The Ambridge High School boys basketball team has a big game Tuesday night against New Castle. It turns out to be a matchup between two teams in the state rankings.
Ambridge is in the cityofbasketballlove.com Class 4A state rankings for the first time this season. The Bridgers (8-2) are No. 10 this week while New Castle is No. 5.
Ambridge has been led this season by 6-foot-5 junior guard Aaron Hilzendeger, who is averaging 22 points a game. Ambridge is coached by Mark Jula, who has more than 500 wins in his career.
The Bridgers (4-0) and Quaker Valley (3-0) are both undefeated in Class 4A Section 2 play. New Castle is 3-1 in the section.
Quaker Valley and Sewickley Academy are the WPIAL teams with the highest state ranking. Both are No. 3 (Sewickley Academy in Class 2A). Here are the newest rankings, compiled by Mike Bullock and cityofbasketballlove.com.
(records through games of Jan. 7/OW-others to watch/NR-not ranked - number in parentheses is District)
CLASS 6A
No. School Rec Pvs
1. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1) 9-0 1
2. Abington (1) 5-2 2
3. Hazleton (2) 7-0 3
4. Roman Catholic (12) 5-3 4
5. State College (6) 10-0 5
6. St. Joseph’s Prep (12) 9-1 6
7. La Salle College (12) 9-2 7
8. Penn Hills (7) 12-0 8
9. Mt. Lebanon (7) 10-1 9
10. Cheltenham (1) 6-3 10
Checked in: No one.
Checked out: No one.
Others to watch: Abraham Lincoln (12, 7-2); Allderdice (8, 5-2); Butler (7, 10-1); Canon-McMillan (7, 8-1); Cedar Crest (3, 10-2); Central Bucks South (1, 7-2); Central Bucks West (1, 7-3); Chambersburg (3, 10-2); Coatesville (1, 7-3); Conestoga (1, 6-3); East Stroudsburg South (11, 9-1); Easton (11, 7-3); Father Judge (12, 8-2); Garnet Valley (1, 7-3); Harrisburg (3, 7-3); Hempfield (3, 10-1); Latrobe (7, 8-3); Lower Merion (1, 9-2); Manheim Twp. (3, 7-2); McDowell (10, 7-1); Nazareth (11, 7-4); Neshaminy (1, 7-2); Pennridge (1, 9-3; Pine-Richland (7, 7-3); Pocono Mountain West (11, 6-3); Reading (3, 8-2); Seneca Valley (7, 8-2); Woodland Hills (7, 9-1).
CLASS 5A
No. School Rec Pvs
1. Archbishop Wood (12) 4-4 1
2. Bonner-Prendergast (12) 9-2 2
3. Archbishop Carroll (12) 6-4 3
4. Mars (7) 6-2 4
5. Abington Heights (2) 8-1 5
6. Martin Luther King (12) 6-4 6
7. Northeastern (3) 9-0 7
8. Bishop Shanahan (1) 6-1 8
9. Allentown C.C. (11) 11-0 9
10. Milton Hershey (3) 7-0 10
Checked in: No one.
Checked out: No one.
Others to watch: Bangor (11, 7-1); Blue Mountain (11, 9-1); Cardinal O’Hara (12, 4-3); Carrick (8, 10-0); Cathedral Prep (10, 4-6); Central Mountain (6, 4-2); Chartiers Valley (7, 5-4); Dallas (2, 8-1); Dover (3, 8-2); Franklin Regional (7, 7-2); Great Valley (1, 7-3); Greencastle-Antrim (3, 8-2); Hershey (3, 10-1); Hollidaysburg (6, 4-2); Lampeter-Strasburg (3, 9-1); Lower Dauphin (3, 7-3); Mastery Charter North (12, 8-0); Meadville (10, 8-1); Moon (7, 8-0); New Oxford (3, 7-3); Penncrest (1, 10-0); Pottsville (11, 6-2); Shippensburg (3, 8-1); Upper Perkiomen (1, 9-1); Wissahickon (1, 6-2); York (3, 6-4).
CLASS 4A
No. School Rec Pvs
1. Imhotep Charter (12) 9-2 1
2. Bethlehem Catholic (11) 8-1 2
3. Quaker Valley (7) 7-0 3
4. Berks Catholic (3) 8-2 4
5. New Castle (7) 8-2 5
6. Lower Moreland (1) 8-2 6
7. Scranton Prep (2) 6-3 10
8. Hickory (10) 6-1 OW
9. Lancaster Catholic (3) 8-2 7
10. Ambridge (7) 8-2 OW
Checked in: No. 8 Hickory and No. 10 Ambridge.
