No. 1 Archbishop Mitty ascends Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings after topping No. 2 Long Island Lutheran (NY) in Nike TOC Cannizzaro final thriller

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – No. 1 Archbishop Mitty of San Jose, California is clearly the nation’s top-ranked team in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings.

And there’s nothing like head to head competition to settle it.

Luckily, we were able to witness its matchup (least on ESPNU) live against the previous No. 1 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) last Thursday and it was a doozy or “instant classic.” The Monarchs prevailed 73-72 in a game that featured a scintillating final 70 seconds that saw the lead changed hands five times. The final one was courtesy of two made free throws by Mitty’s Morgan Cheli, who is headed to Connecticut.

Yet, LuHi had one had one last chance with 3.2 seconds but a last-ditch effort failed in the championship game of the Nike Tournament of Champions Vincent Cannizzaro Bracket in Mesa, Ariz. The No. 2 Crusaders dip only one spot and will have plenty of big-time games scheduled in the New Year, including The Nationals (formerly GEICO Nationals) in March in Fort Myers, Fla.

The Cannizzaro Bracket delivered eight teams (or half of the 16-team elite bracket) from the Elite 25, including the nation’s top two.

The Nike TOC and other tournaments brought change.

There was movement aplenty in the Elite 25 as seven teams were introduced. That might sound inordinate for the weekly rankings but since we released the preseason rankings in November, it made sense for the Elite 25 to marinate for a few weeks while the entire nation is playing. And the national pre-Christmas fixture list is a good way to add it up and restructure.

The Elite 25 newcomers include: No. 8 Bolingbrook (Ill.); No. 12 Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas); No. 16 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.); No. 19 Duncanville (Texas); No. 20 Hebron Christian Academy (Dacula, Ga.); No. 21 Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.) and No. 22 Lawrence Central (Indianapolis).

There are four teams from the Southland Region, including two each from Texas and Georgia and three from the Midwest with Illinois’ top-2 in Class 4A. All seven have a solid body of work and have been playing since early November. In fact, Lawrence Central is just about a month out of concluding the regular season.

Expect the East to catch up over the holidays and in early January but now there’s only speculation and a need for quality wins.

That’s a wrap for this week. Up next is what we like to call Elite 25 Season’s Greetings Version 2.0 (post-Christmas).

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings will return on Jan. 3, 2024 (or earlier). We’re going nonstop weekly until the end of the season in mid-April. That’s a long haul ahead for the boys’ and girls’ rankings but check in regularly here and follow us on X at @clawlor.

Finally, it is our sincere wishes that you and your family have a prosperous Happy New Year in 2024 and hopefully Christmas and Hannukah went well. Enjoy some time with family and friends and if possible, duck out to attend a holiday tournament in your area.

Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Dec. 24, 2023

1. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (7-0)

Prevous rank: 12.

The Low-down: Won the Nike Tournament of Champions Vincent Cannizzaro Bracket, beating previous No. 1 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), 73-72, in the final. The Monarchs went 4-0 at the prestigious event. UConn-recruit Morgan Cheli sank two free throws with 16. 1 seconds remaining to erase a one-point deficit (72-71). Up next is the Nike Holiday Classic in Oregon this week.

2. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (9-1)

Previous: 1.

The Low-down: Lost in the Nike Tournament of Champions Vincent Cannizzaro Bracket final to then-No. 12 Archbishop Mitty (Brookville, N.Y.), 73-72. The Crusaders finished with a 3-1 mark in a national field and failed to defend their TOC title. LuHi had a chance to win it with 3,2 seconds left but could not get off a clean look. In the semifinals, they beat then-No. 20 Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), 67-40. Syla Swords scored 20 points and her sophomore sister Savvy added 15.

3. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (9-1)

Previous: 3.

The Low-down: Went 3-1 at Nike TOC Vincent Cannizzaro Bracket in Mesa, Ariz. After the final game at the event, 6-4 Vivian Iwuchukwu committed to USC over Georgia, Florida and Arizona.

4. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (4-1)

Previous: 4.

The Low-down: Won the Iolani Classic in Honolulu but lost to then-No. 5 Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.), 52-49. The Quakers won’t play again until Jan. 4 at Bullis School (Potomac, Md.).

5. Westtown School, West Chester, Pa. (7-2)

Previous: 5.

The Low-down: The Moose have beaten No. 4 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) and lost to No. 14 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). They have a two-week layoff before facing Abington (Pa.) Friends on Jan. 3.

6. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (11-1)

Previous: 11.

The Low-down: Last weekend, the Trailblazer ventured to Memphis, Tenn., where it defeated locals Whitehaven, 64-30, and Bartlett, 69-32. F MacKenly Randolph, a Louisville signee, posted two double-doubles totaling 37 points and 27 rebounds. Also, the Blazers finished runners-up at the Iolani Classic in Honolulu, dropping the final by one point to No. 4 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.). Next week they will travel north to the West Coast Jamboree in Concord, Calif.

7. Morris Catholic, Denville, N.J. (5-0)

Previous: 6.

The Low-down: The Lady Crusaders picked up quality wins over Life Center Academy (Burling) and Ewing but now have a true test participating in the John Wall Holiday Invitational Wonderland Bracket starting Wednesday against Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.) in Raleigh, N.C.

8. Bolingbrook, Ill. (13-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: Illinois’ top-ranked Class 4A club has rattled off 13 straight wins to open the campaign. The Raiders play at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational in Florida starting Wednesday.

9. Etiwanda, Calif. (9-2)

Previous: 2.

