Four teams join Blue Star media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings; Neumann-Goretti (PA) holds top spot

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

Four teams join the Elite 25 after a shakeup in Indiana, Tennessee and Arizona.

Check back periodically at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from showcase events all season. Our staff will be busy until early April. The Elite 25 girls’ rankings return on March 4.

We hope to see you at a game soon, there’s plenty of history in the making; be a part of it. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings, March 4, 2015

1. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (26-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low down: Won the Class AA City title, beating Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia), 71-28. Sianni Martin scored 19 points and Ciani Cryor had 16 points and 5 assists. The Saints open the Class AA state tournament Friday against Trinity (Camp Hill) in the first round.

2. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (28-1)

Previous: 2.

Low down: The Monarchs beat Alemany (Mission Hills), 59-37, the CIF-Southern Division Open Division semifinals. In the quarterfinals, they popped Brea Olinda, 77-50.

3. Blackman, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (28-2)

Previous: 3.

Low down: Won Region 4-AAA championship, defeating crosstown rivals Oakland, 67-44, in the final.

4. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (28-1)

Previous: 4.

Low down: Freshman Aquira DeCosta finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks in beating St. Francis (Sacramento), 98-55, in the CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Division I quarterfinals and Merced, 122-33, in the first roundUp next are the semifinals vs. Davis on Tuesday. The final is Saturday at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento.

5. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (25-1)

Previous: 7.

Low down: Aliyah Mazyck had 10 points and 6 rebounds in a 74-32 win over Page (Greensboro) in the Class 4A West second round. Also defeated North Davidson (Lexington), 72-34, in the first round.

6. Dillard, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (30-1)*

Previous: 9.

Low down: Won Class 5A state championship. An invite to the Dick’s Nationals could be in the offing. Season complete.

7. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (19-1)

Previous: 10.

Low down: Kara Holinski’s jumper with 7 seconds left to provided the winning margin in a 50-49 narrow victory over Martin Luther King (Detroit) in the Operation Friendship game. Holinski scored 16 points. The Class A district quarterfinals are Monday.

8. Cypress Woods, Cypress, Texas (33-1)

Previous: 11.

Low down: Won Class 6A, Region 3 championship, beating Westside (Houston), 75-36, in the final. Erica Ogwumike tossed in a game-high 35 points. Now it’s the Class 6A semifinals Friday against Flower Mound.

9. Elizabethtown, Ky. (28-2)

Previous: 12.

Low down: Won 17^th District tournament, defeating North Hardin (Radcliff), 76-26, in final.

10. Olive Branch, Miss. (28-1)

Previous: 14.

Low down: Defeated Northwest Rankin (Flowood), 66-55, in the Class 6A second round. The quarterfinals are Saturday.

11. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (32-2)*

Previous: 15.

Low down: Won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title, edging Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 49-47. North Carolina State-bound C Jonquanae Cole had 16 points and 14 rebounds. Also captured a ninth straight Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I championship, beating WCAC rivals Bishop O’Connell (Arlington), 58-46, after trailing 12-0 in the early going. Season complete.

12. Miami (Fla.) Country Day (30-2)*

Previous: 16.

Low down: Won second consecutive Class 3A state championship. Season complete.

13. Chaminade, West Hills, Calif. (23-3)

Previous: 17.

Low down: Defeated then-No. 13 Poly (Long Beach), 77-66, in the CIF-Southern Division Open Division semifinals and Ventura, 72-47, in the quarterfinals. Next up is No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) in the final on Friday.

14. Braintree, Mass. (20-0)

Previous: 19.

Low down: The Wamps toppled Brockton, 71-44, in Division 1 South Sectional quarterfinals. Now they play Newton South on Monday in the semifinals.

15. Cumberland Valley, Mechanicsburg, Pa. (27-1)

Previous: 20.

