CALIFORNIA STRONG: No. 13 Corona Centennial (CA) Huskies zoom up five slots in Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings; Gatorade reveals state players of the year

BENSALEM, Pa. – Let the schoolgirl playoffs begin in California.

With only three states left on the spring ledger and California is the hot spot for the next two-plus weeks. And the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings have a keen eye on the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section, where the Open Division bracket, featuring eight teams in Pools A and B started last weekend.

When pool play finishes this weekend, we’re hoping that No. 9 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and No. 13 Corona Centennial are left standing and playing in the Open Division final on June 11. Ideally that would settle the best team from southern California. Yet the following week the CIF-Southern Region bracket will be drawn up to include other sections to determine a champion.

One team from the Central Section on the cusp of breaking into the Elite 25 is regionally ranked Clovis West (Fresno). The Golden Eagles are 17-0 and top-seeded in the Open Division with a semifinal game Thursday vs. Arroyo Grande. If Clovis West wins, it meets Clovis or Caruthers in the final on June 10. That winner advances to the regional tournament. The Los Angeles and San Diego sections will also send winners to the regional.

The Southern Region championships are held June 15-19.

Since there are no CIF-Northern California Region playoffs this spring, the season will end this weekend for the sections that chose to conduct tournaments. The two main sections, Sac-Joaquin and North Coast opted out and thusly NorCal Region did not have enough sections to field a tournament. That means regionally ranked teams St. Mary’s (Stockton) and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) are done. Mitty won their league’s postseason tournament and finished 11-1 with the lone setback to St. Mary’s.

Oregon and Washington are playing but no one stands out. Perhaps in the Elite 25 final rankings there will be a team that will be included. We’re about four weeks out from the final rankings that could be released as early as June 23.

The only movement in the Elite 25 is No. 13 Corona Centennial climbing five spots from the previous week. The CIF playoffs will determine the Huskies’ fate.

Finally, here are two quick hitters.

The 2021 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team trials are set for June 13-16 in Indianapolis. The list of 22 athletes who were invited by the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee and 12 athletes who were accepted to trials as applicants. Here’s the link for the story. Sue Phillips of Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) is the head coach.

At long last the Gatorade state girls’ players of the year were released last week. A dozen players whose teams are tied to the current Elite 25 rankings were named (listed alphabetically by state):

Jersey Wolfenbarger, Northside (Fort Smith, Ark.); junior Lauren Betts, Grandview (Aurora, Colo.); Raven Johnson, Westlake (Atlanta); junior Jessica Carrothers, Crown Points (Ind.); sophomore Natalie Potts, Incarnate Word Academy (Bel Nor, Mo.); Alexis Markowski of Pius X (Lincoln, Neb.); junior K.K. Bransford, Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati); Kaitlyn Orihel, Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.); Rori Harmon, Cypress Creek (Houston); Emma Calvert, Fremont (Plain City, Utah); Isabella Perkins, Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) and sophomore Kamorea Arnold, Germantown (Wis.).

The complete state listing, minus players from California, Oregon and Washington is here.

If we could guess, the California winner would be Brooke Demetre of Mater Dei (Santa Ana); Oregon’s Aaronette Vonleh of West Linn and Washington’s Julianna Walker of Wright (Tacoma).

OK, that’s a wrap.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings will return on June 16 or right in the middle of the CIF-Southern Region playoffs.

Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for our staff updates. We’ll keep you abreast of what’s breaking in girls’ basketball.

For now, get vaccinated, practice social distancing and mask up where it’s necessary. We’re almost there. I get my second Moderna vaccine this week. Looking forward to no more masks. The summer circuit is thriving and that’s my calling until football kicks off in August.

Keep safe and we hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings, June 2, 2021

1. Mount Notre Dame, Cincinnati (28-0)* @

Previous rank: 1.

The Low-down: The Cougars are two time Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions. Won the Ohio Division I state championship.

2. Westlake, Atlanta (21-0)* !

Previous: 2.

The Low-down: Won GEICO High School Nationals championship and Georgia Class AAAAAA title.

3. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (29-0)*

Previous: 3.

The Low-down: Won Class 6 state championship.

4. Paul VI, Chantilly, Va. (11-1)

Previous: 4.

The Low-down: Completed an undefeated regular season and advanced to the GEICO Nationals title game.

5. Lake Highland Prep, Orlando, Fla. (19-1)*

Previous: 5.

The Low-down: Won FHSAA Class AAAA state championship and earned an invitation to the GEICO Nationals.

6. DeSoto, Texas (28-2)* #

Previous: 6.

The Low-down: Won first-ever UIL Class 6A state championship.

7. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (14-0)

Previous: 7.

