Should losses by Monte Vista of Danville boys and girls cause changes? S.F. Chronicle said no, but we said yes. For highlights and more, watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sunday night at 7 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Replays are throughout the week on Northern California Comcast SportsNet.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Last week was one of the busiest for the CalHiSports.com Bay Area Top 20 caravan this school year.

First stop was a Branson at Marin Catholic doubleheader on Feb. 10 with both the visiting defending Division V state champion Bulls boys and girls squads earning victories.

The next night we were in Oakland to watch the Mack Warriors boys at Oakland Tech and to find out about that debacle you'll have to read on.

We took one night off but on Feb. 13 the location was Cardinal Newman in Santa Rosa, where we witnessed Newman complete its first undefeated regular season in the 45-year history of the school.

Saturday night the spot was San Marin in Novato, where in a "play-in” game the host Mustangs knocked Marin Catholic out of the MCAL playoffs for the first time since 1992.

Boys Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 14)
(Not including forfeits)

1. De La Salle (Concord) 23-1 (1)
Coming off the big win against Dominguez two weeks ago, the Spartans toyed with Amador Valley of Pleasanton, with a 58-27 victory that tuned them up for the re-match with Monte Vista. It was physical all the way, but in the end it was a nice homecoming for Danville resident John McArthur. The 6-foot-8 junior returned to his hometown and provided a strong defensive presence in the paint and a little more point production than usual in a 60-52 victory over the Mustangs. McArthur finished with 17 points and six rebounds, Jefferson Powers added 14 points, Jordan Estrada had nine points and Brandon Smith had six assists and played lockdown defense Monte Vista's Brian Barbour. Against Amador Valley, Beau Levesque led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds. Smith added 11 points and seven assists. On tap for the final week of EBAL play is San Ramon Valley at home and California (San Ramon) on the road.

2. McClymonds (Oakland) 22-1 (2)
The CalHiSports.com caravan was in the house at Oakland Tech on Feb. 11, but we're still having a hard time believing what we saw. First-year Warriors Coach Brandon Brooks put it all on the line when he made one of the boldest moves we've ever witnessed in 27 years of covering high school basketball. On the road across town, the Warriors came out looking sparkling. Faster then the blink-of-an-eye, the full court press Brooks employed had built an 11-0 lead and Tech was reeling after less than two minutes had elapsed in the contest. After Will Cherry (team-high 19 points, eight rebounds, six steals, five assists) hit a long trey to make it 14-2, the team somehow got sidetracked. Mack started playing to the crowd on offense, and not moving the feet on defense. The result was Tech got back in the game, and even though Mack led by 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 56-54, with its 55th victory in the last 56 games. Cherry cheered on the subs but others sat stunned. "He did what he had to do. I'm just glad he got the W,” said a smiling ex-Mack coach Dwight Nathaniel, who was also in attendance. We'll see the results of the benchings this week in games at Fremont and home against Skyline.

3. San Leandro 21-3 (3)
On Friday night against the Hayward Farmers Oregon-State bound Jared Cunningham stole all their fruits and vegetables, 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 over the neighboring visitors. Earlier in the week, the 6-4 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 of San Lorenzo. Friday night the Pirates complete league play in Hayward at Moreau Catholic, then move on to next week's NCS Division I playoffs.

4) Berkeley 21-3 (5)
As was the case in the overall state rankings released on Feb. 16, the CalHiSports.com No. 17 state ranked Yellowjackets get a one-spot bump in these rankings. Last week they exploded offensively in 91-32 and 109-42 wins against De Anza of Richmond and Richmond respectively. It was the second time they 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. Before the NCS D1 playoffs begin, a final Alameda Contra Costa League game remains at home on Friday against Hercules.

5. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 20-3 (6)
Likewise, the No. 19 state ranked Irish move up a notch in both rankings after Coach Darrell Barbour's team won its first West Catholic Athletic League title since 2002 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. Next up is the WCAL playoffs where the top-seeded Irish host Valley Christian (San Jose) on Tuesday.

