CSI/McCown. The competition level will get much tougher this week though as on Friday night it will be one of the games circled on the Lions calendar every year when they host St. Peter's in a Staten Island rivalry game, before hitting the road on Sunday for a league gate with Cardinal Spellman.
3) Benjamin Banneker (8-0)- Unblemished on the season to date are the Warriors who have scored over 100 points in four of their seven league contests so far as the offensive firepower that Banneker has is deep with both Takai Simpkins '21 and Tajuan Simpkins '21 averaging over 17 points per game, while Tyler Gordon '20 controls the paint as he has a double-double in all eight games that the Warriors have played in this season. James Madison is the lone league game on the slate this week for Banneker with that game coming up on Wednesday, and then it will be a Brooklyn Bridge Holiday Classic game for the Warriors with Upper Room from Long Island waiting on the horizon in Williamsburg.
4) Bedford Academy (8-1)- A perfect 7-0 in league play is Bedford as their lone loss came this past Saturday out of league to a strong squad from Maryland in Oxon Hill. The Panthers have made especially quick work of everyone in PSAL play so far as they are winning by an average of over 25 points a game with Ethan Edwards '20 being the one who is doing most of the work by averaging 23 points per game himself on a team that is veteran and ready to make a big run toward a PSAL title this season. Road games this week at Bushwick Campus on Monday and Sunset Park on Friday are upcoming for a very solid Bedford Academy team.
5) KIPP NYC College Prep (7-0)- Coming off a subpar season for KIPP standards, the Bulldogs are right back near the top of the PSAL this season as they are dominating with ease in the Bronx A Central Division with a 20 point victory over Morris being their closest game they have played in seven league games. It's a fairly balanced offensive attack as well for KIPP as Damir Brooks '20 leads four players who average double figures for the Bulldogs so far on the year. This week will see KIPP go on the road on Monday to take on a fellow unbeaten team in league play in Bronx United before going to DeWitt Clinton on Wednesday. A difficult non-league test against Mount St Michael of the CHSAA AA will finish out the week on Thursday.
6) Fordham Prep (3-1)- Losing their season opener on the road to a CHSAA AA title contender in Iona Prep, the Rams have rallied back since and won their first three league contests by downing St. Edmund's, McClancy, and Nazareth at home this week with Ryan McPartlan '21 putting together a strong opening to his first varsity season as he averaging 23 points in Fordham Prep's three wins to have them in a strong spot as we get going this year. Fordham on Tuesday will again be at home for a date with LaSalle before playing their last league game of the 2019 year on the road when they go to Manhattan to take on their rivals from Xavier.
7) Beacon (11-0)- We believe that the Blue Demons are the first team in New York State this season to hit the double digit win plateau, and doing it before the middle on December is quite an achieve for a team that made an impressive statement on Wednesday when they dominated Frederick Douglass Academy from start to finish in a 66-39 victory that had Sam Pohlman '21 lead the way for Beacon with 21 points as once again this year it's the Blue Demons putting themselves as among the best in Class A. Two road contest are next up for Beacon as an easier one at George Washington is first on Monday before a much tougher matchup at Louis Brandeis comes after that on Wednesday.
8) St. Edmund Prep (3-1)- Yes St. Edmund fell to Fordham Prep on the road 58-53 but it was a game that the Eagles were in nearly the entire way, leading the contest for a good chunk early on in the fourth quarter as well. Shemar Latty '20, one of the best players in the CHSAA Class A Division, had 21 points and 6 assists in the loss, though in Edmund's three wins they have been able to control the game throughout and get strong and balanced scoring from all over the floor. Nazareth is next for St. Edmund's Prep at home on Tuesday before a Sunday afternoon game at LaSalle will finish out the week for the Eagles.
9) Louis Brandeis (8-0)- We already mentioned Brandeis just a bit ago and here they are making an appearance in the Class A NYC Rankings. They play Beacon in a matchup for first place in the Manhattan A Northwest 1 league as each are perfect in league play this season to date, with both holding an impressive win over Frederick Douglass Academy as the Bulldogs went on the road and got a 56-45 win with Justin Rey '22 going for 14 in the victory, a career high for the young sophomore in his biggest high school game to date. A bigger one though will come against Beacon on Wednesday in a battle of unbeatens, though first up on Monday will be Graphics Campus in a game that Brandeis cannot overlook.
10) Graphics Campus (9-1)- They cannot overlook them because the 49ers are quite talented themselves having earned their spot in the Top Ten this week. Their one loss was to Beacon though it was a competitive game through that saw Chalif Oxley '20 and Damani Claxton '20 each score 20 in a 75-67 loss. Claxton for the season is averaging 26 points per game as he and the rest of the Graphics Campus team will looks to give Louis Brandeis their first loss of the year when they meet on Monday afternoon, and then the 49ers will finish the week on Wednesday with a trip to Philip Randolph.
Class B
1) Fannie Lou Hamer (8-0)- If it seems like Fannie Lou is always near the top of the Class B rankings year after year then you would be right. They always have a powerhouse team for the competition they go up against as Anthony Rose '20 was a top player a year ago in the PSAL and her returns, and with the addition of Jamal Kanu '21 it just means that 91-35, 108-27, 89-26 are typical scores that you will see this season for the Panthers. A road game at Bathgate will be first up this coming week for Fannie Lou Hamer on Monday, then it's another road game on Tuesday at Frederick Douglass Academy III before the Panthers finish out the league part of their slate this week on Thursday against Comprehensive Model School. The games won't stop though because Fannie Lou will be at the Brooklyn Bridge Holiday Classic on Saturday where they will face off with a CHSAA Class A contender in LaSalle Academy.