Checked out: No. 8 Huntingdon and No. 9 Grove City.
Others to watch: Bishop McDevitt (3, 5-4); Central Martinsburg (6, 7-2); Conwell-Egan (12, 3-4); Danville (4, 5-1); Forest Hills (6, 7-2); Franklin (10, 8-1); Grove City (10, 7-2); Huntingdon (6, 6-1); Indiana (7, 6-1); Kennard-Dale (3, 6-2); McGuffey (7, 9-2); Middletown (3, 5-4); Nanticoke (2, 7-1); Overbrook (12, 5-3); Sharon (10, 79-2); Susquehanna Twp. (3, 6-5); Tamaqua (11, 9-2); Tyrone (6, 7-2); Universal Audenried (12, 5-2); Valley View (2, 8-2).
CLASS 3A
No. School Rec Pvs
1. Neumann-Goretti (12) 6-3 1
2. Valley Forge (1) 8-1 2
3. Fairview (10) 8-1 3
4. Lincoln Park (7) 4-4 5
5. Greenville (10) 5-1 6
6. West Catholic (12) 5-5 4
7. Richland (6) 9-1 7
8. Holy Redeemer (2) 5-2 8
9. Trinity (3) 8-2 9
10. Lancaster Mennonite (3) 8-3 10
Checked in: No one.
Checked out: No one.
Others to watch: Aliquippa (7, 8-3); Bellwood-Antis (6, 6-2); Bishop McDevitt (12, 8-1); Catasauqua (11, 8-2); Central Cambria (6, 5-4); Kutztown (3, 8-1); Loyalsock (4, 8-2); Mount Carmel (4, 7-1); Notre Dame-Green Pond (11, 8-3); Seton-La Salle (7, 6-3); Steel-High (3, 5-4); Washington (7, 5-3); Wellsboro (4, 9-1); Westinghouse (8, 6-1); Wyoming Seminary (2, 7-2); York Catholic (3, 7-3).
CLASS 2A
No. School Rec Pvs
1. Constitution (12) 4-4 1
2. Math, Civics & Sciences (12) 4-4 2
3. Sewickley Academy (7) 7-1 3
4. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (7) 9-1 4
5. Bishop McCort (6) 6-0 6
6. Ridgway (9) 8-0 7
7. Church Farm (1) 3-4 5
8. Bishop Guilfoyle (6) 5-3 8
9. Coudersport (9) 6-1 9
10. Serra Catholic (7) 9-1 10
Checked in: No one.
Checked out: No one.
Others to watch: Berlin Brothersvalley (5, 7-3); Cambridge Springs (10, 6-2); Chartiers-Houston (7, 7-2); Clarion-Limestone (9, 8-1); Dock Mennonite (1, 8-1); Halifax (3, 9-1); Homer-Center (6, 6-2); Jeannette (7, 5-1); Keystone (9, 7-2); Lakeview (10, 6-3); Moravian Academy (11, 6-3); Muncy (4, 8-1); North Penn-Mansfield (4, 6-4); Paul Robeson (12, 9-2); Purchase Line (6, 6-2); Rocky Grove (10, 8-2); Wyalusing Valley (4, 9-2).
CLASS 1A
No. School Rec Pvs
1. Kennedy Catholic (10) 9-1 1
2. Girard College (1) 6-5 2
3. Faith Christian (1) 8-1 3
4. Sankofa Freedom (12) 6-4 4
5. Millville (4) 9-0 6
6. Shade (5) 8-1 5
7. Lourdes Regional (4) 6-3 7
8. Elk County Catholic (9) 6-1 8
9. Sullivan County (4) 7-3 9
10. Clairton (7) 6-1 OW
Checked in: No. 10 Clairton.
Checked out: No. 10 Vincentian.
Others to watch: Bishop Carroll (6, 7-2); Cameron County (9, 6-1); Cornell (7, 8-3); Eden Christian (7, 8-1); Johnsonburg (9, 4-4); Lancaster Country Day (3, 6-1); Monessen (7, 2-5); Nativity (11, 6-5); North Clarion (9, 9-1); Plumstead Christian (1, 5-2); Shanksville-Stonycreek (5, 6-3); Southern Fulton (5, 5-2); St. John Neumann (4, 4-3); St. Joseph’s Catholic (6, 6-3); Turkeyfoot Valley (5, 6-1); Union Area (7, 6-3); Vincentian (7, 5-5); York Country Day (3, 2-3).
First Published: January 8, 2018, 7:22 p.m.
