The second edition of the Republican Herald Elite Eight is back as another week of Schuylkill League has been completed
in the 2025-26 basketball season.
This week's rankings once again feature Pottsville and Lourdes leading the boys
and girls rankings, respectively. While the boys' rankings as a whole are similar to last week's rankings, the girls' rankings
feature several notable jumps and falls.
Here's how the Elite Eight rankings break down for the week of January 12.
Boys Basketball
1. Pottsville (11-3; 7-0) - No change: Pottsville is currently on a three-game winning streak
with wins over Mahanoy Area, Panther Valley and Palmyra. Christian Alvarez leads Pottsville's offense with 16.6 points per
game and Ryder Bowers is averaging 11 points per game.
2. Minersville (10-1; 5-1) - No change: Minersville is returning
from a gutsy 73-59 win at Nativity on Saturday. The Battlin' Miners have only lost one game this season - falling to top-ranked
Pottsville - and are on a seven-game winning streak which includes a 67-58 win over Williams Valley on Dec. 22 and a 58-44
win over North Schuylkill on Jan. 5.
3. Tri-Valley (13-1; 7-0) - No change: Tri-Valley remains undefeated in league
play and most recently defeated Schuylkill Haven 77-76 on Jan. 8. Braeden Doyle led the Bulldogs offense in that win with
a 34-point performance. Trey Porter and Gavin Klock have been relentless scorers for the Bulldogs, as well.
4. Blue
Mountain (8-5; 5-2) - Up 3: Blue Mountain has outscored its opponents by an average of 56-44. In their most recent action,
the Eagles rolled to a 63-21 win over Marian Catholic on Jan. 10. Seniors Tyeirre Meade, Evan Setlock, and Sean Gaddy have
been integral pieces for the Eagles.
5. Schuylkill Haven (11-3; 5-2) - Down 1: Schuylkill Haven has one of the fastest
scorers in the league in senior Alan Evans. The Hurricanes dropped a tough league matchup to Tri-Valley, 77-76, and have league
wins over Mahanoy Area, Tamaqua, Lourdes, and Marian.
6. Williams Valley (6-6; 4-3) - Up 2: Williams Valley just defeated
Weatherly, 57-53, on January 8 after dropping league contests to Tri-Valley and Marian. The Vikings have been led by seniors
Evan Achenbach and Bryce Zilinski.
7. Weatherly (8-4; 3-4) - Down 1: Weatherly is on the upswing but just suffered
a 57-53 loss to Williams Valley on Jan. 8. Ian McKeegan leads the Wreckers offense with 17 points per game, Niko Saldukas
is averaging 14.6 points per game, and Dominick Kokinda is averaging 11.4 points per game.
8. Nativity (5-8; 4-3)
- NEW Nativity has league wins over Williams Valley and Marian, and is by Trey Keating, who is closing in on 2,000 career
points and became the school's all-time leading scorer earlier this season.
