BENSALEM, Pa. – To say the state of Texas impacted the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings this week would be an understatement.

Last week in the Dallas Metroplex, two mega tournaments hosted by Elite 25 teams, had interesting outcomes with two teams—one from Arkansas—emerging as worthy champions after navigating treacherous brackets.

Applause goes to No. 17 Amarillo (Texas) and No. 18 Fayetteville (Ark.) for winning those tournaments. Amarillo after 12 tries finally made the 350-mile trip from west Texas to annex the Mansfield Spring Barbeque Tournament. No. 19 Mansfield Timberview, one of the hosts, slipped 13 slots after taking third place. The Amarillo Sandies entered the tournament the No. 4 team in the Texas Class 5A rankings. Methinks this will improve.

Fayetteville captured the 66th Sandra Meadows Classic in Duncanville. The host No. 20 Pantherettes cratered 13 spots following a third-place medal. Fayetteville was considered a top five team in Arkansas Class 7A but that changed after winning one of the nation’s top tournaments. The Lady Purple Dogs are for real and now a national name. Arkansas hoops tend to fall under the radar, but those in northwest corner of the state know better.

Both Duncanville and Timberview will be among favorites to win state crowns in Class 6A and Class 5A, respectively, and clearly their roads took a brief detour. They also deserve to remain in the Elite 25, but their buffers have been removed. Simply put: Just win!

The most significant presence comes out of Chicagoland, where No. 10 Montini Catholic (Lombard, Ill.) lands. Montini won its holiday tournament and with a series of losses by local powerhouse programs, is Illinois’ top-ranked Class 4A squad.

In south Florida, No. 23 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) traveled to the sunshine and took home the Junior Orange Bowl Classic with three quality wins. The Lady Crusaders go back north to play one of the East Coast’s most competitive independent schedules, starting Saturday with New Jersey’s top-ranked team, Manasquan. LuHi is considered the favorite to win the New York State Federation Class AA title (large-school classification) in March.

Expect more change as the Elite 25 heads into 2017. The next rankings are out on January 12 and that’s followed by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend when several loaded national events are slated. Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for updates from around the country. Our contributors, headed by the incomparable Mark Lewis, toil daily and have the pulse of the girls’ basketball universe. Think of Blue Star Media as your go-to site for all things basketball.

Until next time please support your local high schools and any basketball events in your community or area. Those events usually have a charitable component attached, where the funds go to worthy causes such as scholarships and aiding the homeless and inner city causes. That’s a great way to give back and see some quality hoops. Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings, Jan. 4, 2017

1. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (10-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: The Lady Panthers won the Destin (Fla.) Classic, beating Male (Louisville, Ky.), 73-65, in the final. Amira Scott scored 17 points in the win and Honesty Scott-Grayson and Ashley Owusu were named all-tournament.

2. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (12-1)

Previous: 2

Low-down: Stopped Prairie (Brush Prairie, Wash.), 73-31, in the West Coast Jamboree Challenge. This weekend the Golden Eagles play Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (San Francisco) at the Miramonte Showcase.

3. Miami (Fla.) Country Day (16-1)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Won the Naples (Fla.) Holiday Shootout American Division, beating Pickerington (Ohio) Central, 56-55. Kelsey Marshall and Channise Lewis were named co-Most Valuable Players.

4. Grandview, Aurora, Colo. (7-1)

Previous: 4

Not ranked.

Low-down: The Wolves were idle and play Arapahoe (Centennial) on Jan. 6.

5. Monacan, North Chesterfield, Va. (8-0)

Previous: 5

Low-down: Idle. Megan Walker and her teammates took the court again on Jan. 3 against James River (Midlothian).

6. Centennial, Las Vegas (15-2)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Arizona-bound Samantha Thomas earned MVP honors with 24 points in the final to win the Las Vegas Holiday Classic Platinum Bracket, toppling Skyline (Salt Lake City, Utah), 73-52. The Bulldogs captured six games, winning by nearly 43 points per game.

7. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (8-2)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Won the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament in East Palo Alto, Calif.

8. Riverdale, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (10-0)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The Lady Warriors coasted to the State Farm Classic title, waxing then-No. 10 Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.), 73-35. Tennessee-bound G Anastasia Hayes scored 29 points in the win.

9. Homestead, Fort Wayne, Ind. (14-0)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Won SAC Tournament, beating Bishop Carroll (Fort Wayne), 76-47, in the championship game. Karissa McLaughlin scored 20 points in the beat down.

10. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (16-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won Montini Christmas Tournament, beating two time defendin state champion Benet Academy (Lisle), 59-43, in the final. Junior C Aaliyah Patty had 14 points, 10 rebounds and blocked three shots in the title game.

11. St. Mary’s Stockton, Calif. (11-2)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Won the West Coast Jamboree Platinum championship.

12. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (7-3)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Won the Title IX Classic Pat Summitt Division championship, defeating then-No. 13 Ribault (Jacksonville, Fla.), 56-52.

13. Collins Hill, Suwanee, Ga. (13-1)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Finished in second place at the State Farm Classic in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

14. Ribault, Jacksonville, Fla. (13-2)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Went 2-1 at the Title IX Classic Pat Summitt Division in Washington, D.C.

15. Seton Catholic Prep, Chandler, Ariz. (13-2)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Idle. The Sentinels are back at it on Jan. 5 with Tempe.

16. Butler, Louisville, Ky. (12-1)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: The Bears are Kentucky’s single-class, top-ranked squad.

17. Amarillo, Texas (22-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won the Mansfield Spring Barbeque Tournament, defeating Mansfield Summitt, 47-36, in the final. Also beat then-No. 6 Mansfield Timberview, 48-44, in the semifinals after trailing by 11 points at the break. Sidney Tanner was named the MVP and teammates Zayla Tanner and Kaki Simpson were on the all-tournament squad. The Sandies likely will rise to No. 1 in the Texas Class 5A rankings.

18. Fayetteville, Ark. (13-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Lady Bulldogs spent a memorable week in Texas, coming away with the 66th Sandra Meadows Classic championship. In the final, they stopped McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 69-51, as all-tournament selection Ashley Breathitt pumped in a game-high 18 points. A day earlier in the semifinals, they beat then-No. 7 and host Duncanville (Texas), 67-60. Lauren Holmes was the tournament MVP and teammate Jasmine Franklin was also an all-tournament pick.

19. Timberview, Mansfield, Texas (19-2)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Finished third at the Mansfield Spring Creek Barbeque Invitational Tournament. In the third-place game, Taylah Thomas dropped in 13 points in a 48-45 win over then-No. 20 Canyon (Texas).20. Duncanville, Texas (21-2)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: The Pantherettes placed third in the Sandra Meadows Classic, beating Euless Trinity, 54-47.

21. Detroit Country Day School, Beverly Hills, Mich. (7-0)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: The Yellowjackets beat King (Detroit), 55-46, in the feature matchup last week in the Motor City Classic in Detroit. Also defeated Eastmoor Academy (Columbus, Ohio), 69-36. Up next is a road game at Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic on Jan. 7.

22. St. Francis, Alpharetta, Ga. (8-3)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Idle. The disappointing month of December is finally over; wipe the slate clean.

23. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (6-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won Junior Orange Bowl in Miami, beating Nova (Davie, Fla.), 39-30, in the title game. The Lady Crusaders play regionally-ranked Manasquan (N.J.) on Jan. 8.

24. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (9-1)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Idle. The Cadets played Good Counsel (Wheaton, Md.) on Jan. 3.

25. Wenonah, Birmingham, Ala. (11-2)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: The Dragons had showdown with Hoover (Ala.) on Jan. 3 and they better win after going 2-1 at the BallN Prep Holiday Invitational.

Dropped: No. 14. Clear Springs, League City, Texas; No. 20 Canyon, Texas; No. 22 Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia; and No. 23 National Christian Academy, Fort Washington, Md.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (11-0)
2. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (12-4)
3. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (7-3)
4. Manasquan, N.J. (6-0)
5. South Shore, Brooklyn, N.Y. (7-2)

Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.

Midwest

1. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (12-0)
2. Mason, Ohio (9-0)
3. Africentric Early College, Columbus, Ohio (8-0)
4. North Central, Indianapolis (16-0)
5. Edwardsville, Ill. (13-0)

Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Southland

1. Norcross, Ga. (14-1)
2. Starkville, Miss. (15-0)
3. North Little Rock, Ark (13-1)
4. Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, Chattanooga, Tenn. (10-1)
5. Fort Gibson, Okla. (6-0)

Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Far West

1. Harvard-Westlake, Studio City, Calif. (12-1)
2. Mesquite, Gilbert, Ariz. (15-1)
3. Central Valley, Spokane Valley, Wash. (9-0)
4. Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif. (7-2)
5. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (11-1)

Geography: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Girls Basketball Rankings are released weekly from November until the conclusion of the high school season. Criteria considered are the quality of the team and its players, strength of schedule, tradition, and quality of the team’s league, conference, region or district. The rankings are compiled by Blue Star Media’s Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released in April. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.