1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (12-0)
Previous: ranking 1.
Low-down: Won the Nike Tournament of Champions’ E Division, beating No. x Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 96-74, in final. The Samuelson sisters, senior Karlie (38 points in final) and sophomore Katie Lou (30 points in final) were Co-MVPs. In the semifinals, the Monarchs halted No. x St. Mary’s (Phoenix), 57-54, halting the Arizona school’s win streak at 49 games.
2. St. Mary’s, Phoenix (10-1)
Previous:
Low-down: The Knights went 2-1 at Nike TOC, losing to top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).
3. Duncanville, Texas (22-0)
Previous:
Low-down: The win streak hit 53 games in a 64-32 win over Plano West in the final of the Sandra Meadows Classic.
4. North Gwinnett, Suwanee, Ga. (11-0)
Previous: Not ranked.
Low-down: The Bulldogs captured the Naples (Fla.) Holiday Shootout.
5. Riverdale, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (15-0)
Previous: Not ranked.
Low-down: Won the Peach State Basketball Holiday Invitational in Georgia.
6. St. John’s, Washington, D.C. (11-0)
Previous: Not ranked.
Low-down: The Cadets won three games last month at a Puerto Rico event and knocked off ranked Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 77-73. The conference rematch is slated for Jan. 18.
7. Marion County, Lebanon, Ky. (14-0)
Previous: 7.
Low-down: The Lady Knights captured two tournament titles in December, most recently Gateway Holiday Tournament.
8. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (12-0)
Previous: 8.
Low-down: The Royals keep rolling and explosive wing Nia Coffey (16.5 ppg) keeps scoring. The reigning Class 4A champions peeled off wins over against Prior Lake, 73-39, and Osseo, 88-42, as Coffey scored 21 and 19 points, respectively. Up next is Woodbury on Thursday.
9. Columbus North, Columbus, Ind. (14-0)
Previous: 9.
Low-down: The Bull Dogs beat Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers), 53-30, and Mater Dei (Evansville), 63-55, in Hall of Fame Classic. The average margin of victory is 16 points for coach Pat McKee’s crew. Thursday’s game at No. 20 Whitney Young (Chicago) will be the toughest regular season test.
10. Shabazz, Newark, N.J. (6-0)
Previous: 10.
Low-down: Won Newark Public Schools Tournament, defeating Weequahic, 76-27, in final. Altiliyah Butler had 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals, earning MVP honors.
11. Edwardsville, Ill. (14-0)
Previous: 11.
Low-down: The win streak reached 14 games following a 71-30 win over Glenwood (Chatham). Three players are averaging double-figures, led by Louisville-bound Emmonnie Henderson (15.1 points) and Kortney Dunbar (12.4). The Tigers play local powerhouse St. Joseph Academy (St. Louis, Mo.) on Jan. 15.
12. Fairmont, Kettering, Ohio (10-0)
Previous: 12.
Low-down: The Firebirds won their 10th straight, beating Winton Woods (Cincinnati), 58-41.
13. Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South (6-0)
Previous: 13.
Low-down: Michigan’s top-ranked defeated Woodhaven (Brownstown), 49-41. Up next is Dakota (Macomb) on Jan. 8.
14. Windward, Los Angeles (14-0)
Previous: 14.
Low-down: The Wildcats won tournaments over the holiday.
15. Good Counsel, Olney, Md. (9-2)
Previous: 15.
Low-down: Won the Title IX Classic title in Washington, D.C.
16. Poly. Long Beach, Calif. (11-2)
Previous: 16.
Low-down: The Lady Jackrabbits won the Oaks Christian Holiday Hardwood Invitational. Took second place in a bracket of the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chandler, Ariz.
17. Dr. Phillips, Orlando, Fla. (15-3)
Previous: 17.
Low-down: Won the Florida Prospects Tournament title for the third straight year. Hannah Schaible scored a game-high 27 points and Sydnei McCaskill added 24 in an 83-62 win over Gainesville in final.
18. Central Catholic, Portland, Ore. (8-3)
Previous: 18.
Low-down: Won Nike Interstate Shootout title, beating ranked Norcross (Ga.), 68-61. Stanford-bound Kailee Johnson scored 18 points in the final.
19. Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif. (6-3)
Previous: 19.
Low-down: The Dragons lost twice at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona. They have a showdown with St. Mary’s (Berkeley) on Jan. 14.
20. Whitney Young, Chicago (13-2)
Previous: 20.
Low-down: The Dolphins had their win streak halted at 47 games in Florida.
21. Rock Bridge, Columbia, Mo. (8-2)
Previous: 21.
Low-down: The Bruins went 2-1 against quality competition at the Nike TOC last month in Arizona.
22. Science Hill, Johnson City, Tenn. (14-2)
Previous: 22.
Low-down: The Hilltoppers went 3-1 at the Naples Holiday Invitational.
23. Riverdale Baptist, Upper Marlboro, Md. (13-2)
Previous: 23.
Low-down: The Lady Crusaders lost back-to-back games to nationally ranked teams, including one in the finals of the Nike TOC to top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).
24. Norcross, Ga. (11-2)
Previous: 24.
Low-down: Finished second at the Nike Interstate Classic in Oregon.
25. Archbishop Carroll, Radnor, Pa. (6-1)
Previous: Not ranked.
Low-down: Won Cresmon Bank Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C., beating King’s Fork (Suffolk, Va.), 55-48, in final. Went 4-0 at the loaded event.
Dropped: Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa.; Dreher, Columbia, S.C.; St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif.; Ossining, N.Y.; and Seton LaSalle, Pittsburgh.
High-Fives by Region
East
1. Seton LaSalle, Pittsburgh (7-1)
2. Archbishop Spalding, Severn, Md. (12-0)
3. Lake Taylor, Norfolk, Va. (11-0)
4. Point Pleasant (N.J.) Boro (7-0)
5. St. Anthony’s, Melville, N.Y. (4-3)
Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Midlands
1. Incarnate Word, St. Louis (10-0)
2. Martin Luther King, Detroit (7-0)
3. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (18-1)
4. Bedford (Ind.) North Lawrence (11-0)
5. Reynoldsburg, Ohio (8-1)
Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
South
1. Pflugerville, Texas (23-0)
3. Southwood, Shreveport, La. (14-0)
4. Dutch Fork, Irmo, S.C. (12-0)
3. Southaven, Miss. (14-1)
5. Salmen, Slidell, La. (14-1)
Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Far West
1. St. Mary’s, Albany, Calif. (8-1)
2. Carondelet, Concord, Calif. (8-1)
3. South Medford, Medford, Pre. (6-2)
4. Mount Rainier, Des Moines, Wash. (10-0)
5. Grandview Aurora, Colo. (8-0)
Geography: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
About: The Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Girls Basketball Rankings are released weekly 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 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.
