Week 1 Power Rankings

1. GLC (1)

• GLC defeated Hope Sr. 36-26 in what we hope wasn’t a showcase of their fullest potential. With all of the scoring options GLC has available to them, including five previous LT basketball players, we expected a little more than 36 points. Griffin Hickey ‘16 put up a gentle 12 points for the Preseason #1 overall, and John Louder ‘16 put up 15 for the newly-named Hope squad. They stay at #1, but we hope for a more definitive win in next week’s game for them.

2. SJC Yellow (2)

• The early-season favorite from Saint John’s came roaring into the regular season with a 57-34 routing of St. Louise. Former LT baller Charlie Wennerstrum ‘16 leads a team of filled with bodies who will be hungry for athletic domination throughout the season. Week 1 impressed. If they continue to dominate in Week 2, expect a hop to #1.

3. Cletus Purple (5)

• Bodies were flying in Week 1’s matchup between Saint Cletus Purple and the SJC Pink team. Despite Bryan Behrendt (Nazareth) dropping a double-double in points and rebounds for SJC Pink, it was ultimately Dave O’Connor ‘16 and Ian Farnan ‘16 who were absolute animals on the glass and carried Cletus Purple to a 48-42 victory. Former LT baller Mike Rogers ‘16 also put in 16 points, and should be a dominant Church League force this year.

4. Cletus Gray (6)

• Jack Dahill ’16 added 12 points to a 50-35 smackdown of the new Saint Mary’s SR team. With the additions of Sam Wilson ‘16 and Bryan Romero ’16, the boys are hungry to defeat their rival, GLC. Then again, so is everyone.

5. Congo (4)

• Despite a slow start, Congo eventually pulled through with a close 33-28 win over the Hope Jr. team. Evan Kupek ‘17, a young Al Jefferson, put up 12 points and hit some clutch late free throws to seal the deal for Congo. Senior Nick Economou used his remarkable athleticism to spark pivotal fast breaks and picked up five assists. With 16 players, depth is no issue. Although they both struggled with their shot, Matthew Dickett ‘16 and Maddox Hill ‘16 should prove to be some of the league’s elite three-point shooters.

6. SJC Green (unranked)

• With the most points in all of the first week games, SJC Green definitely made their case for a jump with point production from Kevin Minik ’16 with 12 points. The boys dropped a whopping 62 points to dominate a fellow SJC Orange team 62-35, roughly estimating. However, Orange was without  Sean Thomas ‘16, so with him Orange may have been able to make the game a bit closer. If the Green squad wins next week, expect them to climb even higher.

7. SFX Masterson (unranked)

• Masterson took down SFX Panosh 50-40. Although not exactly a statement win, the squad is largely made up of Fenwick athletes who are looking to make a statement in an otherwise LT-dominated league. Nana Kodom (Fenwick) dropped 8 points. Watch out for them as the season continues.

8. SJC Navy (unranked)

• With a big win over the highly anticipated God Squad team, SJC Navy jumped into the top 10 this week with a big performance from Luke Lopez ‘16 with 14 points. SJC alumni Colin McClure ‘16 (Saint Ignatius) and Brian Doyle ‘16 (Fenwick), although absent from the first week’s game, have big chemistry and even bigger bodies to be reckoned with on this Navy team in the future. The week one win also came with the help of some non-Navy players who played for the team. Look out for other rebound-capable juniors on this team to make Navy contenders as they fight hard for the ball and as seen with a 34-31 win, play to the final buzzer.

9. Cletus Gold (unranked)

• The third team from Cletus to crack the top 10 is the Gold. A 56-45 victory over the SJC Brown team certainly made a statement, with Will Sloyan ‘17 and Anthony Cavalieri ‘17 (Fenwick) racking in 11 points each, and Sean Heslin ‘17 (Fenwick) snatching 11 boards. Cletus appears to have a solid mix of squads this year.

10. God Squad (3)
    • A tough 34-31 loss to SJC Navy was a disappointment to previously third-ranked God Squad to say the least. A definite factor in the loss was the lack of big man Matt Prendergast ’16 (Nazareth), who was on a college visit to Lehigh. Former LT player Andrew Cooley ‘16 dropped it like it was hot with 12 points, but an overall lackluster performance by God Squad offensively will take them down this week, especially to an underdog in SJC Navy. Look for a bounce back next week.

Other: SMR Jr. (1-0), GLC Jr. (Raz)(1-0),