The Hawks have been dethroned.
Lincoln’s immaculate 11-0 record makes it nearly impossible to deny the Lions the top spot. Bishop Hendricken has been pushed off the throne for the first time in a while as a result. Lincoln's Gianni Pagios is loudly staking his claim as the best player in the state for a seemingly untouchable team at the moment.
A number of ranked teams are making the trek to Springfield, Mass., to get a taste of the Basketball Hall of Fame Hoophall Classic during MLK Weekend. Those games will be quality tests against teams from other states. Upon their return, the most important stretch of the season awaits.
With one month left in the regular season, here’s the third edition of the Rhode Island boys’ high school basketball power rankings:
1. Lincoln (11-0)
Previous rank: 2
Next game: vs. Springfield HS of Sci. & Tech. (Mass,), Jan. 17, 6:45 p.m.
The Lions have simply been too good to keep them from the top spot any longer. They now sit at 11-0 after going on the road to grab three league wins and another at home immediately after. Gianni Pagios has remained the guy for this team on an every-game basis. He’s the only player averaging double-digit points, and his scoring has been wildly consistent. Pagios dropped 24 in an impressive 52-40 win over Classical, and has averaged 23 points for the year. Josh Bergeron hasn’t quite yet broken out of an auxiliary scoring role post-injury, but he and fellow seniors Andrew Picozzi and Jarrett Ohagan all provide quality help. Lincoln will have a chance to test its mettle against some out-of-state opponents next.
2. Bishop Hendricken (4-3)
Previous rank: 1
Next game: vs. Chaminade (N.Y.), Jan. 17, 10 a.m.
For the first time this season, the Hawks are no longer at the top. They still might be the most skilled team in the state when it’s all done, but their invincibility spell has worn off. Losing to Bridgewater-Raynham — arguably the best team in Massachusetts — is one thing, but falling by 10 points to in-state rival Classical is another. They shed off rough games from their stars in a win over Central, led by Will Mascena’s 21 points. Hendricken then took care of back-to-back games against Cumberland, but has since been defeated in two straight. Deion Ellis-Cipriano scored 23 points against Classical, but it wasn’t enough in the 66-56 loss. The difficult schedule continues against an 11-4 Chaminade team hailing from Mineola, N.Y., next.
3. Barrington (9-0)
Previous rank: 3
Next game: at St. Bernard’s (Conn.), Jan. 17, 10 a.m.
The Eagles have done their job, winning all nine games thus far. They’ve yet to face either of the other two top teams in the state, but they have wins over Classical, Central and La Salle. In the win over Central, senior forward Ryan Rigamonti exploded for 30 points, with Caleb Satisfield providing 17 and Colin McDermott adding 16. In the previous game, Satisfield’s 20 points led them to a gritty 65-60 overtime triumph over La Salle. Most recently, they blew out Johnston, 89-51, with Rigamonti’s 23 leading the way. McDermott still tops the team with 17.8 points per game, but Rigamonti and Satisfield sit at a healthy 15.8 and 14.7, respectively, as well.
4. Classical (8-3)
Previous rank: 7
Next game: vs. St. Anthony’s (N.Y.), Jan. 18, 6:45 p.m.
Just when it seemed like the Purple might be in for a year below expectations, senior star Eliezer Delbrey and junior center Mohammad Fadia have pulled this team right back into the conversation. Since starting the season 1-2, they’ve won seven of their last eight games — the lone loss coming against top-ranked Lincoln. Delbrey was too much for Hendricken to handle, as he scored 30 of his team’s 66 points in the statement win. He scored 19 in a win over Smithfield, 29 in an impressive win over New London (Conn.) and another 22 against Portsmouth. Fadia took over in a 60-52 victory over East Providence, scoring 28 points. Classical will now travel to Springfield to see how they fare at Hoophall.
5. Central (5-3)
Previous rank: 4
Next game: vs. New London (Conn.), Jan. 17, 3:15 p.m.
For the Knights, it’s two straight losses. After defeating Portsmouth, 66-45, earlier in the week, they were bested 54-39 by that same team just five days later. In that initial win, sophomore Makai Brimage notched 18 points, followed by 16 points and 11 assists from John Ramos, who has taken on a setup role this season. Ramos is averaging right around 16 points per game. After scoring at will and holding Portsmouth to just 45 points, those trends flipped on their head in the second leg of the matchup. They also edged out a 2-10 Cranston East team in an 88-83 affair and fell to Barrington. Central is going to need a resurgence to put this season back on track.
6. Portsmouth (5-3)
Previous rank: 6
Next game: vs. Cumberland, Jan. 16, 7 p.m.
The Patriots are also in an interesting position after splitting with Central. They sit at 5-3, but may be too reliant on the scoring of senior point guard Adam Conheeny. In fact, Conheeny just became the school’s all-time leading scorer during a 50-31 win over North Kingstown. He passed the previous record mark of 1,325, set by Benny Hurd from 2018-2022. He scored 14 more in the win and was honored with a celebration at halftime. Portsmouth has snapped out of three consecutive losses, one of which was against a 4-6 Smithfield team. A favorable upcoming schedule should get this team rolling.
7. Westerly (10-2)
Previous rank: 9
Next game: at Cranston East, Jan. 16, 6:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs have jumped onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere. The truth is, their schedule has been pretty weak and their plethora of wins over Division 2 teams keeps them unproven. However, you can only win the games on your schedule. After senior guard Brayden Antoch’s 19 points weren’t enough to upset Lincoln, they’ve started a new four-game winning streak. Caleb Williams helped defeat Johnston with a 20-point performance, center Luigi Marchionne scored 15 to lead the way against East Providence and even freshman Mikey Joyce got a whirl as the team’s leading scorer with 15 points in a 66-50 win over South Kingstown.
8. La Salle (6-5)
Previous rank: 5
Next game: vs. Smithfield, Jan. 20, 7 p.m.
The defending champions are around .500, which is unusual for the Rams. They just lost too many players to graduation and don’t have the firepower to be among the top contenders now. They’ve lost four of their last seven games. After falling to Classical in the season opener, they followed that with losses against Portsmouth and Barrington. Their most recent defeat came against New London, a team Classical also beat. They got back into the win column against St. Bernard’s (Conn.), 61-49, and will hope it generates some necessary momentum. Nick Tarro is doing what he can to lead La Salle to success, but it’s going to take a lot more than his scoring to pull this team back into championship form before the postseason.
9. Mt. Hope (9-1)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: vs. North Providence, Jan. 16, 6 p.m.
Welcome to the party, Huskies. They’re 9-1 and have won eight straight to put them at the pinnacle of Division 2. The last three games have all been double-digit wins, with the most recent win coming against Cranston East of Division 1. They’re led by sophomore guard Jacob Tamke, who tops the team in scoring nearly every night. In the lone loss to Chariho, he scored 30 points in the 75-66 result. He’s helped by a trio of strong rebounders and capable scorers in Maleaq Roderick, Bam Adams and Jack Thompson.
10. Cranston West (8-3)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: vs. South Kingstown, Jan. 20, 7 p.m.
Returning to the rankings are the Falcons. They started the campaign as the preseason No. 10, but dropped out after losing two straight games to Division 1 opponents. The Division 2 team then strung together six consecutive victories before falling against Smithfield with a subpar performance. Big man Noah Germain serves as their primary scorer, as proven by his 30-point, 22-rebound performance during an 81-68 win over North Providence. Diante Jackson is also a key player for this team, as he registered 24 points in the 61-53 win over Burrillville. Cranston West has Div. 2 title aspirations, but currently sits behind Mt. Hope, whom the Falcons won’t see until a potential playoff matchup.