Low down: Won the District-AAAA title, edging Palmyra, 26-25, as Kelly Jekot (15 points) scored off her own miss with 1.2 seconds left. It’s the first sectional crown since the first in 2002. The Villanova-recruit Jekot fired in 19 points as the Eagles whipped rivals Central Dauphin East (Harrisburg), 65-26, in the semifinals. Next up is the Class AAAA state tournament first round on Friday vs. Boyertown.

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

Previous: 21.

Low down: Won eighth consecutive Constitution State Conference title, defeating Bullard-Havens (Bridgeport), 102-36, in the final. Maryland-recruit Kiah Gillespie had a double-double with 35 points and 19 rebounds. The Trailblazers enter their Class L state title defense with a bye until the second round on Thursday against Weaver (Hartford) or Wethersfield. The quarterfinals are March 9 and the semifinal follow on March 13.

17. Columbus (Ind.) North (27-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: Defeated then-No. 25 Lawrence North (Indianapolis), 69-60, in Class 4A Semistate. Patberg had 21 points and 9 rebounds in a 48-40 win over then-No. 5 Bedford North Lawrence in regional final. Next up is the 4A state final vs. Homestead (Fort Wayne) on Saturday in Indianapolis.

18. Homestead, Fort Wayne, Ind. (26-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: Defeated Merrillville, 66-52 in Class 4A Semistate. The Spartans play No. xx Columbus North for the state championship on Saturday.

19. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (24-3)

Previous: 13.

Low down: Lost to then-No. 17 Chaminade (West Hills), 77-66, in the CIF-Southern Division Open Division semifinals In the quarterfinals, the Jackrabbits defeated Vista Murrieta, 58-54.

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

Previous: 22.

Low down: Won Division I state championship, Season complete.

21. Archbishop Alter, Kettering, Ohio (24-0)

Previous: 23.

Low down: Defeated Wilmington, 75-34, in the Division II, Mason 2 District quarterfinals. The semifinals are Monday and the final follows on Friday.

22. Maize, Kan. (20-0)

Previous: 24.

Low down: Keiryn Swenson, an Arkansas signee, flipped in 20 points in a 53-28 win over Newton to complete a perfect regular season.

23. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (24-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: Ashley Bates scored 18 points in a 69-48 win over Minnetonka. The Royals have a 20-game win streak heading into Tuesday’s Class 4A sectional game against St. Louis Park

24. Ursuline Academy, Wilmington, Del. (19-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: The Raiders carry a 14-game win streak into the state tournament, where they will face Woodbridge (Greenwood) or Lake Forest (Felton) on Thursday.

25. Whitney Young, Chicago (28-2)

Previous: 6.

Low down: Upset by Trinity (River Forest), 37-36, in Class 4A sectional final. Season complete.

Dropped: No. 5 Bedford North Lawrence, Ind. (26-1); No. 8 Ridgeway, Memphis; No. 18 Desert Vista, Phoenix (29-4) and No. 25 Lawrence North, Indianapolis.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Central Bucks West, Doylestown, Pa. (28-1)

2. Manasquan, N.J. (24-2)

3. Maury, Norfolk, Va. (23-2)

4. St. Rose, Belmar, N.J. (26-1)

5. Long Island Lutheran, Brookhaven, N.Y. (19-4)

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

Midlands

1. Martin Luther King, Detroit (18-1)

2. Pius XI, Milwaukee (24-0)

3. Benson, Omaha, Neb. (26-0)

4. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (32-3)

5. Eastview, Apple Valley, Minn. (25-1)

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

South

1. Holy Innocents’ Episcopal, Atlanta (31-0)

2. Warren Easton, New Orleans (34-1)

3. Lake Highland Prep, Orlando, Fl. (29-2)*

4. Northside, Fort Smith, Ark. (27-1)

5. Jeff Davis, Montgomery, Ala. (31-5)*

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

Far West

1. Gonzaga Prep, Spokane, Wash. (24-0)

2. Miramonte, Orinda, Calif. (26-2)

3. ThunderRidge, Highlands, Colo. (23-2)

4. Centennial, Las Vegas (31-2)*

5. Pinewood, Los Altos Hills, Calif. (23-2)

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.