No. 22 Hoover (AL) Lady Bucs join Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings; No. 6 Westtown (PA) and No. 7 DME Academy (FL) tangle at Metro Classic in New Jersey

BENSALEM, Pa. – Normally the basketball season is heating up in late January. That notion was put on hold for millions nationwide.

Despite the frigid weather and extreme snow amounts, the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings have been released reflecting the fourth week of January. Despite the weather gripping the nation, several big-time events were held before Sunday’s weather turned in the Northeast, namely the I-95 Corridor,

Before we shift back to basketball, the culprit was a storm called Fern, affecting tens of millions from the Northeast to the Mexico border for three days, crippling a good chunk of the country.

When the big dig out started on Monday morning, neighbors, airports, schools/universities and businesses stood still with most hunkering down. Bundle up because we’re not out of the woods with an Arctic blast ready to engage.

Well, let’s look at the current composition of the Elite 25 girls rankings.

We add a familiar face, No. 22 Hoover (Ala.), a regular in the Elite 25. The Lady Bucs (24-1) opened the campaign with a loss in November but are since undefeated. A handful of games remain in the regular season as the Lady Bucs aim for a fourth consecutive Class 7A state championship.

There were 10 teams, including the top-7, that did not shift position from the previous week. Two teams dropped with one going down nine slots and nearly out of the Elite 25 and another down six while 12 moved up.

Metro Classic

We’ll give the nod of the weekend to the Metro Classic which runs Thursday through Saturday on the campus of Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey near Atlantic City. Get your tickets here.

There are 21 boys and girls games slated for the Sports Center. In some cases, two courts will be utilized. Here’s all theinformation from the event organizers, including streaming services.

Thursday (All times Eastern)

3 p.m.: St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.) vs. Penn Charter (Philadelphia)

4:30 p.m. Scotch Plains Fanwood (N.J.) vs. Plainfield (N.J.)

5:45 p.m.: Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.) vs. Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.)

7 p.m. No. 1 Spire Academy (Geneva, Ohio) vs. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)

8:15 p.m.: Hudson Catholic (Jersey City) vs. Spire International (Ohio)

Friday

3 p.m.: No. 6 Westtown School girls (West Chester, Pa.) vs. No. 7 DME Academy (Fla.)

3 p.m.: Paramus Catholic (N.J.) vs. Gill St. Bernard (Gladstone, N.J.)

4:15 p.m.: Hill School (Pa.) vs. Spire International

5:45 p.m.: Crestwood Prep (Canada) vs. St. Joseph’s (Metuchen, N.J.)

7:15 p.m.: College Achieve (N.J.) vs. Spire Academy

8:30 p.m.: Hudson Catholic vs. Jackson (N.J.)

8:45 p.m.: St. Thomas More vs. Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.)

Saturday

12 p.m.: Blair Academy girls vs. Westtown School

12 p.m.: Point Pleasant Boro (M.J.) vs. Rahway (N.J.)

1:15 p.m.: Paramus Catholic vs. College Achieve

1:15 p.m.: DME Academy (Daytona Beach) girls vs. Grace Christian (Sanford, N.C.)

2:30 p.m.: Spire International vs. Gill St. Bernard

3:45 p.m.: Middle Township (N.J.) vs. Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, N.J.)

5 p.m.: Atlantic City vs. Roselle (N.J.) Catholic

6:15 p.m.: Crestwood vs. Blair Academy

7:30 p.m.: Spire Academy vs. Linden (N.J.)

8:45 p.m.: Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, N.J.) vs. Plainfield

8:45 p.m.: The Patrick School (Hackettstown, N.J.) vs. Westtown School (Pa.)

Two of the top girls teams will be here and a total of three total girls games have been booked. Be sure to check your local weather reports for cancellations. Westtown, DME Academy and Grace Christian are all highly ranked in their respective states.

