SOARING: No. 25 Wagner Thunderbirds (TX) enter Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings unbeaten and on the cusp of UIL Class 5A, Division I playoffs

BENSALEM, Pa. – One of the more intriguing state tournaments brackets this season is the University Interscholastic League Class 5A, Division I. It’s the second highest classification in Texas and winning it is the sole goal for San Antonio Wagner Thunderbirds.

Wagner ran the table in the regular season with a 32-0 record and blasted through District 26-5A at 16-0 and hung a banner for the fifth straight year. The Thunderbirds also are winning games by average of 38.5 points per game but did win a pair of one-point games this term over Plano West and Sotomayor.

No. 25 Wagner is the lone addition to the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings. The Thunderbirds are Texas’ top-ranked Class 5A team and are out to avenge a loss in last year’s state championship.

A year ago, Wagner was coasting to the Class 5A, Division I crown but were upended by Denton Ryan, 58-47, in the final. That loss still sticks in the craw of every player and coach. The quest for the perfect season and hardware begins on Tuesday, Feb. 17 in the bi-district playoff round against Hays (Buda). The winner moves into the Area playoffs later this week and next week it would be up to two games in the Region 4 tournament.

Wagner wins playing a frenetic pace at both ends of the floor. Pressure defense, up-tempo offense and an experienced squad is simply squashing their opponents. Three starters returned with senior guard Leah Mitchell, junior Nia McBride and junior forward Nahilah Bell plus three others that saw significant time. The team also added three transfers to bolster the rotation.

It appears the Thunderbirds have all the pieces but mostly the motivation is to erase that memory and walk out of the Alamodome in San Antonio next month with a title in hand.

Texas will play two playoff rounds this week but elsewhere postseason action is also heating up.

Must-see games

The Washington Catholic Athletic Association Tournament gets underway, running Saturday through Monday at two venues in Washington. The girls’ quarterfinals are Saturday at Gonzaga High School in Washington with start times 1 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 6:15 p.m. ET. No. 1 Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) is the clear favorite but keep a look out for St. Paul VI Catholic (Chantilly, Va.), Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.) and No. 23 St. John’s College (Washington).

The semifinals (boys and girls) are Sunday and the finals (6 p.m. girls, 8 p.m. boys) are Monday at American University’s Bender Arena. Tickets are here for the semifinals and finals.

Just up I-95 North, one of the great postseason conference tournaments heads to the semifinals on Wednesday at the famed Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Catholic League boys’ semifinal doubleheader features the top four seeds: Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) vs, Father Judge (Philadelphia), 6 p.m. and Bonner & Prendergast (Drexel Hill, Pa.) vs. Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 8 p.m.).

On Monday night, the girls’ finals pairing was determined when Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.) and Cardinal O’Hara (Springfield, Pa.) won semifinal games at the Finneran Pavilion on the Villanova University campus.

 Carroll used a 14-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters for a 13-point lead en route to a 50-38 victory over Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.). Kayla Eberz dropped 24 points and cleared 7 rebounds. In the nightcap, Megan Rullo’s 22 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists paced the Lions over Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 51-33. Rullo is headed to Drexel in the fall.

In other PCL news, Villanova-bound Alexis Eberz of Carroll was tabbed the league’s Most Valuable Player. She’s joined on the First Team by Kayla Eberz, Archbishop Carroll, Abbie McFillin, Archbishop Carroll, Aubrey Dillon, Archbishop Ryan, Zoey Whalen, Archbishop Wood, Kayla Epps, Bonner & Prendergast, Megan Rullo, Cardinal O’Hara, Brigidanne Donohue, Cardinal O’Hara, Reginna Baker, Neumann-Goretti and Kamora Berry, Neumann-Goretti

The final is the nightcap of a girls-boys championship games doubleheader back at The Palestra on Sunday at 12 (Carroll and O’Hara girls) and 2:30 p.m. Get tickets here and these games always sell out with more than 9,000 basketball enthusiasts packing the gym.

In Las Vegas, the Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 5A semifinals are set with top-seeded Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) meeting Coronado (Henderson) Wednesday 3 p.m. PT and second-seeded Democracy Prep (Las Vegas) play Shadow Ridge (Las Vegas) at 5 p.m. at Valley High School. The final Friday back at Valley with a 5 p.m. tip-off. Gorman is 21-3 and unbeaten in-state with quality wins during holiday tournaments.

