It’s time again for the girls basketball area scoring leaders, area top 10 and statewide rankings…

Not much changed among the top teams … Auburn Riverside and Lakes continue to cruise in 3A, while Bellarmine Prep looks like the win against Mount Tahoma gave them a bit of extra confidence (not to say they weren’t good before) – but, as I keep mentioning, if both win tonight, there will be a tie-breaker Saturday. I can’t wait for another packed gym.

Capital needed overtime Friday to beat Yelm, but that’s more a testament to Yelm’s improvement rather than Capital struggling, in my opinion. In 2A, River Ridge beat Black Hills, keeping the Wolves from running away with EvCo.

On the 4A statewide radar, No. 2 Prairie and No. 7 Skyview face off tonight. Last time, it was tied at the end of the third quarter before USC-bound Ashley Corral scored 17 of her school-record 38 points in the fourth. Prairie has won 99 consecutive regular season league games (and 111 including the district tournaments) dating back to eight years ago today.

Auburn Riverside senior Katie Grad had two more big games — 28 and 29 points — for the top-ranked Ravens, to remain the only player averaging 20-plus points per game (21.2). River Ridge’s Courtney Blume is moving up the chart steadily and after scoring 25 in Tuesday’s win against Black Hills, she’s up to No. 4 with 17.3 ppg.

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No surprises among the scoring leaders as Bellarmine Prep's junior tandem of Avery Bradley (25.7 points per game) and Abdul Gaddy (23.8 ppg) top the list.

Now, on to the rankings.

Auburn is still the No. 1 team in the area. I've got Lakes at No. 2 and Kentridge at No. 3 and both are playing well enough to be No. 1. But you'll find no co-No. 1's here.

Foss makes its first appearance in the area rankings. The Falcons' 11-8 overall record doesn't impress, but they've won seven of their last eight with the only loss a 51-49 defeat at Bellarmine Prep.

In the classification rankings, Ferris is tops in 4A, Rainier Beach maintains its stranglehold in 3A and Mark Morris still reigns over 2A. Bellevue Christian is the new leader in 1A ater Riverview lost for the first time this season. I've also got Vashon Island ranked for the first time this season. The Pirates are No. 5 in 1A.

See the complete list of scoring leaders and rankings by clicking below.

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As the regular season nears its end, there's not a lot of movement in this week's Associated Press prep basketball polls, which were released this afternon.

Ferris, Rainier Beach and Mark Morris all remain atop the boys' Class 4A, 3A and 2A polls, while Bellevue Christian is the new No. 1 in 1A after Riverview lost. Also in 1A, Vashon is tied at No. 2 with King's.

In the girls' rankings, Lewis and Clark, Auburn Riverside, Anacortes and Lynden Christian are all No. 1 again.

Click below for the entire rankings.

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A Pennsylvania high school wrestling coach is going to resign after biting one of his wrestlers in the leg.

Here's the link for the story from ESPN. And here's another story from a local paper.

Tonight's Lincoln-Wilson boys basketball game location has been changed to Lincoln.

The boys C/JV teams will play at 3:30 p.m., the boys varsity teams will play at 5:15 p.m. and the girls varsity teams will play at 7 p.m.

Auburn again sits atop the area rankings. Lakes moves into the second spot after Bellarmine Prep's loss to Kentwood earlier this week. The Lions fell to No. 6.

The scoring leader list is topped by Gig Harbor's Mathias Ward and Bellarmine Prep's Avery Bradley and Abdul Gaddy.

Click below to see the entire list of scoring leaders and rankings.

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It’s time again for the area scoring leaders, area top 10 and statewide rankings…

Weekly scoring note: Auburn Riverside senior Katie Grad (20.2 points per game) and Lakes senior Sara Halasz (20.0 ppg) are still in a battle for the scoring leader spot, while no other player is within two points of them. Grad and Halasz both sported 22-plus scoring averages earlier this season, but the Ravens’ and Lancers’ dominance in their respective conferences has led their coaches to sit starters earlier and/or longer, thus the drop in the numbers.

Standings: A bit of movement with Bellarmine Prep taking out Mount Tahoma in overtime Saturday (a great game for any of you unlucky enough to have missed it). Auburn Riverside continues to have the target on its back, while Lakes remains a solid No. 2 in both the area top 10 and 3A top 10. I can't wait for that matchup (likely in the district title game).

