6- KIPP NYC College Prep (6-0)- Due to the Christmas break and COVID protocols it's been since December 13th that KIPP have taken to the court. That's an exceptionally long time and the Bulldogs led by Amadou Toure have to be itching at the bit to get back out there. The wait will come to an end on Monday when KIPP goes on the road to take on Bronx United. After that will then come a Wednesday home game against Taft before going back on the road on Friday to square off with Christopher Columbus in what is a three game week to welcome the Bulldogs back.
7- Fordham Prep (8-3)- Hosting Nazareth on Tuesday saw Fordham Prep have a shot to solidify themselves as a part of the cream of the crop in the CHSAA A Division, but even with another strong effort from lead guard Omari Ward it was the Rams who couldn't put together enough strong possessions late in what ended up being a 66-54 defeat. The good news though was the Rams came back quickly on Friday and made easy work of Cardinal Spellman at home 73-57. That win gets Fordham Prep back on the right track leading into this week where they hit the road twice, going to Msgr. McClancy on Tuesday before going to St. Edmund Prep in Brooklyn on Saturday.
8- DeWitt Clinton (10-0)- Just a one game week over the past seven days for Clinton but it was a strong one as they went on the road to Bronx Science and came away with a controlling 69-47 win. Angel Felix had 17 in the winning effort for the Governors to lead the way, while Jomauri Pena added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Coming up over this next week it will see Clinton take to the court three times beginning on Monday when the Governors travel to Longwood Prep. That will then be followed by a Wednesday home game against Alfred E. Smith, before the week concludes on Friday with Clinton going back on the rod when they head out to Walton.
9- Lehman (7-1)- Much like Clinton just ahead of them in the rankings it was a one game week for the Lions, but a one game week that they took advantage of as behind the 28 points and 9 assists from Jalen Elfe it was a 83-49 win for Lehman over Taft. Now it's a three game week that awaits the Lions as on Monday they will host Alfred E. Smith, then it's a road game on Wednesday at Longwood Prep, before ending things over this seven day stretch with another home contest, this time on Friday when Lehman plays host to Bronx United.
10- LaSalle Academy (5-2)- They were so close to a 3-0 week and a possible top three spot in the Class A rankings, but LaSalle ended up 1-2 on the week after a 69-66 OT loss at Salesian, and a 56-55 defeat at Nazareth. The Cardinals had chances in both games led by Carlos Lorenzo, and they did rebound nicely in their final game of the week, a Sunday afternoon matinee win over Cardinal Spellman 71-38. Two home games are coming up for head coach Jerome Pannell and his Cardinals as they will host Msgr. Farrell on Tuesday in a matchup with major rankings implications, and then on Friday it will fellow Manhattan school Xavier making the trip in.
11- Bayard Rustin Educational Complex (8-0)- Two games meant two wins for the still unbeaten on the season Titans. They first got by Stuyvesant 66-60 before coming through late on Thursday for a 67-59 win over Washington Irving. Zakaria Camara had 25 points to lead the way against Irving in a game that saw Rustin come through down the stretch with the plays needed to pull out the victory. It will be another two game week coming up for the Titans as on Tuesday they will host Norman Thomas before staying in their friendly confines on Thursday when Eleanor Roosevelt comes to town.
12- Evander Childs (7-1)- Going on the road is never easy but Evander made it look easy on Wednesday with an 84-65 victory over Taft. Torrin Swinton had 31 points to lead all scorers, but it was a monster effort inside by Ricardo Dixon with 23 points and 19 rebounds that helped push the Tigers to the win. That was followed up with a 41-35 win on Saturday over Bronx Science that keeps Evander Childs in first place position in the Bronx A1 league in the PSAL. Up next here this week will see two road games to tart things off as the Tigers go to Christopher Columbus on Monday, and then head out to Roosevelt Educational on Wednesday, but then it will be a home game to close the week out against Morris on Friday.
