Each week during the high school basketball season select coaches from the six Nebraska classes rate the teams in their class and our Tony Chapman complies the rankings. Here are the ratings for January 3, with records as of games played on Saturday, December 31.
Class A (Record), Previous
1. Millard South (9-1), 2
2. Bellevue West (9-1), 8
3. Lincoln High (8-1), 6
4. Millard North (7-1), 1
5. Lincoln Northeast (7-3), RV
6. Lincoln Pius X (7-1), 3
7. Bellevue East (7-2), 5
8. Millard West (6-2), 4
9. Omaha Central (7-3), RV
10. Lincoln East (5-3), 10
Receiving Votes: Papillion-LaVista South (6-2), 7; Kearney (6-4), NR.
Comments: Millard South hops back to the top again. In the Metro Championship tonight they get new No. 2 Bellevue West which is on an 8-game winning streak. Lincoln High is the new No. 3 after winning the HAC Tournament final over new No. 5 Lincoln Northeast. Games of note: Metro Championship (tonight), Millard West at Papillion-LaVista South (Friday), Lincoln Southwest at Lincoln High (Saturday), Millard South vs. Olathe (KS) North (at Kearney, Saturday).
Class B (Record), Previous
1. Skutt Catholic (10-1), 1
2. Elkhorn North (8-1), 2
3. Norris (7-1), 3
4. York (7-1), 7
5. Waverly (4-3), 5
6. Sidney (8-1), 4
7. Omaha Duchesne (4-2), 9
8. Beatrice (5-1), 6
9. Blair (8-2), 8
10. Scottsbluff (6-4), RV
Receiving Votes: Seward (4-5), RV; Bennington (5-3), 10.
Comments: The top-three teams in this class are still unanimous by the coaches and have pulled away from the next group which is a near coin flip with York, Waverly and Sidney. Scottsbluff re-enters after a win over Bennington in the Lexington Holiday Tournament. Games of note: Seward at Beatrice (Thursday), Scottsbluff at Waverly (Friday), Broken Bow vs. Beatrice (at Kearney, Saturday), Elkhorn North at Kearney (Saturday).
Class C-1 (Record), Previous
1. Bridgeport (7-0), 1
2. North Bend (7-1), 2
3. Adams Central (9-0), 3
4. Malcolm (9-1), 4
5. Lincoln Christian (8-1), 5
6. Minden (8-1), 6
7. Wahoo (6-1), 7
8. Gothenburg (7-1), 8
9. Scotus Central Catholic (7-2), 10
10. Yutan (4-2), RV
Receiving Votes: Milford (8-2), 9; Hershey (5-1), RV.
Comments: The top eight don’t change, again. But, some big games this week could cause a bit of separation. Games of note: Milford vs. Falls City (at Auburn, tonight), Parkview Christian at Lincoln Christian (Tuesday), Milford at Malcolm (Thursday), Wahoo at Norris (Friday), Hastings St. Cecilia at Lincoln Christian (Saturday), Bridgeport vs. Malcolm (at Kearney, Saturday).
Class C-2 (Record), Previous
1. Archbishop Bergan (9-0), 1
2. Guardian Angels CC (7-1), 2
3. Pender (10-1), 4
4. Ponca (8-0), 3
5. Oakland-Craig (9-2), 5
6. Crofton (9-1), 6
7. Clarkson/Leigh (8-2), RV
8. Southern Valley (6-2), 8
9. Cross County (8-3), NR
10. Gordon-Rushville (5-1), 10
Receiving Votes: Elkhorn Valley (6-1), NR; Superior (8-2), 7.
Comments: The top-six teams remain the same, but Pender and Ponca flip spots after the Pendragrons won the Wayne State Holiday Tournament. Clarkson/Leigh, Cross County and Gordon-Rushville all won holiday tournaments as well. Games of note: Blair at Archbishop Bergan (Tuesday), Ponca at Crofton (Wednesday), Bishop Neumann at Guardian Angels CC (Thursday), North Bend Central at Clarkson/Leigh (Thursday), Thayer Central at Superior (Friday), Milford vs. Pender (at Kearney, Saturday).
Class D-1 (Record), Previous
1. Centura (10-0), 1
2. Maywood-Hayes Center (6-0), 2
3. Hastings St. Cecilia (8-2), 3
4. Ravenna (9-1), 4
5. Bruning-Davenport/Shickley (8-1), 5
6. Hartington Cedar Catholic (7-2), 6
7. Elgin Public/Pope John (9-1), 7
8. Alma (8-0), 10
9. Johnson-Brock (7-1), NR
10. Elmwood-Murdock (7-2), 8
Receiving Votes: Niobrara/Verdigre (4-2), RV; Sumner-Eddyville-Miller (7-0), NR.
Comments: The top-7 teams remain the same with just three losses among the group; all to ranked teams in classes above. Johnson-Brock enters for the first time off wins over Sterling and then Falls City (6-2) and Parkview Christian (9-1), the latter two to win the Weeping Water holiday tournament. Games of note: Centura at Sutton (Tuesday), Falls City Sacred Heart at Elmwood-Murdock (Tuesday), St. Mary’s at EPPJ (Thursday), Maywood-Hayes Center at Paxton (Friday), Alma vs. EPPJ (at Kearney, Saturday).
Class D-2 (Record)
1. Shelton (7-0), 1
2. Humphrey St. Francis (7-2), 3
3. Falls City Sacred Heart (7-2), 6
4. Overton (7-2), 5
5. Wynot (5-2), 4
6. Parkview Christian (9-1), 8
7. O’Neill St. Mary’s (5-2), 2
8. McCool Junction (7-1), 7
9. Wilcox-Hildreth (7-2) 9
10. Paxton (6-1), 10
Receiving Votes: Hay Springs (7-0), NR.
Comments: The same 10 teams are ranked, but a bit of shuffling. Shelton and Humphrey St. Francis stay on top, however, with St. Mary’s sliding for losses to Summerland and Grand Island Central Catholic. Games of note: Norfolk Catholic at Humphrey St. Francis (Tuesday), McCool Junction at Meridian (Thursday), Shelton at Deshler (Thursday), Amherst at Overton (Friday), Humphrey St. Francis at Howells-Dodge (Friday), Shelton vs. Grand Island Central Catholic (at Kearney, Saturday).
