http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/zewing/39287 I'm going to attempt boys and girls basketball rankings in the Central Section, just like we did at School House Zach for football in the fall. Before I start, I need to admit that this is going to be difficult and probably somewhat controversial among area basketball fans. Football rankings are pretty easy to do because each team plays just once a week and you rarely see a rematch, much less two teams playing three or more times. In basketball, that happens all the time. So consider these rankings just a jumping-off point for following boys and girls basketball in the Central Section as league play starts this week. I'll update this (hopefully) every weekend, and, once we wade through some persistent technical difficulties, we'll have a winter sports podcast in the middle of every week, too. GIRLS 1. Hanford (9-3, Division II, last year: D-III champion) — Don't doubt the Bullpups' credentials: They've lost to only San Bernardino-Cajon, Brea Olinda and Stockton-St. Mary's, teams ranked Nos. 2, 3 and 6 in the state by MaxPreps and in the top 10 nationally. Guess who checks in at No. 4 in California? Yep, Hanford, which knocked off Clovis West in an early-season showdown. LAST WEEK: W 79-62 vs. Concord-Carondelet, W 81-74 vs. Antioch-Deer Valley, L 76-48 vs. Brea Olinda THIS WEEK: Wednesday at No. 11 Visalia-Redwood, Friday vs. Visalia-Golden West 2. Clovis West (9-4, Division I, last year: D-I champion) — Another team that has only losses to nationally ranked teams, though in the Golden Eagles' case that includes a four-point defeat to Hanford. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: no games 3. Stockdale (9-4, Division I, last year: D-I runner-up) — Melissa Sweat, Jalei Kinder and company are back as juniors, and they won't likely be tested again until the D-I championship, where they'd love another crack at Clovis West. LAST WEEK: W 67-34 vs. No. 14 Porterville-Monache, W 66-51 vs. San Mateo-Aragon THIS WEEK: Tuesday at No. 15 Bakersfield, Wednesday at North, Friday vs. Liberty 4. Fresno-Roosevelt (7-1, Division III, last year: lost in D-I first round) — The Rough Riders haven't played many games, but wins against Clovis (x2), Sanger, Clovis East, Clovis-Buchanan and Fresno-Bullard are pretty impressive. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Monday vs. Madera, Monday vs. Clovis 5. Fresno-Edison (8-3, Division I, last year: D-II runner-up) — Last we heard from the Tigers, they were losing a nail-biter to Centennial in the Division II section championship. Now, they've posted some impressive wins, including two over No. 7 Oakhurst-Yosemite, and been the only Central Section team to hang with Stockdale (losing by 13). LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Monday vs. Madera, Tuesday vs. Clovis 6. Garces (14-1, Division II, last year: D-IV champion) — This was the hardest team to rank in the section by far, mostly because the Rams have beaten up everyone (except one Southern Section opponent) but played none of the other top teams. I put them here because they haven't really given me a reason not to, especially after beat North by 15 in their tournament championship. We'll know more after a game at BHS this week. LAST WEEK: W 61-25 vs. Ridgeview, W 68-16 vs. South, W 67-38 vs. Tehachapi, W 68-23 vs. Taft, W 62-47 vs. North THIS WEEK: Tuesday vs. Golden Valley, Thursday at No. 15 Bakersfield 7. Oakhurst-Yosemite (5-7, Division II, last year: D-III runner-up) — Don't be fooled by the record. Yosemite has a couple of impressive wins against Hanford West and Corcoran and has played a tough non-section slate. Two losses to Edison raise question marks for a team that competes in loaded Division II. LAST WEEK: W 59-41 vs. Brentwood-Liberty, L 58-50 vs. Chula Vista-Mater Dei, L 56-50 vs. L.A.-Windward THIS WEEK: Saturday at San Juan Capistrano-JSerra Catholic 8. Fresno-Bullard (9-5, Division I, last year: lost in D-I semifinals) — This is one team that just kind of snugly fits in the middle of the rankings. The good: wins against Sunnyside and Redwood. The bad: losses to Tulare Union, Kingsburg and Delano? Better hope you catch the Knights on a bad day. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Monday vs. Fresno, Monday vs. No. 9 Fresno-Sunnyside, Tuesday vs. Clovis-Buchanan, Tuesday vs. Reedley 9. Fresno-Sunnyside (9-1, Division II, last year: no playoffs) — This is a slug-it-out team that will make life difficult on anyone (see: 32-28 victory against Edison). We'll see if the Wildcats can keep up a surprising start. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Monday vs. No. 8 Fresno-Bullard, Friday vs. Fresno-Central 10. Porterville (15-1, Division III, last year: lost in D-II semifinals) — The gaudy record looks even better when you consider the Panthers' only loss was a forfeit to Redwood, which they later beat by 11. Ladies and gents, your Division III challenger to Roosevelt. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Tuesday vs. Tulare Western 11. Visalia-Redwood (15-4, Division II, last year: lost in D-III semifinals) — Another grind-it-out team that continues a trend: How deep is Division II going to be this year? Clovis West and Stockdale at the top make D-I tough, but adding Hanford and Garces to D-II makes this the bracket to watch (at least until the finals) in late February. LAST WEEK: L 51-44 vs. San Mateo-Aragon, W 34-31 vs. No. 14 Porterville-Monache THIS WEEK: Wednesday vs. No. 1 Hanford, Friday at Hanford West 12. Corcoran (10-4, Division IV, last year: lost in D-IV semifinals) — With Garces out of the picture, the Panthers take over as D-IV favorites. Why? They invited a bunch of D-II and D-III teams to their invite and took second behind Redwood, beating main D-IV challenger Exeter by 29 in the process. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Monday vs. Clovis, Tuesday at Madera 13. Sanger (11-3, Division II, last year: lost in D-II quarterfinals) — The Apaches should be on the section's radar after going 3-1 at the West Coast Jamboree against Southern Section teams. LAST WEEK: L 50-30 vs. Santee-West Hills, W 51-31 vs. Union City-Logan, W 39-34 vs. L.A.-Venice THIS WEEK: Friday vs. Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial 14. Porterville-Monache (12-4, Division II, last year: lost in D-II quarterfinals) — I feel like I have every Division II team in the section in these rankings. The Marauders have the best nickname of the bunch (except maybe the Bullpups), but they'll find the sledding tough in the playoffs. LAST WEEK: L 67-34 at No. 3 Stockdale, L 34-31 vs. No. 11 Visalia-Redwood THIS WEEK: Tuesday vs. Porterville-Granite Hills, Thursday at Delano 15. Bakersfield (11-4, Division I, last year: lost in D-I semifinals) — The Drillers lost Alexi Smith, who transferred to Stockdale, and Asia Wofford, who graduated, off of last year's SEYL championship team, but they're plugging along with a new coach, Jimmy Henry, and plenty of talent left over. This week might be tough, though. LAST WEEK: W 43-24 vs. Liberty, L 44-35 vs. San Luis Obispo THIS WEEK: Tuesday vs. No. 3 Stockdale, Thursday vs. No. 6 Garces Waiting (in order): Hanford West, Tulare Union, North, SLO-Mission Prep, Clovis East, Kingsburg, Fresno Christian, Visalia-El Diamante, Fresno-Central, Fresno-SJ Memorial, Centennial I'm going to attempt boys and girls basketball rankings in the Central Section, just like we did at School House Zach for football in the fall. Before I start, I need to admit that this is going to be difficult and probably somewhat controversial among area basketball fans. Football rankings are pretty easy to do because each team plays just once a week and you rarely see a rematch, much less two teams playing three or more times. In basketball, that happens all the time. So consider these rankings just a jumping-off point for following boys and girls basketball in the Central Section as league play starts this week. I'll update this (hopefully) every weekend, and, once we wade through some persistent technical difficulties, we'll have a winter sports podcast in the middle of every week, too. GIRLS 1. Hanford (9-3, Division II, last year: D-III champion) — Don't doubt the Bullpups' credentials: They've lost to only San Bernardino-Cajon, Brea Olinda and Stockton-St. Mary's, teams ranked Nos. 2, 3 and 6 in the state by MaxPreps and in the top 10 nationally. Guess who checks in at No. 4 in California? Yep, Hanford, which knocked off Clovis West in an early-season showdown. LAST WEEK: W 79-62 vs. Concord-Carondelet, W 81-74 vs. Antioch-Deer Valley, L 76-48 vs. Brea Olinda THIS WEEK: Wednesday at No. 11 Visalia-Redwood, Friday vs. Visalia-Golden West 2. Clovis West (9-4, Division I, last year: D-I champion) — Another team that has only losses to nationally ranked teams, though in the Golden Eagles' case that includes a four-point defeat to Hanford. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: no games 3. Stockdale (9-4, Division I, last year: D-I runner-up) — Melissa Sweat, Jalei Kinder and company are back as juniors, and they won't likely be tested again until the D-I championship, where they'd love another crack at Clovis West. LAST WEEK: W 67-34 vs. No. 14 Porterville-Monache, W 66-51 vs. San Mateo-Aragon THIS WEEK: Tuesday at No. 15 Bakersfield, Wednesday at North, Friday vs. Liberty 4. Fresno-Roosevelt (7-1, Division III, last year: lost in D-I first round) — The Rough Riders haven't played many games, but wins against Clovis (x2), Sanger, Clovis East, Clovis-Buchanan and Fresno-Bullard are pretty impressive. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Monday vs. Madera, Monday vs. Clovis 5. Fresno-Edison (8-3, Division I, last year: D-II runner-up) — Last we heard from the Tigers, they were losing a nail-biter to Centennial in the Division II section championship. Now, they've posted some impressive wins, including two over No. 7 Oakhurst-Yosemite, and been the only Central Section team to hang with Stockdale (losing by 13). LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Monday vs. Madera, Tuesday vs. Clovis 6. Garces (14-1, Division II, last year: D-IV champion) — This was the hardest team to rank in the section by far, mostly because the Rams have beaten up everyone (except one Southern Section opponent) but played none of the other top teams. I put them here because they haven't really given me a reason not to, especially after beat North by 15 in their tournament championship. We'll know more after a game at BHS this week. LAST WEEK: W 61-25 vs. Ridgeview, W 68-16 vs. South, W 67-38 vs. Tehachapi, W 68-23 vs. Taft, W 62-47 vs. North THIS WEEK: Tuesday vs. Golden Valley, Thursday at No. 15 Bakersfield 7. Oakhurst-Yosemite (5-7, Division II, last year: D-III runner-up) — Don't be fooled by the record. Yosemite has a couple of impressive wins against Hanford West and Corcoran and has played a tough non-section slate. Two losses to Edison raise question marks for a team that competes in loaded Division II. LAST WEEK: W 59-41 vs. Brentwood-Liberty, L 58-50 vs. Chula Vista-Mater Dei, L 56-50 vs. L.A.-Windward THIS WEEK: Saturday at San Juan Capistrano-JSerra Catholic 8. Fresno-Bullard (9-5, Division I, last year: lost in D-I semifinals) — This is one team that just kind of snugly fits in the middle of the rankings. The good: wins against Sunnyside and Redwood. The bad: losses to Tulare Union, Kingsburg and Delano? Better hope you catch the Knights on a bad day. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Monday vs. Fresno, Monday vs. No. 9 Fresno-Sunnyside, Tuesday vs. Clovis-Buchanan, Tuesday vs. Reedley 9. Fresno-Sunnyside (9-1, Division II, last year: no playoffs) — This is a slug-it-out team that will make life difficult on anyone (see: 32-28 victory against Edison). We'll see if the Wildcats can keep up a surprising start. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Monday vs. No. 8 Fresno-Bullard, Friday vs. Fresno-Central 10. Porterville (15-1, Division III, last year: lost in D-II semifinals) — The gaudy record looks even better when you consider the Panthers' only loss was a forfeit to Redwood, which they later beat by 11. Ladies and gents, your Division III challenger to Roosevelt. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Tuesday vs. Tulare Western 11. Visalia-Redwood (15-4, Division II, last year: lost in D-III semifinals) — Another grind-it-out team that continues a trend: How deep is Division II going to be this year? Clovis West and Stockdale at the top make D-I tough, but adding Hanford and Garces to D-II makes this the bracket to watch (at least until the finals) in late February. LAST WEEK: L 51-44 vs. San Mateo-Aragon, W 34-31 vs. No. 14 Porterville-Monache THIS WEEK: Wednesday vs. No. 1 Hanford, Friday at Hanford West 12. Corcoran (10-4, Division IV, last year: lost in D-IV semifinals) — With Garces out of the picture, the Panthers take over as D-IV favorites. Why? They invited a bunch of D-II and D-III teams to their invite and took second behind Redwood, beating main D-IV challenger Exeter by 29 in the process. LAST WEEK: no games THIS WEEK: Monday vs. Clovis, Tuesday at Madera 13. Sanger (11-3, Division II, last year: lost in D-II quarterfinals) — The Apaches should be on the section's radar after going 3-1 at the West Coast Jamboree against Southern Section teams. LAST WEEK: L 50-30 vs. Santee-West Hills, W 51-31 vs. Union City-Logan, W 39-34 vs. L.A.-Venice THIS WEEK: Friday vs. Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial 14. Porterville-Monache (12-4, Division II, last year: lost in D-II quarterfinals) — I feel like I have every Division II team in the section in these rankings. The Marauders have the best nickname of the bunch (except maybe the Bullpups), but they'll find the sledding tough in the playoffs. LAST WEEK: L 67-34 at No. 3 Stockdale, L 34-31 vs. No. 11 Visalia-Redwood THIS WEEK: Tuesday vs. Porterville-Granite Hills, Thursday at Delano 15. Bakersfield (11-4, Division I, last year: lost in D-I semifinals) — The Drillers lost Alexi Smith, who transferred to Stockdale, and Asia Wofford, who graduated, off of last year's SEYL championship team, but they're plugging along with a new coach, Jimmy Henry, and plenty of talent left over. This week might be tough, though. LAST WEEK: W 43-24 vs. Liberty, L 44-35 vs. San Luis Obispo THIS WEEK: Tuesday vs. No. 3 Stockdale, Thursday vs. No. 6 Garces Waiting (in order): Hanford West, Tulare Union, North, SLO-Mission Prep, Clovis East, Kingsburg, Fresno Christian, Visalia-El Diamante, Fresno-Central, Fresno-SJ Memorial, Centennial en-us Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:35:15 PST