November 23, 2024
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Basketball: First AP rankings of the new year released

Annawan moves up one spot to No. 3 for 1A girls

By Kevin Hieronymus
The Annawan Bravettes won the Geneseo Thanksgiving Tournament, defeating Sterling, 45-43, for the championship. Team members are (front row, left to right) Brynn Harker, Clara Bella VanOpdorp, Aleigha Witte and Paige Sierens; (back row) coach Jason Burkiewicz, Olivia Goodley, Ella Anderson, Zoey Vance, Kaylee Celus, Elaina Manuel and coach Caitlyn DeMay.

The Annawan Bravettes who won the Geneseo Thanksgiving Tournament and St. Bede Lady Bruins Christmas Classic, moved up one spot to No. 3 in this week's Class 1A AP rankings. (Photo provided)

The first prep basketball rankings of the new year were released by the Associated Press Wednesday afternoon, including some area teams.

Annawan moved up one spot in the 1A girls poll to No. 3 with one first-place vote and 66 points. The first-place votes were split between five teams, including No. 1 Galena (14-1, 93 points), No. 2 Orangeville (18-1/78), No. 5 Tuscola (14-1/48) and No. 7 Altamount (13-2/32).

Serena (12-2), which has lost only to Annawan, fell just outside the top 10 in 1A with 16 points. Wethersfield, the Warkins Classic champion at Prophetstown, earned two points.

Princeton (12-4) received one vote in 2A where Breese Central (13-2) held on to its top billing.

Other top-ranked girls teams were Lincoln (17-0), which received all eight first-place votes in 3A after knocking off previously No. 1 ranked Peoria (16-1), and Loyola (18-0) in 4A.

Rockridge (12-3), which opened at No. 1 in the first 2A boys poll in December, slipped to No. 9 in the new year. Fieldcrest (14-1), the Colmone Classic champion, received 21 points, but fell out of the top 10.

Breese Central (14-2) claimed seven of 13 first-place votes and 136 points to take over at No. 1 in 2A. Tolono Unity (13-0) gained two first-place votes and 104 points at No. 2 while Peoria Manual (9-4) picked up four first-place votes and 96 points at No. 3.

Tuscola (15-0) swept all 16 first-place votes with 160 points at No. 1 for 1A boys. Serena fell just out of the top 10 in 1A by just one point to Lexington (13-3), which beat the Huskers for the championship at the Ottawa Marquette Christmas Classic. Annawan also received votes outside of the top 10.

Sterling received two votes for 3A boys.

The other top-rankings went to DePaul College Prep (15-0) in 3A and Chicago Currie (14-1) in 4A.

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