Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings: Cameron Boozer, Columbus three-peat (3/12/2024)

Columbus (Florida), Harvard-Westlake (California), Plano East (Texas) among Power 25 teams to win state championships last week

Author:
Zach Shugan
Publish date:
Mar 12, 2024 12:30 PM EDT

It was championship week for high school boys basketball in several major states, and there was no shortage of exciting hoops action.

The one-two punch of Florida teams at the top of the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings stayed the same, with Montverde Academy at No. 1 and Columbus at No. 2. Cameron Boozer and the Explorers solidified their position in the top two with a dramatic win in the FHSAA 7A state championship game.

Harvard-Westlake jumped two spots to No. 7 after repeating as the California (CIF) Open Division state champion, and Plano East moved into the top 10 after finishing a perfect season with a Texas (UIL) 6A state title.

Find the complete breakdown of the latest SBLive/SI Power 25 rankings update below:

PREVIOUS RANKINGS: PRESEASON | DEC. 12 | DEC. 26 | JAN. 4 | JAN. 16 | JAN. 22 | JAN. 29 | FEB. 5 | FEB. 12 | FEB. 19 | FEB. 26 | MAR. 4

SBLIVE/SI POWER 25 NATIONAL BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS

March 12, 2024

1. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) (30-0)

Cooper Flagg throws down a dunk in a win over Imani Christian (Pennsylvania) on Jan. 25, 2024.
Photo by Robson Lopes, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 1; Up next: TBD

Montverde did not play last week after finishing their regular season campaign the previous week. Exactly half of the Eagles’ 30 wins have come against teams in the top 25.

2. Columbus (Miami, Fla.) (27-4)

Cayden Boozer from Miami Columbus recieves his state championship medal after winning the FHSAA Class 7A state title on Saturday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. — Cayden Boozer leads a line of Columbus players receiving medals after winning the FHSAA 7A state championship on Mar. 9, 2024.
Photo by Bill Kemp, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 2; Up next: TBD

Cameron Boozer and Columbus captured their third straight FHSAA 7A state title after defeating Oak Ridge in an overtime thriller. The Explorers, now on a 21-game win streak, are expected to be one of eight teams invited to Chipotle Nationals.

3. St. Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) (33-2)

St. Paul VI poses with the trophy after winning the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions on Jan. 13, 2024.
Photo by Greta Cross/Springfield News-Leader/USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous rank: 3; Up next: TBD

St. Paul VI was off last week after winning a WCAC championship and VISAA Division 1 state championship the previous week. The Panthers should be back at Chipotle Nationals this year after making GEICO Nationals last year.

4. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) (21-4)

Long Island Lutheran junior Kiyan Anthony, the son of NBA legend Carmelo Anthony, dribbles against Westminster Academy (Florida) at the City of Palms Classic on Dec. 19, 2023.
Photo by Amanda Inscore/The News-Press USA Today Network-Florida/USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous rank: 4; Up next: TBD

LuHi won 66-52 over No. 14 Wasatch Academy in addition to a 28-point win against Canyon International. With eight wins against teams in the top 25, the Crusaders should be one of the top four seeds at Chipotle Nationals.

5. Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) (31-5)

Prolific Prep senior Aiden Sherrell goes up for a shot in a win over Riviera Prep (Florida) on Jan. 25, 2024.
Photo by Robson Lopes, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 6; Up next: Mar. 16 vs. Royal Crown (Canada)

The Crew raced past Pace Academy (Texas) and Ft. Erie (Canada) in the first two rounds of the Grind Session playoffs and will take on Royal Crown (Canada) in the semifinals of the 16-team tournament. McDonald's All-American and Alabama signee Derrion Reid made his return for Prolific after missing nearly three months with an injury.

6. Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) (25-6)

Link Academy senior shooting guard Tre Johnson — Link Academy senior Tre Johnson takes a shot in a win over SEMO Prep (Missouri) on Nov. 8, 2023.
Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 7; Up next: TBD

Link Academy earned a bump in the rankings and solidified its status as a Chipotle Nationals team with wins over No. 14 Wasatch Academy and No. 23 Oak Hill Academy last week in South Carolina.

7. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) (33-3)

Harvard-Westlake senior Robert Hinton raises the trophy after winning the CIF Open Division state championship on Mar. 9, 2024.
Photo by Dennis Lee, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 9; Up next: Season complete

After taking down No. 18 Eastvale Roosevelt for the second time in two weeks, this time in the state semifinals, Harvard-Westlake edged out No. 20 Salesian College Prep to repeat as CIF Open Division state champions. Trent Perry scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of clutch shots in the final minutes to take the lead and seal the championship for the Wolverines.

8. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) (29-3)

Dylan Harper Don Bosco Prep high school basketball — Dylan Harper holds the trophy after Don Bosco won the NJSIAA Non-Public A state championship on Mar. 8, 2024.
Photo by Michael Karas/USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous rank: 8; Up next: TBD

Dylan Harper and Don Bosco beat St. Peter’s to claim a North Jersey sectional title, and then the Ironmen finished the job against Paul VI in the NJSIAA Non-Public A state championship game. Harper posted 29 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the 56-29 win against Paul VI.

9. Plano East (Plano, Tex.) (40-0)

Plano East poses together with the trophy after defeating Stony Point in the UIL 6A state championship game on Mar. 9, 2024.
Photo by Tommy Hays, SBLive Sports

Previous rank: 12; Up next: Season complete

Following a win over Lake Ridge in the semifinals, Plano East dispatched No. 19 Stony Point in the UIL 6A state championship game to cap off a perfect season. The Panthers became the first Texas team to go undefeated since Duncanville went 39-0 in 2006-07.

10. AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ari.) (27-5)

Previous rank: 10; Up next: TBD

AZ Compass closed out EYBL Scholastic league play with wins against No. 23 Oak Hill Academy and Canyon International (Arizona). The Dragons beat three teams in the top 25 this season, including No. 4 Long Island Lutheran, and all five of their losses came to teams in the top 15.

11. Dynamic Prep (Irving, Tex.) (23-1)

Previous rank: 5; Up next: TBD

Dynamic Prep last played nearly three weeks ago, when it won the TCAL 6A state championship. The fall in the rankings for Dynamic Prep is due to several other teams improving their resumes in recent weeks.

12. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) (18-8)

Previous rank: 13; Up next: TBD

IMG Academy moved up one spot despite not playing last week. The Ascenders finished the regular season with a win over No. 15 La Lumiere on Mar. 2.

13. Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) (27-7)

Previous rank: 15; Up next: TBD

Brewster Academy did not play last week. The Bobcats finished the regular season with a 77-69 win against No. 14 Wasatch Academy on Mar. 1, as they now sit and wait for a potential invite to Chipotle Nationals.

14. Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) (15-7)

Previous rank: 14; Up next: TBD

Wasatch’s recent struggles continued with losses to No. 4 Long Island Lutheran and No. 6 Link Academy, the latter of which came by 34 points. The Tigers started the season strong, defeating times like No. 2 Columbus and No. 10 AZ Compass Prep, but they will likely miss out on Chipotle Nationals after losing four of their last six games.

15. La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) (23-5)

Previous rank: 16; Up next: TBD

La Lumiere finished its regular season with a 72-63 loss to No. 12 IMG Academy on Mar. 2. The Lakers own a pair of wins over top 15 teams, and all five of their losses came to teams in the top 25.

16. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) (30-2)

Previous rank: 19; Up next: Season complete

Grayson defeated five-star Ace Bailey and McEachern in the GHSA 7A state championship game, bringing home its first state title in program history. Led by Purdue signee Gicarri Harris and Georgia commit Jacob Wilkins, the son of NBA legend Dominique Wilkins, the Rams closed the season on a 15-game win streak.

17. St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.) (29-2)

Previous rank: 21; Up next: Season complete

St. Rose dominated Montclair Immaculate, 73-29, in the NJSIAA Non-Public B state championship game, winning its first state title since 1977. Villanova signee Matthew Hodge recorded 14 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Purple Roses in the victory.

18. Eastvale Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) (31-4)

Previous rank: 18; Up next: Season complete

For the second time in two weeks, Roosevelt came close but didn’t pull off the upset against No. 7 Harvard-Westlake. Five-star junior Brayden Burries scored 24 points and the Mustangs led by double digits at halftime in the CIF Open Division SoCal regional final, but they fell 63-59 to the state champs.

19. Stony Point (Round Rock, Tex.) (38-2)

Previous rank: 20; Up next: Season complete

Playing in the state semifinals for the first time in program history, Stony Point took down Beaumont United to set up a rematch with No. 9 Plano East in the UIL 6A state finals. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they fell just short of a state title, losing to the Panthers for the second time this season.

20. Salesian College Prep (Richmond, Calif.) (31-2)

Previous rank: 22; Up next: Season complete

Salesian put up a strong fight against No. 7 Harvard-Westlake in the CIF Open Division state finals before ultimately falling 50-45 to the Wolverines. It was the first loss for the Pride since an overtime defeat to St. John Bosco (California) in late December.