Large Schools

1. Canisius (AA) – Well, we didn’t even make it out of December before the Crusaders reclaimed the pole position in the local rankings.  Taking to the road and coming home with wins against Jamestown and Niagara Falls didn’t surprise anyone on Delaware Avenue and shouldn’t surprise the rest of us either.  They’ll take their annual post Christmas trip out of state in search of some high school basketball heavyweights. 
2. Nichols (AA) – Dropped their first game of the season locally after building a 15-point lead at St. Joe’s on Friday evening.  The lead they were able to build on the road is evidence of how good this team can be, while ultimately falling demonstrates just how level the plain field is this season in WNY.
3. Niagara Falls (AAA) – With the schedule they put together, you expect to see both wins and losses.  I can say with certainty that this is the best 2-3 in WNY and Health would agree.  Both losses have come locally against MMA opponents (Nichols & Canisius) & on Monday evening they face another at St. Joe’s. 
4. Health Sciences (AAA) – The Falcons made quick work of Hutch Tech, Williamsville South, and Bennett, after losing for a 5th consecutive time to Niagara Falls on Monday evening.  When they’re done opening presents on Thursday, they will take a day off and then make their way to Athol Springs for an afternoon game with St. Francis.
5. St. Joe’s (AA) –  Rebounded from a week-opening loss to Cathedral Prep with a victory at Cardinal O’Hara, before storming back in a Friday night thriller against Nichols.  Rankings got a bit tricky going into this week.  The Marauders are returning my Christmas gifts for putting them here after they just beat the team I have ranked #2 on Friday night.  I’m not trying to be Scrooge here, but somebody was getting a lump of coal between rankings 2 thru 5 this week.  Nichols earned an outright road win at Falls, so I left them ahead of NFHS for now.  Falls earned an outright road win at Health…same logic.  Health beat Joe’s by 14 pts last week, so that’s easy enough to honor.  The Marauder win over Nichols was at home, in overtime, after trailing by 15 pts.  Still a win, but I had to search for the loop hole to do my best with this week’s rankings & that’s what I came up with.  Monday evening’s pre-holiday tilt with Niagara Falls should bring me the answers I asked for at the top of my Christmas wish list.  If Joe’s beats Falls, a lot will change here next week.  So Monday night is huge.  Niagara Falls at St. Joe’s.  Sounds like another Centercourt ‘Game of the Week’ (which will be available free on YouTube thanks to the generosity of Empire Electric…need an electrician?
6. Jamestown (AAA) – Rebounded nicely from a mid week home loss at the hands of Canisius, to tough out an overtime road victory at Rush-Henrietta on Saturday evening.  Frontier visits on Wednesday this week & after Christmas the Red & Green welcome Lockport to town Saturday afternoon.
7. Orchard Park (AA1) – Improved to 5–0 on the season after picking up three victories last week, including a 15-point victory at Sweet Home.  The Quakers will take one more run before Christmas at Lake Shore on Wednesday and then settle in to enjoy family holiday time with family.
8. Grand Island (A1) –  Gutted out a victory on Tuesday night against North Tonawanda and then finished off the week with a 15-point victory at Lew-Port.  The Vikings will take their undefeated status to the holiday parties next week and enjoy some time off.
9. St. Francis (AA) – Slid into South Buffalo on Tuesday night and returned to Athol Springs with a double-digit league win, before knocking off Frontier by the same margin in the opening round of the Live Like Luca Tournament.  They’ll play Williamsville East for the tournament championship Sunday evening, then they have two more games during the holiday bustle this week with Park on Tuesday & a post holiday gift exchange with Big Health on Saturday afternoon.
10. St. Mary’s (AA) – The Lancers opened the week with an impressive road victory at Williamsville North before packing up and heading off for some fun in the sun while playing in a tournament in Florida.  These guys have been classified as a large school since last Season and earned their way into the Top 10 rankings on the strength of not only the victory at North, but also earlier triumphs this season over North Tonawanda and Lancaster.

Small Schools

1. Akron (B2) – Three more victories for the now 7-0 Tigers (including another Jack Silvernail Tournament championship) who spent just as much time doing good deeds as they did making buckets last week.  I peeked at what Santa was bringing for Akron and all I saw was a sack of wins for the next couple months.
2. Tapestry (B2) – The Thunderhawks have no excuses for not having their Christmas shopping done early this season as they continue to enjoy the #2 ranking during a week off of game action.  They return to the hardwood next week or a charter rival game at CSAT.
3. Wilson (C) –  Earned a rivalry victory on the road at Newfane with an 18-5 finish to the game Monday evening and closed out the week with victories against Barker and Niagara Wheatfield.  The Lakemen hit the road for a game against Tully this week and then return home for the holidays.
4. Global Concepts (C) –  The Gators are Depew Tournament champions after racing past Lake Shore and West Seneca West last week.  The 4-0 start to the season deserves a Merry Christmas and a week off.
5. Middle College (B1) – The Kats are now boasting a winning record after taking care of business against Buffalo Culinary on Thursday and will take next week to focus on gift returns, cashing in guest certificates, and setting aside the items they’ll re-gift next Christmas. 
6. Medina (B1) – Won battle over Maryvale earlier in the week and then used a strong second half to take a 22-point victory over Roy-Hart.  The Mustangs welcome in Eden ahead of Santa’s big day. 
7. Olmsted (B1) –  Escaped Bennett with a victory earlier in the week before running into a tough self part team that handed them a loss on Saturday.  Three losses in four games during a tough stretch of the schedule That doesn’t get any easier on Monday against Nichols.
8. MST (B2) – The Wolves won their 4th game of the season by 34+ points in a blitzing of East on Wednesday. MST will look to keep the lopsided wins rolling in their favor on Tuesday at Buffalo Culinary.
9. Salamanca (B1) –  The Warriors appeared headed for a 5th straight victory after building a double-digit lead at Dunkirk on Tuesday, before the wheels came off late.  They’ll take some time to open Christmas gifts and pound some eggnog before returning to the court for the Joe DeCerbo Memorial Holiday Showcase over the weekend.
10. Newfane (B2) –  After watching their lead vanish at the hands of Wilson Tuesday, the Panthers got off to a good start in Albion on Friday before falling again.  Now they are tasked with beating a Lew-Port team that will arrive equally hungry for a victory on Monday. 

–🏀centercourt🏀