We like Ike as this week's lone newcomer. The top 16 from last week's rankings, meanwhile, are all the same.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

(Contributing: Mark Tennis, Steve Brand, Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend; Through games of Saturday, February 14; previous rating in parentheses)

1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 26-0 (1)
With their impressive win over FAB 50 ranked St. Benedict's of New Jersey on ESPNU the previous week still resonating, the Monarchs closed out the regular season with two Trinity League victories and will open the CIF Southern Section Div. I-A playoffs against wildcard entry San Clemente, which checks in with a 12-15 record. In a 81-49 victory over St. John Bosco of Bellflower, junior Gary Franklin (16 pts.), Travis Wear (15 pts.) and transfer guard Tyler Lamb (11 pts.) all hit in double figures. In the 97-71 regular season-ending victory over Orange Lutheran, Wear went off, dominating underneath with 34 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

2. De La Salle (Concord) 23-1 (2)
After their sensational defensive performance on ESPNU against No. 7 Dominguez, the Spartans won two East Bay Athletic League games last week to stay sharp for the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs. Amador Valley of Pleasanton (58-27) was no match for coach Frank Allocco's well-oiled basketball machine, but previous state-ranked Monte Vista of Danville did offer some resistance before falling, 60-52. Junior big man John McArthur, a Danville native, returned home and led De La Salle with 17 points and six rebounds in a contest that was physical underneath. Jefferson Powers added 14 for the Spartans, who close out the regular season with two EBAL games this week.

3. Fairfax (Los Angeles) 23-3 (3)
After their big week that included four victories, including an avenging win over league rival and No. 4 Westchester, the Lions closed out the regular season with two Western League wins, but it still wasn't enough to garner the L.A. City Section's No. 1 seed. Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times has his concerns about relying on a computer rating system to determine seeding and we too share those concerns. The information is only as good the algorithms a human enters, but in this case the seeding outcome didn't really matter as long as Fairfax and Westchester were the top two seeds and avoided a possible semifinal matchup. In Fax's first game last week, Renardo Sidney, the front-runner for city and state player of the year honors, netted 31 points in a 76-58 victory over University of Los Angeles. USC recruit Solomon Hill added 15 points for the Lions, who closed out the regular season with a 59-56 victory over Venice in a game that Sidney sat out after he cut his finger. Hill picked up the slack by slashing his way to 23 points and 12 rebounds.

4. Westchester (Los Angeles) 26-2 (4)
The Comets had a great week on and off the court, as they wrapped up a share of the Western League title with two easy victories. That wasn't the good news, however, as the Comets always strive for city titles (10 and counting) and state Div. I titles (four and counting). Westchester was awarded the No. 1 seed despite losing in the second round of Western League play to Fairfax. What that means is they will avoid meeting the Lions and No. 10 Taft of Woodland Hills until the March 6 final, assuming they make it that far. The good news on the court came when coach Ed Azzam's club closed out the regular season at the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, New Jersey with its second victory of the season over Lance Stephenson and his club at Lincoln of Brooklyn, New York on Saturday night. Junior guard Jordan Mayes led the way with 31 points while all-state guard Dominque O'Connor netted 24, including 10 three throws in the final period.

5. McClymonds (Oakland) 22-1 (5)
You almost had to be there and see what happened to believe what took place, and in fact CalHiSports.com was in the house, as was former Mack coach Dwight Nathaniel. "Coach (Brandon) Brooks won't let me get too far away,” Nathaniel told CalHiSports.com with a chuckle. "He calls me every day.” It was the call first-year Coach Brooks made to begin the fourth quarter of Mack's lone game last week, however, which made headlines in the 56-54 victory. On the road across town at Oakland Tech, the Warriors came out looking magnificent. Less than a minute-and-a-half into the game, the full court press Brooks employed had built an 11-0 lead and Tech was reeling. After Will Cherry (team-high 19 points, eight rebounds, six steals, five assists) hit a long trey to make it 14-2, the bus somehow got lost. Mack started playing to the crowd on offense, not moving the feet on defense. The result was Tech got back in the game, and even though a 13-6 run to end the third quarter gave the Warriors a 47-40 lead going into the final period, Brooks, who was fuming the whole time about his team's lack of execution of what he wanted, had seen enough. He pulled all five starters. When the hosts closed to 49-48 with 5:54 left and Brooks didn't motion to the starters, you knew he was serious. And because of some sparkling play down the stretch by the reserves, particularly Maceo and Barry Bell and 6-9 freshman Jamaree Strickland, who had a key block in the closing moments, Mack escaped with its 55th victory in the last 56 games. "I sat my starting five because no one is bigger then the team,” Brooks said immediately after the game. "It's a lack of discipline that's been building since the loss to De La Salle.” Cherry cheered on the subs but the others sat stunned. We'll see the impact this week in games at Fremont and home against Skyline.

