Boys’ basketball top 25 rankings

Rankings and comments by Ben Bolch:

1; WESTCHESTER (City-Div. I, 35-2); Comets mortified they beat McClymonds by “only” 18 points when Fairfax won by 25 in 2007.

2; KING (SS-Div. I-AA, 30-3); Technically speaking, Wolves came up 14 points and three whistles short of Westchester.

3; TAFT (City-Div. I, 27-5); Rankings committee awards Coach Derrick Taylor bonus points for willingness to chat with reporters during games.

4; FAIRFAX (City-Div. I, 27-5); These Lions were prone to either roaring (see victory over Mater Dei) or napping (see loss to Taft).

5; MATER DEI (SS-Div. I-AA, 31-2); What can (Andy) Brown do for you? Monarchs wish they knew against King and Fairfax.

6; ETIWANDA (SS-Div. I-AA, 25-6); Eagles will always have Perris Blackwell and memory of halftime lead over Mater Dei.

7; EISENHOWER (SS-Div. II-A, 32-3); Fans should buy fiery coach Steve Johnson a bottle of Screaming Eagle to commemorate state title.

8; DOMINGUEZ (SS-Div. I-AA, 26-7); How do you score the first 15 points in a game and lose? Dons learned the hard way against Taft.

9; LOYOLA (SS-Div. II-A, 26-7); After Carl Hoffman made 16 of 19 shots in Eisenhower loss, rankings committee figured he should have got the ball more.

10; BISHOP MONTGOMERY (SS-Div. IV-AA, 28-5); Knights were on wrong end of stop-the-presses finish against Richmond Salesian.

11; WINDWARD (SS-Div. V-A, 29-6); Wildcats resembled a team of NBA ringers against a recreation league squad in rout of Alameda St. Joseph Notre Dame.

12; OCEAN VIEW (SS-Div. IV-AA, 27-8); Coach Jim Harris hopes next trip to Sacramento doesn’t require 618 more victories.

13; RANCHO VERDE (SS-Div. I-AA, 24-6); Mustangs get math lesson when Mater Dei’s two McDonald’s All-Americans prove better than their one in quarterfinal loss.

14; REDLANDS (SS-Div. I-AA, 25-4); After splitting two games with Eisenhower, Terriers wonder what might have been . . . had they been in Division II playoffs.

15; LOS ALAMITOS (SS-Div. I-AA, 27-2); Loads of regular-season victories don’t amount to much when Griffins lose to Lynwood early in playoffs.

16; LONG BEACH POLY (SS-Div. I-AA, 23-6); Double bonus proves to be a plus for Jackrabbits when Dominguez keeps missing free throws in playoff clash.

17; THOUSAND OAKS (SS-Div. II-AA, 30-3); Coach Rich Endres guides team with no returning starters to section title. Next up: He fixes the economy.

18; LEUZINGER (SS-Div. II-AA, 26-7); Olympians experienced the good (victory over Taft), bad (playoff loss to Thousand Oaks) and ugly (upset loss to West Torrance).

19; TESORO (SS-Div. I-A, 28-5); With Robbie Picazo and Brett Gudim in the fold, Titans are well-equipped if a football game breaks out on hardwood.

20; VENTURA (SS-Div. I-A, 26-6); Playoff run comes to an end when Tesoro and Taft ace Ventura in consecutive games.

21; HARVARD-WESTLAKE (SS-Div. III-A, 28-7); Can’t match school’s freshman football team (Ashton Kutcher) and varsity baseball team (Gavin McCourt) in name recognition. department.

22; MURRIETA VALLEY (SS-Div. I-A, 25-2); Top-seeded in Division I-A playoffs and tops among postseason flops following second-round loss.

23; LONG BEACH JORDAN (SS-Div. I-AA, 22-6); Panthers are ensnared in Michael Snaer’s web of brilliance during second-round playoff loss.

24; LA MIRADA (SS-Div. II-A, 27-4); Derrick Williams sets YouTube record for web hits with eight-dunk game against Yucaipa.

25; SANTA MONICA (SS-Div. I-A, 22-9); It’s understandable how Vikings lost focus against Dominguez with zany Westside Rentals guy cheering them on.