2) Uncommon Charter (8-0)- Led by Ahzariah Douglas '20 the Sabers are a team that will be competing for a Class B title this season as the do it all guard is averaging 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists on the year with Uncommon dominating a strong Brooklyn B East league, while also showing what they can do against top quality competition as they hold wins over Upper Room from Long Island, and a solid Addict Academy team out of California. League games this week against William Maxwell on Tuesday and Juan Morel Campos on Thursday shouldn't prove to be too much of a challenge, though a Saturday date against you BCAM in a non-league battle should be an interesting one to watch.
3) Riverdale (2-0)- We head to the privates now as Riverdale are the first of three teams from the Private League that will make the Class B Top Ten. Sam Klores '20 is headed to Brown next season so you know that having a Division 1 player on this level should make you special, and with a pair of 25+ point blowout victories so far this season it means big things should be ahead for a team that is also a lot more than just Klores as well. This week will see the Falcons host Horace Mann in an Ivy League match on Monday afternoon, and then on Wednesday its another home game but this one could prove to be a bit tougher as Riverdale will host a solid Dalton team.
4) Poly Prep (3-0)- Another Private School team in our Class B rankings are the Blue Devils who on Thursday made very easy work of Dalton defeating the Tigers 75-56 as Max Ragusa '22 is back leading the charge this season for Poly who look to be in fine form early this season with the sophomore lead guard already averaging 24 points and 6 assists per game so far through three games. There are no league games this week for the Blue Devils as it will just be a pair of games in the Brooklyn Bridge Holiday Classic on Saturday and Sunday with big challenges coming as its the #1 team in AA in NYC on Saturday in Brooklyn Collegiate, and then a solid Class A team in Frederick Douglass Academy to come on Sunday.
5) East New York Family Academy (6-0)- Normally it's the Brooklyn B North Division that gets a lot of the attention but this season it's the Eagles from ENY Family Academy that are giving the South a good amount of attention as they are putting up very strong offensive numbers as a team led by Elijah Walker '21 who is putting up 16 points and 13 rebounds a game. The Eagles have yet to win a game by less than 11 points and have all the looks to be a major contender moving forward the rest of the way. Upcoming over the next week it will be a tough game against Adams Street Academy at home on Monday that should tell just how real ENY Family is, with another tough one on Wednesday to come as well against BCAM, this one though on the road.
6) South Bronx Prep (8-1)- The champions from a season ago in the PSAL B Division, the Cougars impressed when they went upstate and nearly knocked off Glens Falls in front of a sold out Glens Falls Civic Center in the NYS Federation Tournament of Champions, with South Bronx Prep looking to get back to the Feds with another PSAL title this year. Steven Turner '21 averaged a triple-double a year ago and the 6'3" guard in on pace to do that yet again this season, while Eric Davis '20 his backcourt mate already has a 46 point game this season when South Bronx downed Health Opportunies. Monday will see the Cougars hit the floor to take on Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy at home, then it will be Marie Curie School on Wednesday, before ending the week on the road on Friday at Albert Tuitt.
7) Martin Luther (5-1)- Our final Private School team in the Top Ten for Class B is a member of the PSAA in the Cougars as they have a couple of impressive wins in the early season having beating Scholars Academy to win their Holiday Classic that they host, while also holding an win over a solid Staten Island Academy team. Offense isn't the problem for Martin Luther as it's on the defensive side where they will need to tighten up a bit more. Darren Joyner '20 who came over as a transfer from John Bowne lead the way for the Cougars as he is the one making the team go. A challenging week ahead is upcoming as a very talented Evangel Christian team is next on the docket for Martin Luther on Monday, with Leman Prep then next up on Wednesday with both games to be played at home for the Cougars in Maspeth.
8) Brooklyn College Academy (9-1)- Paced by the explosive Deon McLaughlin '20 who has a 40 point game in a win over Brooklyn Collaborative Studies team and is averaging 27 points and 12 rebounds on the season, BCA only has one loss on the season which was a defeat to East New York Family Academy back in November just before Thanksgiving. A long time has now passed since then and the Bobcats have two wins over Class A teams and will look to keep looking like well oiled machine this week when on Monday they host a solid BCAM team, before hitting the road on Wednesday to close out a two game week when they go to take on Cobble Hill School of American Studies.
9) The Scholars Academy (8-3)- It's not often that you find a team from Queens in the Top Ten in Class B as Queens has historically not been a hot bed for talent in the lower classifications but the Seawolves are looking to change that this season as all three losses have come out of league, two of which were to teams ranked higher than them in our rankings in Uncommon Charter which they lost by 7, and Martin Luther in a game Scholars lost by 9. There is a good amount of talent to watch on the Seawolves this season as Deiondre Salcedo '21 is just a junior but he is running the point and averaging 18 points and 7 assists a game to date with Scholars looking to keep their strong start going this week when they go to Townsend Harris on Monday, and then host Robert F. Kennedy in a game to watch on Wednesday evening.
10) Spring Creek Campus (7-1)- With a strong win early on this season over a good Achievement First team, Spring Creek has to be a team that people pay attention to with Ayomide Alao '20 being a dangerous offensive threat who can shoot it from deep while showing to be unafraid to attack the rim either. The Ravens only loss came in a non-league contes to Scholars Academy by 6 in a game that Spring Creek led at the half. That game was on November 13th though so it's been over a month since Spring Creek lost a game, a trend they are hoping continues this week when on Tuesday the Ravens go to Teachers Prep, and then host Science Skills Center to close out their pair of games this week on Thursday.
