BEDEVLING: No. 24 Winter Haven Blue Devils (FL) return to Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings with Florida playoffs in regional phase; No. 1 Ontario Christian (CA) earns top seed

BENSALEM, Pa. – Since it’s February, it’s time to hand out the hardware. Last week, two state champions were crowned in Hawaii and from the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings another captured a fifth straight league tournament title in Philadelphia.

We’ve already prefaced the start of the playoffs in Alabama, Florida and Indiana and this week there’s more postseason getting underway in Texas, Utah, California, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Ohio. Once the first domino falls, the rest follow.

First, the first Elite 25 casualty of the state tournaments came in the Hoosier State when then-No. 16 Lawrence Central (Indianapolis) was eliminated in the Class 4A sectional final. The Bears were defending state champions and in every Elite 25 ranking period this season but an unexpected loss squashed repeat plans.

That opened the door for No. 24 Winter Haven (Fla.) to rejoin the Elite 25. The Blue Devils (22-2) dropped out in December but have peeled off 14 consecutive wins, including last week’s Class 7A, District 10 title. The Blue Devils need three more wins to claim Region 3 and return to the Class 7A state tournament, starting Friday, March 7 in Lakeland, Fla.

This week’s Elite 25 had movement with nine teams shifting. All the movement occurred in the final 10 slots. The Top-15 were untouched and eight moved up and one dropped four slots. No. 25 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) slipped this week after a second loss this season to league rivals Bullis School (Potomac, Md.). Expect them to meet again in the Independent Schools League championships later this month.

In Hawaii, two state champions were crowned: Kamehameha-Kapalama (Honolulu), Division I and Hanalani (Mililani), Division II. No. 14 Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) claimed another Friends School League championship and will embark on the road to the Pennsylvania Independent Schools championship.

Congratulations to all players and coaches for taking home the hardware.

As for the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Open Division, two pools of four teams were announced with four teams residing in the Elite 25. Obviously, this is one of the most desirable chips. Each team plays three pool games with the pool winners advancing to Open Division final. The first game is Saturday, Feb. 15. No. 1 Ontario Christian is the top seed.

Pool A (All games start 7 p.m. PT)

Sage Hill School (Newport Beach) at Ontario Christian

Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) at Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth)

Pool B

Fairmont Prep (Anaheim) at Etiwanda

Windward (Los Angeles) at Mater Dei (Santa Ana)

The second pool games are Wednesday, Feb. 19.

There’s more.

One of the great conference tournaments starts this week with the release of the eight-team Philadelphia Catholic League Championship bracket. Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) went unbeaten in the league regular season is the top seed. The Saints (20-3), coached by Andrea Peterson, last won the title sfollowing the 2014 and ’15 seasons. She also was the national coach of the year in 2014 and her team were crowned the Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions.

In the last six tournaments, there have been five different champions with reigning title holders Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) having won it twice that span.

Quarterfinals, Thursday, Feb. 13

Conwell-Egan (Fairless Hills) at Neumann-Goretti
Nazareth Academy (Philadelphia) at Archbishop Wood
West Catholic (Philadelphia) at Archbishop Carroll (Radnor)
Cardinal O’Hara (Springfield) at Lansdale (Pa.) Catholic

The semifinals will be held at Finneran Pavilion on the campus of Villanova University on Monday, Feb. 17, while the finals will tip at 12:30 p.m. at The Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Get your tickets here. Order the title game ticket soon because it’s a doubleheader with the boys and sellouts are common.

Well, that’s it for the first full week of February. we’re out of here for another week. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings return on Wednesday, Feb. 19. We’ve had a team knocked out in the Indiana sectional playoffs and more playoff hoops are on the menu for February and March.

In Southern California, people are in need after the wildfires continue to ravage the surrounding Los Angeles area. After four weeks, people are starting to pick up the pieces of their lives.

Consider donating here to the Red Cross to assist the relief efforts, The Salvation Army or another called Fire Aid. No dollar amount is too small and prayers are always welcome. Stay safe California.

Bye for now.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Feb. 12, 2025

1. Ontario (Calif.) Christian (25-1)

Previous rank: 1.

The Lowdown: Idle. The Knights are the top seed in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division and open pool play with Sage Hill School (Newport Beach) in Pool A on Saturday, Feb. 15. They will play three games in the pool with the winner of each pool vying for the title.

2. Morris Catholic, Denville N.J. (19-0)

Previous: 2.

The Lowdown: Mia Pauldo contributed 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists and Jacqueline Edelman scored 15 points in a 94-37 victory over Randolph in the Morris County Tournament quarterfinals. The Lady Crusaders face Morristown in the county semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 15 and St. Rose (Belmar) on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

3. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (25-1)

Previous: 3.

The Lowdown: Ashley Redd had 36 points, 15 rebounds and 6 steals in a 91-24 victory over Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) to finish 10-0 in the Mission League. The CIF-Southern Section Open Division pool play tips off on Saturday, Feb. 15.

4. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (21-1)

Previous: 4.

The Lowdown: Idle.

5. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (26-2)

Previous: 5.

The Lowdown: Idle. The Monarchs open CIF-Southern Section Open Division pool play with Windward (Los Angeles) on Saturday, Feb. 15.

6. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (17-3)

Previous: 6.

The Lowdown: Defeated Academy of Central Florida (Kissimmee), 62-41.

7. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (28-0)

Previous: 7.

The Lowdown: Defeated Buchanan (Clovis), 85-36, and Clovis, 67-48.

8. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (20-1)

Previous: 8.

The Lowdown: Defeated Elizabeth Seton (Bladensburg, Md.), 56-43, and St. Mary’s Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.), 67-47.

9. Etiwanda, Calif. (22-4

Previous: 9.

