Go-To 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Jan. 30, 2013

BENSALEM, Pa. – This is the portion of the season known as the innocent climb. Quietly teams are gearing up for the postseason—in some cases they are already playing—and plotting how to walk away winning their final game.

This week’s Blue Star Media Go-To 25 high school girls’ basketball rankings feature movement within in the ranks but no additions. There are teams on the cusp of dropping out, but sometimes you chalk up losses to upsets. Hey, a second chance was granted to a few teams and with the clock ticking, time expires soon unless the Ws continue to accumulate.

Two schools crashed the Top-10 of the Blue Star Media rankings. No. 7 Windward (Los Angeles) and No. 10 Incarnate Word (St. Louis), both have strong bodies of work after registering quality wins last weekend. Conversely, two schools plummeted in the rankings, notably No. 25 Fairmont (Kettering, Ohio), which tumbled 15 spots after an upset loss to Centerville (Ohio), and No. 12 North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) fell eight slots after being upended by rivals Norcross, a regionally ranked club. The Gwinnett County rivals have split their two games this season and will likely meet again in the Class AAAAAA playoffs.

Now that February is less than two days away, that means closure. The regular seasons are down to between five and 10 games. Florida started their district playoffs this week, with No. 14 Dr. Phillips (Orlando) opening their title defense on Wednesday. Hope to see you at a game soon. Enjoy a game in your area this weekend. – Christopher Lawlor

Varsity Letters

Player of the Week

Makayla Epps, 6-2, No. 6 Marion County (Lebanon, Ky.): Epps had a memorable weekend at the Raatz Fence/O’Shea’s Classic in Louisville, where he totaled 60 points in two wins. Epps became Kentucky’s 21^st player to surpass 3,000 career points in a 68-33 hammering of Hathaway Brown (Shaker Heights, Ohio). For the game she scored 26 points (12-of-16 shooting), dished six assists and cleared four rebounds and made four steals. In an epic battle of teams in the Blue Star Media Go-To 25 rankings, Epps dropped in a game-high 34 points, including two free throws with 11 seconds left in a 61-58 victory over Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.).  The Kentucky recruit sank 12 of 19 shots and 10 of 17 free throws and handed out four assists. Epps, whose father played for UK under coach Rick Pitino in the 1990s, joined the Marion County varsity as a sixth-grader.

Places To Be

The nation’s No. 1 is taking center stage at a big-time event.

One of the nation’s most exciting weekends of hoops will captivate southern California again. That’s because the Nike Extravaganza XVIII rolls out three sessions, with boys and girls’ games, Friday and Saturday at Mater Dei High’s luxurious Meruelo Athletic Center in Santa Ana. For those who have attended a game at this state-of-the-art facility, understand why this is the finest of its type in the nation.

The schedule is chock full of quality teams from California, with the exception of two powerhouse boys’ teams from Las Vegas, Nev.

Friday: Rialto girls vs. Orange Lutheran, 2:20 p.m.; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) girls vs. St. Mary’s (Albany), 3:45; Saddleback Christian boys vs. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), 5; Brethren Christian boys vs. Servite (Anaheim), 6:16; Eisenhower (Rialto) boys vs. No. 4 Mater Dei, 7:30; No. 1 Mater Dei girls vs. Oaks Christian School (Westlake Village), 9.

Saturday morning session (all boys’ games): Upland vs. Los Alamitos, 9 a.m.; Ocean View (Huntington Beach) vs. Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.), 10:30 a.m.; Colony vs. Mission Viejo, noon. Saturday evening session: Fairfax (Los Angeles), 1:30 p.m.; Orange Lutheran vs. regionally-ranked Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 3; De La Salle (Concord) vs. Foothill (Anaheim), 4:30; No. 19 Long Beach Poly vs. St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 6; regionally-ranked Etiwanda vs. Loyola (Los Angeles), 7:30; No. 4 Mater Dei vs. Westchester (Los Angeles), 9.