6. Monte Vista (Danville) 21-3 (4)
The San Francisco Chronicle chose not to drop the Mustangs in its Top 20 but in these rankings this is where they have to pay for the split with St. Mary's of Berkeley, who beat a Sacred Heart Cathedral team that beat a Salesian team that beat St. Mary's. We'd have needed an abacus and slide rule to figure it out, so we left the decision up to ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Managing Editor Ronnie Flores who coordinates the boys overall state rankings. Even though the Mustangs scored 17 more points in the 60-52 loss to Sparta than DLS gives up on average, nothing came easy against their new league nemesis, as the team shot 2-of-10 from the field in the final quarter while De La Salle made eight of 10 foul shots down the stretch to seal the win. Senior guard Brian Barbour led the scoring with 18 points and Mark Appel chipped in for 12. Earlier in the week Coach Bill Powers' boys won 58-37 at Livermore.

7. St. Francis (Mountain View) 22-2 (7)
The Lancers rebounded from the loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral by picking up two wins in the final week of league action to secure second place in the WCAL. First they took out Bellarmine 65-49 on the road before an 86-47 blowout of Riordan at home. They earned the second seed in the league playoffs and opened on Feb. 17 at home against Serra.

8. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 23-3 (8)
9. Salesian (Richmond) 22-4 (9)
10. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 19-5 (11)
11. Newark Memorial (Newark) 22-4 (12)
12. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 26-0 (13)
13. Castro Valley 20-4 (10)
14. Miramonte (Orinda) 20-4 (14)
15. Castlemont (Oakland) 15-5 (16)
16. Bellarmine (San Jose) 17-7 (15) 1-1
17. Piedmont Hills (San Jose) 24-1 (17)
18. San Ramon Valley (Danville) 17-7 (18)
19. Burlingame 21-4 (19)
20. Branson (Ross) 23-3 (20)

Boys On the Bubble
Analy (Sebastopol) 20-6, Aptos 23-3, Carlmont (Belmont) 16-3, Drake (San Anselmo) 20-6, Dublin 17-7, Gunn (Palo Alto) 19-5, Hayward 17-7, Head-Royce (Oakland) 23-2, Heritage (Brentwood) 17-7, Leigh 16-7, Menlo (Atherton) 15-3, Mitty (San Jose) 14-8, Monterey 19-4, Northgate (Walnut Creek) 20-4, Oakland Tech (Oakland) 10-8, Piner (Santa Rosa) 19-7, Pittsburg 18-6, St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 19-7, Skyline (Oakland) 11-8, Terra Linda (San Rafael) 17-9.

Girls Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 14)
(Not including forfeits but)

1. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 21-1 (1)
The Irish girls only had one game last week and it was against league rival Mitty.  Just like she's done so many times this season Washington State-bound KiKi Moore took over and stamped herself as a legitimate contender for Ms. Basketball this season in California. Friday night on the road in San Jose the former ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week took control in a 64-51 defeat of host and defending D2 state champ Mitty. Against the Monarchs, who stayed close for a half, she had 25 points and five steals and in the second half helped ignite a rally that "blew the doors off the gym,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In a five-minute stretch, the Irish forced six turnovers (part of 20 for the game), Kamilah Jackson (13 points) scored six points inside and Moore led the fast break with three hoops of her own. By then it was 45-27 and got to 61-40 before Mitty made a late run after the fact. Mind you, the Irish only have eight girls and rarely play more than six except in blowouts, so Moore goes all the way every game against top-notch competition. After a bye, the Irish take on the team with the worst seed remaining in the semifinals Feb. 19 at Riordan in San Francisco.

2. Carondelet (Concord) 21-3 (3)
After going 1-19 combined in the first half of the 53-42 loss to Monte Vista in Danville last month, Ricki Radanovich and Erica Payne did what they couldn't do in that game in the rematch, knock down shots. Radanovich, a 5-10 Santa Clara committed junior guard, had a team-high 19 points with five three-pointers as Coach Margaret Gartner's girls got revenge in a 60-50 home victory. After being forced to the bench with three fouls midway through the first quarter, sophomore star Payne came back strong in the second half, finishing the game with nine points and 11 rebounds, with eight of her points in the fourth quarter. Hannah Huffman chipped in with 11 points and Hilary Rosette, who played in place of Payne for much of the first half and finished with nine points, scored eight of them and grabbed eight rebounds before halftime.