Get the NIAA tickets here.

In Indiana, the Class 4A Semistates will be played at two sites at La Porte and Jasper on Saturday with the two site winners advancing to the 4A final on Saturday, Feb. 28 in Indianapolis.

The La Porte site features three games: 10 a.m. CT, Northridge (20-7) vs. McCutcheon (22-5) and 12 p.m., Crown Point (23-4) vs. Norwell (23-4); Championship is 7:30 p.m. Jasper’s games are 10 a.m. ET, Floyd Central (23-3) vs. Lawrence Central (21-4) and 12 p.m., Center Grove (26-0) vs. Reitz of Evansville (21-2). The final is 8 p.m.

As for this week in the Elite 25, No. 25 Wagner is the lone new team. Thirteen teams remain the same, two dropped and nine moved up. Sixteen teams are either in the postseason or on the verge of playing their first game. No. 6 Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) is the first team to secure a postseason title.

Well, that’s it for the second week of February. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings return on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Don’t forget February 18 is Ash Wednesday, signifying the beginning of Lent in the Christian faith. It runs until Easter Sunday on April 5. Ashes will be distributed at church services on Wednesday. Keep the faith.

Bye for now.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Feb. 18, 2026

1. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (24-2)

Previous rank: 1.

Lowdown: Closed the regular season Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.), 47-40. The Lady Mustangs went unbeaten in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and will be the top seed for the conference tournament with the quarterfinals on Saturday in Washington, D.C.

2. Ontario (Calif.) Christian (28-1)

Previous: 2.

Lowdown: Defeated Rancho Christian (Temecula), 122-72, in CIF-Southern Section Open Division Pool A play.

3. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (21-2)

Previous: 3.

Lowdown: Defeated Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco), 74-37, Sacred Heart College Prep (San Francisco), 94-17. The CIF-Central Coast Section playoffs start Friday.

4. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (26-2)

Previous: 4.

Lowdown: Defeated Oak Park, 77-51, in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division Pool C play.

5. Etiwanda, Calif. (28-2)

Previous: 5.

Lowdown: Defeated Fairmont Prep (Anaheim), 79-49, in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division Pool B play.

6. Westtown School, West Chester, Pa. (26-1)*

Previous: 6.

Lowdown: Won the Friends’ Schools League title for the sixth straight year, defeating Friends’ Central (Wynnewood), 53-46, in the final. Junior Jordyn Palmer led all scorers with a game-high 18 points. The Moose is the top seed for the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association state tournament.

7. Spire Academy Geneva, Ohio (17-0)

Previous: 7.

Lowdown: Louisville-bound totaled 42 points in two wins. Spire topped Example Academy (Frankfort, Ill.), 79-68, with Cradle dropping 27 points. Also beat Academy of Central Florida (Kissimmee, Fla.), 80-58. Cradle had 25 points and VCU-recruit Gianel-Imani Quist and Mattie Zingg scored 14 apiece.

8. Westlake, Austin, Texas (35-0)

Previous: 8.

Lowdown: Won the District 26-6A title with a perfect 12-0 record after beating Dripping Springs, 71-27, in the regular season finale. Up next is Vista Ridge (Cedar Park) Tuesday in the Class 6A, Division II bi-district playoff game.

9. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (22-0)

Previous: 9.

Lowdown: Defeated Tallwood (Virginia Beach), 80-7, in the regular season finale.

10. St. James Performance Academy, Springfield, Va. (18-3)

Previous: 10.

Lowdown: Idle.

11. Bradley Central, Cleveland, Tenn. (26-0)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Defeated Rhea Valley (Evensville), 70-48, and Maryville Christian, 92-26, to end the regular season.

12. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (18-4)

Previous: 13.

Lowdown: Idle. The Lady Crusaders are playing a series of exhibitions in Japan, including the Future Bond Classic at the Toyota Arena in Tokyo.

13. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (16-3)

Previous: 14.

Lowdown: Defeated Central Pointe (Fla.) Christian Academy, 84-82, in overtime. Missy Odom pumped in 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Jamila Ray added 22 points and 10 rebounds. Two games remain in the regular season.

14. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (19-2)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Defeated Visitation (Frontenac), 88-19, and Cor Jesu (St. Louis), 67-26, and Strafford, 63-58

15. DME Academy, Daytona Beach, Fla. (19-2)

Previous: 12.

Lowdown: Split two games at the Grind Session in Geneva, Ohio.

16. Bullis School, Potomac, Md. (18-5)

Previous: 16.

Lowdown: The Bulldogs defeated Maret School (Washington, D.C.), 81-32. The Independent School League AA playoffs start Thursday with the quarterfinals at the higher seed.

17. Johnston, Iowa (22-0)

Previous: 17.

Lowdown: The Dragons won four times last week to close out the regular season, including a 65-55 win over Iowa City West. The win streak heading into the Class 5A regional semifinals on Saturday is 74 games.

18. Belleville, Mich. (20-0)

Previous: 19.

Lowdown: The Tigers reeled off three more wins last week.

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

Previous: 20.

Lowdown: Defeated Prince Avenue Christian (Athens), 87-23, and Franklin County (Carnesville), 85-26. The Class 2A , Region 8 tournament starts on Wednesday.

20. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (22-2)

Previous: 20.

Lowdown: In the Shore Conference Tournament, the Lady Lancers topped Shore Regional (West Long Branch), 79-33, in the second round and Trinity Hall (Tinton Falls), 64-35, in the quarterfinals. The semifinals were Tuesday vs. Manasquan and the final is Friday at Monmouth University in West Long Branch.

21. Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic (24-2)

Previous: 22.

Lowdown: The Caseys opened the Shore Conference Tournament with a win over Marlboro, 68-16, in the second round and St. Rose (Belmar), 64-29, in the quarterfinals. Addy Nyemchek, an Indiana recruit and McDonald’s All-American Game selection,  had 19 points and 11 boards. The anticipated SCT championship game on Friday should be with archrivals No. 21 St. John Vianney (Holmdel) but a semifinal game with Rumson-Fair Haven on Tuesday is a challenge.

22. Hoover, Ala. (31-1)

Previous: 23.

Lowdown: Defeated Vestavia Hills, 64-30, in the Class 7A, Area 6 final and Oak Mountain (Birmingham), 67-20, in the semifinals. Up next is Sparkman (Harvest) on Monday in the 7A regional semifinals.

23. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (22-6)

Previous: 17.

Lowdown: The Cadets closed out the regular season, defeating Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.), 81-39. Up next is the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference quarterfinals on Saturday in Washington. The semifinals are Sunday and final on Monday.

24. Miami (Fla.) Country Day (24-2)

Previous: 24.

Lowdown: Defeated Divine Savior Academy (Doral), 91-17, in the Class 2A, Regional 4 quarterfinals. Up next is the Region 4 semifinals vs. True North Classical Academy (Miami) on Friday.

25. San Antonio (Texas) Wagner (32-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Lowdown: Texas’ top-ranked Class 5A team enters the Elite 25 with the bi-district playoff game to be played on Tuesday. The Thunderbirds face Hays (Buda) in the UIL Class 5A, Division I playoff opener. If they advanced, the Area playoff round will be played later this week against San Antonio Southwest or Seguin.

Dropped: No. 25 Monsignor Scanlan (Bronx, N.Y.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Friends’ Central, Wynnewood, Pa. (24-4)
2. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (17-4)
3. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (23-6)*
4. Archbishop Carroll, Radnor, Pa. (19-5)
5. Monsignor Scanlan, Bronx, N.Y. (18-6)

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

Midwest

1. Wayzata, Plymouth, Minn. (21-3)
2. Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park, Ill. (28-3)
3. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (21-2)
4. Lawrence Central, Indianapolis (21-4)
5. Providence Academy, Plymouth, Minn. (20-4)

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

Southland

1. Putnam City North, Oklahoma City, Okla. (23-1)
2. North Paulding, Dallas, Ga. (23-2)
3. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (15-7)
4. San Antonio (Texas) Brennan (29-4)
5. John Curtis Christian, River Ridge, La. (22-1)

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

Far West

1. Sage Hill, Newport Beach, Calif. (26-4)
2. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (21-2)
3. Pleasant Grove, Utah (22-0)
4. Tualatin, Ore. (20-1)
5. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (26-3)

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 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.