Lady Falcons Battle Breast Cancer, Brooklyn, N.Y.: The event will be played Saturday at Bishop Ford High. Teams from Connecticut, District of Columbia, New York and New Jersey comprise the field. The games will be played with a pink and white basketball and the event proceeds all go to a great cause.

Milestones

Jeff Jasper, one of New Jersey’s most accomplished and beloved coaches, won his 900^th game (in 40 seasons) on Saturday. Jasper of Pascack Valley (Hillsdale, N.J.) bagged the monumental win following a 63-21 win over Dumont in the Bergen County Tournament. Jasper, 67, teaches history and government and joins Hall of Famer Bob Hurley (1,065 wins) of St. Anthony (Jersey City) as the state’s only basketball coaches with at least 900 victories.

In Iowa, Waukon coach Gene Klinge is stuck on 999 wins. Klinge had a chance on Tuesday (against Crestwood High of Cresco) to crack the four-digital mark after being denied twice last week. Klinge, 77, would become the ninth girls’ coach nationally with at least 1,000 wins. His record is 999-239 in 51 seasons.

Honored

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the winners of the 2013 Morgan Wootten Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching High School Basketball. This prestigious award is named after Morgan Wootten, who is one of two high school coaches enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame and earned fame at DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.).

The boys’ winner is Vito Montelli from St. Joseph (Trumbull, Conn.). Montelli was the school’s only basketball coach until his retirement at the end of last season. His last game as head coach would end with his 11th state championship and his 878th victory—the most by any New England high school basketball coach in history. Even after retirement, he remains a fixture at the school. The school’s home court is named in his honor.

The girls’ recipient is Sandra Meadows from Duncanville (Texas). For 26 years, Coach Meadows has led the Pantherettes to nearly 750 victories and four state championships, including a 134-game winning streak. Her record on the court led her to receive numerous recognitions and induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. In total, she won more than 900 games, but died at 59 due to cancer. Duncanville’s gymnasium is named in her honor.

Go-To 25 girls’ basketball rankings, January 30, 2013

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (20-0)

Previous: ranking 1.

Low-down: The Monarchs endured a scare but defeated JSerra (San Juan Capistrano), 61-54.

2. St. Mary’s, Phoenix (21-1)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: The Lady Knights rolled a pair of victories. The regular season closes on Friday against Hayden (Phoenix) on Senior Night.

3. Duncanville, Texas (32-0)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Ariel Atkins scored 20 points in a 69-33 win over Cedar Hill for the program’s 60^th straight victory.

4. Riverdale, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (22-0)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: The Lady Warriors topped rivals Oakland (Murfreesboro), 69-53, improving to 6-0 in district.

5. Columbus North, Columbus, Ind. (22-0)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: The Bull Dogs enter the regular season finale Thursday at Jennings County (Mount Vernon), winning by an average margin of 18 points.

6. Marion County, Lebanon, Ky. (24-0)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Makayla Epps scored 34 points, but sank to two free throws with 11 seconds left, in a 61-58 win over ranked Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) at the Raatz Fence/O’Shea’s Classic in Louisville.

7. Windward, Los Angeles (21-0)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Edged ranked Long Beach Poly, 59-57, in overtime. Jordin Canada and Kristen Simon made free throws in the final 10 seconds for the win.

8. Shabazz, Newark, N.J. (16-0)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Beat Middle Township. 54-38. Also defeated Phillipsburg, 53-48, as Zaire O’Neill and De’Aisha Jones each tossed in 13 points.

9. Edwardsville, Ill. (23-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Louisville-bound G Emmonnie Henderson outscored the opposition with 27 points during a 59-26 victory over Belleville West. Kortney Dunbar added 16 points.

10. Incarnate Word, St. Louis (18-0)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: The Red Knights won twice at the Raatz Fence/O’Shea’s Classic in Louisville, including a 71-37 blowout of host Mercy. Sophomore Napheesa Collier contributed a double-double, 29 points and 17 rebounds.

