Varsity Insider

OK, the power rankings are back from the holiday break.

There’s plenty to consider since we last ranked the state’s best teams right before Christmas. And things should continue to get interesting as teams enter the second half of the season.

Here’s week 4 for basketball (through games played 1/02). Hockey rankings to follow Tuesday morning.

Boys basketball

1. Burlington (7-0): The Seahorses only played two games since our last rankings — an easy win over cross-town rival Rice and a squeaker over previously unbeaten Champlain Valley. In both wins, Joe O’Shea was BHS’ leader in points, netting 21 and 23 points, respectively. Last week’s rank: 1.

2. Essex (6-1): Last week’s first-quarter surge helped the Hornets fend off South Burlington. That win cemented the Hornets place as our No. 2 — and they get a crack at the top-ranked team tonight when they play host to BHS at 7:30 p.m. BHS beat Essex on Dec. 7. Last week: 2.

3. Champlain Valley (6-1): Starting to see balance with CVU’s offense. Soccer star Mike Clayton registered a season-high 14 points as the Redhawks gave BHS its toughest test to date this season in a 56-50 loss. Clayton should be added punch for Jake Donnelly, Will Hurd, Robert Russ, and Co. Last week: 4.

4. Mount Anthony (6-0): Besides a five-point win over Rice, Mount Anthony hasn’t been tested. Perhaps meetings with Rutland and Burr and Burton over the next weeks will be a proper gauge. Last week: 5.

5. South Burlington (5-2): A loss to Division II Vergennes — plus a slow start in a defeat to Essex — are two reasons the Rebels dropped two places. However, expect the Rebels to make a move up the rankings. Too much talent at SBHS. Last week: 3.

Girls basketball

1. Champlain Valley (7-1): Let’s be clear: There’s no definitive No. 1 in girls basketball right now. Plenty of teams can make a case, but we’ll stick with CVU as our top team, despite scoring only 26 points in a loss to a charging Rice squad. CVU did bounce back with narrow wins over Spaulding and South Burlington. Last week: 1.

2. Milton (7-0): We’ve been unkind to the Yellowjackets in these rankings. They don’t play one week, we drop them a spot. They win a pair of games, we drop them a spot again. Well, Division II Milton is still undefeated, and we’ve made amends: The ‘Jackets move up to No. 2. But beware Milton fans, some D-I teams are gaining. Last week: 3.

3. Burlington (6-1): The Seahorses shined, despite the suspensions of three starters, nailing down wins over Rutland and St. Johnsbury. One player who rose to the occasion, Brittany Robertson Last week: 5.

4. Essex (4-4): The Hornets? The same Hornets who started 0-4, including a meek 22 points in a double-digit loss to South Burlington? Yes. The Hornets are hot after reeling off four straight wins, including a road victory over Brattleboro. Last week: Not ranked.

5. Brattleboro (8-1): The Colonels’ only loss is a heart-breaking overtime defeat to Essex. Too harsh to drop them three spots? Maybe, but the four teams in front of them had better weeks. Last week: 2.

Here’s our Week 3 basketball power rankings (through games played 12/21).

Hockey rankings to follow after Wednesday’s large slate of games.

Boys basketball

1. Burlington (5-0): Joe O’Shea’s stat line in BHS’ lone win last week says it all: 26 points, seven rebounds and six steals. Schedule alert: The BHS-Rice rivalry resumes Wednesday in South Burlington. Last week’s rank: 1.

2. Essex (4-1): The Hornets only played one game — a 93-57 win over BFA-St. Albans — but hold down No. 2 spot for the second straight week. Last week: 2.

3. South Burlington (5-0): It was milestone week for the Rebels. Tyler Kaczor set the program’s 3-pointers record (120 for his career) and coach Mike Kennedy earned his 100th career win. Last week: 3.

4. Champlain Valley (5-0): Jake Donnelly and Robert Russ combined for 71 of team’s 121 points during a pair of double-digit wins. Last week: 4.

5. Mount Anthony (4-0): The Patriots had two wins last week, including a 57-52 win over Rice. Last week: 5.

Girls basketball

1. Champlain Valley (5-0): Allison Gannon scored 16 and 20 points, respectively, in wins over North Country and Mount Mansfield. CVU notched its second win this season over MMU. The second time around was a 13-point win, opposed to the season-opening 55-51 triumph. Last week: 3.

