ALOHA: Hawaiian state champion latest addition to Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings

BENSALEM, Pa. – The latest Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings.

The postseason is in full swing in most states and done in Hawaii. Kudos to No. 22 Konawaena (Kealakekua, Hawaii), who joins the rankings, after bagging the Division I state championship. It was the program’s sixth title since 2004.

Fifteen of the Elite 25 teams are participating in state tournaments, with two schools No. 1 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) and No. xx Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) competing in Catholic League tournaments. Both will eventually head into the their respective state tournaments. Connecticut and Kentucky wrap up the regular season this week.

In Florida, the state tournament will be conducted starting Tuesday in Lakeland. No. 9 Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) goes for the Class 7A hardware with the semifinals on Friday while No. 16 Miami Country Day returns to the Class 3A semis on Tuesday.

Check back periodically at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from showcase events all season. Our staff will be busy until early April.

We hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings, Feb. 18, 2015

1. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (23-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low down: Junior C Felicia Aiyeotan had 14 points and Sianni Martin had 13 to beat St. Hubert (Philadelphia), 73-19, in the Philadelphia Catholic League quarterfinals. The semifinals are Thursday vs. Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.).

2. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (24-1)

Previous: 2.

Low down: The CIF-Southern Section Open Division begins play on Wednesday with the top-seeded Monarchs hosting J.W. North (Riverside). The winner gets Brea Olinda or Corona Centennial in the quarterfinals on Feb. 24. Additionally, the Monarchs finished with a sparkling 8-0 record in Trinity League play, clobbering Rosary (Fullerton), 66-16.

3. Blackman, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (24-2)

Previous: 3.

Low down: Advanced to the District 7-AAA final, defeating Smyrna, 71-48, for the Blaze’s 14^th consecutive win.

4. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (26-1)

Previous: 4.

Low down: Crushed Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland), 103-74.  The Rams coasted to a 10-0 record in the Tri-City Athletic League, overwhelming Lincoln (Stockton), 99-66. Junior Kat Tudor tossed in 29 points, making nine 3-pointers, and highly-touted freshman Aguira DeCosta recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The sectional playoffs start this week.

5. Bedford North Lawrence, Ind. (25-0)

Previous: 5.

Low down: Won the Class 4A Jeffersonville Sectional, defeating Jeffersonville, 48-35. The Stars play Center Grove in the Bedford North Lawrence Regional semifinals on Saturday. The winner plays Evansville Central or Columbus North in the final later that night. The Semistates are Feb. 28 and the final follows March 7 in Indianapolis.

6. Whitney Young, Chicago (25-1)

Previous: 6.

Low down: Idle. The Class 4A St. Ignatius Regional tips Tuesday playing the host St. Ignatius (Chicago).

7. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (23-1)

Previous: 7.

Low down: The Mustangs battered their final two opponents by a combined score of 143-22. The Class 4A postseason awaits, culminating on March 14 with the state championship.

8. Ridgeway, Memphis (22-0)

Previous: 8.

Low down: The Roadrunners play for the Class AAA-District 15 championship Tuesday against Southwind (Memphis).

9. Dillard, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (28-1)

Previous: 9.

Low down: Routed Rockledge, 70-39, in Region 4-5A final. In the semifinals, beat American Heritage (Plantation), 45-36. Next up is Bradenton Southeast in the Class 5A state semifinals Friday at The Lakeland Center. The winner faces Land O’Lakes or Paxon (Jacksonville) in the final.

10. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (16-1)

Previous: 10.

Low down: The Mustangs thrashed Cabrini (Allen Park), 55-26, in the Detroit Catholic League A-B Division quarterfinals. Elsewhere, Kara Holinski scored 14 points and Samantha Thomas provided 13 points and snatched 8 rebounds in a 56-26 blowout of small-school power Arbor Prep (Ypsilanti).

11. Cypress Woods, Cypress, Texas (27-1)

Previous: 11.

Low down: Erica Ogwumike, a Pepperdine recruit, scored 18 points powering an 80-22 triumph over Cypress Ridge. The postseason tips off Monday with MacArthur (Houston) in the Class 6A bi-district playoff.

12. Elizabethtown, Ky. (25-2)

Previous: 12.

Low down: The win streak hit 15 games following an 81-51 victory over Franklin County (Frankfort). The regular concludes with two games this weekend against Owensboro and Muhlenberg County (Greenville).

13. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (22-2)

Previous: 13.

Low down: The Jackrabbits were unblemished in the Moore League, capped by a 90-21 victory over Lakewood. Next up are the CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoffs Wednesday vs. Cajon.

14. Olive Branch, Miss. (27-1)

Previous: 14.

Low down: The Conquistadors open the Class 6A district tournament against Southaven on Tuesday.

15. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (26-2)

Previous: 15.

