We warned on Friday in our takeaways of the season’s first MIAA power rankings to tread carefully. While they’re helpful in informing the teams to watch, the rankings are based on a less than a month of games and there will be significant change over the course of the season.
Then, the results from the weekend essentially proved that. BC High, the No. 1 team in the Div. 1 power rankings, lost twice. And one of the top five teams in our MIAA Top 10 was upset at home.
It’s yet another reminder of the unpredictability of this MIAA boys basketball season. Where we do we go from here? There’s a Top 5 matchup Monday night and several of the state’s best face difficult tests as the league schedule kicks into high gear.
Cambridge Rindge & Latin, after another big week, entered this week’s rankings. Let’s reset our latest MIAA boys Top 10.
1. Central Catholic (7-1)
Previous rank: 1
Next game: at Brewster Academy, Jan. 14, 6 p.m.
The Red Raiders followed up their Commonwealth Motors Christmas Classic championship by winning three times this week, beating Methuen, Haverhill and BC High to increase their winning streak to six games. Javi Lopez became the program’s all-time leading scorer in Sunday’s win over BC High.
Coach Mark Dunham’s team now faces the toughest week of his schedule, heading to New Hampshire to face Brewster Academy’s EYBL team before heading to the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., to face Bergen Catholic (N.J.), which features Top 100 recruit and Michigan State commit Julius Avent. I won’t be docking Central in these rankings if they lose those games, but those challenges should toughen them for the stretch run. In between, the Red Raiders have a Friday night road test at Tewksbury, which is having a strong season.
2. Andover (8-1)
Previous rank: 3
Next game: vs. Billerica, Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m.
The Golden Warriors remain atop the Merrimack Valley League Large standings with a 4-0 league record after wins over Haverhill and North Andover last week. Josh Roux continued his terrific junior season with 26 points and five assists in Friday’s home win over North Andover.
3. Masconomet (5-0)
Previous rank: 4
Next game: at St. Mary’s, Jan. 12, 6:30 p.m.
We’ll learn a lot this week about Masconomet, which has mostly dominated its competition through the first month. The Chieftains go on the road at St. Mary’s – which is No. 1 in the MIAA’s Division 2 power rankings by a significant margin – before hosting Beverly in a huge Northeastern Conference showdown on Friday night.
4. Malden Catholic (9-0)
Previous rank: 5
Next game: at St. John’s Prep, Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m.
The Lancers began their Catholic Conference title defense with a pair of league victories. They dominated Xaverian by 32 before holding off St. John’s (Shrewsbury), 59-54, behind Duke Cherry’s 18 points and five dimes.
5. St. Mary’s (8-0)
Previous rank: 6
Next game: vs. Masconomet, Jan. 12, 6:30 p.m.
With the roll they’re on, the Spartans could certainly be moving up in these rankings after this week. They won their two games over Bishop Fenwick and Cardinal Spellman by an average of 36 points last week. Confidence will be sky-high for this group heading into Monday’s showdown with Masconomet.
6. Bridgewater-Raynham (6-1)
Previous rank: 7
Next game: vs. Dartmouth, Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m.
The Trojans scored a big road win Saturday over Bishop Hendricken, our No. 1-ranked team in Rhode Island. Cam Santos had 21 points and Aiden Pires added 18 in the 65-61 victory.
7. Attleboro (7-1)
Previous rank: 8
Next game: vs. Foxborough, Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m.
I was really impressed with the Blue Bombardiers’ late-game poise in Tuesday’s win at Oliver Ames, when they let a double-digit lead slip to three multiple times in the final 90 seconds before holding on. Congrats to coach Mark Houle, who earned his 400th career victory in Friday’s dominant win over Franklin. After games against Foxborough and Sharon this week, his group gets another big test Sunday against Bishop Feehan, which has a win over B-R on its resume.
CAREER NIGHT: Standouts and takeaways from Attleboro's win over Oliver Ames
8. Beverly (5-2)
Previous rank: 2
Next game: at Gloucester, Jan. 13, 7 p.m.
The Panthers dropped a disappointing home game to Salem on Friday, 67-59, and while it may seem harsh to drop them from 2 to 8, the teams ahead of them are in better form right now. They’ll have a chance to rebound this week, including a big one at Masconomet on Friday. Congrats to senior guard Jacob Klass, who scored his 1,000th point in Friday’s defeat.
9. Winchester (10-0)
Previous rank: 9
Next game: at Watertown, Jan. 13, 7 p.m.
The Red & Black moved to 10-0 with an impressive 66-53 win over Methuen, which was actually a spot ahead of them at No. 14 in Friday’s release of the MIAA power rankings. I expect coach John Fleming’s group to continue to move up in Division 1 with two more games this week they should win against Watertown and Belmont.
10. Cambridge Rindge & Latin (6-2)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: vs. Newton South, Jan. 16, 7 p.m.
After starting the season 1-2, the Falcons have won five straight games, including impressive victories over Attleboro and on the road at Lowell on Friday night. Morris Lichtenstein had 18 points on five 3-pointers with nine rebounds and six steals in Friday’s win for the Falcons, who debuted at No. 7 in the MIAA’s power rankings reveal.
The next five: Oliver Ames, Lexington, New Bedford, Holland (Burke), Bishop Feehan
