Best high school boys basketball rivalries in the nation

The playoffs are approaching, and rivalry games abound across the country over the next couple of weeks

Author:
Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports
Updated:
Jan 22, 2024 12:04 PM EST
Original:
Jan 18, 2024

Some big rivalry games are happening this week across the country in high school boys basketball, so it feels like the perfect time to highlight the best rivalries of the best.

And with playoff basketball right around the corner, some of these rivals might meet again in the postseason.

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Mater Dei's Jack Ressler leaps for the goal line while defended by St. John Bosco's Peyton Woodyard during the teams' second meeting of 2022.

Here are SBLive Sports' 20 best high school boys basketball rivalries in the United States:

Brother Rice vs. Detroit Catholic Central (Michigan)

As with so many big high school sports rivalries, this one’s known most for football, but it’s heated on the basketball court as well. Brother Rice has owned the rivalry in recent years, but the game is usually close and the crowd is always full. Detroit Catholic Central won the opener this season 55-53, and Brother Rice gets its chance at revenge Jan. 26. Both are ranked in the SBLive Michigan Top 25 (Detroit Catholic Central No. 6, Brother Rice No. 14).

Chaminade vs. CBC (Missouri)

These are Missouri's top two large-school programs over the last decade, rivals in the Metro Catholic Conference and have been paired together in the same district for three of the last four years. Each has two state championships in this century, with CBC taking the title two seasons ago after beating Chaminade in the semifinals. Chaminade got its revenge last year, knocking out CBC for the district title. CBC’s coach is alum Justin Tatum, who won a state title playing alongside Larry Hughes in 1997. CBC hired Tatum as its head coach when Jayson Tatum was a freshman at Chaminade, but Jayson chose to finish his career at Chaminade instead of transferring and playing for his dad at CBC.

Chester vs. Penn Wood (Pennsylvania)

Chester has had a number of rivals over the years as the Clippers have amassed more than 2,000 wins, including Kobe Bryant’s Lower Merion Aces, but Penn Wood gets the nod. The Patriots snapped Chester’s 58-game Del-Val League home winning streak last year, but the Clippers bounced back this season with a 59-50 win. The Philadelphia-area schools located 10 miles apart meet again Jan. 23, and the gym will be packed as always.

Christ The King vs. Archbishop Molloy (New York)

From a historical perspective "The Battle of the Boulevard" between St. Francis Prep and Holy Cross is another Queens rivalry worthy of national stature. But Christ The King vs. Archbishop Molloy, located less than 5 miles apart, each about five miles away from the Mets' Citi Field, has recent history on its side. The rivalry goes back decades and has produced some big-time NBA stars. The year 2018 brought some classic games between Kofi Cockburn of Christ the King and Moses Brown/Cole Anthony of Archbishop Molloy. Christ the King routed Archbishop Molloy earlier this season, and they'll have a rematch Feb. 9.

Dallas Carter vs. Dallas Kimball (Texas)

Carter and Kimball are the two strongest inner-city Dallas ISD basketball schools and have collectively produced an astonishing number of college and NBA players. Carter was created as a school in 1965 and drew most of its original students from Kimball, and they’ve been rivals in football and basketball ever since. Carter cruised past Kimball 90-62 in an early-season game in November.

DeLaSalle vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (Minnesota)

These are two small Catholic private schools that play for the Christian Brothers Cup, and DeLaSalle is a historic powerhouse of Minnesota boys basketball. This rivalry has been pretty one-sided for several years in favor of DeLaSalle, but Benilde-St. Margaret’s beat the Islanders last season and played them tough earlier this season in an 87-75 loss.

Evanston vs. New Trier (Illinois)

These two teams have been playing each other for over 100 years, making it the longest-running rivalry in the state. The teams often play at Northwestern University's Welsh-Ryan Arena and have no trouble filling the arena. Evanston leads the all-time series 122-100, but New Trier has won four in a row, including a dominant 50-37 victory in December. They meet again Feb. 2.

Houston Yates vs. Houston Wheatley (Texas)

Yates and Wheatley represent two of the three oldest predominantly Black high schools in Houston ISD, and they have dominated hoops in this part of the state since the 1950s. For decades Wheatley and Yates produced a lot of the best HBCU college basketball players ever before the UIL started allowing Black schools to compete in 1968. Yates and Wheatley are both 4A schools and are usually grouped into the same district together, so they play each other at least twice a year. They’ve split the series this season and play again Feb. 9.

Little Rock Central vs. North Little Rock (Arkansas)

The two schools separated by the Arkansas River in Little Rock are consistently among the strongest in the state. They haven’t played each other yet this season, but two big games are coming up (Jan. 30 and Feb. 20) for the cross-town rivals, which are both ranked in the Top 10 of the SBLive Arkansas Top 25.

