Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 high school basketball…

Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Jan. 1, 2023

Simeon players celebrate after defeating Benet to win the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. (Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times)

Nearly every team plays three to five games during the holiday tournament week. It’s a full reboot of the season, so I start fresh with the rankings. It’s a blank sheet of paper with the numbers 1 through 25 running down the side and I go from there.

The full season resume counts of course, but I’m not worried about where anyone was ranked a week ago.

Bolingbrook, Perspectives-Leadership, Hinsdale Central and Libertyville all join the Super 25 today. Bolingbrook and Perspectives-Leadership began the season ranked. Both teams finally have all their key players and played well over the holidays.

Hinsdale Central and Libertyville won holiday tournaments and beat ranked teams in the championship games, so they were easy calls. Lemont, St. Patrick, Marist and Barrington drop out for now.

I was hoping to get Grayslake Central, the champions at Jacobs, into the rankings but there just wasn’t room. The Rams lost their first game of the season and have ripped off 13 consecutive wins.

Evanston nearly returned to the rankings after nice run at Centralia. The Wildkits lost to St. Louis Cardinal Ritter (a team that beat St. Rita and lost to Joliet West) in the championship game.

Super 25 for Jan. 1, 2023
With record and last week’s ranking

1. Simeon (12-0) 1
Pontiac champions

2. Young (12-4) 5
Proviso West champs

3. Kenwood (12-2) 2
Lost to Young

4. Benet (16-1) 7
Fell short vs. Simeon

5. Rolling Meadows (16-1) 13
York champions

6. Hillcrest (16-1) 8
Big Dipper champs

7. Mount Carmel (15-1) 11
Won Pekin

8. Joliet West (11-4) 3
Faces Rolling Meadows Saturday

9. St. Rita (8-5) 4
Fell short against Young

10. Brother Rice (14-2) 6
Plays Bolingbrook Saturday

11. Lyons (11-1) 16
Solid run at York