BLAZING A TRAIL TO No. 1: Blackman (Tenn.) secures Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Girls’ Basketball National Championship

NEW YORK – No. 1 Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) are simply the best for the 2013-14 season. The Blaze finishes No. 1 in the Blue Star Media Go-To 25 girls’ basketball rankings after a long season.

What started in October—for some states—ended last weekend at Madison Square Garden when then-No. 15 Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, Md.) won its second Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament championship, defeating Class 5A Fremont (Plain City, Utah), 60-35. It was the second national title this season for the Maryland school, which also won the National Association of Christian Athletes Division I championship. The victory lifted the Crusaders four spots in the Go-To 25 final rankings.

This year the HSNT added state associations from the state of Washington and Utah to the fold. Both states were highly impressed with the level of play on the court and with the operation and logistics of the event. If power states such as California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Pennsylvania came abroad then in most years a true national champion would be crowned.

Blackman, which split games with No. 2 Incarnate Word Academy (Bel-Nor, Mo.) in the regular season, bagged the Tennessee’s Class AAA championship and will likely land as the No.1 team when the preseason rankings are released in November.

No. 21 Broken Arrow (Okla.) completed a perfect 29-0 season, winning the Class 6A championship and joins the Go-To 25 rankings. No. 23 Miami (Fla.) Senior High tumbles 18 spots after a subpar showing at the Dick’s Nationals. The Stingarees stay in the Go-To 25 rankings after winning the Florida Class 8A championship but that was in mid-February and any chemistry they forged went out the window. However, their resume is still strong.

There are 20 state championship in the Go-To 25 final rankings. Winning your final game really counts, leaving a lasting impression. 

Check back periodically at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from showcase events all spring and summer. Our staff will be busy until the end of July.

It was a great ride and we’ll have the 2014-15 Blue Media Go-To 25 preseason rankings sometime in mid-November. Don’t forget to check out the preseason football rankings in August. It was an honor to present the rankings each week and thanks to all the loyal readers for clicking in. Our numbers are growing and that means we are gaining traction.

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

Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Girls’ Final Basketball Rankings, April 9, 2014

1. Blackman, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (34-1)*

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Won Class AAA state championship. Crowned Blue Star Media National Champions.

2. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel-Nor, Mo. (31-1)*

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Won third Class 4 state championship in four years and sixth overall title. Super junior Napheesa Collier returns next year.

3. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (27-3)*

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Won CIF Open Division championship, beating Salesian (Richmond), 70-52. Freshman Ayanna Clark scored 14 of her 19 points in the second half and junior Tania Lamb added 13. It was the Jackrabbits’ sixth overall state title and second straight for coach Carl Buggs.

4. Manvel, Texas (37-2)*

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship. Brianna Turner, the MVP of the McDonald’s All American Game, is headed to Notre Dame in the fall.

5. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (30-1)*

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship. Four starters return for the Mecklenburg County School, which looks to win back-to-back titles.

6. Duncanville, Texas (35-1)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Finished runner-up in Class 5A. Coach Cathy Self-Morgan was named the Naismith High School Coach of the Year.

7. Windward School, Los Angeles (25-3)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Lost in the CIF Southern California Regional Open Division semifinals. Also won Southern Section Open Division title.

8. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (27-3)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Advanced to the CIF Southern California Region semifinals. Won Nike Tournament of Champions elite bracket title in December.

9. Regis Jesuit, Aurora, Colo. (26-2)*

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship.

10. Shabazz, Newark, N.J. (33-1)*

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Won second straight New Jersey Tournament of Champions. It was the program’s sixth TOC crown and the second time they have won it in back-to-back years (2003 and 2004 previously).

11. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (28-3)* ***

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Won the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament, beating regionally ranked Fremont (Plain City, Utah), 60-35. Florida State-bound G Chania Ray had 22 points in the final and earned MVP honors. Additionally, the Crusaders captured the National Association of Christian Athletes Division I championship.

12. Rock Bridge, Columbia, Mo. (27-3)*

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Won third consecutive Class 5 state championship.

13. Whitney Young, Chicago (32-3)* **

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won second Class 4A state championship in three years. The Dolphins closed on a 14-game wins streak, securing the program’s third state title.

14. Bedford North Lawrence, Ind. (27-1)*

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Won second straight Class 4A state championship. The Stars are 55-1 over the last two seasons.

15. McEachern, Powder Springs, Ga. (28-2)*

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Won the Class AAAAAA for the second time in three years.

16. Princeton, Cincinnati (28-2)*

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Won Division I state championship, for the team’s 16^th straight win.

17. Canyon, Texas (34-4)*

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship.

18. Eleanor Roosevelt, Greenbelt, Md. (26-0)*

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won the Class 4A state championship. It was the Raiders’ first title since five straight from 2005 to 2009. Five starters return.

19. Shades Valley, Birmingham, Ala. (31-4)*

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Won Class 6A state championship.

20. Salmen, Slidell, La. (33-1)*

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Won second straight Class 4A state championship.

21. Broken Arrow, Okla. (29-0)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won Class 6A state championship.

22. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (34-2)*

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Won fourth Class 3A state championship in five years.

23. Miami High, Miami, Fla. (31-2)*

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Won Class 8A state championship and lost in Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament semifinals.

24. Seton-LaSalle, Pittsburgh (27-4)*

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Won PIAA Class AA state championship. It was the program’s second state title in three years.

25. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (29-1)*

Previous: 25.

Low-down: The Philadelphia Catholic League champions dropped PIAA Class AA final.

Dropped: No. 22 Sparkman (Harvest, Ala.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (23-2)*

2. Cosby, Midlothian, Va. (26-0)*

3. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (28-1)*

4. McDonogh, Owings Mills, Md. (29-2)*

5. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (29-5)*

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

Midlands

1. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (25-2)*

2. Eastview, Apple Valley, Minn. (31-1)*

3. St. Thomas More, Champaign, Ill. (33-2)*

4. Fairmont, Kettering, Ohio (24-3)

5. Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines, Iowa (23-3)*

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

South

1. Horn Lake, Miss. (29-1)*

2. Butler, Louisville, Ky. (32-3)*

3. New Hope Christian, Thomasville, N.C. (34-1)

4. Tucker, Ga. (29-4)*

5. Sparkman, Harvest, Ala. (33-3)

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

Far West

1. Salesian, Richmond, Calif. (30-7)

2. Miramonte, Orinda, Calif. (30-2)

3. Etiwanda, Calif. (22-7)

4. Fremont, Plain City, Utah (25-3)*

5. Desert Vista, Phoenix (30-2)*

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

* Won state, national or conference postseason tournament championship

** Includes forfeit wins or losses

*** Dick’s Sporting Goods High School Tournament champions

About: The Blue Star Media Go-To 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 8, 2014. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.