Go-To 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Feb. 27, 2013

BENSALEM, Pa. – The postseason is in full swing. As the week started, 24 teams in the Blue Star Media Go-To 25 high school girls’ basketball rankings have either won or are on the verge of winning state, national or conference championships.

First it’s time to mention the winners. Last week No. 2 St. Mary’s (Phoenix) and No. 12 Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) claimed state crowns. In Arizona, St. Mary’s completed the three-peat beating Pinnacle (Phoenix) in the Division I final. The Lady Knights have won 60 consecutive games heading into next season. Dr. Phillips became Florida’s first large-classification program to win three straight crowns after defeating Miami High, 52-47, in the Class 8A final. Don’t be surprised when the Panthers are invited to the National High School Invitational in April but for now they have a well-deserved break. No. 25 Edwardsville (Ill.) was stunned in its sectional final after rattling off 30 straight wins to open the year. The Tigers’ national ranking with the Go-To 25 hinges on the results at this weekend’s Class 4A tournament in Normal, Ill.

Seven schools are on a course with destiny this weekend. No. 3 Duncanville (Texas) and No. 8 Pflugerville (Texas) aim for titles in Class 5A; No. 10 Bedford (Ind.) North Lawrence competes for a Class 4A title Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind.; No. 11 St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) played the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference final on Tuesday against rivals Good Counsel (Olney, Md.). In Illinois, No. 13 Montini Catholic (Lombard) vies for the Class 3A chip; No. 19 Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.) goes for the Class 4A crown Friday; and No. 20 New Hope Christian (Thomasville, N.C.) competes at the National Association of Christian Athletes national tournament this week in Dayton, Tenn.

No. 18 Dutch Fork and No. 23 Troy (Fullerton, Calif.) join the rankings. Dutch Fork could complete an unbeaten season on Friday and winning a second straight state title, while Troy is on a collision course with No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) for a sectional championship.

Too many games, too many good stories will unfold as the season wraps up. We’ll give you an update next week. Our publisher Mike Flynn will be at the Texas state championships Saturday in Austin. Check out his tweets at #MikeFlynn826. Hope to see you at a game soon. Enjoy a game in your area this weekend. – Christopher Lawlor

Varsity Letters

Player of the Week

Ariel Atkins, junior, No. 3 Duncanville (Texas): One of the nation’s top juniors, Atkins was at her best last week when the Pantherettes (40-0) won the Class 5A Region 1 Tournament, punching their ticket back to the state tournament this weekend in Austin. The 5-foot-10 guard tossed in a game-high 29 points—on 10 of 14 shooting—as Duncanville defeated Coronado (Lubbock), 64-45, in the final. At one stretch bridging the third and fourth quarters, Atkins scored 10 consecutive points. She also posted 20 points both in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Duncanville carries a 68-game win streak into the 5A semifinals on Friday. Atkins, a lefty blessed with quickness, kick starts her team’s offense attack. For the season, she’s averaging 16.1 points, 6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

Places To Be

State tournament fever is catching on this week. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know.

Indiana: There are four games, two sessions Saturday at Indiana State’s Hulman Center in Terre Haute. The first session Class A final between Fort Wayne Canterbury and Rivet (Vincennes) at 10:30 a.m. ET, followed by Class 2A with Eastern (Greentown) and Mater Dei (Evansville). Session II is feature the large schools, tipping at 6 p.m. Hamilton Heights vs. Mount Vernon (Fortville) is the Class 3A game and Fort Wayne South Side plays No. 11 Bedford North Lawrence at 8:15.

Illinois: Friday the Class 3A and 4A semifinals will be contested at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena in Normal. 3A: No. 13 Montini (Lombard) vs. Vernon Hills, noon CT; Morton vs. Notre Dame (Quincy), 2. 4A: Huntley vs. Rolling Meadows, 6:30 p.m.; Marian (Chicago Heights) vs. Whitney Young (Chicago), 8:15. The finals and third-place games are Saturday. The 4A bracket is loaded while Montini should defend its 3A title.

Texas: One of the top state tournaments starts Thursday with six semifinal games in three classifications at University of Texas’ Frank Erwin Events Center. The Class 5A action gets underway Friday at 3 o’clock CT when No. 3 Duncanville meets Clear Springs (League City) that’s followed by Cibolo Steele tangling with No. 8 Pflugerville at 8:30 p.m. Undefeated Duncanville (40-0) is making its 22^nd appearance at the state tournament.