6. Martin Luther King (Riverside) 22-2 (6)
Easy wins over Norco and Poly (Riverside) wrapped up the Big VIII title for Timothy Sweeney Jr.'s balanced Wolves. Now they get to look ahead to the Southern Section I-AA playoffs and a potential match with unbeaten and No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) should they add four more wins to the 13-game winning streak they now own. That would be getting ahead of things, though, as MLK hosts Downey on Wednesday in the playoff opener. In the 73-58 win over Norco, four players scored in double figures led by 6-5 Chris Harriel's 20 points and 6-7 Kawhi Leonard's 19. Big 6-7 Tony Snell led the Wolves in the 68-42 thumping of Poly with 19 points and again four players scored in double figures. The two losses this season have been by a total of seven points.

7. Dominguez (Compton) 22-5 (7)
Signs are still there that the Dons have some work to do if they are going to make it much further than the semifinals of the CIFSS Div. I-AA playoffs. They did win twice last week to close the regular season, but they only beat Lynwood, 62-58, in one of those games. Keala King scored 22 points in that game, then scored 13 as the Dons closed the regular season with a 67-49 win vs. Warren of Downey. Dominguez starts the playoffs Wednesday in a first-round game against A.B. Miller of Fontana.

8. Los Alamitos 26-2 (8)
A terrific regular season that saw just one loss, which was to M.L. King, was capped with easy wins of 97-52 vs. Marina of Huntington Beach and 68-37 vs. Edison. James Walker continued to shine for the Griffins as the leading scorer in both contests with 18 and 19 points, respectively. Clark Evans added eight points and 11 rebounds against the Chargers. Los Al nabbed the No. 4 seed for the CIFSS Div. IAA playoffs and faces Lynwood in its first game. The Knights had just a four-point loss to Dominguez last week, so that's not exactly a game that the Griffins should overlook.

9. Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 22-4 (9)
Those who look ahead a little will see the Eagles will have plenty of incentive after earning the No. 5 seed in the Southern Section's I-AA playoffs. That's because No. 4 seed Los Alamitos is just two wins away and it was Los Al that last beat Etiwanda, 58-57, 10 games ago and the Eagles would like nothing better than another shot at the Griffins. They can't get complacent, however, as Lakewood of the Moore League is coming on Wednesday. The Eagles wrapped up their regular season with a pair of Baseline League wins, downing Upland 69-45 (which earned an at-large berth) before dismissing Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga), which is the I-A 12th seed, 61-50. Perris Blackwell's double-double 12 points and 10 rebounds led the way against Upland while his 18 points combined with Jordan Finn's 17 were keys against Los Osos.

10. Taft (Woodland Hills) 22-3 (10)
Although there was a lot of speculation that the Toreadors might get the City No. 2 seed since they won the West Valley League and powerful Fairfax (Los Angeles) and Westchester (Los Angeles) split their games to share the Western League title, Taft ended up right where most people expected. The mild surprise is that should Taft march into the City semifinals, it would probably face Fairfax, which was seeded No. 2 despite beating Westchester in the most recent game. Coach Derrick Taylor is hoping to use the two games it will take to get to the semifinals, starting with Gardena on Thursday, to sharpen the Toreadors attack after bowling over Chatsworth, 75-39, and El Camino Real, 77-47, behind 5-11 Michael Williams and 6-5, 225-pound Terran Carter. That gives Taft 17 wins in its last 18 games - with only a setback to Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga), which they had beaten earlier, marring the run.

11. Folsom 24-1 (11)
The Bulldogs rallied in the fourth quarter to open the week with a 52-49 Delta River League championship clinching victory over Pleasant Grove. They trailed 37-32 entering the final quarter of play and outscored the Eagles 20-12, led by Patrick Akinsm who led the Bulldogs with 18 points and scored the game-winning basket. Kori Babineaux and Tony Johnson each chipped in with 12 points. Folsom wrapped up the regular season with a fairly easy 87-51 win over Florin for its 22nd win in a row. Kori Babineax scored a game-high 25 points while Johnson just missed matching his point total for the second game in a row, finishing with 23 points. Folsom will be one of the top seeds when the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I playoffs get underway.

12. San Leandro 21-3 (12)
The Pirates coasted to two Hayward Area Athletic League victories over San Lorenzo and Hayward. Against the Rebels, Oregon State-bound Jared Cunningham had a season-high 35 points (8 of 10 from beyond the arc, eight rebounds) and the team went for 90 or more points for the fourth time in a 97-59 blowout. The 6-4 Cunningham wasn't finished. On Friday night against the Farmers he stole their crops, finishing with 25 points including 12 of 12 from the free-throw line. He even added another highlight-reel play when he threw down an emphatic, one-handed jam in the fourth quarter, which brought the fans to their feet and sealed the Pirates' 81-65 victory. The league-leading Pirates will face Bishop O'Dowd on Tuesday at Chabot College with a chance to clinch the league title, which they last won in 2006. Friday night they complete league play in Hayward at Moreau Catholic.

