Hinting last week that Lincoln Park Charter was gaining rapidly on Philly’s Math, Civics & Sciences, the WPIAL-based Leopards have gained even more ground.
Enough to slide past the Mighty Elephants and assume the No. 1 spot in the latest version of PennLive’s Class A boys’ basketball rankings.
Several other changes took place as St. John Neumann moved up to No. 5 after previous No. 5 Johnsonburg suffered a 69-67 loss to DuBois Central Catholic and dropped one rung to No. 6.
Mahanoy Area also moved up one spot from No. 9 to No. 8 after Lebanon Catholic tumbled at Columbia (64-60) early last week.
The final adjustment came at No. 10, where a Monessen squad that began the season among the top 10 supplanted previous No. 10 New Hope Academy. Monessen has won its last four, while New Hope dropped three games in three days.
As always, stay tuned.
Short synopses of our top 10 appear below — PIAA district, overall records and record for the week are displayed in parentheses — as does a lengthy list of teams that merit watching as the 2013-14 campaign continues to play out.
1. Lincoln Park Charter (7, 10-1, 2-0) — previous ranking: 2 — Mark Javens’ lethal Leopards continued their impressive play last week, routing Rochester (78-30) and Our Lady of Sacred Heart (81-44) behind a pair of double-figure performances from Antonio Kellem and Elijah Minnie. Maverick Rowan also enjoyed a big night against OLSH, pouring in 28. Will go back on the WPIAL road on Tuesday, visiting Union.
2. Math, Civics & Sciences (12, 5-7, 1-2) — previous ranking: 1 — Dan Jackson’s Mighty Elephants opened the week with a taut victory over Frankford (63-58), but closed it by losing to Constitution (62-54) and St. John’s Collegiate (D.C.) (99-59). While Terquin Mott scored 19 points and Mike Watkins popped a double-double (13 points, 13 boards) in the win, Samir Doughty spent the week totaling 44 points. Doesn’t get any easier, as a visit to Imhotep Charter is on Tuesday’s agenda.
3. Bishop Carroll (6, 10-0, 2-0) — previous ranking: 3 — Cosie Aliquo’s Huskies railroaded two more victims, humbling Forest Hills (71-31) and Penn Cambria (80-47) while improving their sparkling record to 10-0. Brandon Martinazzi poured in 25 points and Marcus Lee added 21 in the win over Forest Hills, while Lee and Scott Lucas shared 43 points as Carroll crunched Penn Cambria. Will return to action on Wednesday, making the trip across Ebensburg to Central Cambria.
4. Vincentian (7, 12-0, 1-0) — previous ranking: 4 — George Yokitis’ Royals wrecked two more scoreboards last week, posting big numbers in wins over Quigley Catholic (101-57) and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (95-92). Ryan Wolf (10/28), Jim Kenna (15/19) and Jay Cortese (16/14) cracked double figures both nights. May have an interesting bout Tuesday with visiting Sewickley Academy.
5. St. John Neumann (4, 10-0, 2-0) — previous ranking: 6 — Paul Petcavage’s Golden Knights passed their first difficult examination early last week by turning back Sullivan County (45-42), then popped the bus back into cruise control several days later in a relatively easy win over Bloomsburg (61-32). Alize Johnson continued his torrid pace by scoring 19 points against Sullivan, then canning seven treys in a 32-point burst against Bloom. Should have another test on Tuesday when South Williamsport ventures across the Susquehanna River’s West Branch.
6. Johnsonburg (9, 12-2, 2-1) — previous ranking: 5 — While Cameron Grumley and Cole Peterson took turns propelling Bill Shuey’s Rams past Saint Marys (69-52) and Bradford (77-41) — Grumley poured in 35 points in Jburg’s first win, while Peterson finished with 29 in the second — Johnsonburg closed the week with a narrow loss (69-67) to DuBois Central Catholic. Peterson had 25 in that loss, while Grumley and C.J. Herbstritt each tacked on 11. Will entertain Brockway on Tuesday.
7. Elk County Catholic (9, 9-2, 1-0) — previous ranking: 7 — Aaron Straub’s Crusaders chalked up two more victories last week, subduing Punxsutawney 64-59 and derailing crosstown rival Saint Marys 65-45. ECC will open its doors once again on Tuesday, entertaining Curwensville.
8. Mahanoy Area (11, 11-0, 2-0) — previous ranking: 9 — Mickey Holland’s club tossed two more results into the win column last week, as the Golden Bears romped past Nativity (70-48) and Lourdes Regional (68-29). While Jason Richmond, Larry McNeil and Tyler Cavenas shared 49 points against Nativity, McNeil, Cavenas and Dylan Mahmod combined for 48 as Mahanoy decked Lourdes and handed Holland his 600th career victory. Will host Schuylkill Haven tonight.
9. Lebanon Catholic (3, 10-2, 2-1) — previous ranking: 8 — After falling just short (64-60) at Columbia last Monday, Scott Clentimack’s Beavers rebounded by belting Annville-Cleona (69-47) and Pequea Valley (58-45). Alex Frattaroli churned out 20, 22 and 16 points for Lebanon Catholic, sizable numbers that enabled the senior forward to join the Beavers’ 1,000-point club. Will be back on the road again tonight, visiting Lancaster Catholic.
10. Monessen (7, 7-4, 1-0) — previous ranking: HM — While the Greyhounds opened the 2013-14 season in the top 10, a tough stretch at the start quickly had the WPIAL outfit on the outside looking in. Well, after clamping down on Mapletown (84-30) for its fourth consecutive victory, Monessen is back in the limelight. Clintell Gillaspie and Lavalle Rush split 34 points in that victory. Up next for the Greyhounds is a Tuesday night scrap at Carmichaels.
OTHERS TO WATCH: Bishop Guilfoyle (6) 7-1, Cameron County (9) 10-0, Carmichaels (7) 10-1, Church Farm (1) 5-4, Clarion-Limestone (9) 10-1, Cochranton (10) 10-2, DuBois Central Catholic (9) 7-3, Greenwood (3) 8-3, Homer-Center (6) 11-1, Juniata Valley (6) 9-2, Kennedy Catholic (10) 5-3, Mount Calvary (3) 11-1, New Hope Academy (3) 5-6, North Catholic (7) 5-6, Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg (11) 9-3, Our Lady of Sacred Heart (7) 8-4, Phil-Mont Christian (1) 10-2, Pius X (11) 5-3, Portage (6) 9-1, Ridgway (9) 10-2, Sewickley Academy (7) 8-3, Shade (5) 8-3, Shanksville-Stonycreek (5) 8-2, Sullivan County (4) 8-3, Western Beaver (7) 11-1.
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