Elsewhere, the National Association of Christian Athletic tournaments for boys and girls open Wednesday at various venues in Dayton, Tenn. The games run through Saturday, with Division 1, 2 and 4 (based on enrollment) and the Elite Boys (post-graduates) to be decided. For brackets go to: www.nacasports.net.

Milestones

In Colorado, Caryn Jarocki recently claimed her 500^th coaching victory as Highlands Ranch defeated Legend (Parker, Colo.), 76-31. The Chicago area native became Colorado’s first schoolgirl coach to reach that milestone. She improved to 500-146, including 151-73 at Colorado Academy, and has won seven state titles. Jarocki’s teams are known for their trademark hard-nosed defense.

Honored

ATLANTA – The Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association announcedthat Diamond DeShields of Norcross (Ga.) is the 2013 State Farm®/WBCA High School Player of the Year.

“Congratulations to Diamond for earning the top award for high school basketball players,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass.  “She has set high standards for current and future high school student-athletes to pursue greatness in a game that is rapidly excelling.  The WBCA wishes Diamond the best on her future in college and in the game of women’s basketball.”

The 6-foot-2 shooting guard, who has signed with North Carolina, is ranked No. 3 overall in the country DeShields has led the Norcross Blue Devils to a 25-5 record on the season heading into the Class AAAAAA playoffs. She is averaging 26 points per game, 7 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.8 assists.

DeShields recently helped lead Team USA to the gold medal in the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championships, where she was named the tournament MVP. She has been very successful playing for USA Basketball, as she also won gold as a member of the 2012 USA 3×3 U18 World Championship Team, as the youngest member of the 2011 U19 World Championship Team and with the 2010 USA U18 Championship Team. DeShields propelled her team to the Georgia’s state semifinals last season, averaging 20.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 3.7 assists per game. During DeShields’ sophomore campaign she led the Blue Devils to the Class 5A state championship with a school best 29-3 record and did the same as a freshman.

During her four-year career, DeShields she has has scored over program-best 2,100 points and ranks third in Gwinnett County history.DeShields has been named a 2013 Naismith award finalist, a 2013 WBCA All-America member, a 2013 McDonald’s All-America representative, 2013 Miss Georgia Basketball and was chosen to the 2012 Preseason American Family Insurance ALL-USA Girls High School Basketball Team. Last season she was honored as the 2012 Gwinnett Daily Post Player of the Year and the 2012 Atlanta Tip-Off Club Metro Player of the Year.  During her sophomore campaign she was selected as Georgia’s Gatorade Girls Player of the Year and was a Parade All-America.

“Diamond’s remarkable achievements, both on and off the court, make her truly deserving of this prestigious award,” said Pam El, Marketing Vice President for State Farm.

DeShields will be formally honored at halftime of the 2013 WBCA High School All-America Game presented by Nike, on April 6, at the New Orleans Arena. For the fourth consecutive year, the game will be played on the official NCAA Women’s Final Four court. The game is held annually as part of the WBCA National Convention and NCAA Women’s Final Four “Super Saturday” festivities.

Go-To 25 girls’ basketball rankings, Feb. 27, 2013

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (28-0)

Previous: ranking 1.

Low-down: The Monarchs needed a 15-2 third-quarter run to put away pesky Corona Centennial, 56-39, in the CIF-Southern Section Division I-AA quarterfinals. Sophomore Katie Lou Samuelson fired in 22 points and her sister Stanford-bound Karlie added 16. Also crushed Silverado (Victorville), 78-25, in second round. Up next is a quarterfinal matchup with Etiwanda on Tuesday.

2. St. Mary’s, Phoenix (29-1)**

Previous: 2.

Low-down:  The Lady Knights completed their three-peat, knocking off Pinnacle (Phoenix), 49-37, in the Division I final. Junior Courtney Ekmark, a Connecticut recruit, scored 12 points—despite playing the last four games with a broken nose. In the semifinals, Ekmark scored 28 points and Brandee Walton hit for 13 in a 74-55 blowout of Hamilton (Chandler). Coach Curtis Ekmark’s team carries a 60-game in-state win streak into next season. Season complete.

