Two Catholic League teams made waves this week. Brother Rice knocked off Bolingbrook and Fenwick destroyed Mount Carmel and Peoria Central.
The Crusaders leap into the top five and Fenwick, which wasn’t even ranked last week, joins at No. 13. Brother Rice was impressively physical in the win against Bolingbrook. The Crusaders don’t have much size, but everyone crashed the boards and they shot very well.
Brother Rice’s 10-0 is strong, with wins against Joliet West, Fenwick, Loyola and Oak Lawn.
Fenwick dominated two of the state’s best teams, beating Mount Carmel 71-58 and Peoria Central 42-28. The Friars are ferocious on defense and football star Nate Marshall has developed into a dominating basketball player as a senior.
Young, which almost dropped out of the rankings, turned its season around this week with a win at Simeon. The Dolphins also knocked off Hyde Park and East Chicago, Ind. It’s a shame the Proviso West bracket has a probable Young vs. Warren matchup in the quarterfinals, but that will be a fun game.
Elevating Waubonsie Valley to No. 3 made me flinch a bit. The Warriors impressed against DeKalb and Tyreek Coleman may be the area’s best senior guard. But they lack a major win. The Hinkle Holiday Classic at Jacobs could have a championship game between two undefeated (and kinda untested teams) in Geneva and Waubonsie Valley.
Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Dec. 22, 2024
With record and last week’s ranking
1. Kenwood (10-0) 1
Favorite at Big Dipper
2. DePaul Prep (10-1) 3
Favorite at Pontiac
3. Waubonsie Valley (9-0) 4
Still need a major test
4. Brother Rice (10-0) 11
Favorite at Hinsdale Central
5. Bolingbrook (9-2) 2
Fell short vs. Brother Rice
6. St. Laurence (9-2) 7
Beat Fenwick
7. Homewood-Flossmoor (10-1) 8
Can prove a lot at Big Dipper
8. Lincoln Park (10-2) 6
Gave away Simeon game
9. Warren (6-2) 9
Defending Proviso West champs
10. Niles North (8-2) 10
Focused, dangerous
11. Kankakee (7-1) 15
Handled Bloom, Webster Groves
12. Simeon (5-3) 12
Lost to Young, Beat Lincoln Park
13. Fenwick (9-2) NR
Area’s best defensive team
14. Mount Carmel (8-1) 5
Overwhelmed at Fenwick
15. Curie (8-1) 19
Took down Waukegan
16. Young (6-4) 21
Fantastic week
17. St. Ignatius (9-1) 17
Contender at York
18. Benet (10-1) 18
Always great at Pontiac
19. Waukegan (6-3) 16
Favorites at Elgin
20. Rich (3-4) 13
Destroyed by St. Louis Vashon
21. Bloom (7-2) 14
Couldn’t handle Kankakee
22. Hersey (9-0) 22
Contender at Pekin
23. Geneva (10-0) 23
Hudson Kirby is a factor
24. Marist (10-1) 24
Contender at Centralia
25. Hinsdale Central (8-2) NR
Beat Downers North, Lemont