2. Brattleboro (6-0): The Colonels jump to the second spot after another perfect week. One of their wins was over St. Johnsbury, the second time this month the Colonels beat SJA. Last week: 4.

3. Milton (5-0): The Yellowjackets won on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of last week, with their best win a 45-27 triumph over Vergennes. Brittaney Rice had 17 points in that win. Last week: 2.

4. Rutland (5-1): It’s tough to stay on top. Ranked first last week, the Raiders fell to defending champion Spaulding by 12 points at home last week. Last week: 1.

5. Burlington (3-1): Without three starters, who were suspended, BHS rolled over BFA-St. Albans. The depth is there for the Seahorses, and now they venture into our rankings. Last week: Not ranked.

The high school winter season is not a week old, but it’s never too early to take a stab at some rankings.

Throughout the season, we will rank the top five teams — regardless of division — in basketball (boys and girls) and hockey (boys and girls) on a weekly basis.

So without further ado, here are Varsity Insider’s Week 1 power rankings (through Dec. 7).

Boys basketball

1. Burlington (2-0): Some things never change, do they? The Seahorses are the top-ranked team at this point in the season thanks to Joe O’Shea’s latest milestone. The senior scored his 1,000th point in Monday’s win over Essex. BHS is 2-0 — the other win at Rutland — making the proud program the obvious choice for Week 1′s top spot.

2. South Burlington (2-0): The Rebels haven’t been challenged in two impressive wins. Mark Mallory, Tyler Kaczor and Eric Dubuque lead SBHS’s balanced and dangerous attack.

3. Rutland (1-1): The Raiders started with a loss to Burlington, but were impressive in a road win over Rice. The Raiders have key returnees back from last year’s final four appearance.

4.Champlain Valley (2-0): Backed by Jake Donnelly, the Redhawks have started the season with two wins, both by more than 10 points.

5. Spaulding (2-0): The Crimson Tide beat defending Division I champion Rice in the season opener, then beat Division II title contender Harwood by 14 on Monday night. Evan Tullar has been Spaulding’s top scorer.

Girls basketball

1. Milton (2-0): The Yellowjackets, D-II champs in 2008, are senior-heavy — led by SMC-bound Kaitlin Geary. Their two early wins are impressive and, with no clear-cut front runner in Division I yet, we give the top spot to a D-II team.

2. Rutland (2-0): The Raiders have wins over a pair of last year’s Division I semifinalists (Rice and BFA, who lost in the final).

3. Spaulding (1-0): The defending champs could very well move up to the top spot in the coming weeks, but one win over lower division Randolph isn’t enough this week.

4. Champlain Valley (1-0): The Redhawks slipped past MMU in the season-opener.

5. Montpelier (2-0): The Solons’ average margin of victory is 24.5 points. Their second win was over Division I Colchester.

Boys hockey

1. South Burlington (2-0): The Rebels topped defending Division I champion CVU in overtime in the season-opener (Matt Chickanosky goal). The SBHS rolled to a second win — a 7-0 triumph over MMU. For now, they are looking too good not to be in this spot.

2. Harwood (2-0): Coach Dave Morse has quite the program in Duxbury. And they are off to another solid start.

3. Essex (0-0): The Hornets haven’t played a game yet — they open vs. South Burlington on Wednesday — but reputation can’t be ignored in this ranking. By next week, Essex, which has 13 D-I titles, could be slotted for the top spot.

4. Spaulding (1-0): How good does the Tide’s 6-2 win over Burchard tournament winner Burlington look now?

5. Burlington (2-1): After getting trounced by Spaulding, BHS won its home Burchard tournament with wins over Colchester and Champlain Valley.

Girls hockey

1. Essex (1-0): The defending Division I champions are off to a fast start, beating D-II champ Burr and Burton in the season-opener.

2. Montpelier (2-0): The Solons have outscored opponents 9-3 in their two wins. Erin Banfield, who had a four-goal effort in Saturday’s win, is one of the state’s finest goal-scorers.

3. Champlain Valley (2-0): Plenty of goals — 15 in two games — led by Molly Howard’s five tallies for the Redhawks. Can the offensive production continue against the likes of tougher, more defense-oriented teams?

4. Spaulding (2-0): Division I finalist a season ago, the Crimson Tide should have thoughts have another contending season, especially after a OT win over SBHS on Saturday.

5. BFA-St. Albans (1-0): BFA’s tradition and an 11-goal outburst can’t be ignored.