MUSKEGON — The Muskegon Big Reds moved up to the 39th spot in the weekly boys’ high school basketball ratings Super 25 listing by USA Today Sports.
The rating marked the fourth week in a row Muskegon has been included. The Big Reds, now 10-0, have moved up from previous rankings of 49th, 44th and 41st.
The interesting change came above Muskegon. Chicago Curie had lost to Muskegon in January without its best player, Cliff Alexander, but Curie jumped to No. 2 from the seventh spot in the ratings for Tuesday, Jan. 28. Curie moved up after beating the former top team, Montverde, Fla., Academy. Curie, now 19-1, turned back Montverde 73-69 over the weekend. The loss dropped Montverde, also 19-1, to third place in this week’s poll.
The new leader is now Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif., now 20-0. Mater Dei won two games including a 79-67 victory over last week’s No. 34 team, Neumann-Goretti of Philadelphia. Mater Dei played the Philadelphia, Pa., team in the Spalding Hoopball Classic in Springfield, Mass.
Rounding the top five this week are Rainier Beach, of Seattle, Wash., at No. four, and Arsenal Tech, of Indianapolis, Ind., at No. five. Rainier Beach, now 17-0, had been No. three but fell back after Montverde slipped down to the third spot. Arsenal Tech is 16-1 for the season.
Michigan continues to have two teams in the top 50 with Muskegon being joined by Detroit Pershing. Pershing, now 10-1 on the season, is No. 40 in the list.
Prior to the recent weather problems, Muskegon had been scheduled to play host to Reeths-Puffer at 7 p.m. tonight, Jan. 28 and host Grand Rapids Union in an O-K Conference Black Division games Friday, Jan. 31; and then entertain Benton Harbor in a non-league game Saturday, Feb. 1, at 6 p.m. All three games were to be played in the Redmond-Potter Gymnasium at Muskegon High School.