Lutheran East vs. Lutheran West (Ohio)

This rivalry dates back to the 1950s, when Lutheran High School split into Lutheran East and Lutheran West — 18 miles apart — to allow for the construction of I-90 in Cleveland. Both have become among the best boys basketball teams in the state playing in different divisions, with East winning the Division III state championship last year and West finishing runner-up in Division II. The two highly ranked teams — each is No. 1 in its division — meet Feb. 2 at Lutheran West.

Mark Morris vs. R.A. Long (Washington)

Mark Morris prevailed earlier this season in the 68th "Civil War" rivalry game between these two Longview high schools located a mile and a half apart. "This is really the best event we have (in Longview)," Mark Morris coach Bill Bakamus said after the 66th edition last year. "Nobody ever wavers on his or her loyalty of their school. It's a game that is interwoven in the fiber of the community." Their game Feb. 2 will be the last in the rivalry series for Bakamus, who’s retiring after this season from a 41-year coaching career — 32 of them leading Mark Morris.

Mount St. Joseph vs. St. Frances Academy (Maryland)

Mount St. Joseph and St. Frances play in front of standing-room-only crowds at both schools as the Gaels and Panthers battle across two leagues each season — the larger private school Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and the eight-team Baltimore Catholic League. They also compete in two league tournaments and occasionally the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament. In recent years this clash between national powers has been billed the Battle of Baltimore. — Courtesy of Chris Pika

New Albany vs. Jeffersonville (Indiana)

New Albany and Jeffersonville first faced off in 1909, and 115 years later only two games separate the pair. Jeffersonville's 65-57 victory Jan. 5 made it four in a row in the series to trim New Albany's overall lead to 84-82. “The way I define rivalries is being close in proximity, playing each other a long time, and one of the key factors is how has the series gone,” then-New Albany coach Jim Shannon told USA Today in 2016. This one has all of that.

Norcross vs. Berkmar (Georgia)

Two of the best basketball teams of this century in Georgia are also in the same region. Two years ago the Gwinnett County rivals played each other four times, with Norcross beating Berkmar in the 7A state championship game after Berkmar had beaten Norcross in the previous three matchups, including the region championship game. Berkmar had a down year last season and lost three times to Norcross. Berkmar has the better record this season, but its lone region loss is to Norcross, with the rematch coming up Jan. 26. Norcross has six state championships, while Berkmar has two.

North Laurel vs. South Laurel (Kentucky)

These two London, Kentucky, rivals are 4 miles apart in a town of 7,400 people that loves basketball. North Laurel ruled the rivalry in recent years with current Kentucky Wildcat Reed Sheppard leading the team, including going 3-0 last year. But South Laurel won the first matchup this year and holds a 47-23 advantage since 1997.

St. Ignatius vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral (California)

This rivalry game is part of the Bruce-Mahoney trophy series, named after two World War II heroes who died in battle. The game is terrific because of the absolutely divided crowd in the heart of San Francisco, at USF’s War Memorial Gym. Loud. Festive. And the games usually go down to the wire. St. Ignatius took the opener in the series this season, and the rematch is Jan. 30.

Tampa Catholic vs. Jesuit (Florida)

This rivalry between the only two Catholic schools that play high school sports in Hillsborough County returned to a home-and-home annual series in the early 2000s after it had moved to a neutral site because of a prank in the '80s. The prank? Someone poured beans into the toilets at Tampa Catholic, flooding the men's bathrooms. Between fans fanaticism and the high quality of the two teams, this is a classic rivalry. They play Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 this season.

Waukee vs. Waukee Northwest (Iowa)

This is a brand-new rivalry since Waukee Northwest opened in 2021, but one that’s already fierce since the split hasn’t affected Waukee’s strength at all. Both teams are loaded with talent and should be annual contenders for state championships for years to come. Northwest won the series 2-1 last season, including a win in the state semifinals. Waukee took the opener this season 72-61, and the rematch is Jan. 19.

Westchester-Fairfax (California)

The flood of top L.A. city basketball players to private schools has dampened this rivalry a bit, but it’s still heated and attracts star power in the stands — from NBA star Trevor Ariza (Westchester) to rock star Flea (Fairfax) — every time they play. One of the most memorable editions came in 2002, when the body heat from nearly 2,000 fans caused Fairfax's gym walls and floor to sweat. Westchester cruised in the opener this season on Jan. 17, and they play again Feb. 2 at Fairfax.

West Linn vs. Lake Oswego (Oregon)

Each of these Portland suburbs, located right next to each other, has a case for producing the best high school boys basketball player in state history. Kevin Love dominated for Lake Oswego before becoming an NBA star, winning three state championships for the Lakers. Then along came Payton Pritchard, who won a state championship all four of his years at West Linn. Both the Lions and Lakers are struggling this season after West Linn graduated Jackson Shelstad to Oregon, and Lake Oswego lost star player Winters Grady to Prolific Prep in California.