After a busy holiday break, the boys basketball regular season resumed last week.
Palm Beach Lakes (No. 3) and Dwyer (No. 6) earned top 10 rankings this week. The Rams are 2-0 this season against the Panthers following a 66-63 win last Tuesday. (Photo by Allen Eyestone)
Top-ranked St. Andrew’s maintained its perfect start, winning a handful of games to improve to 18-0. No. 2 Grandview Prep continued to roll, moving to 18-1 after beating Miami Central on Saturday.
Palm Beach Lakes, Wellington and Lake Worth round out the top five in what looks to be an exciting finish to the 2016-17 regular season. Three weeks remain until district tournament competition gets underway.
Boys basketball Top 10 after Week 6
1. St. Andrew’s (18-0): Unbeaten Scots continue to roll
2. Grandview Prep (18-1): Pride’s only loss to top-ranked N.Y. team
3. Palm Beach Lakes (14-3): Rams fall to tough Miami Christian
4. Wellington (15-3): Eight-game win streak snapped by John I. Leonard
5. Lake Worth (11-2): Trojans’ last loss was Dec. 13
6. Dwyer (12-5): Panthers split pair of key district games
7. Suncoast (14-4): Chargers have won four in a row
8. Cardinal Newman (12-4): 30 points for KJ Fitzgerald in win vs. IMG
9. Oxbridge Academy (10-5): ThunderWolves rout St. Thomas at MLK Classic
10. Royal Palm Beach (9-6): Wildcats play No. 4 Wellington Thurs.
This week’s top games:
Atlantic Christian Academy (11-2) at No. 2 Grandview Prep (18-1), 7 p.m. Tuesday: The Pride have rolled through their 2016-17 schedule, dropping just one game – in tournament play – to one of New York’s top teams. But they could face a challenge against the Saints, a district rival who is unbeaten in nine-team District 7-2A. Atlantic Christian has won five in a row, and outscored its opponents by a margin of nearly 26 points during that span. But the Pride and senior guard Matthew Schner have been just as dominant. Grandview has won its last seven games, and averaged nearly 80 points during that streak. Pride coach Joe Dawson said before the season that Atlantic Christian could be a top challenger for the district championship. This game could prove that.
No. 9 Oxbridge Academy (10-5) at No. 8 Cardinal Newman (12-4), 7:30 p.m. Tuesday: This key district contest is a rematch of one played Dec. 13, in which the host ThunderWolves won 62-58. That game was close from the opening tip, and don’t expect this one to be any different. Cardinal Newman has been on a roll since mid-December, winning 6-of-8 games, including its last three. Guard K.J. Fitzgerald continues to pour it on offensively, and scored 30 points in a 98-52 rout of IMG Academy on Saturday. The ThunderWolves have struggled recently against a very challenging schedule that included games against No. 1 St. Andrew’s, No. 2 Grandview Prep and 11-3 Fort Lauderdale-Calvary Christian Academy. But Oxbridge, which carries a pair of the area’s top guards in A.J. Cajuste and Keidron Smith, has righted the ship in the past week, winning its last two.
No. 4 Wellington (15-3) at No. 10 Royal Palm Beach (9-6), 7 p.m. Thursday: The Wolverines and standout guard Trent Frazier (26.7 ppg) have been on a roll since mid-December, winning eight in a row until their streak was snapped by district rival John I. Leonard on Friday. Wellington, which is 6-1 in district play, faces two more big district games this week (at Palm Beach Gardens, at Seminole Ridge). Its clash against Royal Palm Beach falls in between. The Wildcats have some key district games of their own coming up with this week, both on the road (Forest Hill and West Boca Raton). Royal Palm Beach will need wins in both to keep pace in tough District 13-8A, and also would love to come away with the upset here.
