San Diego Prep Basketball : No. 1 Rating Didn’t Last Long for Patrick Henry

The Patrick Henry High School boys basketball team waited until the final two weeks of the season for Poway to fall from its position as the county’s top-rated team.

The Patriots’ patience was rewarded when Poway lost to Torrey Pines, 54-53, on Feb. 8. Poway dropped to No. 2 and Patrick Henry, the county’s only unbeaten team, was elevated to the top spot.

But the Patriots were No. 1 for just a week. On Wednesday, they lost to Madison, 71-67. Patrick Henry is back in its familiar No. 2 spot and the Titans are again the top-rated team in the county.

Patrick Henry led, 34-33, at halftime, but Madison scored the first 10 points of the third quarter and never trailed again. To overtake the Patriots in the rankings, Poway beat Orange Glen, 75-36, on Tuesday and Mount Carmel, 86-67, on Thursday.

Patrick Henry wasn’t the only Top 10 team to be upset. After 50 straight Metro Conference victories, Sweetwater was beaten by Bonita Vista in double overtime, 93-88, on Wednesday. The Red Devils had four starters foul out. Sweetwater rebounded on Friday to beat Castle Park, 100-68. The Red Devils dropped a notch to No. 4.

Morse, which finished second in the City Eastern League, lost to Point Loma in its season finale, 77-73, on Wednesday. The Pointers scored the first 10 points of the game and led, 26-12, after one quarter. Morse dropped from fifth to sixth.

Monte Vista moved up to No. 3 after beating El Capitan, 50-42, on Friday to claim the Grossmont League title. The Monarchs also beat Grossmont on Tuesday, 63-39. Despite the loss, El Capitan moved ahead of Morse in the rankings. The Vaqueros beat El Cajon on Tuesday, 70-42.

No. 7 Chula Vista is the top-rated 2-A Conference team in the county. The Spartans appear primed for the playoffs. They beat Southwest on Wednesday, 89-77, and Coronado on Saturday, 92-35. No. 8 El Camino beat San Marcos on Wednesday, 67-47.

No. 9 Hoover clinched the City Central League title with a 67-49 win against Saint Augustine on Wednesday and No. 10 Mission Bay broke a first-place tie in the City Western League with a 65-56 win against Kearny on Wednesday.

Here is The Times’ Top 10:

Pos. Team (League) Record 1. Poway (Palomar) 21-1

2. Patrick Henry (City Eastern) 22-1

3. Monte Vista (Grossmont) 22-1

4. Sweetwater (Metro-Mesa) 23-3

5. El Capitan (Grossmont) 18-5

6. Morse (City Eastern) 13-6

7. Chula Vista (Metro-South Bay) 18-6

8. El Camino (Avocado) 21-2

9. Hoover (City Central) 20-4

10. Mission Bay (City Western) 17-5

Best of the rest: Kearny (17-7), Oceanside (16-6) and Point Loma (16-7).