Unbeaten Poway Heads Times’ Top 10

Poway and Patrick Henry high schools, the teams that played for the CIF 3-A championship a year ago, head the list of this week’s Times Top 10 for boys basketball.

The Titans, who returned all five starters from last year’s CIF championship team, have picked up where they left off, winning 12 games without a loss this season.

With a starting front line of John Colborne, Dominick Johnson and Jud Buechler and the backcourt duo of Andy Byrne and Gary Anderson, Poway looks to have a good shot at winning its second straight title.

“I don’t think anybody is as good as Poway is right now,” said Point Loma Coach John May, whose seventh-ranked Pointers lost to the Titans, 76-63, earlier this season. “They’re a very big, smart and aggressive team.”

Patrick Henry also is off to a flying start. The Patriots are 12-0, including a 52-51 victory over fourth-ranked Monte Vista in the final of the Kiwanis Tournament two weeks ago.

“They have as much talent as anybody,” Monte Vista Coach Pete Colonelli said, “but I would still have to rate Poway as the team to beat because they have played together for so long.”

Meanwhile, this season’s toughest league appears to be the City East, which has four ranked teams. Behind Patrick Henry, comes Morse (No. 5), Point Loma (No. 7) and Serra (No. 10). With talented guard Jimmy Dean leading the way, Madison also figures to challenge in the City East, as does defending league champion Mira Mesa.

Here is The Times’ Top Ten:

Pos. Team (League) Record 1. Poway (Palomar) 12-0 2. Patrick Henry (City Eastern) 12-0 3. Sweetwater (Metro-Mesa) 13-2 4. Monte Vista (Grossmont) 11-1 5. Morse (City Eastern) 6-3 6. Hoover (City Central) 12-2 7. Point Loma (City Eastern) 10-2 8. El Camino (Avocado) 9-1 9. El Capitan (Grossmont) 9-3 10. Serra (City Eastern) 8-3

Best of the Rest: Helix (9-4), Kearny (9-4), Chula Vista (7-5).