The PSAL playoffs are nearing, but that doesn’t mean the final two weeks of the regular season are meaningless. Plenty is yet to be determined and the year has been filled with upheaval, as our rankings often show.
This week is no different, as Curtis is new to our top 10, replacing Gompers and Wadleigh and South Shore moved up while Cardozo and Thomas Jefferson fell. It’s all here in this week’s PSAL basketball rankings.
1. Boys & Girls (17-3) (Last week: 1)
The Kangaroos’ national reputation just keeps on improving. They’ve now defeated Imhotep Charter (Pa), Academy of the New Church (Pa.) and Winter Park (Fla.) in the final seconds, all programs with elite prospects. The win over Winter Park on Saturday in the Brandon Jennings Invitational (Milwaukee, Wis.), the argument can be made, was the most impressive since the Florida school has Austin Rivers – son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers – who is considered by many the top player in the Class of 2011.
Next: Rice, SNY Invitational @ LIU (Jan. 28, 6 p.m.)
2. Lincoln (17-2) (2)
The Railsplitters weathered their first mini-slump of the year by rallying past Robeson on the road and blasting Menomonee Falls (Wis.), 75-61, in the Brandon Jennings Invitational in Milwaukee, Wis. Jordan Dickerson, a 7-foot senior, has really come on since power forward Kamari Murphy went out with a broken pinky toe, supplementing his stellar rebounding and shot blocking with an ability to finish on the offensive end.
Next: TBA
3. Wings Academy (16-2) (4)
Winners of seven straight, the Wings seem to have hit their stride just in time. After a blowout victory over Bronx rivals Truman and Lehman, Wings went out to Ramapo College for the New Jersey Gym Ratz NJ vs. NY Showdown and blasted Paramus Catholic, 66-45, behind 19 points from LIU-bound Gerrell Martin.
Next: Thurgood Marshall Academy @ Mott Hall (Jan. 28, 5:30 p.m.
4. Cardozo (16-1) (3)
It took until the final week of January, but Cardozo finally has a loss. The Judges went to Ramapo College for the New Jersey Gym Ratz N.J. vs. N.Y. Showdown, fell behind by double figures and nearly fought all the way back, but came up just shy, 51-48, to the tough a Teaneck squad. Coach Ron Naclerio’s team won the games it had to this week – over division rivals Campus Magnet and Forest Hills – but the loss does make us think maybe Naclerio should’ve compiled a tougher schedule.
Next: All Hallows (Jan. 31, 5 p.m.)
5. Wadleigh (17-4)
Quietly, Lincoln transfer Lazaro Martinez is having a sensational senior season, helping the Tigers repeat for a seventh time as Manhattan champs. He is averaging 13 points and 14 rebounds per game, impressive numbers since the 6-foot-4 forward faces much bigger players in the paint on a daily basis. The skilled guards – Basil Harley and Trivante Bloodman – receive much of the credit for Wadleigh’s solid season, but Martinez is the glue that has kept the team together.
Next: Robeson @ Gauchos Gym (Jan. 29, 5:30 p.m.)
6. South Shore (12-9) (7)
Take out the two forfeits and the Vikings have won six league games in a row and eight of 11 overall. The only on-court losses in the stretch are to Catholic power Xaverian and Long Island dynamos St. Mary’s of Manhasset and Long Island Lutheran. Despite its youth, South Shore is going to be a tough out next month.
Next: Forest Hills @ Gauchos Gym (Jan. 29, 4 p.m.)
7. Thomas Jefferson (10-10)
The unpredictable Orange Wave continued their odd ways this weekend in Morgantown, W.Va., dropping a pair of winnable games they led by double figures at one point in the Primetime Shootout. Coach Lawrence (Bud) Pollard thought his team had turned a corner after three wins in a row, but that clearly isn’t the case for this talented but all-over-the-map club.
Next: @ Transit Tech (Feb. 1, 5 p.m.)
8. Midwood (20-2) (8)
Bryan Smith has been called New York’s sleeper of the winter by talent evaluator Tom Konchalski and has received scholarship offers from Fordham and Hofstra. The sharpshooting guard deserves – and has received – plenty of notoriety for Midwood’s stellar season. Yet even Smith acknowledges how important Murrow transfer Enees Nikovic has been. He’s a 6-foot-8 center averaging 14 points and 14 rebounds in his first year of varsity basketball.
Next: @ Telecommunications (Feb. 2, 4:30 p.m.)
9. Eagle Academy (15-3) (10)
The Eagles showed how far they have come recently by gaining revenge against Gompers last week in a 61-59 win, a 17-point turnaround from the previous meeting. We’ll see if Eagle Academy is truly ready to be a contender when it meets Bronx dynamo Wings Academy and Manhattan AA power Wadleigh. Two wins next week would really open some eyes.
Next: No. 3 Wings Academy (Feb. 1, 5 p.m.)
10. Curtis (17-6) (NR)
The Warriors six-game win streak came to a close on Saturday in a hard-fought, 68-54 loss to host South Shore. It was an impressive showing despite the setback as starting point guard Dontay Jackson and reserves O.J. Macaulay and Kai Bibbin were out with minor injuries. Curtis led much of the first half, by 11 at one point, but couldn’t finish off the Vikings.
New: Curtis (17-6)
Dropped out: Gompers (9-6)
On the bubble: Bayside (14-7), Bedford Academy (15-3), Brooklyn Collegiate (9-10), Forest Hills (10-9), Gompers (9-6), Long Island City (17-1), McKee/Staten Island Tech (13-8), Robeson (10-10) and Transit Tech (9-12)