3. Duncanville, Texas (40-0)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: The Pantherettes captured the Class 5A, Region 1 championship, beating Coronado (Lubbock), 64-45, in the final. Ariel Atkins dropped in a game-high 29 points. Also beat Arlington Bowie, 61-40, in semifinals as Atkins scored 20 points. Coach Cathy Self-Morgan’s club heads back to Austin to defend their 5A title with a 68-game win streak against Clear Springs (League City) in the semifinals Friday. The final is Saturday at the Frank Erwin Events Center.

4. Riverdale, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (30-0)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: For the fourth time this season, the Lady Warriors defeated rivals Oakland (Murfreesboro), 65-40, in Class AAA Region 4 semifinals.  Also took out Shelbyville Central, 69-45, in Region 4 semifinals. The region final is Wednesday vs. Blackman (Murfreesboro).

5. Marion County, Lebanon, Ky. (32-0)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Won the 20^th District Tournament, beating Adair County (Columbia), 72-41, in final. Also topped Taylor County (Campbellsville), 65-24, in semifinals. Olivia Jones scored 15 points.

6. Windward, Los Angeles (28-0)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: The Wildcats ousted St. Bernard (Playa del Rey), 77-46, in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV-AA semifinals. Up next is Serra (Gardena) in final on Saturday.

7. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel-Nor, Mo. (25-0)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Closed out the regular season defeating Cor Jesu (St. Louis), 80-34, as sophomore Napheesa Collier scored 22 points and Nakiah Bell had nine points and 15 assists. Opened the Class 4 District semifinals Tuesday vs. McCluer South (Ferguson). The final is Friday.

8. Pflugerville, Texas (38-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Defeated Spring Dekaney, 68-59, in Class 5A Region II final. In the semifinals, freshman Mykiel Burleson sank a free throw with 5.9 seconds left in a thrilling 64-63 nail-biter over regionally ranked Plano West. Jonelle Smith scored 16 points and Taylor Ross added 13. Up next

9. North Gwinnett, Suwanee, Ga. (27-1)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Advanced to the Class AAAAAA quarterfinals, taking out Archer (Lawrenceville), 66-42, in second round and Lambert (Suwanee), 67-30, in the first. Lexie Brown finished with 23 points, six rebounds and five rebounds against Archer.

10. Bedford (Ind.) North Lawrence (27-0)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: The Stars are headed to the Class 4A championship game after taking out Roncalli (Indianapolis), 66-52, in overtime in the Semistate. Up next is Fort Wayne South Saturday in Terre Haute.

11. St. John’s, Washington, D.C. (29-1)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The Cadets played regionally ranked Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Tournament final. The No. 1 seed defeated Elizabeth Seton (Bladensburg, Md.), 54-40, in semifinals and Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.), 66-39, in quarterfinals. Up next is the Bishop Walsh Tournament this weekend in Cumberland, Md.

12. Dr. Phillips, Orlando, Fla. (29-3)**

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The Panthers became the first Florida’s largest-classification program to capture three straight titles after defeating Miami High, 52-47, in the Class 8A final. Georgia-bound Sydnei McCaskill scored nine of her 17 points in the decisive 23-6 third-quarter tear. Jade Cheek canned four 3-pointers for 12 points. In the semifinals, the Panthers outlasted Dwyer (West Palm Beach), 69-65, in a game that featured 17 lead changes. McCaskill scored 27 points and handed out seven assists. Expect the Panthers to earn a third straight invite to the National High School Invitational in April.

13. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (34-1)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Doubled Glenbard South (Glen Ellyn), 58-29, in Class 3A Nazareth Regional final. Wisconsin-bound C Malayna Johnson contributed 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in a 72-41 victory over Phillips (Chicago) in Hinsdale Central SuperSectional. Up next is Vernon Hills Friday in Class 3A state semifinals at Redbird Arena in Normal.

14. Shabazz, Newark, N.J. (26-1)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Zaire O’Neill’s double-double of 21 points and 17 rebounds powered the Lady Bulldogs over East Orange, 61-46, in the Essex County Tournament final. It was the fifth consecutive title and 11^th in 12 years. Now the focus turns to the Group 2, North Section 2 quarterfinals, where they’ll host Caldwell or Madison on Wednesday.

