Week 16 National Prep Basketball Poll released

^National Prep Basketball Poll – Week 16=

^By Jamie DeMoney & Jeremy Plowman=

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     The National Prep Basketball Poll is compiled by Jamie DeMoney of XOS Digital and high school basketball expert Jeremy Plowman with input from sportswriters, experts, and coaches. The national Top 25 and regional Top 10's follow with won-loss records:

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#1. Henderson, Nev., Findlay (34-0), owns 53-game winning streak

#2. Montverde, Fla., Montverde Academy (23-2), only loss to No. 1 Findlay 

#3. Highland, Utah, Lone Peak (26-1), third consecutive 5A crown

#4. Chicago, Young (26-3), 8-2 versus current or formerly-ranked teams

#5. Chicago, Simeon (25-3), F Jabari Parker a Duke recruit 

#6. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict’s (27-2), jr. G Jonathan Williams committed to VCU

#7. Dallas, Prime Prep (34-0), won National Association of Christian Athletes tourney in Dayton, Tenn.  

#8. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony (26-1), only loss to No. 6 St. Benedict’s

#9. Lake Oswego, Ore. (26-0), favored to win first state title since 2006 

#10. Germantown, Wis. (26-0), extended win streak to 54

#11. Etiwanda, Calif. (27-2), beat two ranked teams en route to CIF-SS 1AA title

#12. Santa Ana, Calif., Mater Dei (30-2), upset by No. 11 Etiwanda and fell short of repeat CIF crown

#13. La Porte, Ind., La Lumiere (24-3), 2-2 versus Top 25 teams

#14. Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman (29-3), fourth Class 4A title in five seasons

#15. Overland Park, Kan., Blue Valley Northwest (22-0), has win over No. 23 De La Salle 

#16. Iowa City, Iowa, West (23-0), seeks repeat 4A state title 

#17. Detroit, Pershing (20-0), beat Catholic League champ U-D Jesuit, 74-59, in Operation Friendship game in Detroit

#18. Pompano Beach, Fla., Ely (27-1), back-to-back Class 7A champion  

#19. Chester, Pa. (24-3), beat then regionally-ranked Lower Merion, 60-46, in 4A state playoffs

#20. Huntington, W.Va., Huntington Prep (30-3), sr. F Andrew Wiggins named Naismith National Player of the Year 

#21. Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill (33-5), averaging 36.5 wins per season since 2006 

#22. Richmond, Texas, Travis (31-5), advanced to 5A state semifinals 

#23. Minneapolis, De La Salle (24-1), crushed state-ranked Minnehaha, 107-67

#24. Columbia, S.C., Irmo (29-0), won fifth state title, but first undefeated season 

#25. Lithonia, Ga., Miller Grove (29-3), plays Friday for fifth straight 4A championship 