Elsewhere, in South Florida one of the great traditions of a postseason tournament that precedes the Florida High School Athletic Association district play is the Broward County Athletic Association Big 8 tournaments (boys and girls) to be played at Fort Lauderdale High School.

The eight-team bracket tips with the quarterfinals on Wednesday and Thursday starting at 4 p.m. ET; the semifinals are Friday at 4 p.m., 5:30, 7 and 8:30; and finals are Saturday at 5:30 (girls) and 7 (boys).

The girls pairings are: 1-St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) vs. 8-Northeast (Oakland Park); 4-Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) vs. 5-McArthur (Hollywood); 6-Western (Davie) vs. 3-Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) and 7-Stoneman Douglas (Parkland) vs. 2-Nova (Davie).

STAQ opens with defending champion Northeast at 4 p.m. on Wednesday in a rematch of last year’s girls title game. The STAQ boys follow on the same court at 5:30 p.m.

Okay, that’s it for the fourth week of January. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings return on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

Unbelievable that three months of the season are in the books. Traditionally, February is the first of two months chock full of dreams. That means senior nights, postseason brackets drawn up and culminating with state and national tournament championships. That feeling will go deep into March.

Stay safe and check on your neighbors (especially elderly) who might be sitting in homes without heat or food. It’s just the right thing to do.

Bye for now. Be the good.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Jan. 28, 2026

1. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (16-2)

Previous rank: 1.

Lowdown: It was business as usual for the Lady Mustangs defeating Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.), 93-31, in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. They also claimed a forfeit win against Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.). Four more WCAC games are on tap this week.

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

Previous: 2.

Lowdown: Defeated Mission Hills (San Marcos), 110-70, at the Private vs. Public Showcase in Temecula, Calif. Also beat Fairmont Prep (Anaheim), 105-56. Two scheduled games remain in the regular season.

3. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (15-2)

Previous: 3.

Lowdown: Defeated Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco), 76-29, and Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (San Francisco), 76-21, in the West Catholic Athletic League.

4. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (21-2)

Previous: 4.

Lowdown: Defeated Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 75-25, Chaminade (West Hills), 93-35, and Louisville (Chatsworth), 82-32. Four games and one week left in the regular season.

5. Etiwanda, Calif. (23-2)

Previous: 5.

Lowdown: The Eagles topped Rancho Christian (Temecula), 104-73, at the Private vs. Public Showcase in Temecula.

6. Westtown School, West Chester, Pa. (20-1)

Previous: 6.

Lowdown: The Moose went 2-0 in the Friends League last week and have four games upcoming including two more this weekend at the Metro Classic at Stockton University in Galloway, N.J.

7. DME Academy, Daytona Beach, Fla. (18-0)

Previous: 7.

Lowdown: DME heads north to play No. 6 Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) Friday at the Metro Classic in Galloway, N.J.

8. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (14-3)

Previous: 9.

Lowdown: Won twice at The Mecca in the Bronx, N.Y., beating Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), 67-32, and No. 24 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 51-33. Olivia Jones totaled 41 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in two games and Emily McDonald had 20 points and 12 rebounds vs. IMG.

9. Spire Academy Geneva, Ohio (11-0)

Previous: 10.

Lowdown: Idle. Spire was scheduled for two games at The Mecca Challenge in Bronx, N.Y., but had the trip east cancelled by the heavy snowfall.

10. Westlake, Austin, Texas (30-0)

Previous: 11.

Lowdown: Defeated Akins (Austin), 89-18.

11. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (17-0)

Previous: 12.

Lowdown: Defeated Bayside (Virginia Beach), 86-13, and Salem (Virginia Beach), 70-45.

12. St. James Performance Academy, Springfield, Va. (14-3)

Previous: 13.

Lowdown: Recorded two more quality wins at the Mecca Challenge in Bronx, N.Y.

13. Bradley Central, Cleveland, Tenn. (20-0)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: The Bears twice last week and moved to 6-0 in District 3 play.

14. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (13-3)

Previous: 8.

Lowdown: Upended by Miami (Fla.) Country Day, 57-45. Junior post Jayla Forbes doubled up with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Eagles will host Holy Trinity Episcopal (Melbourne) Friday as part of the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament (MAIT).

15. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (11-2)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Idle. Two games in Louisville, Kentucky were cancelled by the snowstorm.

16. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (16-3)

Previous: 17.

Lowdown: Defeated Good Counsel (Olney), 75-42, in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

17. Johnston, Iowa (15-0)

Previous: 18.

Lowdown: Jaliyah Kinnetz netted a career-high 22 points when the Dragons won for the 67^th consecutive game in a 73-39 win at Marian (Omaha, Neb.). Coach Chad Jilek won his 300^th game. Also stopped Northwest (Waukee, Iowa), 60-54, in a meeting of Iowa’s top two squads. Jenica Lewis contributed 25 points, 5 steals and 4 rebounds.

18. Belleville, Mich. (11-0)

Previous: 19.

Lowdown: Defeated Churchill (Livonia), 98-17.

19. Hebron Christian Academy, Dacula, Ga. (18-1)

Previous: 22.

Lowdown: Defeated Prince Avenue Christian (Athens), 81-15.

20. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (14-2)

Previous: 23.

Lowdown: Madison Kocis had 27 points and 2 steals in a 61-52 victory over then-No. 21 Red Bank Catholic. The Lady Lancers jumped to an 18-7 lead after one quarter. Also stopped Bishop Eustace (Pennsauken), 68-36, at the South vs. Shore Showcase. Taylor Sofilkanich scored a game-high 17 points.

21. Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic (14-2)

Previous: 21.

Lowdown: Lost to then-No. 23 St. John Vianney (Holmdel), 61-52, but bounced back to beat Lenape (Medford), 55-32, at the South vs. Shore Showcase.

22. Hoover, Ala. (24-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Lowdown: The three-time Alabama Class 7A title holders enter the Elite 25 on a 24-game heater. The Lady Bucs lost opening day to Madison Central (Ala.) but put that disappointment in the rearview mirror and have five games left, including Georgia powerhouse Holy Innocents’ Episcopal (Atlanta) on Saturday in a key interstate matchup.

23. Monsignor Scanlan, Bronx, N.Y. (15-5)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Went 1-2 at the Mecca Challenge in the Bronx with no margin for error.

24. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (13-6)

Previous: 15.

Lowdown: The Ascenders went 1-2 last week but remain in the Elite 25 despite the rash of injuries to four key players.

25. Bullis School, Potomac, Md. (12-5)

Previous: 25.

Lowdown: Defeated Flint Hill School (Oakton, Va.), 82-28.

Dropped: No. 20 Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Friends’ Central, Wynnewood, Pa. (20-3)
2. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (11-4)
3. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (17-5)
4. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (10-3)
5. Morris Catholic, Denville, N.J. (12-3)

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

Midwest

1. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (20-1)
2. Wayzata, Plymouth, Minn. (14-3)
3. Minnetonka, Minn. (16-2)
4. Arrowhead, Hartland, Wis. (15-0)
5. Pike, Indianapolis (21-1)

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

Southland

1. Miami (Fla. Country Day (21-1)
2. San Antonio (Texas) Wagner (27-0)
3. San Antonio (Texas) Brennan (24-4)
4. Grace Christian School, Sanford, N.C. (19-1)
5. North Paulding, Dallas, Ga. (20-1)

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

Far West

1. Tualatin, Ore. (14-1)
2. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (16-2)
3. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (22-2)
4. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (20-4)
5. Pleasant Grove, Utah (17-0)

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

Records through Monday

About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Girls Basketball Rankings are released weekly from mid-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 Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators, social mediums and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released in April of the 2025-26 season. Follow him on X at @clawlor.