15. Central Catholic, Portland, Ore. (21-3)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Stanford-bound Kailee Johnson pumped in 24 points in a regular-season ending 76-22 victory over Centennial (Portland). The Rams took the Mount Hood Conference crown with a 12-0 mark. The Class 6A state tournament opens Wednesday and continues with the second round on Saturday. The Final Eight will be played at the Rose Garden in Portland, March 7-9.

16. Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif. (24-3)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Opened the CIF-North Coast Section Division III Tournament, thumping Eureka, 61-15. Up next is Kennedy (Richmond) Wednesday in semifinals.

17. Martin Luther King, Detroit (18-0)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: The two-time Detroit Public School League champions edged Marian (Birmingham), 36-33, in the Operation Friendship final. Marte Grays scored 11 points. The Crusaders play Cass Tech (Detroit) Wednesday in the Class A District 20 semifinals. The final is Friday.

18. Dutch Fork, Irmo, S.C. (28-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Silver Foxes are back in the Class 4A state final after beating Aiken, 40-24, in semifinals. C Alaina Coates, a McDonald’s All-American, had 20 points, 13 rebound and six blocks. It was the team’s 39^th consecutive victory dating back to last season. It won’t be easy completing the its first unbeaten season as defending champions meet Dorman (Roebuck) Friday at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.

19. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (25-1)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Erin O’Toole tallied a game-high 23 points as the Royals completed an undefeated season (8-0) in the Lake Conference, dismantling Andover, 85-59, in the regular season curtain call. The Class 4A postseason awaits.

20. New Hope Christian Academy, Thomasville, N.C. (28-1)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Defeated New Garden Friends (Greensboro), 73-27, in regular season finale. The Phoenix will participate this week at the National Association of Christian Athletes Tournament in Dayton, Tenn.

21. Science Hill, Johnson City, Tenn. (31-3)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Won District 1-AAA title, defeating Tennessee High (Bristol), 84-43. Also topped Sevier County (Sevierville), 55-33, in Class AAA Region 1 quarterfinals and Morristown West, 54-38, in semifinals.

22. Twinsburg, Ohio (24-0)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Defeated Warren G. Harding (Warren), 74-31, in Division I Akron District quarterfinals for its 38^th straight win. Up next is Aurora Thursday in semifinal.

23. Troy, Fullerton, Calif. (26-3)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Coach Roger Anderson’s squad played Tuesday in the CIF-Southern Section Division I-AA semifinals.

24. Fairmont, Kettering, Ohio (22-1)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: The Firebirds swept two games in the Division Harrison 1 District Tournament. Alona Skipper totaled 32 points in both games. Play next Saturday in final against Mason.

25. Edwardsville, Ill. (30-1)*

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Upset in Belleville West Sectional final by Richwoods (Peoria), 41-36. Emmonnie Henderson, a Louisville recruit, closed out her prep career with 12 points. Season complete.

Dropped: No. 22 Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) and No. 25 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Seton LaSalle, Pittsburgh (23-1)

2. Good Counsel, Olney, Md. (25-4)

3. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (28-1)

4. Archbishop Spalding, Severn, Md. (27-1)

5. Life Center Academy, Burlington, N.J. (24-2)

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

Midlands

1. Columbus (Ind.) North (24-1)*

2. Whitney Young, Chicago (28-4)

3. Marian Catholic, Chicago Heights, Ill. (31-1)

4. Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South (19-1)

5. Rolling Meadows, Ill. (29-3)

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

South

1. Dillard, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (28-2)**

2. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (27-0)

3. Plano West, Plano, Texas (36-4)*

4. Blackman, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (26-3)

5. Hoover, Ala. (26-4)

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

Far West

1. St. Mary’s Stockton, Calif. (27-2)

2. Regis Jesuit, Aurora, Colo. (21-2)

3. Reno, Nev. (27-3)**

4. St. Mary’s, Albany, Calif. (27-4)

5. South Medford, Medford, Ore. (20-4)

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

** Denotes state champion

* Season complete

Records are though Monday.

About: The Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Girls Basketball Rankings are released weekly 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 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. Follow him on Twitter at clawlor or BlueStarMedia1, and www.bluestarmedia.org.