BENSALEM, Pa. – Only three weekends remain in the season and there’s still heavy lifting to do in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings. Last week there was enough shuffling for a cleaner, fresher look.
This weekend Minnesota, Ohio, New Jersey and New York crown their winners and the results will impact the Elite 25.
There are two additions to the Elite 25: No. 23 Northwest Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.) and No. 25 Derby (Kan.). Both won state championships.
First, in North Carolina, where it seemed Southeast Raleigh (Raleigh) rolling to the Class 4A title until Northwest Guilford reminded the state’s top-ranked 4A team that defending champions do not go down without a fight. The Vikings captured their second straight crown and knocked out then-No. 11 Southeast Raleigh from the Elite 25. Junior Cayla King of Northwest was named the tournament Most Valuable Player.
In the Midlands, No. 25 Derby, who was ranked in the preseason, is back. The Panthers lost their opening night game in December but rallied to close on a 23-game win streak capped with the 6A championship. Kudos goes to the Derby program for showing perseverance.
Well, the GEICO Nationals field is completed with play starting on March 30 for the four-team event in New York at Christ the King High School. The field includes Elite 25 teams Winter Haven (Fla.), Westlake (Ga.) and Hamilton Heights Christian (Tenn.) plus regionally ranked Central Valley (Wash.).
Official word from Paragon Marketing comes later week.
Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from regional events and the state tournaments. We are the leaders in the girls’ basketball world. The Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings will return on March 21. After that we’ll take a break as tournaments in California and New York are played along with the GEICO Nationals. The Elite 25 final rankings are out the first week of April.
Our staff is headed to the McDonald’s All American Game in Atlanta and the GEICO Nationals.
We hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor
Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings, March 14, 2018
1. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (28-0)
Previous rank: 1.
Low-down: Haley Jones had a monster game with 25 points and 20 rebounds to turn back Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland), 62-25, in the CIF-Northern California Region Open Division first round. The Monarchs rolled to a 14-2 lead after one quarter. Additionally, coach Sue Phillips was honored with a pregame ceremony for being named national coach of the year by the WBCA and Naismith. Next up for the Phillips’s team is Salesian College Prep (Richmond) Tuesday in the NorCal semifinals.
2. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (28-0)*
Previous: 2.
Low-down: The Royals won the New York State Catholic Class AA state title, pounding Cardinal O’Hara (Tonawanda), 74-48, and Cardinal Spellman (Bronx), 60-34, in the semifinals. Next up is the New York State Federation AA semifinals from March 23-25 in Glens Falls.
3. Riverdale, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (36-1)*
Previous: 3.
Low-down: Won third straight Class AAA state championship, thrashing Houston (Germantown), 77-50. The Lady Patriots have won 63 consecutive games against Tennessee competition. Junior Aislynn Hayes scored 19 points and named Tournament Most Valuable Player. They also stopped Bearden (Knoxville), 77-59, in the semifinals and Ravenwood (Brentwood), 77-50, in the first round. Season complete
4. Hamilton Heights Christian, Chattanooga, Tenn. (24-2)*
Previous: 4.
Low-down: Idle. The Lady Hawks have been invited to play in the GEICO Nationals for a second straight year.
5. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (32-2)* *
Previous: 5.
Low-down: Season complete.
6. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (27-2)
Previous: 6.
Low-down: Defeated Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 66-37, in the CIF-Northern California Region Open Division first round. Florida-bound Ariel Johnson bucketed 16 points. Played Pinewood School (Los Altos Hills) Tuesday in the semifinals. The final is Saturday.
7. Centennial, Las Vegas (29-3)*
Previous: 8.
Low-down: Season complete.
8. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (26-1)*
Previous: 9.
Low-down: Won a record fifth consecutive Class 5 championship and ninth overall state title in downing Edison (Alexandria), 61-45. Jasha Clinton scored 17 points and Brianna Jackson had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Also beat Highland Springs, 79-48, in the semifinals. Season complete.
9. Westlake, Atlanta (30-1)*
Previous: 11.
Low-down: Won Class AAAAAAA state championship, defeating Newton (Covington), 60-45. Next up is the GEICO Nationals in New York.
10. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (30-4)*
Previous: 13.
Low-down: Season complete.
11. Baldwin, N.Y. (22-1)
Previous: 14.
Low-down: Won Long Island Class AA championship, beating Commack, 78-48. Aziah Hudson scored 18 of her 25 points in the first quarter. The Bruins face Bishop Kearney (Rochester) in the Class AA semifinals Saturday in Troy. The winner plays Ossining or West Genesee (Camillus) Sunday for the title.
12. Winter Haven, Fla. (32-1)*
Previous: 15.
Low-down: Idle. The Blue Devils are headed to the GEICO Nationals on March 30 in New York.
13. Plano, Texas (35-6)*
Previous: 16.
Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship. Season complete.
14. Eastview, Apple Valley, Minn. (29-0)
Previous: 17.
Low-down: Won Class AAAA, Section 3 title, defeating Apple Valley, 40-25. Macy Guebert had 14 points. The Thunder qualified a seventh-straight state tournament. Next up is Prior Lake in the Class AAAA first round Wednesday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The semifinals are Thursday and the final is Saturday.
15. Geneva, Ill. (31-3)*
Previous: 18.
Low-down: Season complete.
