BENSALEM, Pa. – Happy New Year! That means the month of January has arrived along with the final batch of national events and the start of the postseason in select states.
And that means the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings have a fresh look with the pre- and post- Christmas events and tournaments.
Two teams from the East Coast join the Elite. No. 8 Grace Christian School (Sanford, N.C.) and No. 14 Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.) are the newcomers after winning major tournaments in North Carolina.
This week five teams moved up in the Elite 25, eight remained in the same position, there were the two additions and 10 went down with No. 8 Bullis School (Potomac, Md.) slipping eight slots.
Well, that’s it for another week. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings return Wednesday, Jan. 7. Because of the holidays, we were out earlier in the week. We will keep the Wednesday release in the weekly rotation until the final rankings in April.
Hopefully, 2026 is a healthy and prosperous one.
Bye for now.
Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor
Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Dec. 31, 2025
1. Ontario (Calif.) Christian (16-0)
Previous rank: 1.
Lowdown: Dani Robinson scored 22 points and Tatiana Griffin added 18 when the Knight defeated Summer Creek (Houston, Texas), 76-54. Up next is Carondelet (Concord, Calif.), a Northern California power, on Friday at the Sabrina Ionescu Showcase and a second game at the event the following day in Concord.
2. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (8-2)
Previous: 2.
Lowdown: The Lady Mustangs defeated Good Counsel (Olney), 75-49, in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference opener
3. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (9-1)
Previous: 3.
Low-down: Defeated Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 77-50, and Morris Catholic (Denville, N.J.), 70-53.
4. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (9-1)
Previous: 5.
Lowdown: Idle.
5. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (13-1)
Previous: 5.
Lowdown: Won the Desert Holiday Classic in Indio, Calif.
6. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (10-2)
Previous: 8.
Lowdown: Idle.
7. Etiwanda, Calif. (11-2)
Previous: 9.
Lowdown: Won the POA Holiday Classic in Portland, Oregon, beating Tualatin (Ore.), 51-41, in the final.
8. Grace Christian School, Sanford, N.C. (14-0)
Previous: Not ranked.
Low-down: North Carolina’s top-ranked team enters the Elite 25 after winning the Cherokee Invitational, stopping then-No. a;orkgh Montverde (Fla.) Academy, 63-62, in the final. The Crusaders face Newton (Covington, Ga.) on Friday and Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.) on Saturday at the Atlanta She Got Game event.
9. Westtown School, West Chester, Pa. (10-1)
Previous: 4.
Lowdown: Idle.
10. DME Academy, Daytona Beach, Fla. (12-0)
Previous: 11.
Lowdown: Idle.
11. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (9-2)
Previous: 7.
Lowdown: Idle.
12. Spire Academy Geneva, Ohio (7-0)
Previous: 12.
Lowdown: Idle.
13. Westlake, Austin, Texas (24-0)
Previous: 13.
Lowdown: Went 4-0 to win the Leander Glenn Tournament title.
14. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (9-0)
Previous: Not ranked.
Lowdown: Won the John Wall Invitational Wonderland Bracket in Raleigh, N.C.
15. St. James Performance Academy, Springfield, Va. (7-3)
Previous: 14.
Lowdown: Idle.
16. Bradley Central, Cleveland, Tenn. (12-0)
Previous: 15.
Low-down: Defeated Riverdale (Murfreesboro), 61-13, and James Clemons (Madison, Ala.), 78-43.
17. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (10-2)
Previous: 16.
Lowdown: Won the Junior Orange Bowl Classic in Miami with a 4-0 record.
18. Bullis School, Potomac, Md. (9-4)
Previous: 10.
Low-down: Lost to No. 14 Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.), 70-57, in John Wall Invitational Wonderland Bracket final.
19. Monsignor Scanlan, Bronx, N.Y. (10-2)
Previous: 17.
Lowdown: Idle.
20. Johnston, Iowa (9-0)
Previous: 18.
Lowdown: Idle.
21. Belleville, Mich. (3-0)
Previous: 19.
Lowdown: Idle.
22. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (9-1)
Previous: 20.
Lowdown: Defeated Davies (Fargo, N.D.), 64-30, and Lakeville North (Minn.), 83-51.
23. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (10-3)
Previous: 22.
Lowdown: Finished in third place at John Wall Holiday Invitational Wonderland Bracket.
24. Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, Ky. (7-2)
Previous: 24.
Lowdown: Idle.
25. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (7-2)
Previous: 25.
Lowdown: Won Visitation Tournament (Frontenac, Mo.) Tournament, beating Principia School (St. Louis), 71-44, in the championship game. Peyton Olufson scored 16 points with two 3s, and grabbed 4 rebounds.
Dropped: No. 23 Providence Academy (Plymouth, Minn.) and No. 25 Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.).
High-Fives by Region
East
- Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic (6-0)
- St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (5-0)
- Friends’ Central, Wynnewood, Pa. (8-2)
- Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (5-2)
- Norwin, North Huntington, Pa. (7-0)
Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Midwest
- Warsaw, Ind. (13-1)
- Minnetonka, Minn. (10-0)
- Arrowhead, Hartland, Wis. (9-0)
- Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. 12-1)
- Pike, Indianapolis (13-1)
Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Southland
- Hoover, Ala. (17-1)
- Miami (Fla. Country Day (12-1)
- Winter Haven, Fla. (12-2)
- San Antonio (Texas) Wagner (21-0)
- North Paulding, Dallas, Ga. (14-1)
Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Far West
- Tualatin, Ore. (7-1)
- St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (11-1)
- Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (11-1)
- Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (17-1)
- Pleasant Grove, Utah (12-0)
Geography: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Girls Basketball Rankings are released weekly from mid-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, social mediums and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released in April of the 2025-26 season. Follow him on X at @clawlor.
