State Power Rankings: The Top 5

In this article I feature my personal Top 5 teams in Nevada at the moment.   With plenty of big time matchups on the way. It will be exciting to watch which teams thrive in January.     1. Coronado Cougars (5-6) - The Coronado Cougars are first in my power rankings despite their losing record. They have gone out and faced many of the top teams in the country since the beginning of the season. Although they've fallen to a few of the teams, they've still picked up quality wins and recently had some success at the John Wall Classic out on the East Coast. They also notably took down Centennial (CA) last night 70-63 in overtime. [player_tooltip player_id='1406767' first='Munir' last='Greig'] has been a steady force for them, and is currently averaging 15.2 PPG, 8 RPG, and 3.2 APG. His ability to get downhill has truly stood out. [player_tooltip player_id='1490283' first='Amare' last='Oba'], (13.2 PPG) [player_tooltip player_id='2484289' first='Devaughn' last='Dorrough'] (10.6 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='1463264' first='Jonny' last='Collins'] (10.1 PPG) have also been reliable contributors on the offensive end. On defense, the Cougars have looked to [player_tooltip player_id='2509672' first='Siyahe' last='Siaisiai'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1707488' first='Demari' last='Hunter'] to create turnovers. Siaisiai is currently averaging an impressive 2.8 BPG, while Hunter averages 2.1 SPG. Overall, they're a well rounded team and they have the athleticism to run with anyone. Now that conference play is here, it will be interesting to see how they continue to evolve. They will face Mojave on 1/8 and Bishop Gorman on 1/10.   2. Bishop Gorman Gaels (9-7) - The Bishop Gorman Gaels are a very role oriented team this season, and their unselfish play has helped them compete against top tier squads. They ended up going 2-2 in the High School Division at the Tarkanian Classic. With wins over Carter (TX) and Hillgrove (GA). They also hung right with Santa Margarita. And went all the way to double overtime with them. But Santa Margarita ultimately pulled away. Even though they lost, their starters and rotational players performed well. So far, [player_tooltip player_id='2086139' first='Tyler' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2047786' first='Kameron' last='Cooper'] have been doing much of the scoring. But their seniors, [player_tooltip player_id='2370258' first='Dino' last='Roberts'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1266706' first='Tyler' last='Bright'], capitalize on their opportunities. Other players that have pitched in are: [player_tooltip player_id='1965271' first='Hudson' last='Dannels'], [player_tooltip player_id='2691549' first='Canon' last='Mullen'], [player_tooltip player_id='2450360' first='Noah' last='Grossman'], [player_tooltip player_id='2654821' first='Braylen' last='Williams'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2374170' first='Dillon' last='Ritchie']. Considering their strength of schedule and their depth. They look like a team that's progressing and there's a good chance they'll be in a position to contend for a State Title.   3. Democracy Prep Blue Knights (8-6) - The Democracy Prep Blue Knights will be a dangerous squad to face in 5A this month. Like the Cougars and Gaels, they put together a very tough non-conference schedule in November and December. While they took some L's along the way, they did notably beat Mayfair (CA) at the Jordan Take Flight Flight Challenge. And they were also the one of just two teams to make it to their bracket Championship at the Tarkanian Classic a couple of weeks ago. I was able to catch their semifinal game against Southwind, and their speed caught my attention. Then I watched them go toe to toe with JSerra in the championship. Players like [player_tooltip player_id='2468244' first='Jaden' last='Redding'] (11.6 PPG) and [player_tooltip player_id='1667943' first='Zyon' last='Harris'] (11 PPG) were consistent playmakers on the offensive end for them. And I also liked what I saw from [player_tooltip player_id='2374248' first='Dashaun' last='Harris'] (8.4 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1945840' first='Ien' last='Kirkland'] (7.6 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1529853' first='Tai' last='Coleman'] (11.0 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='2434274' first='Elizjah' last='Scott'] (5 PPG) [player_tooltip player_id='1667541' first='Mario' last='Allen'] (4 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='2122232' first='Kaden' last='Arnold'] (17.6 PPG). With high level athletes at every position, they can make opposing teams pay in transition and tire the defense with their relentless pace. Their next 3 games are against Desert Pines (1/13), Coronado (1/14), and Mesa (AZ) (1/17).   4. Desert Pines Jaguars (11-4) - The Desert Pines Jaguars won their first 8 games of the season. They took down Clark, Mater East Academy, Crossroads (CA), and Palisades (CA) during that run. They then faced off against Lone Peak (UT) at the Orleans Arena and just about clinched a bracket championship birth. But unfortunately for them, Lone Peak made some clutch plays with just moments to go in regulation and OT to come out on top. Although they didn't get the win, sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2374347' first='Aaron' last='McMorran II'] (25.2 PPG) picked up his second Division I offer from Murray St. after posting 30 points and 11 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='1707443' first='Chase' last='Robertson'] (12.4 PPG) and [player_tooltip player_id='2111894' first='Tyler' last='Merto'] (13.4 PPG) have also been leading the way for the Jaguars. Robertson had a monster 30 point game against Palisades. And Merto has had couple of 20 point performances (coming against San Gabriel Academy and Aquinas). Beyond their core of scorers, they've also had [player_tooltip player_id='2588076' first='Maleki' last='Sims'] (4.2 PPG), Lavelle Lovelace (7.4 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='2812155' first='Mason' last='Robles'] (6.9 PPG), Jerome Jackson Sequeira (2.4 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1965276' first='Quentin' last='Stewart'] (1.7 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='2634178' first='Kru' last='Brown'] (1.4) all step up at times on offense and on defense. All in all, they are a gritty group and we'll see if they can keep it going. As they are set to face Bishop Gorman (1/7), Las Vegas (1/9), and Liberty (1/10) this week.   5. Liberty Patriots (10-5) - The Liberty Patriots are already at 10 wins. Much of that has to do with their stellar senior class. [player_tooltip player_id='1463230' first='Tyus' last='Thomas'] (16.2 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1493480' first='Dante' last='Steward'] (16.5 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='2145851' first='Evan' last='Hilliard'] (8.7 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1766694' first='Nick' last='Evans'] (4.8 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='2640655' first='Eric' last='Alisca'] (2.8 PPG), Da'aron Thompkins (9.3 PPG) and [player_tooltip player_id='1463237' first='Tayshawn' last='Caesar'] (10.8 PPG) all bring a great deal of experience to the table. Thomas and Steward are both capable outside shooters and either one of them can go off on any given night. When I watched them play against Durango, their team defense also stood out. Each player seems to play with a ton of effort. And just about everyone can cause a turnover. As a whole, they have the pieces to battle against some of these other stacked 5A teams. Their notable wins are over Clark, Modesto Christian (CA), Pasadena (CA), and Etiwanda (CA). Look for them to be in some real duels in January. The next 3 games on their schedule are: Faith Lutheran (1/6), Centennial (1/8), and Desert Pines (1/10).

In this article I feature my personal Top 5 teams in Nevada at the moment.