With the regular season winding down, the teams at the top are trying to fine-tune their systems before the tournament begins and intensity gets cranked up a few notches. Teams on the postseason bubble are looking to finish strong and grab the Heal Points needed for a coveted playoff spot. Cheverus remains atop the boys rankings, as the Stags stayed perfect with an impressive home win over last week’s No. 2, South Portland. The girls top spot belongs to Deering as it has all season. The Rams, too, are unbeaten.

The rest of the rankings got a bit of a shakeup on both sides, as the Westbrook boys bounced back from a loss to Cheverus with a big road win over No. 5 Portland. The Windham girls pulled off another surprise, upsetting No. 3 Biddeford at home.

For games played through Jan. 24

Boys Basketball Front Five:

1. Cheverus (14-0): In their past 10 games, no opponent has been within 15 points of the Stags. They easily handled South Portland, 60-41, on Friday night in front of a packed home crowd. Red Riot standout Keegan Hyland was held to 17 points and Matt Lee, South Portland’s second leading scorer, missed the game with an injury. The teams play again in South Portland this Friday. It’s the second big road test of the week for Cheverus, which plays Thornton Academy in Saco on Tuesday. If the Stags are going stumble, this could be the week.

2. Thornton Academy (12-2): The Golden Trojans still have rivalry games with Biddeford and Scarborough left, but Tuesday’s game against Cheverus is the Big One. Ian Barwise has a chance to face his old teammates, and the Trojans are out for revenge, as the Stags knocked them off in last year’s Western Maine Class A final. Thornton has won its last three games by a combined 109 points. No. 3 last week, the Trojans move up a spot.

3. Westbrook (12-2): The Blue Blazes move up from fourth to third after going to the Expo and dominating Portland. Junior Dominic Borelli won his inside duel with Portland senior Ed Bogdanovich, outscoring him 27-13 and pulling down 19 boards. Borelli played a smart and intense game, getting Bogdanovich in early foul trouble while scoring inside and out. After missing much of the early part of the season with back spasms, Borelli looks to be back to form just in time for the playoffs. The plus to having Borelli out to start the year? The emergence of 6’6″ junior Nich Jobin. He scored 14 against Portland and has established himself as one of the league’s top players.

4. South Portland (12-2): The Riots drop from No. 2 to No. 4. Without Matt Lee, who missed the game against Cheverus after injuring his knee just before game time, SoPo relies heavily on Keegan Hyland to provide the points. If he’s contained, the Riots can struggle, as was the case in their two losses. South Portland has the chance to get back on track with Portland at home on Tuesday, before hosting Cheverus on Friday. Beal Gym should be hopping for both games.

5. Portland (11-3): The Bulldogs hold onto the fifth position despite getting shown up on their home court by Westbrook. They still have yet to beat one of the league’s elite teams, but have defeated everyone else. They bounced back from the loss to the Blazes with a 63-53 road win against a tough Scarborough team. Two games against South Portland and a rematch with Cheverus loom, so Portland has a few more chances to show it’s a contender.

The rest of the pack: Deering has won two in a row to move to 10-4. … Windham (8-6), Scarborough (7-7) and Biddeford (7-7) are in good shape for a spot in the prelims. … Gorham and Bonny Eagle, both at 5-9, still have some work to do to clinch a playoff spot. … Massabesic (4-10) could sneak in with a few more wins. … Kennebunk, Marshwood, Sanford and Noble look to be out of the playoff hunt.

Girls basketball Front Five:

1. Deering (14-0): The Rams are the girls version of Cheverus, except without the killer closing schedule. They eased past rival Portland during the week. Their lock on the top spot remains solid, as it has the entire season. An undefeated defense of last year’s Class A state title is looking like a very real possibility.

2. Scarborough (12-2): In its past two games, the Red Storm has throttled McAuley and Cheverus by 36 and 47 points, respectively. Both those teams will likely be in the tournament. The Storm is playing its best ball of the year at the right time. If anyone can challenge Deering in the West, it looks like it will be Scarborough.

3. Windham (8-6): Dark horse, wild card, enigma. The Eagles are tough to label because they’ve been all over the map this season. But Friday’s huge 46-42 win at home over Biddeford bumps them from No. 5 to No. 3. They’ve now defeated Scarborough and Biddeford, something only Deering has done. Of course, they also lost to Kennebunk, which is winless in its other 13 games. Consistent they are not, but the Eagles have shown the ability to rise to a challenge and beat good teams.

4. Biddeford (11-3): The hard-fought loss to Windham snapped a seven-game winning streak. The Tigers will have a good chance to win their next three games, all at home, before heading into the regular-season finale at Scarborough. The Tigers will look to secure a No. 2 or 3 spot in the tournament to avoid Deering for as long as possible. They have tournament experience, which is always a plus.

5. Noble (10-4): the Knights have won four straight. They surprisingly made it to the regional final last season. Repeating that feat this year is not likely, though they can’t be counted out given the presence of Sloane Sorrell and a veteran supporting cast.

The rest of the pack: McAuley (8-6), South Portland (8-7) and Marshwood (7-6) will be trying to improve their playoff positioning over the final few games. … Cheverus, Sanford and Portland sit just below .500 and still need to win some games to get in the tournament. … Gorham (5-9), Thornton (4-10) and Massabesic (6-8) are still alive, but will need big wins down the stretch to sneak into a playoff spot. … Westbrook, Bonny Eagle and Kennebunk appear to be out of the postseason picture.

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