In the 2A, Black Hills has finally shown (to me, at least) that it deserves to be ranked up near the top with Tuesday’s defeat of Tumwater. The Wolves are the only undefeated (in league play) team left in the Evergreen Conference, which claimed three of the 2007 2A trophy winners (Champion River Ridge, second-place Tumwater and sixth-place Black Hills) and many returning players.

On another note, the WIAA’s statewide standings are back to regular updates, and an interesting number stood out to me: Among all six classifications, four South Sound schools lead the state in points scored: Mount Tahoma (1,286), Bellarmine Prep (1,205), Auburn Riverside (1,163) and Kentwood (1,120). Lakes isn’t far behind (sixth) with 1,061 points. No teams in 2A or lower have scored more than 1,000 points through Wednesday’s games.

Check out scoring leaders and standings behind the jump.

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This week's Associated Press polls have been released.

Some interesting notes about this week's rankings:

Click below for complete rankings.

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The News Tribune's annual Northwest Nuggets high school football package will appear in the Sunday, Jan. 27 newspaper.

Judging by the e-mails I've been getting over the last few weeks, I know some of you have been eagerly waiting for our annual package featuring the top high school football players in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and British Columbia.

Also, the Western 100 will run on Feb. 3, giving you something to read while you sit through hours and hours of insufferable Super Bowl pre-game television.

2007-08 ALL NARROWS GIRLS BOWLING

1ST TEAM
Amanda Richards (Wilson): 195 average
Megan McMahon (SK): 185
Courtney Cabrera (W): 180
Amy Pudists (W): 173
Rachel Ballor (W): 173
Danielle Mansanarez (Bellarmine): 167
Catharine Tracy (W): 167

2ND TEAM
Angie Holland (CK): 163
Wendy Ellison (CK): 162
Whitney Bautista (Stadium): 155
Connie Dunlap (S): 154
Hanna Mendenhall (B): 151
Melissa Beers (CK): 147
Kristie Spadoni (B): 147

3RD TEAM
Leanna Vigil (SK): 145
Lauren Myers (B): 143
Jordan Barland (CK): 142
Lindsey Justin (S): 137
Lauren Vetsch (S): 135
Samantha Kabrich (MT): 135
Jordan Maglione (MT): 134

The Tides suffered their second loss in three games at the hands of Bothell.

Bothell's Johnny Hekker (a top high school quarterback prospect) blocked Ted Steingraber's 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining, picked up the loose ball and went the length of the court for an emphatic dunk to seal the win. Bothell outscored Gig 22-14 in the fourth quarter, while shooting 60 percent from the field in the final two quarters.

Hekker finished with 18 points, while Neddy Dirini and Albert Horswill added 14 points each.

Gig got a workmanlike effort from big man Mathias Ward, who finished with 26 points and 17 rebounds, but shot just 9-of-23 from the field. Teammate Geoff McIntosh added 21 points, including four 3-pointers. But the Tides were an shot an anemic 19-of-62 from the field, including 4-of-20 from 3-point range.

Another week of games and another set of rankings to supplement your viewing choices.

Auburn Riverside (10-3) and Lakes (12-0) still hold the 1-2 in the area and 3A rankings, topping a trio of 4A teams in the area top 10.

And it looks like a season-long battle shaping up between the Ravens' and Lancers' scoring leaders - AR senior Katie Grad (21.0 points per game) jumped back above Lakes' senior Sara Halasz (20.9 ppg) with 33 points in Friday's win against Auburn.

The big matchup this weekend, though, will be Mount Tahoma at Bellarmine Prep girls. The first game of the season was decided by one point. Catch it 7 p.m. Saturday at Bellarmine.

Rankings; leaders behind the cut.

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Here's our weekly installment of South Sound scoring leaders, area rankings and state rankings.

Auburn is still undefeated and remains at the top of our Area Top 10. Bellarmine Prep and Lakes hold steady at Nos. 2 and 3, but last week's No. 4, Kentwood, fell to No. 7 after losing to Federal Way.

For the third straight week, we've got a new scoring leader. This week, Gig Harbor's Mathias Ward supplants Bellarmine Prep's Avery Bradley atop the list.

Ward is averaging 24.1 points per game, while Bradley is scoring 23.3 ppg. Coincidentally, these two will go head-to-head tonight when the Tides host the Lions in a Narrows League contest at 7 p.m.

Follow the link to see the complete list of scoring leaders and rankings.

