High school basketball Power 5 rankings: We know who is No. 1, but who’s really No. 2?

Lancaster’s boys and South Pointe’s girls remain No. 1 this week in the Herald’s Power 5 high school basketball rankings.

No surprises there, right? Each of those teams continues to cruise toward the playoffs, and each stands a good chance of being the top seed among South Carolina’s 4A schools.

But who exactly is No. 2 among the boys and girls?

Once again this week, the Herald has Fort Mill second in the boys’ rankings and Andrew Jackson sitting second among the girls.

MaxPreps, which ranks high school teams and also provides the RPI rating numbers used in seeding for the S.C. High School League’s playoffs, doesn’t agree.

MaxPreps has Indian Land ranked seventh among all boys’ teams in South Carolina and Fort Mill eighth. That should be settled Tuesday night, when the teams meet at Fort Mill.

The girls’ rankings are even more disparate.

MaxPreps has Rock Hill, Clover and Legion Collegiate ranked ahead of Andrew Jackson, the Herald’s No. 2 team. A lot of that is based on level of competition, as Andrew Jackson’s opposition in Region 4 2A has been weaker than the teams that the other three have faced.

But Andrew Jackson’s level of dominance this season in girls’ basketball has been notable, so the Volunteers remain No. 2 with the Herald this week.

Boys

1. LANCASTER (20-1)

Last week’s ranking: 1.

Last week’s results: beat Dreher 55-42; beat York 80-51; beat South Pointe 61-58.

The Bruins are expected to cruise this week, as they’ve beaten their two opponents by a total of 65 points in the first meetings this season. By the way, Lancaster is the No. 1 team this week in the Class 4A RPI rankings, which means a good chance of being the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

This week: Camden (Tuesday); York (Thursday).

2. FORT MILL (21-2)

Last week’s ranking: 2.

Last week’s results: beat Northwestern 63-36.

Freshman Jermier Nelson really seems to be coming into his own. In his past two games, he’s averaged 26.5 points and made 20-of-26 field goal attempts.

This week: Indian Land (Tuesday); Nation Ford (Friday).

3. INDIAN LAND (22-2)

Last week’s ranking: 3.

Last week’s results: beat Catawba Ridge 63-53; beat Clover 48-41

Something to watch when the playoff pairings are released next week: Indian Land is the state’s No. 1-ranked 5A team in the RPI ratings. A victory Tuesday over Fort Mill could give the Warriors the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

This week: at Fort Mill (Tuesday); at Northwestern (Friday).

4. SOUTH POINTE (15-7)

Last week’s ranking: 4.

Last week’s results: beat York 83-40; lost to Lancaster 61-58.

With an RPI ranking of 15 in Class 4A, South Pointe looks likely to get at least one home game in the playoffs

This week: Camden (Tuesday); York (Thursday).

5. ANDREW JACKSON (15-5)

Last week’s ranking: 5.

Last week’s results: beat Buford 91-39; beat North Central 88-50.

The Volunteers have their big first-place showdown Monday night at Pageland Central, the second-place team in Region 4 2A. In their first meeting, on Jan. 17, Andrew Jackson won 80-69, outscoring the Eagles 21-9 on three-pointers. By the way, Andrew Jackson coach Danny Wright earned his 200th career victory last week.

This week: at Pageland Central (Monday); Cheraw (Wednesday).

Knocking on the door: Clover (15-9); Nation Ford (11-13)

Girls

1. SOUTH POINTE (24-0)

Last week’s ranking: 1.

Last week’s results: beat York 83-6; beat Lancaster 66-22.

The Stallions are No. 2 this week in the RPI rankings for Class 4A, trailing North Augusta. Either way, South Pointe will have a lot of home playoff games.

This week: at Dreher (Tuesday); Richland Northeast (Thursday).

2. ANDREW JACKSON (21-3)

Last week’s ranking: 2.

Last week’s results: beat Buford 104-8; beat North Central 90-11.

Looking ahead to this week’s opponents: Andrew Jackson beat Pageland Central and Cheraw by average scores of 100-24 in their first meetings. By the way, Andrew Jackson is No. 1 in Class 2A in the RPI rankings.

This week: at Pageland Central (Monday); Cheraw (Wednesday).

3. CLOVER (21-2)

Last week’s ranking: 3.

Last week’s results: beat Indian Land 71-21

Senior center Samara Lucas leads the Blue Eagles in scoring (12.1) and rebounding (8.0), and the Blue Eagles are the fourth-highest ranked 5A team in the Upper State.

This week: Nation Ford (Tuesday); Catawba Ridge (Friday).

4. ROCK HILL (17-6)

Last week’s ranking: 4.

Last week’s results: beat Nation Ford 68-40; beat Northwestern 74-23.

The Bearcats’ RPI number in Class 5A is 17. That’s borderline for any home playoff games, so they can’t afford a slipup in their lone game this week.

This week: at Catawba Ridge (Tuesday).

5. LEGION COLLEGIATE (20-13)

Last week’s ranking: 5.

Last week’s results: beat Weddington 52-37; lost to 1 of 1 Academy 74-53; beat Independence 88-11.

The Lancers are an independent team and won’t have a state playoff, but they’ll face the equivalent of the playoffs this week. Their Tuesday opponent, Butler, is among North Carolina’s top big-school teams, and their Wednesday foe, Porter Ridge, has a sophomore who averages more than 30 points a game.

This week: at Butler (Tuesday); at Porter Ridge (Wednesday).

Knocking on the door: Fort Mill (14-10); Nation Ford (11-12)

This week’s schedule

(Unless otherwise noted, all matchups are girls-boys doubleheaders, with girls’ games starting at 6 p.m.)

MONDAY

Region 3 2A

Mid-Carolina at Fairfield Central

Region 4 2A

Andrew Jackson at Pageland Central

Buford at York Prep

North Central at Chesterfield

Region 2 1A

McBee at Lewisville

TUESDAY

Region 3 5A

Indian Land at Fort Mill

Nation Ford at clover

Rock Hill at Catawba Ridge

Region 3 4A

Camden at Lancaster

South Pointe at Dreher

York at Richland Northeast

Region 3 2A

Chester at Fairfield Central

Columbia at Eau Claire

Mid-Carolina at Clinton

Region 2 1A

Governor’s School at C.A. Johnson

Great Falls at Lamar

McBee at Riverwalk Academy (boys), 6:30 p.m.

Midlands STEM at Lee Central (boys), 6 p.m.

Nonconference

Ambassador Christian at Legion Collegiate (boys), 6:30 p.m.

Butler at Legion Collegiate (girls), 5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

Region 3 4A

Camden at A.C. Flora

Region 4 2A

Buford at North Central

Cheraw at Andrew Jackson

York Prep at Pageland Central

Region 3 2A

Clinton at Fairfield Central

Region 2 1A

C.A. Johnson at Lee Central

Nonconference

Legion Collegiate at Porter Ridge (girls)

THURSDAY

Region 3 4A

Richland Northeast at South Pointe

York at Lancaster

Region 2 1A

Governor’s School at Lamar

Nonconference

Cuthbertson at Buford

FRIDAY

Region 3 5A

Catawba Ridge at Clover

Indian Land at Northwestern

Nation Ford at Fort Mill

Region 3 4A

A.C. Flora at Camden

Region 2 1A

C.A. Johnson at Midlands STEM (boys), 7 p.m.

Lamar at Lee Central

Lewisville at Great Falls

Riverwalk Academy at Governor’s School (boys), 6:30 p.m.