Low down: After going a perfect 18-0 in the competitive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, the Panthers have the conference tournament later this week. The Virginia Independent Schools and Bishop Walsh tournaments follow in March.

16. Miami (Fla.) Country Day (28-2)

Previous: 16.

Low down: Michelle Berry’s double-double, 21 points and 13 boards paced the Spartans past Oxbridge Academy (West Palm Beach), 68-48, in the Region Class 3A, Region 4 final. Also beat Trinity Palmer (Palmetto Bay), 71-30, in the semifinals. The Spartans’ third straight trip to the state Final Four starts with Calvary Christian (Clearwater) in the semifinals on Tuesday in Lakeland.

17. Chaminade, West Hills, Calif. (21-3)

Previous: 17.

Low down: Coach Kelli DiMuro’s squad earned the Mission League championship. Now they enter the CIF-Southern Section Open Division first round on Wednesday vs. Oaks Christian School (Westlake Village).

18. Desert Vista, Phoenix (27-3)

Previous: 19.

Low down: Won the Division I Super Sectional title, beating Hamilton (Chandler), 69-46. The Thunder opened with an 11-0 first quarter run to put away their rivals.  The state tournament starts Saturday when the Thunder hosts Mountain View (Mesa) or Alhambra (Phoenix) in the second round. The quarterfinals are Feb. 25, semifinals on Feb. 27 and the final is March 2.

19. Braintree, Mass. (18-0)

Previous: 19.

Low down: The Wamps ran their record to 15-0 in the Bay State Carey, defeating Weymouth, 79-30, and Needham, 67-37. The Division I state playoffs are around the corner.

20. Cumberland Valley, Mechanicsburg, Pa. (23-1)

Previous: 20.

Low down: Won the Mid-Penn Conference Tournament, defeating Palmyra, 70-54. Junior G Kelly Jekot flipped in 26 points. In the semifinals, the Jekot sisters, Kelly (16 points) and Katie (15), combined for 31 points in a 66-32 win over West Perry (Elliotsburg). The Eagles open the District 3-AAAA tournament on Tuesday.

21. Capital Prep, Hartford, Conn. (17-1)

Previous: 21.

Low down: The Trailblazers hit the century for the second time this season, trouncing Cheney Tech (Manchester), 100-47. The regular season concludes Wednesday hosting Nazareth Regional (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

22. Konawaena, Kealakekua, Hawaii (30-1)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: Won Division I state championship, defeating Lahainaluna, 51-41. Chanelle Molina flipped in 27 points and cleared 8 rebounds. It was the Wildcats’ sixth state title under coach Bobbie Awa, all since 2004. Season complete.

23. Archbishop Alter, Kettering, Ohio (22-0)

Previous: 23.

Low down: Finished the regular season knocking off rivals Chaminade-Julienne (Dayton), 65-41. Senior Emma Bockrath, who scored her 1,000^th career point earlier this season, flipped in a game-high 19 points. Next up are the Division II sectional playoffs against Stivers on Wednesday.

24. Maize, Kan. (17-0)

Previous: 24.

Low down: Wyoming-bound Daley Handy totaled 24 points in victories over Campus (Wichita), 79-31, and Derby, 55-30. Three games remain before the postseason.

25. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (24-1)

Previous: 25.

Low down: The Wildcats rolled to three runaway wins to capture the Class 4A Lawrenceville North Sectional, clipping Cathedral (Indianapolis), 66-39, in the final. Next up is the Decatur Regional semifinals on Saturday morning against Mooresville and later that night the final.

Dropped: No. 22 Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Ursuline Academy, Wilmington, Del. (18-1)

2. Long Island Lutheran, Brookhaven, N.Y. (14-4)

3. Central Bucks West, Doylestown, Pa. (24-1)

4. Stonewall Jackson, Manassas, Va. (24-1)

5. Maury, Norfolk, Va. (20-2)

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

Midlands

1. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (21-1)

2. Martin Luther King, Detroit (16-0)

3. Pius XI, Milwaukee (21-0)

4. Benson, Omaha, Neb. (21-0)

5. Marian Catholic, Chicago Heights, Ill. (25-2)

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

South

1. Holy Innocents’ Episcopal, Atlanta (27-0)

2. Dyer County, Newbern, Tenn. (28-0)

3. Warren Easton, New Orleans (31-1)

4. Ribault, Jacksonville, Fla. (27-3)

5. Northside, Fort Smith, Ark. (23-1)

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

Far West

1. Gonzaga Prep, Spokane, Wash. (22-0)

2. Miramonte, Orinda, Calif. (23-2)

3. ThunderRidge, Highlands, Colo. (19-2)

4. St. Ignatius, San Francisco (19-3)

5. Centennial, Las Vegas (26-2)

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

* Won state, national or conference postseason tournament championship

 About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Girls’ Basketball Rankings are released weekly from 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 and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released April 4. Follow him on Twitter: @clawlor.