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^Northeast=

#1. Newark, N.J., St. Benedict’s, 27-2

#2. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony, 26-1

#3. Chester, Pa., 24-3

#4. Jersey City, N.J., Hudson Catholic, 29-1

#5. Philadelphia, Neumann-Goretti, 21-5

#6. Brookville, N.Y., Long Island Lutheran, 24-2 

#7. Middle Village, N.Y., Christ the King, 24-3

#8. Brooklyn, Lincoln, 24-5

#9. Harrisburg, Pa., 26-2

#10. New Haven, Conn., Hillhouse, 22-1

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^East Coast=

#1. Huntington, W.Va., Huntington Prep, 30-3

#2. Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill, 33-5

#3. Columbia, S.C., Irmo, 29-0

#4. Washington, Gonzaga, 25-4

#5. Richmond, Va., Benedictine, 31-4

#6. Charlotte, N.C., Olympic, 27-0  

#7. Rockville, Md., Montrose Christian, 19-4

#8. Arlington, Va., Bishop O’Connell, 27-7

#9. Waldorf, Md., North Point, 22-1

#10. High Point, N.C., Wesleyan Christian, 23-5

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^Southeast=

#1. Montverde, Fla., Montverde Academy, 23-2

#2. Pompano Beach, Fla., Ely, 27-1

#3. Lithonia, Ga., Miller Grove, 29-3

#4. Orlando, Fla., Lake Highland Prep, 24-5

#5. Birmingham, Ala., Wenonah, 34-2

#6. Baton Rouge, La., Scotlandville, 31-3 

#7. Jacksonville, Fla., Providence, 31-1

#8. Decatur, Ga., Columbia, 28-3

#9. Tampa, Fla., Jesuit, 30-1

#10. Murfreesboro, Tenn., Blackman, 29-0

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^Midwest=

#1. Chicago, Young, 26-3

#2. Chicago, Simeon, 25-3 

#3. Germantown, Wis., 26-0

#4. La Porte, Ind., La Lumiere, 24-3 

#5. Detroit, Pershing, 20-0

#6. Chicago, Morgan Park, 28-3

#7. Carmel, Ind., 21-2

#8. Louisville, Ky., Ballard, 29-4

#9. Cincinnati, Walnut Hills, 24-1

#10. Columbus, Ohio, Northland, 24-0

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^Midlands=

#1. Highland, Utah, Lone Peak, 26-1 

#2. Overland Park, Kan., Blue Valley Northwest, 22-0

#3. Iowa City, Iowa, West, 23-0

#4. Minneapolis, De La Salle, 24-1

#5. Omaha, Neb., Central, 23-4

#6. Denver, East, 22-2

#7. Apple Valley, Minn., 25-1

#8. Topeka, Kan., Highland Park, 22-0

#9. Overland Park, Kan., Shawnee Mission South, 22-0   

#10. Blue Springs, Mo., South, 24-2

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^Southwest=

#1. Henderson, Nev., Findlay, 34-0

#2. Dallas, Prime Prep, 34-0   

#3. Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman, 29-3

#4. Richmond, Texas, Travis, 31-5  

#5. Midwest City, Okla., 25-1

#6. Grand Prairie, Texas, South Grand Prairie, 36-3 

#7. Tempe, Ariz., Corona del Sol, 29-5

#8. Carrollton, Texas, Hebron, 36-3

#9. DeSoto, Texas, 33-3

#10. North Little Rock, Ark., 29-1

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^West Coast=

#1. Lake Oswego, Ore., 26-0

#2. Etiwanda, Calif., 27-2

#3. Santa Ana, Calif., Mater Dei, 30-2

#4. Long Beach, Calif., Poly, 27-3

#5. Bellflower, Calif., St. John Bosco, 24-6

#6. Portland, Ore., Jesuit, 23-2

#7. Seattle, Rainier Beach, 25-4

#8. Richmond, Calif., Salesian, 30-3  

#9. Torrance, Calif., Bishop Montgomery, 29-1

#10. Los Angeles, Westchester, 28-6

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     FEATS OF THE WEEK: Third-ranked Highland, Utah, Lone Peak pummeled Sandy, Utah, Alta, 72-39, to wrap up its third consecutive 5A state championship. The Knights were led by senior forward Eric Mika (a BYU recruit), who had 16 points and 18 rebounds. ... Etiwanda, Calif., entered the national rankings at No. 11 after beating No. 12 Santa Ana, Calif., Mater Dei, 54-51, for the CIF-SS Division 1AA championship. Earlier in the week, Etiwanda prevailed in a 59-55 overtime game against Long Beach, Calif., Poly, which was ranked 10th nationally at the time. ... Senior guard Justin McKie (South Carolina) scored 20 points and helped guide No. 24 Columbia, S.C., Irmo to a 65-46 rout of Goose Creek, S.C., for the Class 4A state championship. ... North Carolina-bound senior guard Joel Berry scored 21 points to lift regionally-ranked Orlando, Fla., Lake Highland Prep to a 60-57 win against Boca Raton, Fla., St. Andrew's in the 4A state championship. Meanwhile, in the 7A final, No. 18 Pompano Beach, Fla., Ely knocked off Orlando, Fla., Evans, 58-50, to earn its second consecutive state crown. ... Richmond, Va., Benedictine entered the regional rankings after toppling regionally-ranked Arlington, Va., Bishop O'Connell, 62-56, in the Virginia Independent 4A championship game. Junior guard Robert Johnson led the victorious Cadets with 22 points. 

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Copyright 2013 World Features Syndicate, Inc...endit

NOTE: This is the 26th consecutive season for World Features Syndicate's National Prep Poll. It is the 13th straight year the National Prep Poll has been  compiled by Jamie DeMoney.

About the National Prep Poll: Compiled weekly weekly since 1987 and distributed by World Features Syndicate and the Associated Press, the National Prep Poll is the nation's second oldest weekly high school sports rankings. Doug Huff compiled the rankings from 1987 until 1999. Jamie DeMoney has compiled the poll since the start of the 1999 basketball season to the present.

The National Prep Poll is the only high school poll distributed to newspapers and Web sites around the United States by the Associated Press national wire service.

Among the criteria used in the weekly compilation of the National Prep Poll rankings are strength of schedule, the ability to accomplish the ultimate goal on a team's schedule (i.e. winning a championship), impact players and performers, a team's coaching and recent tradition.

About PrepNation.com: PrepNation.com was originally launched August 1, 2001 by Jamie DeMoney for the purpose of creating a permanent online home for the National Prep Poll football and boys basketball rankings.