BENSALEM, Pa. – Time has drained through the hourglass and, yes, 2020, is here. Scary thought.

We’ve played nearly two months of the season with three left. So, we ring in the New Year with four teams joining the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings.

The newcomers are No. 7 Cypress Creek (Houston), No. 14 Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), No. 15 Duncanville (Texas) and No. 17 Evanston (Ill.). All four won major tournament titles during the holidays and are from power states for girls’ basketball.

The biggest riser this week is No. 6 La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day, which bumps up 14 spots, after capturing the Nike Tournament of Champions Joe Smith bracket before Christmas in Phoenix.

This weekend the Blue Star High School Invitational takes place at Thomas Jefferson University on Sunday in Philadelphia. There are 16 games on two courts featuring the top from the Mid-Atlantic, including the newly minted No. 1 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.). Click on the link for the list of games.

No doubt the power-packed event will impact the Elite 25 rankings.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 rankings return on January 8 and the race for the postseason starts. By the first week of February, we’ll have playoffs underway in some states. It goes quick and January still have plenty of national events that will shake the Elite 25 rankings.

Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from showcase events and key games all season. We’ll  keep you abreast of anything breaking in the girls’ hoop world.

Until next time, Happy New Year!

We hope to see you at a game soon in 2020. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Jan. 1, 2020

1. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (13-0)

Previous rank: 3.

Low-down: Won HBC Palm Beach Tournament in Florida, topping Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 62-35, in the final. Jaelyn Talley scored 25 points, Bella Perkins netted 14 and Lee Volker added 10 in the tournament final. The Panthers have a loaded weekend with Elite 25 teams Bishop McNamara (Forestville Md.) Friday and Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) Sunday in Philadelphia.

2. Mount Notre Dame, Cincinnati (11-0)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: The Cougars are on the rise with two quality wins over instate powers Wayne (Huber Heights), 51-47, and Toledo Central Catholic, 71-34. The January schedule picks up with league rival Seton (Cincinnati) Thursday night.

3. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (7-1)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Won the John Wall Holiday Invitational Wonderland bracket in Raleigh, N.C.

4. Hamilton Heights Christian, Chattanooga, Tenn. (13-1)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The Lady Hawks carry a 12-game win streak into January and play twice this weekend in Atlanta at the She Got Game Classic.

5. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (13-1)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won the West Coast Jamboree Platinum bracket, defeating then-No. 7 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, Calif.), 43-42, in the final. It was the third in-season tournament title for the Monarchs, who have three games this weekend.

6. La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day (16-1)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Won the Nike Tournament of Champions Joe Smith bracket but lost in the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic Premier Division final to No. 14 Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 45-39. Freshman Breya Cunningham dropped in 11 points in the Torrey’s first loss of the campaign after 16 straight wins.

7. Cypress Creek, Houston (23-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won the Mansfield ISD Spring Creek Barbeque Invitational Tournament, topping Arlington Martin, 65-53, in the final. Kyndall Hunter tossed in a tournament-high 35 points as the Cougars rallied from a seven-point deficit in the third quarter to take a 50-41 edge. Rori Harmon was tabbed tournament Most Valuable Player and Taylor Jackson was an all-tournament selection—both scored 11 points in the final. The remainder of the schedule is within District 17-6A.

8. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (12-3)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: The Trailblazers had a busy slate over the holidays and fared well taking second at the Nike TOC Joe Smith bracket in Arizona and West Coast Jamboree Platinum bracket in the Bay Area.

9. Southeast Raleigh, Raleigh, N.C (11-1)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Went 2-1 to place second at the John Wall Holiday Invitational in Raleigh. Southeast’s Anya Poole posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds in a 34-31 loss to No. 3 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) in the final. The Bulldogs are back at it with league rival Leesville Road (Raleigh) on Jan. 7.

10. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (11-0)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: The Royals, Minnesota’s top-ranked Class 4A team, have knocked off two of the top-4 teams in the state and will face the third later this month. The next test is the lone out-of-state foe, Aquinas (La Crosse), on Friday. Aquinas is Wisconsin’s top-ranked Division 4 team. The nation’s top-rated senior Paige Bueckers, a Connecticut recruit, is averaging 22.3 points per game

11. Ensworth School, Nashville, Tenn. (10-0)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won the Naples (Fla.) Holiday Shootout National Division, thrashing then-No. 24 Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.), 73-50, in the final.

12. Northwestern, Kokomo, Ind. (14-0)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: The Tigers won the Columbus North Tournament, defeating Elkhart Central, 69-37, in the title game. The schedule resumes with Eastern (Greentown) on Jan. 8.

13. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (12-2)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Took third place at the prestigious Nike Tournament of Champions Joe Smith bracket with a 3-1 record pre-Christmas. The Lady Crusaders are in New Jersey and Philadelphia this weekend, playing two New Jersey Non-Public power programs, Morris Catholic (Denville) and St. John Vianney (Holmdel).

14. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (10-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Lady Jackrabbits captured the Premier Division championship of the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic in San Diego, toppling red-hot No. 6 La Jolla Country Day, 45-39. MVP Nala Williams scored 12 points in the final and Lily Buggs added 10 points and seven boards. The Lady Jackrabbits also went 2-2 at the Nike TOC before Christmas in Arizona.

15. Duncanville, Texas (20-3)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: First-year coach LaJeanna Howard guided the Pantherettes to the prestigious Sandra Meadows Classic crown as the host school, knocking off then-No. 1 DeSoto, 66-47, in the final. It was the program’s 23^rd title in reaching the final for the 32^nd time. North Carolina-bound guard tossed in 20 points in the game and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Both Zaria Rufus (14 points) and Nyah Wilson (13) teamed for 27 points off the bench.

16. DeSoto, Texas (18-2)

Previous: 1.

Low-down: The Lady Eagles stay at the top spot was short lived with a pair of losses in late December. The second loss was in the championship of the Sandra Meadows Classic to host school No. 15 Duncanville, 66-47. Junior Kendall Brown scored 12 points and sophomore Ash’a Thompson had a team-high 16 in the final. More bad news occurred in that game when sophomore Sa’Myah Smith left the game in the opening frame with an apparent knee injury.

17. Evanston, Ill. (13-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won Montini Christmas Tournament, topping the host school in the semifinals and Lake Forest, 55-37, in the championship game. This weekend the Wildkits play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic Platinum bracket in New Orleans for four games.

18. Westlake, Atlanta (14-1)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Won Naples (Fla.) Holiday Shootout, defeating Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Ky.), 63-55, in the final. Th Lions play Vance (Charlotte, N.C.) Saturday at She Got Game Classic in Atlanta.

19. Trenton Catholic Academy, Hamilton, N.J. (3-0)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: New Jersey’s top-ranked team defeated defending the State Tournament of Champions titlist Franklin (Somerset), 64-42, stopping a 37-game win streak. Freshman Zoe Brooks pumped in a game-high 20 points. The Iron Mikes play three games in three games four days this week capped by Sunday’s showdown with Maryland powerhouse Bishop McNamara (Forestville) in Philadelphia.

20. South Shore, Brooklyn, N.Y. (10-0)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Won Tarkanian Classic Diamond bracket in Las Vegas, Nevada, defeating Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 52-40, in the final. Also topped Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 64-53, in a key East Region showdown at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

21. Edison Public School Academy, Detroit (6-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Michigan’s top-ranked team and reigning Division II state champions are rolling into 2020.

22. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (15-1)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Finished third at the Montini Christmas Tournament, defeating then-No. 23 Montini Catholic (Lombard, Ill.), 57-54, in overtime in the consolation round The Redwings trailed by six points in the final minute of regulation, but DePaul-bound Kendall Holmes (12 points) buried a pair of 3-pointers to force the extra session and keep her team in the Elite 25.

23. Africentric Early College, Columbus, Ohio (9-2)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: The Nubians, who are Ohio’s top-ranked Division III club, lost to then-No. 9 Edison Public School Academy (Detroit), 68-59. Both losses are to Elite 25 teams. The schedule picks up this weekend with Kenwood (Chicago) on Saturday afternoon.

24. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (16-2)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Took fourth place in the Montini Christmas Tournament, losing to No. 22 Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.), 57-54, in overtime in the consolation game. The Broncos play two games this weekend in sunny Florida looking to remain among the Elite 25.

25. Amarillo, Texas (21-2)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Went 2-2 at the MISD Spring Creek Barbeque Invitational Tournament but the Sandies are 5-0 in District 3-5A play.

Dropped: No. 4 Centennial (Las Vegas); No. 8 Tampa Bay Tech (Tampa, Fla.); No. 21 New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.) and No. 24 Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (7-0)
2. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (10-3)
3. New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, Md. (13-6)
4. Elizabeth Seton, Bladensburg, Md. (8-2)
5. Germantown Academy, Fort Washington, Pa. (10-2)

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

Midwest

1. Crown Point, Ind. (17-0)
2. St. Joseph Central, Huntington, W.Va. (12-0)
3. Maine West, Des Plaines, Ill. (15-1)
4. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (10-1)
5. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (17-0)

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

Southland

1. Hazel Green, Ala. (20-0)
2. Lovejoy, Ga. (12-1)
3. Tampa Bay Tech, Tampa, Fla. (10-3)
4. Cherokee, Canton, Ga. (13-2)
5. Booker T. Washington, Tulsa, Okla. (9-0)

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

Far West

1. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (8-3)
2. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (14-2)
3. Etiwanda, Calif. (10-3)
4. Centennial, Las Vegas (5-3)
5. Cashmere, Wash. (8-0)

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 Senior Writer 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.