NEW YORK – No. 1 Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) is back atop the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings. It also coincides with capturing the Blue Star Media National Championship.
Great job, ladies!
Riverdale won its final game and it’s difficult to put a team at No. 1 when it loses in their state tournament.
The Lady Warriors slid up two spots to take the coveted National Championship after then-No. 1 Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) was upended in the New York State Federation Class AA final. Then-No. 3 Hamilton Heights Christian (Chattanooga, Tenn.) then lost in the GEICO High School Nationals final creating space for Tennessee’s three-time Class AAA state champions. In the final weeks of the season, there were three different No. 1s but the final rankings are all that matters.
No. 4 Central Valley (Veradale, Wash.) vaults from the region rankings to near the top of the Elite 25 after winning the GEICO Nationals last weekend. The Bears defeated two Elite 25 teams and completed a sparkling 29-0 season. Central Valley had a limited resume, playing only one out-of-state team from nearby Idaho, and the demands of the Greater Spokane League really put a crimp in scheduling. Given the chance, CV rolled into Christ the King High School and took care of business. Kudos go to the Bears for playing such an entertaining brand of basketball.
This was a long, exhausting season; too many late nights and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. So it’s time to exhale, albeit briefly. I had a blast!
With myriad weekend events, shootouts and national tournaments between now and the end of July, there are great games and events to attend and cover on the club circuit and with USA Basketball. Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for updates from around the basketball globe. Our contributors have the pulse of the global girls’ basketball scene. This weekend I’ll be at USJN event in Manalapan, N.J., and then shoot over the Jordan Brand Classic on Sunday in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Blue Star Media Elite 25 preseason girls’ rankings will return in mid-November. I’d like to pass along many thanks to the legions of loyal readers, who have made the difference this season. You have helped raise the awareness of the Elite 25 and our metrics for the site are soaring.
We hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor
Blue Star Media Elite 25 Final Girls’ Basketball rankings, April 4, 2018
1. Riverdale, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (36-1)* !
Previous rank: 3.
Low-down: Won third straight Class AAA state championship. Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions.
2. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (29-1)
Previous: 4.
Low-down: Won the Nike Tournament of Championship Joe Smith Bracket and the CIF-Central Coast Section. Advanced to the CIF-Northern California Region Open Division final.
3. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (32-2)* *
Previous: 5.
Low-down: Won the District of Columbia State Athletic Association and Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship.
4. Central Valley, Veradale, Wash. (29-0)* **
Previous: Not ranked.
Low-down: Won GEICO High School Nationals, beating then-No. xxxxxxx Hamilton Heights Christian (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 66-61, in the final. Stanford-bound Lexie Hull was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Also won the Washington Class 4A state championship.
5. Baldwin, N.Y. (26-1)*
Previous: 12.
Low-down: Won the New York State Federation Class AA championship, upending then-No. 1 Christ the King (Middle Village), 58-49, in the final. Kaia Harrison, the tournament MVP, had 15 points and dished off 5 assists. The Bruins are just the fifth Long Island girls’ basketball team to win a Federation title. In the semifinals, they defeated Long Island Lutheran (Brookville), 64-47, as Jenna Annecchiarico tossed in 20 points.
6. Windward School, Los Angeles (27-3)*
Previous: 20.
Low-down: Won the CIF Open Division championship, defeating then- No. 6 Pinewood School (Los Altos Hills), 58-47, in the final.
7. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (29-1)*
Previous: 1.
Low-down: Won New York State Catholic Class AA state title but lost in the New York State Federation AA final to No. 5 Baldwin, 58-49.
8. Hamilton Heights Christian, Chattanooga, Tenn. (24-2)*
Previous: 4.
Low-down: Finished second in the GEICO Nationals for the second straight year. Also Won the National Association of Christian Athletes National Tournament Division I championship.
9. Centennial, Las Vegas (29-3)*
Previous: 7.
Low-down: Won fourth straight Class 4A state championship.
10. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (26-1)*
Previous: 8.
Low-down: Won a record fifth consecutive Class 5 championship.
11. Pinewood School, Los Altos Hills, Calif. (27-3)
Previous: 6.
Low-down: Lost to No. 6 Windward (Los Angeles), 58-47, in the CIF Open Division final.
12. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (27-3)
Previous: 10.
Low-down: Won 11th straight CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section championship and lost in the CIF-Northern California Region Open Division semifinals.
13. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (30-4)*
Previous: 11.
Low-down: Won 12th consecutive Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I title.
14. Westlake, Atlanta (30-2)*
Previous: 9.
Low-down: Won Class AAAAAAA state championship and advanced to play in the GEICO Nationals semifinals.
15. Winter Haven, Fla. (32-2)*
Previous: 13.
Low-down: Advanced to the GEICO Nationals after winning the Florida Class 8A state championship.
16. Plano, Texas (35-6)*
Previous: 14.
Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship.
17. Eastview, Apple Valley, Minn. (32-0)*
Previous: 15.
Low-down: Won Class AAAA championship for the second time in five years.
18. Geneva, Ill. (31-3)*
Previous: 16.
Low-down: Won second straight Class 4A state title.
19. Amarillo, Texas (40-2)*
Previous: 17.
Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship.
20. Mercer County, Harrodsburg, Ky. (36-3)*
Previous: 18.
Low-down: Won second straight Sweet Sixteen State Tournament.
21. Manasquan, N.J. (32-2)* *
Previous: 19.
Low-down: Won State Tournament of Champions title and the Group 2 championship.
22. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (34-3)
Previous: 20.
Low-down: Advanced to the Class 4A final.
23. Edison Public School Academy, Detroit (24-1)*
Previous: 22.
Low-down: Won second straight Class C state championship.
24. Northwest Guilford, Greensboro, N.C. (29-2)*
Previous: 24.
Low-down: Won a second consecutive Class 4A championship.
25. Derby, Kan. (23-1)*
Previous: 25.
Low-down: Won Class 6A championship.
Dropped: No. 23 Duncanville, Texas.
High-Fives by Region
East
- St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (24-4)* *
- Franklin, N.J. (24-8)*
- Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (22-5)*
- St. Rose, Belmar, N.J. (26-4)*
- Mercy, Middletown, Conn. (27-1)*
Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Midlands
- Pickerington (Ohio) Central (28-2)*
- Incarnate Word Academy, Bel-Nor, Mo. (27-5)*
- Richwoods, Peoria, Ill. (35-1)*
- Northwestern, Kokomo, Ind. (29-1)*
- Maine West, Des Plaines, Ill. (32-2)
Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
South
- Duncanville, Texas (39-2)
- Wesleyan School, Peachtree Corners, Ga. (27-4)*
- Holy Innocents’ Episcopal, Atlanta (29-2)
- John Curtis Christian, River Ridge, La. (31-1)*
- Choctaw Central, Philadelphia, Miss. (34-1)*
Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Far West
- Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (32-4)
- Southridge, Beaverton. Ore. (28-1)*
- Konawaena, Kealakekua, Hawaii (26-2)*
- Grandview, Aurora, Colo. (25-3)*
- Chaparral, Scottsdale, Ariz. (26-5)*
Geography: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
* Won state, national or conference/league postseason tournament championship
(Note some schools have won multiple tournament titles]
** GEICO High School Nationals champions
! Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions
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. Teams with fifth-year or reclassified players won’t be considered. 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 in April. Follow him on Twitter @clawlor.
Senior Writer and national analyst for Blue Media and compiles the Blue Star Elite 25 national boys and girls high school basketball and football rankings during the season. Lawlor, an award-winning writer, is a voting committee member and advisor for several national high school events, including the McDonald’s All-American Games. He previously wrote for USA TODAY and ESPN.com, where he was the national preps writer, while compiling the national rankings in four sports.