13- St. Joseph by the Sea (5-3)- Midweek non-league tests are rare once you head into the meat of the league schedule but the Vikings made a trip out to Long Island to play one of their best on Thursday in Baldwin. It was a winning trip as well a Danny Marinaccio had 17 points to lead Sea in what was an eye opening 56-49 win for the Staten Island school. They would follow that up then with a blowout win over Xavier on Saturday on the road a well showing that the Vikings are a team that will have a say in what happens in the CHSAA A Division. The week ahead here wont be any easier either as on Tuesday Sea will head to St. Edmund Prep, and then it will be another Brooklyn trip on Thursday when they go to Nazareth in a matchup of ranked schools, before closing out things at home on Saturday against Msgr. McClancy.
14- Brooklyn H.S. for Law and Technology (8-3)- A newcomer into the rankings for this season, but a team very familiar with being ranked in prior seasons is the Michael Levy led squad from Law and Tech. They have had ups and downs so far this season, but scored their biggest win of the season on Saturday when they easily knocked off William Grady at the New Year's Jamboree event in Brooklyn, 63-41. Siyani Arthur scored 13 points to lead the Jets to the win, with Law and Tech having had to postpone the other three league games the had scheduled for the week due to issues with their home gym. The week ahead should bring more intrigue for the Jets as Tuesday will see them going to John Jay before a road trip on Thursday to Grand Street Campus. Things will finish up then on Saturday at the South Shore MLK Jr. Classic when Law and Tech goes up against Class B power Poly Prep.
15- Louis Brandeis (10-2)- Getting 19 points and 12 rebounds from Dylan Crooke allowed Brandeis to roll there way past West 50th Street in their only league game of the week 78-55. The true test came on Sunday when the Bulldogs took on Class AA power Eagle Academy II at the New Year's Jamboree. For a half Brandeis hung around but the depth and overall talent level of the Eagles took over as the Bulldogs ultimately fell 86-47. That loss shouldn't take away much from what Brandeis has accomplished so far this season as they will look to keep their strong play against A Division competition when they go on the road to take on George Washington on Monday, host Harlem Village Academy on Wednesday, and then travel once again to Wadleigh to finish the week out.
16- William Grady (7-2)- Starting the week out on a high note were the Falcons who got 20 points from Mosi Clayton in wha was a 63-47 victory over Frank Macchiarola on Wednesday evening. That was Grady's lone league play contest as on Saturday they would go out of league to play Brooklyn H.S. for Law and Technology at the New Year's Jamboree event. It was a struggle from start to finish there in what would be a 63-41 defeat that head coach Karl Sanders would like to forget about. He has that chance to have his team move on when on Wednesday the Falcons get back to league play when they host Tilden before ending the week on the road with another league contest, this one at Lafayette on Friday.
Bubble:
A. Philip Randolph (10-2)
Beacon (11-2)
Benjamin Banneker (5-3)
Epic H.S. South (7-2)
Graphics Campus (10-1)
Class B
1- Community Health Academy of the Heights (13-1)- Getting league wins this past week over Columbia Secondary and Esperanza Prep Academy by wide margins was expected, the game most wanted to see was how would Community Health do on Saturday when they hosted AA school Gompers? The Phoenix came out flying and behind 28 points from Sayvior Carroll, 25 points from John Harrington it was CHAH crushing their AA foes 96-69. An eye opening performance for sure, the Phoenix will hope to keep up the impressive play this week when on Monday they host Urban Assembly, then on Wednesday they will go to City College Academy, before ending the week at home on Democracy Prep.
2- Poly Prep (4-0)- It's been since well before Christmas since the Blue Devils have taken the court as most NYSAIS teams took the Christmas break off, and have had COVID issues since the start of 2022. New head coach Edgar De La Rosa surely though will have his team ready and raring to go this week with a few big matchups and games on the schedule as on Wednesday they will go to fellow ranked Class B school Trinity, then it will be a home game with Horace Mann on Friday, before going on Saturday to play at the South Shore MLK Jr. Classic where Poly Prep will get ranked Class A PSAL power Brooklyn Law and Tech in a very intriguing contest.
3- Berkeley Carroll (3-0)- Another team who hasn't played since well before Christmas are the Lions. They had an impressive win over Dwight to get the season started, and then because of COVID protocols and an array of other reasons Berkeley Carroll just have not have the opportunity to capitalize on the momentum they had back in early December. They will finally get back to action on Monday when they go to Dwight School in a rematch of the Lions big win from just over a month ago now.
