Curie is new No. 1 in latest Preps Power Rankings

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The busy holiday tournament swing is complete as 2020 begins. We learned a lot about where the best local teams stand after many ranked teams faced each other during the holidays.

We see four new teams enter the Power Rankings this week, while there is also a new No. 1 and a lot of other overall movement. We'll see plenty of ranked matchups in the coming weeks with conference play heating up.

1. Curie (11-0, 3-0) (2) -- The Condors proved themselves as the No. 1 team by capturing the title at Pontiac and beating previous No. 1 Bloom in the title game. Ramean Hinton is firmly in the Player of the Year mix and this is a balanced team full of weapons.

2. Evanston (13-0, 3-0) (3) -- Staying unbeaten is the Wildkits as Evanston won the title at Centralia. Blake Peters took MVP honors while Jaylin Gibson was also a first-team all-tournament selection. 

3. Bogan (14-1, 4-1) (4) -- Bogan took down the field at Proviso West to claim another title there. The Bengals get scoring from all over and remain one of the city's elite teams entering the new year.

4. Bloom (12-2, 3-1) (1) -- Falling short at Pontiac after losing to Curie in the title game, Bloom will have to recover quickly with a very difficult conference slate in the Southland. Even with some early slip-ups the Blazing Trojans are still a major state title hopeful.

5. Morgan Park (6-5, 1-1) (5) -- The Mustangs had a difficult week playing in the prestigious Beach Ball Classic facing national competition. Although Morgan Park was 1-3 in the event against national competition, Adam Miller did drop 52 points in a Morgan Park win to close the event.

6. Whitney Young (7-6, 4-0) (6) -- The Dolphins went 2-2 at Beach Ball coming off of another national week at City of Palms. Whitney Young's closing Beach Ball win over Millenium (AZ) is a strong one as that program beat Lincoln Park by 19 earlier this season.

7. Loyola (14-1, 4-0) (7) -- Loyola saw its holiday tournament streak snapped in Naples, Florida with a loss in the title game to Santa Fe Catholic (FL). The Ramblers are still unbeaten against Illinois competition as they remain the frontrunners in the Catholic League. 

8. Notre Dame (14-2, 2-0) (8) -- Impressive week for the Dons in winning at Wheeling. They knocked off some strong teams including a ranked Glenbrook South in the finals. Louis Lesmond earned MVP at Wheeling while Anthony Sayles and Troy D'Amico were all-tournament selections. 

9. Thornton (13-0, 4-0) (9) -- The Wildcats won all four games at Big Dipper by at least 11 points in easily capturing the title. Demarco Minor took home MVP honors of the event while Brandon Hall and Derrick Williams also made the all-tourney team.

10. Homewood-Flossmoor (11-1, 0-0) (13) -- Huge week for the Vikings winning at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. H-F knocked off two ranked opponents in Stevenson and DePaul Prep to earn the title as they look like a major state title sleeper. Senior R.J. Ogom is strong on the interior and the guard play of Joel Watts, Josiah Palmer and Brandon Brewer is very good.

11. Lincoln Park (12-3, 3-1) (11) -- The Lions went 2-1 in Michigan playing in the Motor City Roundball Classic. With only an in-state loss to Whitney Young so far, Lincoln Park is still in solid position entering the new year. 

12. DePaul Prep (12-2, 5-0) (12) -- Nice week at Hinsdale Central for DePaul Prep as they placed second after falling to H-F in the title game. The win over Marian Catholic was strong. The Rams only have losses to top-ten teams so far this season. Junior guard TY Johnson continues to develop.

13. Mundelein (13-1, 3-0) (16) -- Mundelein had a solid trip to Collinsville, advancing to the title game and losing to the hosts for their first loss of the season. Conor Enright, Scottie Ebube and Trey Baker all made the all-tournament team. The Mustangs could be the favorites in the North Suburban.

14. Marian Catholic (10-3, 1-1) (10) -- The Spartans finished third at Hinsdale Central as they fell to DePaul Prep before bouncing back against Stevenson. The Spartans also have a win over HCHC champion Homewood-Flossmoor earlier this season. 

15. Lake Park (13-1, 3-0) (17) -- After falling on the road to Mundelein before the holidays, Lake Park had an impressive week in taking the title at Pekin. Luke Sgarbossa and Trevor Montiel both made the all-tournament team for the Lancers. Lake Park has a major conference clash with St. Charles North on Saturday.

16. Glenbrook South (13-1, 3-0) (18) -- Glenbrook South's strong start maintained by making the title game at Wheeling before losing to Notre Dame. Although senior Dom Martinelli generates most of the attention he's had plenty of help. Sophomore Coop Noard continues to emerge and Justin Leszynski had a strong event. 

17. Bolingbrook (11-3, 0-0) (NR) -- Nice bounceback effort from the Raiders in winning the Jack Tosh at York. Wins over the hosts and Hinsdale South were impressive. Darius Burford also showed why he made the preseason All-Area team with a strong week.

18. Stevenson (11-3, 3-0) (15) -- The Patriots fell twice at Hinsdale Central to ranked opponents, falling to Homewood-Flossmoor and Marian Catholic. Stevenson is still figuring out how to play against more athletic teams. The Patriots have no bad losses on the season and will look to bounce back in North Suburban play.

19. York (12-2, 2-0) (25) -- The Dukes made the finals of Jack Tosh after four wins, falling to Bolingbrook in the title game. With only losses to the Raiders and Patriots, York has quietly put together a very strong season.

20. Kankakee (11-1, 3-1) (23) -- Quietly winning its own holiday tournament, Kankakee still only has one loss on the season to Bloom. LaVell McIntosh won MVP honors as his good season continues.

21. Niles North (12-2, 3-0) (20) -- The Vikings placed third at Wheeling after falling to Glenbrook South in the semifinals. The win over Joliet West earlier this season looks even better now. Aquan Smart continues to draw considerable buzz.

22. Joliet West (11-2, 5-0) (NR) -- Joliet West made a strong impression at Pontiac by knocking off Simeon and taking Curie to the limit. The balanced Tigers had strong weeks from Jamere Hill, Jaiden Lee and Trent Howland.

23. Waubonsie Valley (12-1, 2-1) (NR) -- Entering the Power Rankings for the first time is the Warriors after winning at Jacobs. Marcus Skeete is putting up a big season while Ben Schweiger is another weapon to watch.

24. Orr (7-5, 3-1) (24) -- Winning third place at the King Cotton Classic in Arkansas against national competition, the Spartans are an intriguing team at the back of the Power Rankings. Orr faces T.F. South this weekend.

25. Oak Forest (12-1, 4-0) (NR) -- The Bengals are back in the Power Rankings after winning the event at Maine East. The win over Crane in the title game is a good one. Sophomore Robbie Avila continues to blossom into a star and must-see college prospect.

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