House Basketball Power Rankings: 11th and 12th Grade League

-By: Jack Rehm-

The Mavericks and the Lakers retain domination on the House Basketball court this weekend. (1/16) Height and an easy schedule are proving to be the strength that keeps these teams on top and another squad remains mired in the basement unable to blaze a trail to hoop glory.

1. Mavericks (4-0)
The Mavericks had their first true test of the season this past weekend as they just edged out the Thunder, 48-47. A pair of 3-pointers in the final minute from senior Sam Nelson won it for the Mavericks who almost coughed up a 10-point-second half lead. Even without senior Parker Lange, their height once again proved to be their most important asset as fellow seniors Tyler Pruden and Ricky Miller led the way not allowing the Thunder to grab many rebounds. With this win and their week two win against the Celtics, the Mavericks have cemented their spot atop the 11th and 12th Grade League.

2. Lakers (4-0)
The Lakers were looking to avoid a letdown coming off their 32-point win over the Timberwolves and did so with a 39-32 victory over the Suns. With only two seniors, many did not expect this team to be as good as they are this season but the duo of junior Bobby Weaver and St. Luke's junior Luke Osherow has proven to be one of the best in the league even though they have played one of the easiest schedules of any team so far.

3. Spurs (3-1)
One way to bounce back from your first loss of the season is to play the Trailblazers. This plan worked out very well for the Spurs as they crushed the 10th ranked team 51-20. The Spurs have proven to be a very defensive minded team thus far. They rank second in the league in points allowed at 32.5 PPG, which has offset their offensive woes as they are ranked 7th in the league and points scored.

4. Timberwolves (2-2)
The Timberwolves had a very impressive 64-34 victory over the Nuggets to get back to .500 after a disappointing 32-point loss to the Lakers the previous week. While it was nice to see the Timberwolves bounce back they way they did, it’s difficult to say that this team is for real again as the guys they have beaten are a combined 1-7. They have a big game coming up against the Thunder where I believe we will learn a lot about the Timberwolves.

5. Celtics (2-2)
The Celtics survived a first half scare from the Rockets and went on to win by 17. After being tied at halftime, the Celtics, led by senior Eric Parnon and Brunswick junior Jack Voigt, dominated the second half as the Rockets appeared to give up on the defensive end. The Celtics have bounced back very nicely in their last two games against the Spurs and Rockets, winning by an average of 13.5 points, after starting off 0-2 against the Lakers and Mavericks. They have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them riding a six game win-streak into the playoffs.


6. Thunder (2-2)
While junior Tony Britton (pictured above in chair) may have bounced back from his subpar performance of 11 points in week 3 by scoring 34 points, his team was unable to do so as they lost a thriller to the Mavericks. After trailing for most of the second half, the Thunder was able to take a 5-point lead with less than a minute left but gave it all back in a hurry losing 48-47. While this was a disappointing loss for the Thunder after making a big comeback, they must make the most of their next two easier games before they end the season against the 2nd and 3rd ranked teams in the Lakers and Spurs.

7. Nuggets (1-3)
It’s tough to say where exactly this team is at right now after suffering a big loss to the Timberwolves. Coming off a huge win over the Thunder where they held scoring leader Tony Britton to only 11 points, their defense failed them as they gave up 62 points to the Timberwolves who hadn’t scored over 45 in a game previous to this past Sunday. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier as they take on the red hot Celtics next week.

8. Suns (1-3)
Led by junior Thomas Carruthers and senior Tommy Farren, this team simply just has not been able to put together a complete game so far this season and this showed in their 7 point loss to the Lakers. Their lone win came against the Timberwolves in a game where they needed a huge second half effort from Farren in order to win after getting down by double digits in the first half. This team does have all the pieces to compete as they have a lot of height in seniors Mason Barron and Dan Pidgeon along with junior Ryan Barthold, and they have good guard play with Thomas, Tommy, and junior Billy Siemers but they have not been able to put everything together as of yet.

9. Rockets (1-3)
Coming off their first win of the season, the Rockets were looking to back up the victory with a more formidable opponent than the lowly Trailblazers. They were unable to do so and suffered a 65-48 loss at the hands of the Celtics. The Rockets played their best offensive game of the season but paired that with their worst defensive effort of the season and were unable to keep the game close. GFA junior and Rockets’ leading scorer Eric Walsh missed the game leaving the Rockets to struggle even more than usual.

10. Trailblazers (0-4)
In the words of former Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells, you are what your record says you are. And according to the Trailblazers’ record, they are just not a very good team as we have been saying for the past three weeks. They were once again unable to remain competitive and suffered their worst loss of the season, 51-20 at the hands of the Spurs. If the Trailblazers are going to win a game this season, their best chance will come next week in a matchup of the two lowest scoring teams in the league as they play the Suns.