The waiting is over.
No more non-league constests. No more holiday tournaments. The one-and-done city playoffs are here.
The CHSAA Class AA is already down to its final eight and there’s four teams remaining in Class A and Class B. While No. 3 Christ the King beat No. 9 Holy Cross to win its third straight Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan title, No. 5 Rice crushed No. 7 St. Raymond to win a sixth consecutive New York Archdiocesan title.
The PSAL Class AA will be down to four by next Sunday and the ‘A’ and ‘B’ eight apiece. So, get ready for changes galore in the coming weeks to our top 10, even if there are few this week.
1. Lincoln (25-2) (Last week: 1)
Uncommitted senior power forward Kamari Murphy has shined since returning from a broken pinky toe, excelling in victories over South Shore, St. Raymond and Boys & Girls. His emergence, combined with the consistently exceptional play of guards Shaquille Stokes and Isaiah Whitehead, is why Lincoln is an odds-on favorite to win its eighth PSAL title in 10 years.
Next: Gompers, PSAL Class AA second round (March 1, 5 p.m.)
2. Boys & Girls (20-6) (3)
The Kangaroos are expected to be back at full strength when they host Campus Magnet on Tuesday to start the PSAL playoffs, which makes them dangerous since only one of Boys & Girls’ six losses came with its entire roster intact. It will be interesting to see if there are any chemistry issues since it will be 19 days since The High’s last game and even longer since it had its full complement of players.
Next: Campus Magnet, PSAL Class AA second round (March 1, 5 p.m.)
3. Christ the King (19-6) (5)
The Royals won their third consecutive Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan title Friday night, beating Holy Cross for a third time this season and now their quest begins for a second straight CHSAA Class AA intersectional crown. That, as T.J. Curry, Omar Calhoun and Corey Edwards will tell you, is step two of three. The third is the New York State Federation championship.
Next: St. Peter’s, CHSAA Class AA intersectional quarterfinals (March 3, 7:45 p.m.)
4. Wings Academy (23-3) (4)
The Wings weren’t rewarded much with the third overall seed in the PSAL Class AA playoffs: A second-round tilt with dangerous Curtis out of Staten Island. Wings won the first matchup, 54-42 in the PSAL Mid-Winter Classic, but the junior-heavy Warriors have improved since then and are now fully healthy.
Next: Curtis, PSAL Class AA second round (March 2, 5:30 p.m.)
5. Rice (17-9) (7)
The Raiders won a sixth straight New York Archdiocesan title Saturday, thrashing rival St. Raymond by 29 and meet Bishop Loughlin in the CHSAA Class AA quarterfinals Friday. If Jermaine Sanders, Melvin Johnson and the rest of the Raiders can duplicate Saturday’s performance in the final three rounds, Rice will lift the intersectional title again.
Next: Bishop Loughlin, CHSAA Class AA intersectional quarterfinals (March 4, 7:45 p.m.)
6. Cardozo (25-2) (6)
There may not be a sophomore in the entire city that has more upside than Jermaine Lawrence, Cardozo’s 6-foot-8 forward, and the Judges need some of that promise to return to the Garden for the PSAL Class AA title game. Seniors Shelton Mickell, Chris Gayot and Marquis Barnett can only do so much. Lawrence has shown the ability to take over regular-season games. We’ll see if he has that same knack in the postseason.
Next: Transit Tech, PSAL Class AA second round (March 2, 5 p.m.)
7. St. Raymond (16-10) (2)
Thursday’s CHSAA Class AA quarterfinal against Xaverian can’t come quick enough for the Ravens, who were embarrassed by their biggest rivals Rice in the New York Archdiocesan final. A berth in the semifinals at St. John’s should be motivation enough. If not, the Ravens can look back to an 81-64 home loss to the Clippers on Jan. 30 for something extra.
Next: Xaverian, CHSAA Class AA intersectional quarterfinals (March 3, 6 p.m.)
8. Wadleigh (23-5) (9)
Coach Mike Crump has said for months this is his favorite of all his teams because of its toughness and versatility. We’ll see if the Tigers can truly measure up now that the one-and-done city playoffs are here. Advancing won’t be easy against No. 11 McKee/Staten Island Tech, the defending SIHSL champion, and if victorious there, Wings Academy.
Next: McKee/Staten Island Tech, PSAL Class AA second round (March 3, 5 p.m.)
9. Holy Cross (16-11) (NR)
The Knights fell just short in the Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan title game, losing 64-58 to Christ the King. Next up is a CHSAA Class AA quarterfinal game against St. Francis Prep. That’s the fourth chapter of the Battle of the Boulevard rivalry, and first meeting in the intersectional playoffs since 2001.
Next: St. Francis Prep, CHSAA Class AA intersectional quarterfinals (March 4, 6 p.m.)
10. South Shore (15-12) (10)
Promising sophomores Shamiek Sheppard and Terrence Samuel have shown flashes of brilliance, but South Shore needs consistency out of the pair to make a long postseason run. The two started as freshmen and are right up there among reasons for the Vikings’ resurgence, but the two also have yet to assume star status in the city. Is this their time?
Next: John F. Kennedy, PSAL Class AA second round (March 3, 5 p.m.)
New: Holy Cross (16-11)
Dropped out: Xaverian (16-8)
On the bubble: Bishop Loughlin (12-13), John F. Kennedy (17-10), McKee/Staten Island Tech (22-8), Midwood (23-3), St. Peter’s (19-7), Thomas Jefferson (15-12) and Xaverian (16-8).