3. Monte Vista (Danville) 21-2 (2)
As was the case on the Mustang boys' side, the San Francisco Chronicle chose not to drop the team in its rankings despite a loss. However, in these rankings, based on strength of schedule, and personal observation, a switch is in order. Coach Ron Hirschman's girls are a sound fundamental team that could make some noise in the upcoming NCS Division I playoffs, but Carondelet is a better all-around team. According to the Contra Costa Times, Niveen Rasheed almost single-handedly kept the Mustangs in the 60-50 loss to Carondelet, scoring 14 of her team-high 24 points after halftime. Foul trouble was a problem, though, as Rasheed had to sub in and out throughout the final two quarters because she picked up three fouls in the first half. Dani Rabago chipped in with 11 points but the girls couldn't overcome 25 turnovers coupled with cold shooting. Before the NCS Division I playoffs begin next week, there are games on tap this week at home against Amador Valley of Pleasanton and at San Ramon Valley in Danville.

4. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 22-2 (5)
Just like they did in the overall state rankings, Coach Kevin Cushing's No. 15 ranked Dragon girls get a one-spot bump as a result of Mitty's two losses last week. The big tests for O'Dowd would seem to be even beyond the NCS Division III playoffs. Last week was rather ho-hum with two lopsided victories, 66-41 and 59-24 over Castro Valley and Mt. Eden of Hayward, respectively. The Dragons are still without 6-2 post Brieanna Ashley, out with a bad ankle, but they didn't need her last week. Against Castro Valley, junior star Robie Mayberry led the way with 24 points and sophomore Lariel Powell added 14.

5. Mitty (San Jose) 17-5 (4)
Coach Sue Phillips Monarchs took a four spot drop to No. 19 in the CalHiSports.com overall state girls rankings released earlier this week, but only drop one spot here despite losing to both the Irish and Valley Christian (55-47) last week. They still have wins over Monte Vista and Mater Dei of Chula Vista, as well as two wins over St. Ignatius (San Francisco) and an earlier win over Valley Christian. Mitty has opened the WCAL playoffs with a 56-33 win Feb. 17 not included in the listed record and move into the semifinals on Feb. 19 at Riordan.

6. Berkeley 20-5 (6)
After making a meteoric rise last week in these rankings, and cracking the state top 20 by snagging the final spot, there's no room to move up in either, despite two total blowout wins, 60-16 and 63-6 over De Anza of Richmond and Richmond respectively. Interim un-retired Coach Gene Nakamura's team finishes up league with a road game at Hercules, where there might be some jeers for sophomore transfer Brittany Boyd from the home crowd of the 6-17 Titans.

7. Deer Valley (Antioch) 18-6 (7)
A couple of emails did roll in from disgruntled Wolverine fans out in East Contra Costa County after Deer Valley dropped below Berkeley in the rankings despite not having lost a game since its New Year's Eve defeat by Sacramento in the West Coast Jamboree. Last week Coach Lindsay Wisely's girls barely broke a sweat in 62-22 and 78-34 wins over Freedom of Oakley and Pittsburg respectively. They finish up Bay Valley League action this week with Antioch and Liberty of Brentwood. Then comes the NCS Division I playoffs where Wisely's squad has a very good chance of snagging the title.

8. Valley Christian (San Jose) 19-5 (7)
There's just nowhere to go despite a two-win week, including one against Mitty. With Mitty winning the first time and still owning more quality wins against ranked opponents than the Warriors, it will take another similar win to really shake things up.

9. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 22-4 (9)
10. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 19-5 (10)
11. Pinole Valley (Pinole) 17-5 (11)
12. Northgate (Walnut Creek) 20-3 (12)
13. Branson (Ross) 22-3 (13)
14. Gunn (Palo Alto) 25-0 (14)
15. Dublin 19-5 (17)
16. Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 21-5 (15)
17. Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 22-4 (16)
18. Wilcox (Santa Clara) 14-5 (18)
19. McClymonds (Oakland) 19-4 (19)
20. Campolindo (Moraga) 19-5 (20)
 
Girls On the Bubble
Aragon (San Mateo) 16-4, Convent of the Sacred Heart (San Francisco) 17-4, Encinal (Alameda) 18-8, Granada (Livermore) 17-7, Miramonte (Orinda) 17-8, Moreau Catholic 19-5 (Hayward), North Salinas (Salinas) 20-3, Notre Dame (Belmont) 10-14, Petaluma 21-5, Piedmont 16-8, Presentation (San Jose) 14-11, St. Joseph-Notre Dame (Alameda) 19-6, San Benito (Hollister) 19-4, Santa Cruz 22-2.

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