4- Maspeth (6-1)- With their lone loss coming at the hands of our #1 Community Health team, and completely dominating performances in the rest of their contests it's easy to see why the Argonauts keep moving their way back up the rankings ladder. Maspeth led 33-0 at the half in their lone game of the week on Thursday against Baccalaureate, not giving up their first points until midway through the 3rd quarter in what ended up as a 73-5 victory. This week could be just as easy too for the Argonauts as they will host Frank Sinatra on Tuesday, then host Energy Tech on Thursday, before again hosting Renaissance on Friday in what is a three game, all at home week.
5- Dwight School (4-1)- With postponements and cancellations the norm for Dwight it's been a long layoff as well for the Lions who have been off since the middle of December with head coach Dave Brown itching and ready to get is Dwight team back on the court. Led by big man Richard Nweke, the Lions are in good position to make noise this week when they look to get revenge on Monday at home against Berkeley Carroll, the only team to beat Dwight this year, and then that will be followed up with a Wednesday road game at Friends Seminary, with a date on Saturday at the South Shore MLK Jr. Classic against another Class B power in Portledge set to close out the week.
6- Achievement First (5-0)- The toughest team to get a read on in our rankings has to be Achievement First as they had games scheduled for this past Monday and Friday, neither of which seemed to be canceled, but the scores were not reported and have not been posted by head coach Filiberto Reyna. If you want your team to be promoted the way they should when they have played the way Achievement have this season our only ask is to report the scores as soon as possible. They were due to have one game this coming week against Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance on Wednesday, but that game has already been canceled meaning it's a week off for an Achievement First team we know is among the best in Class B.
7- The Scholars Academy (11-0)- Paced by Raphael Tawil, Scholars is off to another impressive start this season. They didn't have a game this past week after their Friday tilt against Cambria Heights Academy was postponed but make no mistake about it, the Seawolves are a team who should be among the best in New York City in Class B. They have the depth in the backcourt and the size inside to compete and thrive against nearly anyone. Coming up here this week will see three road games for Scholars as they go to Queens Gateway on Wednesday, then visit Robert Goddard on Friday, before going on the road to Robert F. Kennedy for the rarest of rare Sunday morning PSAL league games.
8- Trinity School (6-0)- Another in the lone line of NYSAIS schools that just haven't been very active in the past month, Trinity was supposed to get back to action on the road at Dalton this past Saturday but that game was postponed at the very last minute the morning of the game. The Tigers had to be disappointed by that but it looks like they will finally get to hit the court on Wednesday in what could be the biggest home game of the year for Trinity when they host our #2 ranked team in Poly Prep. They will then be at home again on Friday evening when this time it will be Riverdale making the trip into Manhattan to take on the Tigers.
9- Fannie Lou Hamer (10-2)- After a 98-9 blowout win over Explorations Academy on Monday, it was a bit tougher the rest of the way for the Panthers who took down Metropolitan 54-41 on Wednesday, and then it was the toughest one of the week as Fannie Lou needed OT and a late rally to overcome Archimedes/Maleska 65-62. Amir Hughes had 21 points to lead Fannie Lou in the win as they will look to make things a bit easier this week when on Monday they play host to South Bronx, before hitting the road on Wednesday for a matchup with Bronx Early College Academy.
10- Bard H.S. Early College (9-0)- We welcome in our only newcomer to the Class B ranking this week as Bard makes its debut. Moses Lemon had 18 points as the Raptors coated past Richard Green H.S. for Teaching 83-30 on Tuesday, and then on Friday it was a home date with Pace in a game that saw Bard take control early in to take a dominating 80-49 win behind the 16 points from Bruno Katz. The Raptors will look to stay perfect on the season this week though it absolutely won't be easy as on Monday Bard will play host to NEST+M in a battle of PSAL Class B unbeaten. That will be followed by three road games starting on Wednesday at H.S. for Health Professions, then on Thursday the Raptors will be at Institute for Collaborative Education, before finishing out this weeks slate on Friday when Bard goes to University Neighborhood.
Bubble:
Academy of American Studies (6-1)
Baruch College Campus (8-0)
BCAM (6-2)
Lab Museum United (5-0)
NEST+M (8-0)