13. Diamond Ranch (Pomona) 20-4 (13)
If the high-flying Panthers needed a wakeup call, they certainly got one in the season finale at Nogales where Diamond Ranch escaped with a 62-60 victory. That solidified the No. 1 seed in the Southern Section's III-A division where Diamond Ranch will open against Magnolia (Anaheim) on Wednesday. A 51-33 win over Wilson (Hacienda Heights) earlier in the week wrapped up the Miramonte League title. Considering that the last two losses by the Panthers were to No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and No. 9 Martin Luther King (Riverside), there is every reason to believe Coach Loren Glover's club, led by 6-10 Chris Cunningham and 6-5 Garrett Johnson, will live up to its seed. But if the Panthers ever doubted they'll have a target on their backs, Nogales certainly provided a strong reminder.

14. Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) 24-1 (14)
Although the Nighthawks enter the playoffs with nine straight wins, No. 9 was too close for comfort as it took a three-point field goal by Jake Tarabilda with just 11 seconds remaining to get past Vista Murrieta 72-69 in the Southwestern League finale. "I knew the moment it left, it was in,” said Jake, who finished with six long-range missiles en route to a game-high 23 points. "That's a shot he'll remember forever,” said his dad, Nighthawks' Coach Steve Tarabilda. Bryce Lenhart's 20-point, 12 -ebound double-double and Dylan Bohanan's 16 points were also needed. Far less dramatic was a 67-38 win over Temescal Canyon in which Chris Randolph led the way with 16 points. Now the Nighthawks can look forward to hosting Esperanza (Anaheim) in the Southern Section I-A playoffs where they are top-seeded.

15. Rocklin 24-2 (15)
Head coach Steve Taylor and his Thunder only had one game last week and remained undefeated in the Sierra Foothill League with a 66-50 home win over Granite Bay. Trailing by two points at halftime, Rocklin outscored the Grizzlies 21-5 in the third quarter to take a comfortable lead into the fourth quarter. Brendan Lane led the Thunder offense with 21 points as Cody Kale and Anthony Romero also scored in double figures for the victors. Lane told the Roseville Press-Tribune that "We're definitely focused on finishing league undefeated" as they wrap up league play with road games at Nevada Union and Del Oro. Rocklin also is going for its first ever unbeaten run in league play.

16. Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 23-3 (16)
Not only did the Knights get revenge for an earlier three-point loss to Serra of Gardena last week, but they did so in blowout fashion as the Knights picked up a 66-47 home win. Senior guard Michael Panaggio, in his final regular season home game, and junior Richard Solomon each scored 20 points. Bishop Montgomery then finished the week, and the regular season, on the road against Cathedral and made sure to return home with the Del Rey League championship as it defeated the Phantoms, 83-64. Senior guard Brandon Bibbins led the way with 21 points while Panaggio scored 18 in the victory. In the title-clincher, the Knights made an impressive 15 three-pointers in 24 attempts as they led by 12 at halftime and continued to increase the lead.

17. Berkeley 23-3 (18)
They're averaging just under 80 points a game but last week the Yellowjackets exploded offensively in 91-32 and 109-42 wins against De Anza of Richmond and Richmond, respectively. It was the second time Berkeley went for 109 this season, both against Richmond. All 12 players in uniform scored in the win over Richmond,  led by sophomore Jalil Eppenger with 16 points. A final Alameda Contra Costa League game is on tap at home on Friday against Hercules.

18. Leuzinger (Lawndale) 21-5 (19)
The Olympians concluded the regular season with a pair of Bay League road wins. They defeated Redondo of Redondo Beach and Peninsula of RH Estates to capture their first league title since 2006. Senior Jerry Evans led the rout with 24 points and eight rebounds while Donny Minor added 16 points in the championship clinching 86-53 win at Redondo. With the game tied at 19 late in the first quarter, the Olympians went on an 11-0 run in the next five minutes and would never trail. Leuzinger then posted a 62-45 win in Rolling Hills Estates against Peninsula. Leuzinger will now have a seven-game winning streak on the line once postseason play gets underway.

19. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 19-3 (20)
The Irish had little trouble with Riordan in a 57-42 Feb. 11 victory across town. That set up Coach Darrell Barbour's team to win its first West Catholic Athletic League title since 2002, which they did with a 68-57 victory over Mitty of San Jose last Saturday. USC-bound football defensive end Kevin Greene and Jerry Brown, both four-year varsity players, led the Irish on senior night in San Francisco with double-doubles. Greene finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Brown had 16 points and 13 rebounds.

20. Eisenhower (Rialto) 23-3 (NR)
This week's lone newcomer is also a contender for the CIF Division II state title. The Eagles certainly look ready for the Southern Section II-A playoffs where they are seeded No. 1 and earned a first-round bye, giving them a chance to scout the Westlake-Santa Barbara winner. The last team to beat Ike, Redlands, fell to the Eagles last week, 77-70, as Nick Carter pitched in 26 and Creighton-bound Andrew Bock 25. Eisenhower has shown the ability to rise to the occasion as it was a winner of 10 straight games earlier this year before losing a 58-54 decision to Washington's Bellevue, which has two Division I signees, in the title game of the MaxPreps Holiday Prep Classic at Torrey Pines. Bellevue remains a Top 10 team in the West.

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