The Low-down: The Eagles dropped two games against Texas schools but can rebound with a strong outing this week at the Nike Holiday Classic in Portland, Ore.

10. DME Academy, Daytona Beach, Fla. (13-0)

Previous: 15.

The Low-down: After a frenetic schedule in the first month, DME won’t play again until Jan. 4. The fixtures in January start with nine games in 17 days.

11. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (6-0)

Previous: 25.

The Low-down: The Red Knights, the two-time Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions, stretched their win streak to 106 games after throttling Westminster (Town and Country), 86-25, at the Visitation Tournament first round in St. Louis.

12. Mansfield Timberview, Arlington, Texas (19-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: The Wolves head into the Christmas week on a 16-game winning streak and a 7-0 record in District 8-5A. Their lone loss is to No. 13 Clark (San Antonio), 66-58.

13. Clark, San Antonio (19-1)

Previous: 13.

The Low-down: The Cougars are Texas’ top-ranked Class 6A team and won eight straight since a loss to No. 12 Mansfield Timberview in November. They are 5-0 in District 28-6A play.

14. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (11-1)

Previous: 9.

The Low-down: Went 3-1 at the top-flight Nike TOC Vincent Cannizzaro Bracket.

15. Bradley Central, Cleveland, Tenn. (11-0)

Previous: 18.

The Low-down: The Bears will be rested heading to Florida for three games at the Sandestin Tournament, tipping on Wednesday.

16. Grayson, Loganville, Ga. (10-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: Won Cherokee (N.C.) Invitational Ilitsvyasdi Bracket championship defeating Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 71-38, in the final.

17. Purcell Marian, Cincinnati (10-1)

Previous: 7.

The Low-down: The Cavaliers stopped Beavercreek, 71-29, at the Purcell Marian Holiday Classic. Ky’Aira Miller netted a game-high 20 points. Also beat Norwood (Cincinnati), 81-39, as junior Dee Alexander flipped in 19 points and Ohio State-bound Seini Hick added 14. The Cavaliers play at the Junior Orange Bowl in Miami starting Thursday.

18. Cardinal O’Hara, Springfield, Pa. (6-0)

Previous: 21.

The Low-down: The Lions are cruising after defeating Notre Dame de Namur (Villanova), 51-30. They host two games this week in Cardinal O’Hara Christmas Tournament. The schedule picks up in January nonleague and Philadelphia Catholic League showdowns.

19. Duncanville, Texas (12-3)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: The Pantherettes return to the Elite 25 before Christmas and hosting the 73^rd Sandra Meadows Classic this week.

20. Hebron Christian Academy, Dacula, Ga. (10-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: Went 2-2 at Nike TOC Vincent Cannizzaro Bracket in Mesa, Ariz., which was good for seventh place.

21. Loyola Academy, Wilmette, Ill. (14-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: The Ramblers sit at No. 2 in the Illinois Class 4A rankings and play a stifling defense that allows only 34 points per game. Recently, coach Jeremy Schoenecker won his 356^th game to become the school’s all-time winningest coach over 14 seasons. The Ramblers are back at this week with four games in hosting the Loyola Academy Christmas Tournament.

22. Lawrence Central, Indianapolis (15-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: The Bears enter the Elite 25 as Indiana’s top-ranked Class 4A team after winning the Limestone Classic. They beat Lake Central (St. John), 51-38, in the final and Noblesville, 55-45, in the semifinals. This week it’s two games at the Play 4 Pink Holiday Tournament in Hammond, Ind.

23. DeSoto, Texas (10-4)

Previous: 8.

The Low-down: Three of the four losses have been against Elite 25 teams. The Panthers have three game this week at the Nike Holiday Classic in Portland, Ore., starting on Thursday.

24. Hazel Green, Ala. (15-3)

Previous: 14.

The Low-down: The Lady Trojans went 1-3 at the Nike TOC Vincent Cannizzaro Bracket in Mesa, Ariz. They are back at it this week with three games closer to home.

25. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (4-3)

Previous: 20.

The Low-down: Went 2-2 at Nike TOC Vincent Cannizzaro Bracket in Mesa, Ariz. The Lady Crusaders remain in the Elite 25 but will need a strong next two weeks.

Dropped: No. 10 Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.); No. 13 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.); No. 17 Centennial (Las Vegas); No. 19 South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas); No. 22 Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.); No. 23 Germantown (Madison, Miss.) and No. 24 Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Ky.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (4-0)
2. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (8-1)
3. Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (6-0)
4. Thomas Dale, Chester, Va. (9-0)
5. Rutgers Prep, Somerset, N.J. (4-0)

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

Midwest

1. Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Ind. (12-1)
2. Johnston, Iowa (10-0)
3. Pickerington (Ohio) Central (7-0)
4. Minnetonka, Minn. (6-0)
5. West Bloomfield, Mich. (2-0)

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

Southland

1. Buford, Ga. (8-1)
2. Summer Creek, Houston (15-2)
3. Lake Highlands Prep, Orlando, Fla. (9-3)
4. Pontotoc, Miss. (14-0)
5. Camden, S.C. (11-1)

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

Far West

1. Sage Hill, Newport Beach, Calif. (9-1)
2. Folsom, Calif. (9-2)
3. Ontario (Calif.) Christian (9-3)
4. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (9-3)
5. Benson Tech, Portland, Ore. (4-0)

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

Records through Saturday’s games.

About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls High School Basketball Rankings are released weekly from December until the conclusion of the high school season in April. 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 at the conclusion of the 2021 season. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @clawlor.