The Lowdown: Defeated Los Osos, 87-61, clinching their 25^th straight Baseline League title. The Eagles tip off the CIF-Southern Section Open Division pool play with Fairmont Prep (Anaheim) on Saturday, Feb. 15.

10. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (18-3)

Previous: 10.

The Lowdown: Defeated Presentation (San Jose), 70-21, and St. Ignatius College Prep (San Francisco), 63-37. Three games remain in the regular season.

11. Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Ind. (25-0)

Previous: 11.

The Lowdown: Won the Class 4A sectional title, beating Westfield, 46-38, in the final. The Royals will play two games in the Class 4A Marion Regionals on Saturday, Feb. 15.

12. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (16-3)

Previous: 12.

The Lowdown: Taylor Brown had 23 points and 4 rebounds and Emily McDonald added a rare triple-double 22 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals when the Lady Crusaders defeated St. Thomas Aquinas (Edison, N .J.), 99-57. Also beat Eastern New York Family Academy (Brooklyn), 95-37. McDonald bucketed 25 points and Jones added 23.

13. Conway, Ark. (26-1)

Previous: 13.

The Lowdown: Defeated Little Rock Southwest, 66-12, and North Little Rock, 58-50.

14. Westtown School, West Chester, Pa. (24-3)*

Previous: 14.

The Lowdown: Won a fifth straight Friends Schools League championship, defeating Friends Central (Philadelphia), 82-51, in the final. Sophomore Jordyn Palmer scored a game-high 34 points, Jessie Moses had 15 and Atlee Vanesko 13.

15. Hebron Christian Academy, Dacula, Ga. (24-1)

Previous: 15.

The Lowdown: Defeated Franklin County (Carnesville), 82-14, in the regular season finale.

16. Bradley Central, Cleveland, Tenn. (24-1)

Previous: 17.

The Lowdown: Defeated Cleveland, 82-35. The regular season closes at Knoxville Catholic on Friday, Feb. 14.

17. Converse (Texas) Judson (35-1)

Previous: 18.

The Lowdown: Defeated Medina Valley (Castroville), 70-35, in Class 6A, Division II bi-district playoff game. The win streak is 28 games heading into the Area playoff round.

18. Johnston, Iowa (18-0)

Previous: 19.

The Lowdown: Defeated Central DeWitt (DeWitt), 86-54, and Ankeny, 68-49. Three games remain in the regular season for Iowa’s top-ranked Class 5A team.

19. Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, Ky. (21-2)

Previous: 20.

The Lowdown: Defeated Highlands (Fort Thomas), 74-63, at the Camel Classic in Alexandria, Ky.

20. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (17-2)

Previous: 22.

The Lowdown: The Red Knights went 3-0 at the Webster Groves Challenge—all lopsided wins—including a 76-48 decision over Cardinal Ritter (St. Louis), 76-46. Peyton Hill scored 26 points and Indiana-bound Neveah Caffey added 20. Two weeks remain in the regular season.

21. Boswell, Fort Worth, Texas (34-2)

Previous: 23.

The Lowdown: The Pioneers defeated Southlake Carroll, 57-26, in the Class 6A, Division I, Region I bi-district playoff game. Camille Williams scored a game-high 17 points.

22. Providence Academy, Plymouth, Minn. (22-0)

Previous: 24.

The Lowdown: The Lions hammered Two Rivers (Mendota Heights), 104-40, and Hill-Murray School (Maplewood), 96-55. Kentucky-bound junior Maddyn Greenway just missed out on two rare triple-doubles (she did post one) totaling 72 points, 20 rebounds and 28 assists. Four games are left in the regular season.

23. Lincoln, Dallas (34-2)

Previous: 25.

The Lowdown: Defeated Hillsboro, 69-24, in the Class 4A, Division II Region II bi-district playoff game. Ar’jayla Elder scored 17 points and Lanae Dallas added 11.

24. Winter Haven, Fla. (22-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Lowdown: The Blue Devils return to the Elite 25 after an impressive run of 14 straight wins and the District 10-7A championship, beating George Jenkins (Lakeland), 73-21. They host Sarasota on Thursday, Feb. 13 in the Class 7A, Region 3 quarterfinals. The semifinals are Tuesday, Feb. 18.

25. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (19-3)

Previous: 21.

The Lowdown: The Quakers fell to Bullis School (Potomac, Md.), 61-52, for the second time this season. The Quakers are scheduled to host No. 12 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) on Sunday, Feb. 9.

Dropped: No. 16 Lawrence Central (Indianapolis).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (19-0)
2. Paul VI, Haddonfield, N.J. (19-0)
3. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (23-2)
4. Bishop Ireton, Alexandria, Va. (20-5)
5. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (18-3)

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

Midwest

1. Kenwood, Chicago (27-2)
2. Loyola Academy, Wilmette, Ill. (29-2)
3. Strongsville, Ohio (20-1)
4. Nazareth Academy, La Grange, Ill. (27-2)
5. Belleville, Mich. (16-1)

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

Southland

1. Cypress Springs, Cypress, Texas (28-3)
2. Putnam City North, Oklahoma City (20-1)
3. Walker, La. (29-1)
4. Hillcrest, Tuscaloosa, Ala. (30-2)
5. Lake Norman, N.C. (19-1)

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

Far West

1. Ridgeline, Millville, Utah (24-0)
2. Clackamas, Ore. (18-2)
3. Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (17-2)
4. Grandview, Aurora, Colo. (16-3)
5. Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, Calif. (21-3)

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

Records through Monday

* Won state, national or conference postseason tournament championship

[Editor’s note: Each asterisk represents a separate postseason title]

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 season. Follow him on X at @clawlor.