11. Pflugerville, Texas (30-0)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Drilled Round Rock, 76-33. There are only three games left in the regular season.

12. North Gwinnett, Suwanee, Ga. (19-1)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: The Bulldogs lost to rivals Norcross, 46-29.

13. St. John’s, Washington, D.C. (18-1)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The Cadets topped Georgetown Visitation (Washington, D.C.), 71-60. Two league games this week before a showdown with ranked Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) on Feb. 4.

14. Dr. Phillips, Orlando, Fla. (22-3)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: The Panthers captured their third Metro West League title in four years, defeating Olympia (Orlando), 78-40. Hannah Schaible, a George Washington recruit, posted 23 points and 10 boards and Kyla Allison added 14 points and seven assists and Matea Britvar scored 18. The Panthers open the postseason Wednesday against Boone (Orlando) in the district tournament semifinals.

15. Central Catholic, Portland, Ore. (15-3)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: The Rams jumped to a 23-7 lead en route to 61-29 win over Centennial (Gresham). Jordan Reynolds and Kailee Johnson each scored 16 points.

16. Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif. (16-3)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: The Dragons hit the road this week for two league games

17. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (21-0)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: The Panthers rolled to a pair of wins, improving to 11-0 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

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

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Lost in overtime to No. 7 Windward (Los Angeles), 59-57. Jada Matthews had 17 points and cleared 11 rebounds. Two of the three losses have come at hands of Windward.

19. Martin Luther King, Detroit (13-0)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: The defense allowed only 19 points in two Public School League East games.

20. St. Mary’s Stockton, Calif. (20-1)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: The Rams won’t be challenged until they hook up with ranked Bishop O’Dowd on Feb. 9.

21. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (25-1)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Kateri Stone scored 20 points in a 60-26 win over Rosary (Chicago).

22. Riverdale Baptist, Upper Marlboro, Md. (20-3)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Auteaonna Gilmore (23 points) and Chloe Jackson (20) teamed for 43 points in a 61-53 victory over H.D. Woodson (Washington, D.C.). Jackson, a 5-9 junior, totaled 52 points in two games.

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

Previous: 25.

Low-down: The Royals defeated Edina, 57-38, as Northwestern-bound F Nia Coffey netted 21 points.

24. Science Hill, Johnson City, Tenn. (21-3)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: The Lady Hilltoppers lost to ranked Marion County (Lebanon, Ky.), 61-58.

25. Fairmont, Kettering, Ohio (16-1)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Lost to league rivals Centerville, 54-46, but rallied to take out Springfield, 68-13.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Good Counsel, Olney, Md. (17-3)

2. Seton LaSalle, Pittsburgh (16-1)

3. Lake Taylor, Norfolk, Va. (18-0)

4. Archbishop Spalding, Severn, Md. (18-1)

5. Life Center Academy, Burlington, N.J. (17-1)

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

Midlands

1. Twinsburg, Ohio (17-0)

2. Whitney Young, Chicago (20-4)

3. Bedford (Ind.) North Lawrence (19-0)

4. Marian Catholic, Chicago Heights, Ill. (23-1)

5. St. Thomas More, Champaign, Ill. (25-2)

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

South

1. New Hope Christian Academy, Thomasville, N.C. (22-1)

2. Dutch Fork, Irmo, S.C. (20-0)

3. Blackman, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (20-1)

4. Plano West, Plano, Texas (29-3)

5. Norcross, Ga. (17-4)

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

Far West

1. Regis Jesuit, Aurora, Colo. (14-1)

2. St. Mary’s, Berkeley, Calif. (17-4)

3. Pinnacle, Phoenix (23-2)

4. Oregon City, Ore. (16-1)

5. Bingham, South Jordan, Utah (17-0)

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

Records are though Monday.

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 Senior Writer Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators and prep sports writers.