16. Amarillo, Texas (40-2)*
Previous: 19.
Low-down: Season complete.
17. North Allegheny, Wexford, Pa. (26-0)
Previous: 21.
Low-down: Defeated Upper St. Clair, 46-21, in the PIAA Class AAAAAA first round. Piper Morningstar scored 18 and Lizzie Groetsch had 11.
18. Mercer County, Harrodsburg, Ky. (36-3)*
Previous: 24.
Low-down: Won second straight Sweet Sixteen State Tournament, thumping Mercy (Louisville), 74-34, in the final. The Bears used a 20-0 run for a 33-7 lead in the second quarter. Louisville-bound Seygan Robins took home her second tournament Most Valuable Player, producing eight points, seven assists and three rebounds in the final, while Lexie Lake and Emma Davis threw in 17 points apiece. Also beat George Rogers Clark (Winchester), 44-27, in the semifinals, Owensboro Catholic, 67-66, in the quarterfinals, and Murray, 55-44, in the first round. Season complete.
19. Manasquan, N.J. (30-2)*
Previous: 25.
Low-down: Won Group 2 state crown, thumping Newark Tech, 95-79, in the final. Dara Mabrey had 35 points and Lola Mullaney had 27. Also beat Manchester Township, 63-41, in the South Jersey final and Lincoln (Jersey City), 67-43, in the Central Jersey Section final. Mabrey, a Virginia Tech recruit, averaged 22.7 points in three playoff games. Next up is Saddle River Day or University (Newark) in the State Tournament of Champions semifinals Friday in Toms River. The final is Sunday in Trenton.
20. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (34-3)
Previous: 20.
Low-down: Season complete.
21. Edison Public School Academy, Detroit (21-1)
Previous: 23.
Low-down: Won Class C, Regional 19 title, defeating Shrine Catholic (Royal Oak), 71-29, and New Haven, 87-13, in semifinals. The Pioneers played Flint Beecher Tuesday in the Class C quarterfinals.
22. Duncanville, Texas (39-2)
Previous: 22.
Low-down: Advanced to the Class 6A, Region I final. Season complete.
23. Northwest Guilford, Greensboro, N.C. (29-2)*
Previous: Not ranked.
Low-down: Won a second consecutive Class 4A state championship, knocking off then-No. 11 Southeast Raleigh (Raleigh), 44-36. Junior Cayla King, the MVP, scored 15 points and Elizabeth Kitley had a game-high 18. Season complete.
24, Bradley Central, Cleveland, Tenn. (33-1)
Previous: 7.
Low-down: Lost to Houston (Germantown), 52-49, in the Class AAA semifinals but defeated Daniel Boone (Gray), 56-27, in the quarterfinals. Rhyne Howard was named Division I Class AAA’s Miss Basketball prior to the state tournament. The Bearettes remain in the Elite 25 for now. Season complete.
25. Derby, Kan. (23-1)
Previous: Not ranked.
Low-down: The Panthers re-enter the Elite 25 after winning the Class 6A state championship by stopping previously unbeaten Olathe East, 50-35. Junior Tor’e Alford dropped in a game-high 16 points and Sydney Mile had 12 for the Panthers, who won their first title in three tries. Coach Jodie Karsak’s team lost to their opening game of the season but it rebounded to peel off 23 straight wins. In the semifinals, they held off Wichita South, 42-40. The Panthers rallied from a 12-point deficit and won it on Aliyah Myers’s layup in the final seconds. Season complete.
Dropped out: No. 11 Southeast Raleigh, Raleigh, N.C.; and No. 12 Holy Innocents’ Episcopal, Atlanta.
High-Fives by Region
East
- St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (24-4)* *
- St. Rose, Belmar, N.J. (26-3)*
- Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (22-5)*
- Franklin, N.J. (23-7)*
- Ossining, N.Y. (22-3)*
Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Midlands
- Pickerington (Ohio) Central (26-2)
- Incarnate Word Academy, Bel-Nor, Mo. (25-5)
- Richwoods, Peoria, Ill. (35-1)*
- Northwestern, Kokomo, Ind. (29-1)*
- Maine West, Des Plaines, Ill. (32-2)
Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
South
- Wesleyan School, Peachtree Corners, Ga. (27-4)*
- Holy Innocents’ Episcopal, Atlanta (29-2)
- John Curtis Christian, River Ridge, La. (31-1)*
- Mansfield (Texas) Timberview (40-3)
- Choctaw Central, Philadelphia, Miss. (34-1)*
Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Far West
- Central Valley, Veradale, Wash. (27-0)*
- Windward School, Los Angeles (24-3)
- Southridge, Beaverton. Ore. (28-1)*
- Konawaena, Kealakekua, Hawaii (26-2)*
- Grandview, Aurora, Colo. (25-3)*
Geography: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
* Won state, national or conference/league postseason tournament championship
(Note some schools have won multiple tournament titles]
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. Teams with fifth-year or reclassified players won’t be considered. 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 @clawlor.
Senior Writer and national analyst for Blue Media and compiles the Blue Star Elite 25 national boys and girls high school basketball and football rankings during the season. Lawlor, an award-winning writer, is a voting committee member and advisor for several national high school events, including the McDonald’s All-American Games. He previously wrote for USA TODAY and ESPN.com, where he was the national preps writer, while compiling the national rankings in four sports.