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The season's first Associated Press high school basketball polls were released today.

The Auburn Riverside girls are the only South Sound team ranked No. 1 in any classification. The defending state champion Ravens are tops in Class 3A.

The Lewis and Clark girls and Ferris boys were unanimous No. 1 selections in 4A.

Rainier Beach's boys were No. 1 in 3A, followed closely by Auburn and Lakes.

Follow the link to see the rankings.

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Reporter Rene Ferran of the Tri-City Herald has cobbled together a list of the state's leading scorers.

Who's on top?

A quintet of South Sounders lead Class 4A, topped by Belleramine Prep's Avery Bradley and his 24.2 points per game.

The statewide top five is the same as our area top five: Bradley, Kentwood's Josh Smith, Gig Harbor's Mathias Ward, Bethel's Brandon MaGee and Bellarmine's Abdul Gaddy.

Hmm...wonder if these stats will mean deep postseason runs?

You can view the scoring leaders here.

Here at the Prep Blog, we like to stay abreast of world affairs, national politics, Britney's child custody battles, things like that. Lately, we've been hearing about this thing called "Super Tuesday."

That got us wondering how the folks at CNN, MSNBC and Fox News knew about tonight's impressive slate of prep basketball games in the South Sound.

Anyway, it turns out that "Super Tuesday" has nothing to do with basketball. It's a reference to Feb. 5, when 24 states will have presidential primaries or caucuses.

Silly us. Nevertheless, here's what's going on tonight:

Bethel takes its perfect league record to Curtis, which has only one SPSL loss -- the Vikings fell 62-53 to Bethel on Dec. 11. A victory for the Braves will likely wrap up the SPSL South title. If Curtis wins, the Vikings can horn in on possible getting share of the crown. No other team in the SPSL South has fewer than four losses.

Kentwood will try to fend off Federal Way for a second time this season. The Conquerors beat the Eagles 69-60 on Dec. 4. Federal Way point guard Isiah Umipig is expected to be back after missing the last two games with an ankle injury.

On the girls' side, first-place Kentwood travels to second-place Federal Way. The Conks haven't lost a league game yet and the Eagles are 8-1 since losing to Kentwood on Dec. 4.

Graham-Kapowsin will try to blemish Puyallup's perfect SPSL record tonight. The Eagles are 7-1, while the Vikings are 8-0.

In the Western Cascade Conference, the league-leading Lakes girls are visiting Capital. Both are undefeated in league play.

Bellarmine Prep's girls must beat Foss to keep pace with Narrows League Bay Divison leader Mount Tahoma. But the Lions' task won't be easy. Bellarmine and the Falcons are each 7-1 in Narrows action.

There's plenty "super" about tonight's games.

You want schedules, you got 'em.

Beginning Monday, a week's worth of high school sports schedules will run in the Scoreboard (agate page) of the sports section. As always, schedules, standings and results are available 24/7 at our online sports database.

We're also making one other slight change. The prep basketball standings will run on Tuesdays intstead of Fridays. There's simply too much going on Thursday nights to cram the standings in.

Our basketball scoring leaders and team rankings will continue to run on Fridays.

As promised, here are this week's rankings and scoring leaders.

Undefeated Auburn remains on top of the area rankings, but Bellarmine Prep is nipping on the Trojans' heels. Fresh off a 35-point game on Wednesday, Bellarmine forward Avery Bradley is the area's scoring leader at 24.2 points per game.

Bradley, a junior, is trailed by Kentwood's Josh Smith (23.8), Gig Harbor's Mathias Ward (23.3), last week's leader, Bethel's Brandon MaGee (23.0) and teammate Abdul Gaddy (22.8).

There's a shakeup in the Class 4A standings after Decatur and Federal Way each lost in the last week.

In 3A, Rainier Beach remains atop the rankings. Mount Rainier made the jump to N. 5 from No. 9, following its win over previously unbeaten Renton, which falls to No. 6.

Click below to see the full rankings and top 15 scoring leaders.

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Another week has come and gone, leaving it time for a new set of area and class rankings. The girls' are below; the boys' will be posted this afternoon.

In the area rankings, Class 3A schools Auburn Riverside (No. 1) and Lakes (No. 2) held on to the top two spots, while 4A Kentwood (No. 4) and Mount Tahoma (No. 3) swapped spots. Puyallup, although remaining undefeated in league play, dropped out with a non-league loss to Roosevelt, leaving room for Federal Way to sneak in.

