FUN IN THE SUN: GEICO Nationals features three teams from Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings in Florida; state championships conclude nationwide

FORT MYERS, Fla. – After five months of girls’ basketball, the high school season is over. That’s a heckuva long haul but for certain team there’s nothing like winning your final game.

As for the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings, there is no movement. No one played but there were champions crowned in Alaska and Pennsylvania. Yet the season isn’t officially over because there are two events over the next two weekends under the Florida sun.

It starts this week with the five-team bracket at the GEICO High School Nationals inside the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida. Three teams from the Elite 25 will be in the house.

The tournament commences Thursday with a play-in game between Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) at 10 a.m. ET. The game can be streamed live on ESPN+, a subscription based service. McNamara won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference regular season title but fell in the tournament final. IMG, a national program, played a strong schedule and will be ready for the matchup.

That winner meets No. 5 New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.) Friday in the semifinals at 10 a.m. The other semifinal is No. 17 Montverde (Fla.) Academy and No. 19 DME Sports Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) at 12:30 p.m. Both are televised on ESPNU.

The GEICO Nationals final is Saturday at 10 a.m. on ESPN2.

We’re here in Florida now and providing coverage.

When the GEICO Nationals conclude, the last weekend of the season resumes the inaugural State Champions Invitational will be played at Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Florida.

Four champions, three of which are Elite 25 teams, comprise the field. The semifinal pairings on Friday, April 8 are:

No. 13 Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.) vs. No. 20 Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.), 2 p.m., and Centennial (Las Vegas) vs. No. 2 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), 4 p.m. The final is Saturday April 9 at 10 a.m. All three games are on ESPNU.

Finally, the dominance of the Philadelphia Catholic League at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament last weekend in Hershey was evident. PCL teams won the three classifications. Four teams made it to Hershey, with one falling in a state final.

In Class AAAA, Archbishop Wood (Warminster) beat Lansdale Catholic, 57-45. Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) captured the Class 3A crown, its fifth title in eight seasons. Cardinal O’Hara (Springfield) took the Class AAAAA hardware with a 23-point victory.

Senior guard Mihjae Hayes was the star of stars for Neumann-Goretti in a 55-49 victory over Freedom Area. Hayes is unsigned but opened some eyes, going off for 32 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. She shot 11 of 19 from the floor, including 3 of 6 from three-point range, but drained six straight free throws in the final minute to salt it away.

Add it up, the PCL annexed a combined six of 10 classes between the boys and girls.

Well, done!

Okay, the month of March is essentially history. Again, April has two events in Florida and then everything shifts fulltime to the club circuit.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings will return on April 6. Only two rankings remain and the GEICO Nationals will have the last say. Once GEICO is over, there will be some reshuffling and moving in. The SCI will officially close out the high school season.

Congratulations to all the state champions and those who were selected to the McDonald’s All American Games that were played on March 29 in Chicago.

The Games recognized Kiki Rice from Sidwell Friends and Dereck Lively II from Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) as the 2022 Morgan Wootten Players of the Year – continuing the long-standing tradition of honoring the top players for their commitments on and off the court. That’s a tremendous honor!

Please stay safe and get vaccinated.

Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, March 30, 2022

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

Previous rank: 1.

The Low-down: Won a fifth straight state championship securing the Class 6 title. Season complete.

2. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (28-0)*

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Idle. The Quakers will play next week at the inaugural GEICO State Champions Invitational in Tampa, Fla.

3. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (32-1)**

Previous: 3.

The Low-down: Won the State Tournament of Champions and Non-Public A state championship. Season complete.

4. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (30-2)*

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Won the CIF Open Division state championship. For coach Alicia Komaki it was her fifth state title in her 10 seasons. Season complete.

5. New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, Md. (26-2)*

Previous: 5.

The Low-down: Idle. The National Association of Christian Athletes Division 1 champions are top seed GEICO Nationals in Fort Myers, Fla.

6. Etiwanda, Calif. (29-1)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Advanced CIF Southern Region Open Division final. Season complete.

7. DeSoto, Texas (35-2)*

Previous: 7.

The Low-down: Won a second consecutive UIL Class 6A state championship. Season complete.

8.  Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (26-1)*

Previous: 8.

The Low-down: Won the Class AAAA state championship. Season complete.

9. Cedar Park, Texas (39-0)*

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Won a second straight UIL Class 5A state championship. Season complete.

10. Hazel Green, Ala. (35-0)*

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Won a fifth consecutive Class 6A state championship. Season complete.

11. Classen SAS, Oklahoma City (24-1)*

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship. Season complete.

12. Hoover, Ala. (34-3)*

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Won a second straight Class 7A state championship. Season complete.

13. Woodward Academy, College Park, Ga. (29-2)*

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won its second straight Class AAAAA state championship and will play next week at the State Champions Invitational in Tampa, Fla.

14. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (30-2)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Advanced to the CIF Open Division state final. Season complete.

15. La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day (25-3)

Previous: 15.

The Low-down: Won the CIF-San Diego Section Open Division championship and advanced to the Southern Region Open Division semifinals. Season complete.

16. Carondelet, Concord, Calif. (26-3)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Advanced to CIF Northern Region Open Division final. Season complete.

17. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (18-3)

Previous: 17.

The Low-down: Idle. The Eagles will play in the GEICO Nationals semifinals Friday in Fort Myers, Fla.

18. Stevenson, Lincolnshire, Ill. (36-2)*

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Won the Class 4A state championship. Season complete.

19. DME Sports Academy, Daytona Beach, Fla. (26-3)*

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Idle. Up next is the GEICO Nationals this week.

20. Lake Highland Prep, Orlando, Fla. (25-4)*

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Won third consecutive FHSAA Class 4A championship. Up next R is the State Champions Invitational on April 8 in Tampa, Fla.

21. Reynoldsburg, Ohio (27-2)*

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Won the Division I state championship. Season complete.

22. Duncanville, Texas (34-7)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Advanced to the Class 6A, Region II final. Season complete.

23. Johnston, Iowa (26-0)*

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship. Season complete.

24. Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, Ky. (36-3)*

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Won second straight Mingua Beef Jerky Sweet Sixteen Tournament. Season complete.

25. Mason, Ohio (27-3)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Advanced to Division I state final. Season complete.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Westtown School, West Chester, Pa. (23-4)**
2. Rutgers Prep, Somerset, N.J. (29-3)*
3. Plymouth Whitemarsh, Plymouth Meeting, Pa. (31-0)*
4. Cardinal O’Hara, Springfield, Pa. (25-5)**
5. Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (26-5)*

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

Midwest

1. West Bloomfield, Mich. (25-1)*
2. Mount Notre Dame, Cincinnati (26-1) #
3. South Bend (Ind.) Washington (27-3)*
4. Noblesville, Ind. (25-4)*
5. Notre Dame Academy, Green Bay, Wis. (29-1)*

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

Southland

1. Neshoba Central, Philadelphia, Miss. (33-0)*
2. Ponchatoula, La. (35-2)*
3. Ensworth School, Nashville, Tenn. (26-4)*
4. Bearden, Knoxville, Tenn. (37-3)*
5. Brownsboro, Texas (40-2)*

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

Far West

1. Lone Peak, Highland, Utah (23-0)*
2. Garfield, Seattle (20-0)*
3. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (26-7)
4. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (23-6)
5. Beaverton, Ore. (26-1)*

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

Records through Monday’s games

 * Won state, national or recognized conference/league postseason tournament championship [Note: Multiple asterisks indicate a school has won at least two postseason titles]

 # Includes a forfeit win

 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 at the conclusion of the season in April. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.