The Low-down: In lieu of no state playoffs, the Lady Lancers won the Shore Conference Tournament Pod A title.

8. Cypress Creek, Houston (32-1)

Previous: 8.

The Low-down: Advanced to the UIL Class 6A state final.

9. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (16-0)^

Previous: 9.

The Low-down: The Monarchs raced to a 38-27 halftime lead en route to neat 65-56 victory over Etiwanda in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division Pool B opener. Stanford-bound Brooke Demetre led the winners with 16 points, sophomore Caia Elisaldez scored 14, Alyssa Durazo-Frescas 13, Ayana Johnson 12 and Soleil Montrose added 10. This week the Monarchs play Lynwood on Wednesday and Harvard-Westlake (Studio City) on Saturday in pool play. The Open Division title game is June 11. The Monarchs also won their 14^th consecutive Trinity League championship after beating Orange Lutheran, 75-21, in the regular season finale.

10. Hazel Green, Ala. (36-1)*

Previous: 10.

The Low-down: Won Class 6A state championship.

11. Hoover, Ala. (32-1)*

Previous: 11.

The Low-down: Won third Class 7A state championship since 2017.

12. Edison Public Academy, Detroit (11-0) #

Previous: 12.

The Low-down: The Pioneers carry a 59-game win streak into next season.

13. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (20-0)^

Previous: 18.

The Low-down: The Huskies were award the top seed in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division championship and opened Pool A play with a 100-68 hammering of West Torrance. They’ll finish out against powerhouse Windward (Los Angeles) Wednesday and Orangewood Academy (Garden Grove) Saturday. The Open Division final is June 11. Additionally, the Huskies registered a perfect 19-0 regular season mark by throttling crosstown Corona, 90-28, to clinch the Big VIII league championship.

14. Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (17-0)*

Previous: 13.

The Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship.

15. Chaska, Minn. (18-0)*

Previous: 14.

The Low-down: Won Class AAAA state championship.

16. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (16-1)

Previous: 15.

The Low-down: Advanced to Class AAAA semifinals, where its win streak was snapped at 78 games. The Royals return all five starters in 2021-22.

17. Rutgers Prep, Somerset, N.J. (13-0)

Previous: 16.

The Low-down: Won the Skyland Conference Blue Division Tournament. There were no playoffs this season in New Jersey.

18. Winston Salem Christian, Winston-Salem, N.C. (25-1)

Previous: 17.

The Low-down: Advanced to the Independent School National Tournament final.

19. Cardinal Newman, Columbia, S.C (18-1)*

Previous: 19.

The Low-down: Won third consecutive SCISA Class AAA state championship.

20. New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, Md. (14-3)*

Previous: 20.

The Low-down: Won the Insider Exposure Independent School National Tournament.

21. Fremont, Plain City, Utah (26-1)*

Previous: 21.

The Low-down: Won Class 6A state championship and earned an invitation to the GEICO Nationals.

22. Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (17-2)*

Previous: 22.

The Low-down: Won PIAA Class AAAA state championship and Philadelphia Catholic League crown.

23. Converse (Texas) Judson (26-2)

Previous: 23.

The Low-down: Advanced to the UIL Class 6A semifinals and won Region IV title.

24. Newark, Ohio (29-2)

Previous: 24.

The Low-down: Advanced to the Ohio Division I state final, falling to top-ranked Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati) in double overtime.

25. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (22-2)

Previous: 25.

The Low-down: Played in the Independent School National Tournament.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (10-0)*
2. 2. North Allegheny, Wexford, Pa. (27-1)*
3. Trenton Catholic Academy, Hamilton, N.J. (14-1)
4. Madison, Vienna, Va. (16-1)*
5. St. Elizabeth, Wilmington, Del. (14-0)*

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

Midwest

1. Pius X, Lincoln, Neb. (25-0)*
2. Crown Point, Ind. (25-1)*
3. Germantown, Wis. (29-1)*
4. Northwest, Shawnee Mission, Kan. (23-0)*
5. Kenwood Academy, Chicago (13-0)

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

Southland

1. Norman, Okla. (19-0)*
2. Duncanville, Texas (28-3)
3. Northside, Fort Smith, Ark. (26-2)*
4. Cedar Park, Texas (27-1)*
5. Vance, Charlotte N.C. (12-0)*

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

Far West

1. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (17-0)^
2. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (8-1)^
3. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (11-1)^
4. Grandview, Aurora, Colo. (16-1)
5. Windward School, Los Angeles (13-2)^

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

@ Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions

* Won state championship or national tournament title

 ! GEICO High School Nationals champion

 # Includes “no call” game erasing a previous and/or forfeit loss due to coronavirus

^ Currently playing or a completed a spring season

Records are through Monday

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 nationwide. 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. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.