South Sound schools didn't fare as well in the Class 4A rankings. Undefeateds No. 1 Lewis and Clark and No. 2 Lake Stevens are on top, followed by strong schools from the Vancouver and Spokane areas. There isn't much room for Mount Tahoma (No. 8) or Kentwood (No. 10), let alone Bellarmine or others.

In 3A, No. 1 Auburn Riverside, despite three losses, continues to earn the strength-of-schedule card, while undefeated Lakes, much like in the area top 10, is right behind at No. 2. I can't wait for that game in the district playoffs!

As for the top scorers, Lakes' senior Sara Halasz took sole claim of the top spot with 27 and 30 points in Lakes' two most recent games, raising her average to 21.5 points per game - the only South Sound girls basketball player averaging more than 20. Auburn Riverside's Katie Grad is close at 19.9, while Puyallup's Tabitha Tomlinson is third with 17.9.

Click below to see the full rankings for area and 4A-1A, as well as the top 15 scoring leaders. As always, a new set will be available next Thursday.

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Even with league and district tournaments a month away, there's a slate full of meaningful games over the next seven days in the South Sound.

There's a Narrows League showdown tonight when Bridge Division leader Lincoln visits Bay co-leader Central Kitsap. The Cougars, who lost their first league game on Friday when Gig Harbor's Mathias Ward exploded for 56 points, are a bit of a surprise this season. But with a win over Bellarmine Prep on its resume, Central Kitsap has to be taken seriously.

On Friday in the SPSL 3A, undefeated Auburn hosts Auburn Riverside, which is 4-1 in league, in a double-header. The boys tip off at 7:30 p.m., while the girls start at 5:45 p.m. in a meeting of two teams unbeaten in conference play.

The Foss and Mount Tahoma girls teams meet the same night. One team will keep its perfect league record, another will get its first loss.

There's plenty at stake in the SPSL next Tuesday. The Federal Way and Kentwood boys square off for the second time this season and Bethel will try to keep its SPSL South record perfect when it visits one-loss Curtis.

The Federal Way girls can gain on SPSL North-leading Kentwood with a win over the Conquerors. Puyallup and Graham-Kapowsin, the top two teams in the SPSL South, go head-to-head the same day.

The small schools are even getting in on the action when Charles Wright travels to Vashon Island for a Nisqually League 1A clash on Tuesday.

For those of you interested in finding out where TNT All-Area guard Patrick McCollum took his considerable basketball talents after up and leaving Franklin Pierce earlier this season, he's in San Diego.

Thanks to a tip, we've found out that McCollum is playing for San Diego High — a perennial power in southern California.

Here's a link to a story of San Diego reaching the finals of a holiday tournament in Missouri. McCollum, who is a borderline Pac-10 recruit, plays with 6-10 sophomore Jeremy Tyler, who is a highly coveted national recruit.

The South Puget Sound League 3A voted today to extend invitations to Clover Park, Lakes and Peninsula, SPSL president Wendy Malich said.

From talking with each schools' athletic director today, I fully expect all three to accept the invitations.

The openings were created when the WIAA released last month the 2008-2010 enrollment totals, reclassifying Auburn and Auburn Riverside as 4A schools. The two will move up to the SPSL 4A next fall.

The most interesting aspect of this is what will become of the Western Cascade Conference. With Lakes and Clover Park likely exiting, the WCC will have only five schools. Shelton will be a 4A school next year and is interesting in joining the Narrows League, said Bill Hicks, Shelton athletic director, which could leave the WCC with four schools.

I'll have more on this story in Tuesday's newspaper.

We've compared the records, factored in big wins and bad losses and made a few judgment calls in ranking the best boys and girls basketball teams.

Here's what we've decided: the Auburn boys and Auburn Riverside girls are the best basketball teams in the area -- this week.

We'll update our rankings every Thursday. Click below to see which teams we think are the best.

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With winter break behind us, here's a look at the area's top 15 leading scorers in boys and girls basketball.

The boys' list is especially tough to crack, with all 15 averaging more than 18 points per game. Bethel's Brandon MaGee is No. 1 with 24.2 ppg and he's followed by Bellarmine Prep's junior duo Abdul Gaddy (23.9) and Avery Bradley (23.3).

Auburn Riverside's Kate Grad and Lakes' Sarah Halasz are each averaging 20.4 ppg to lead the girls.

Click below to see the area's leading scorers.

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