankings at No. 7 led by coach Tom Orlich, who is 5th all-time in California in wins.
1. St. Joseph (21-2)
Last ranking: 1
The Knights continue to dominate their Mountain League opponents, smashing Arroyo Grande 85-42 and Mission Prep 95-55. 6-foot-5 junior Tounde Yessoufou scored 30 points with 16 rebounds and 30 points with 11 rebounds last week. Sophomore guard Julius Price pitched in 28 with 8 assists against Arroyo Grande.
2. Clovis North (20-5)
Last ranking: 3
Besides St. Joseph, there's no hotter team in the Central Section than the Broncos, defeating rival Clovis West 79-67 in the first round of league behind Connor Amundsen’s 36 points. Their five losses on the season are to state top 25 Sierra Canyon, Salesian, Archbishop Riordan, St. John Bosco and Winward.
3. Clovis West (20-5)
Last ranking: 2
Fell to Clovis North on the road 79-67 on Jan. 23 but rebounded in a big way to defeat Central 90-43 three days later. Senior Zach Chauhan, who recently passed the 1,000 point scoring mark, scored 16 in the Central win and DJ Stickman chipped in 14. Feb. 9 will be a doozy as the Eagles host Clovis North in the final game of the regular season, most likely for a TRAC title that also has major playoff ramifications.
4. Centennial (19-6)
Last ranking: 4
The Golden Hawks had a solid week, defeating Frontier, Stockdale and Bakersfield Christian 73-62 in a highly touted matchup. Senior Rippen Gill scored 20 points with 12 rebounds and Mike Gutierrez scored 16 in the win over the Eagles.
5. Bullard (18-7)
Last ranking: 5
The Knights broke San Joaquin Memorial’s 17 game home winning streak when they beat the D2 defending CIF state champs in a 67-66 on Jan. 23 and followed with a 69-65 win at Sanger. Sophomore Dalen Felder (20 points) scored the game-winner with 9.7 seconds left from an assist from fellow soph Ja’Vance Coleman in the win over the Panthers.
6. San Joaquin Memorial (15-9)
Last ranking: 6
It was a wild week for the Panthers as they fell to Bullard in Round 1 of CMAC by a point and beat Edison 76-75 in OT three days later. Freshman Jaxson Silverstrom scored 16 points and another freshman against Edison and another freshman, Ty Schalk, hit the game-winning 3-pointer.
7. Buchanan (18-5)
Last ranking: Not ranked
Last season the Bears won eight games but have improved dramatically under the direction of Tom Orlich who took over the program eight games into the season last year. He currently sits at 851 wins, good for 8th all time in California. Junior guard Conner Sheets is their leading scorer.
8. Bakersfield Christian (14-10)
Last ranking: 7
The Eagles 7-game winning streak was snapped by their loss to Centennial (see above) despite 33 points from Gabe Gutierrez and 18 from Bently Waller. They have a favorable final four games of the regular season with Ridgeview, Garces, Highland and Independence.
9. Clovis East (14-9)
Last ranking: 8
The Timberwolves can’t quite get over the hump in the tough Tri-River Athletic Conference, falling last week to Buchanan 65-50 and Clovis North 71-58. Their final four games are against Clovis West, Clovis, Central and Buchanan.
10. Dinuba (21-3)
Last ranking: 9
The Emperors are tied with St. Joseph with the most wins in the section with 21 and has won nine straight including wins over Mission Oak 72-40 and Hanford 57-34 last week. Javier Torres totaled 44 points and 19 rebounds in the victories.
