Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Dec. 3, 2023

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

It’s early in the season to be faced with a difficult decision on the top spot. Teams have only played a handful of games and the quality of opponents has varied wildly.

But after Kenwood lost to Thornton and barely held off Lincoln Park at home this week, it was clear the Broncos no longer had a claim to the No. 1 ranking. So a change needed to be made.

It’s Thornton. The Wildcats lost at home to Bloom on Friday night, so their hold on the top spot is far from rock solid. However, they have two very big wins: Kenwood and Peoria Richwoods. Thornton also has Morez Johnson, the area’s top player.

Things fell into place logically after that.

Bloom and Warren made big jumps after solid weeks. The first draft of the rankings had the Blue Devils in the top ten. That’s how impressive Warren was at the Chicago Elite Classic against Bolingbrook.

St. Ignatius, Simeon, Joliet West, Naperville North, St. Patrick and Oswego East all drop out. Those are some big names and teams with significant goals this season. It will be interesting to see how they all perform over the holidays.

Riverside-Brookfield is in after beating St. Ignatius. Kankakee and Waubonsie Valley join after undefeated starts to the season. Lincoln Park, which has beaten Lindblom and nearly took down Kenwood, debuts at No. 20. Lindblom joins after beating Joliet West.

Loyola, which played New Trier and Brother Rice close and defeated a quality Lake Zurich team, sneaks in at No. 25.

Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Dec. 3, 2023
With record and last week’s ranking

1. Thornton (5-1) 2
Beat Kenwood

2. Downers Grove North (4-0) 3
Football is over

3. Homewood-Flossmoor (6-1) 4
Lost to Gonzaga

4. Bloom (4-1) 11
Elijah Allen has arrived

5. Mount Carmel (6-1) 5
At De La Salle Friday

6. Curie (4-1) 7
Impressed at CEC

7. Kenwood (3-1) 1
Lost to Thornton

8. Marist (6-0) 8
Impressive week

9. Brother Rice (6-0) 9
Beat Loyola

10. DePaul Prep (6-0) 10
Handled Lane

11. Young (2-2) 6
Still plenty to prove

12. De La Salle (5-0) 12
At St. Francis Tuesday

13. Benet (6-0) 13
Living up to expectations

14. Warren (6-1) 24
More than Jaxson Davis

15. Glenbrook North (6-0) 18
Beat Glenbrook South

16. New Trier (5-1) 15
Lost to Warren

17. Glenbrook South (5-1) 16
Nick Taylor picks Winona State

18. Bolingbrook (4-1) 14
Fell to Warren

19. Riverside-Brookfield (5-1) NR
Stefan Cicic makes a differene

20. Lincoln Park (3-1) NR
Young and hungry

21. Lindblom (2-1) NR
Beat Joliet West

22. Waubonsie Valley (6-0) NR
Hasn’t been challenged

23. Lake Park (5-1) 23
Handled Batavia

24. Kankakee (5-0) NR
Solid start

25. Loyola (5-2) NR
Faces St. Ignatius Friday