Top national high school boys basketball news: 5 major states to crown champions (3/8/2024)
It’s one of the biggest weeks of the year for high school boys basketball, as the 2023-24 season approaches the finish line around the country.
After updating the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national basketball rankings, we took a look at some of the top storylines to follow and games to watch this week:
TIME TO CROWN STATE CHAMPS
Harvard-Westlake senior Trent Perry scored 13 points in the CIF Southern Section Open Division finals on Feb. 23, 2024.
Photo by Andy Holzman, SBLive Sports
It’s championship week for many states, and several Power 25 teams will be competing for hardware.
California, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Georgia are among the states that will be crowning champions this week.
No. 2 Columbus (FL), No. 8 Don Bosco (NJ), No. 9 Harvard-Westlake (CA), No. 12 Plano East (TX), No. 19 Grayson (GA), No. 20 Stony Point (TX), No. 21 St. Rose (NJ) and No. 22 Salesian College Prep (CA) will look to bring home state titles this week.
SBLive will have coverage of all the aforementioned state championships and more, so check back often throughout the weekend.
EYBL SCHOLASTIC PLAY NARROWS CHIPOTLE NATIONALS FIELD
The EYBL Scholastic league wraps up its regular season this weekend with games in South Carolina, and the results will impact the field and seeding for Chipotle Nationals, the tournament formerly known as GEICO Nationals.
Several spots for the eight team tournament have likely been unofficially locked up at this point, but these games are pivotal for teams like No. 10 AZ Compass Prep (Arizona), No. 14 Wasatch Academy (Utah) and No. 17 Oak Hill Academy (Virginia).
By the end of the weekend, the committee that decides the field for Chipotle Nationals should have enough to make their final decisions. ESPN plans to reveal the bracket in mid-March.
These are the EYBL Scholastic matchups this weekend to keep an eye on when it comes to Chipotle Nationals.
- No. 7 Link Academy vs. No. 17 Oak Hill Academy, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET
- No. 10 AZ Compass vs. No. 17 Oak Hill Academy, Friday, 6:30 p.m. ET
- No. 4 Long Island Lutheran vs. No. 14 Wasatch Academy, Friday, 8:00 p.m. ET
- No. 7 Link Academy vs. No. 14 Wasatch Academy, Saturday, 5:00 p.m. ET
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TOP 10 GAMES OF THE WEEK
Harvard-Westlake vs. Salesian College Prep, California (CIF) Open Division state championship, Saturday, 8:00 p.m. (PT)
No. 9 Harvard-Westlake will aim to bring home its second straight CIF Open Division state title when Trent Perry and the Wolverines take on No. 22 Salesian College Prep in the championship game Saturday night. Perry, a USC commit and McDonald’s All-American, scored 28 points in the SoCal regional final win over No. 18 Eastvale Roosevelt.
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Grayson vs. McEachern, Georgia (GHSA) 7A state championship, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
The top two teams in the Peach State all season long, No. 19 Grayson and bubble team McEachern will meet in the GHSA 7A state championship game on Saturday. Purdue signee Gicarri Harris and Grayson beat All-American Rutgers commit Ace Bailey and McEachern by a score of 79-62 in the season opener for both teams.
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Don Bosco Prep vs. Paul VI, New Jersey (NJSIAA) Non-Public A state championship, Friday, 5:00 p.m. (ET)
Five-star Rutgers commit Dylan Harper can cap off his senior year with his first state title when No. 8 Don Bosco takes on Paul VI in the NJSIAA Non-Public A championship game on Friday. Harper went off for 38 points and eight rebounds to lead the Ironmen past St. Peter’s for the North sectional title on Monday.
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St. Rose vs. Montclair Immaculate, New Jersey (NJSIAA) Non-Public B state championship, Friday, 7:00 p.m. (ET)
No. 21 St. Rose is one win away from bringing home its first state title since 1977. Led by Villanova signee Matthew Hodge and four-star sophomore Jayden Hodge, the Purple Roses defeated Bishop Eustace earlier this week to capture their second consecutive sectional title and reach the NJSIAA Non-Public B state title game against Montclair Immaculate.
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Plano East vs. Lake Ridge, Texas (UIL) 6A state semifinals, Friday, 7:00 p.m. (CT)
No. 12 Plano East continues its quest to become the first undefeated UIL 6A state champion in nearly 20 years, as the Panthers will go up against Lake Ridge in the semifinals Friday. Three-star junior DJ Hall posted 31 points to lead Plano East past Keller in the region finals.
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Stony Point vs. Beaumont United, Texas (UIL) 6A state semifinals, Friday, 8:30 p.m. (CT)
No. 20 Stony Point will take on Beaumont United in the UIL 6A state semifinals, as the Tigers close in on their first state title in program history. Villanova signee Josiah Moseley recorded 32 points and 14 rebounds in the region finals win over O’Connor last week.
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Myers Park vs. North Mecklenburg, North Carolina (NCHSAA) 4A state quarterfinals, Friday, 7:00 p.m. (ET)
No. 11 Myers Park can reach the NCHSAA 4A state semifinals with a win on Friday, but standing in the way are North Mecklenburg and five-star Duke commit Isaiah Evans. It’ll be a star-studded affair, as top-30 junior Sadiq White leads the charge for a Mustangs squad also featuring Notre Dame signee Sir Mohammed and Tennessee signee Bishop Boswell.
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Fishers vs. Kokomo, Indiana (IHSA) 4A regional championship, Saturday, 4:00 p.m. (ET)
No. 23 Fishers will have a large obstacle in its path to a state title when it squares off against Kansas commit Flory Bidunga and Kokomo in the regional championship on Saturday. Fishers and Kokomo played each other in December, and Fishers won 77-55.
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Florida (FHSAA) 7A state championship, Saturday, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
The matchup will be finalized Friday, but the FHSAA 7A state championship game on Saturday should be a great one regardless of who ends up there. In one of the semifinal games, No. 2 Columbus and Cameron Boozer will play Evans. On the other side of the bracket, Winter Haven will see Oak Ridge and five-star junior Jamier Jones.
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Texas (UIL) 6A state championship, Saturday, 8:30 p.m. (CT)
Will it be a rematch between No. 12 Plano East and No. 20 Stony Point in the UIL 6A state finals, or will Lake Ridge and Beaumont United spoil their magical runs? Plano East won the first matchup, 55-50, when it met up with Stony Point in December. The two have been mainstays in the national top 25 most of the season, so a rematch in the state title game would be epic.
-- Zach Shugan | zshugan@gmail.com | @SBLiveSports
