HIGH LIFE: No. 1 Lake Highland Prep (FL) secures second consecutive state championship, invitation to GEICO Nationals; Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings taking shape in March

BENSALEM, Pa. – The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings are starting to take shape. No. 1 Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.) captured the FHSAA Class 4A state champion with a sparkling 19-0 record.

That victory, the 35^th consecutive triumph for coach Al Honor’s team, also punched their ticket to the GEICO High School Nationals, which will be held April 1-3 in Fort Myers, Fla. Last year, the GEICO Nationals were scheduled for New York and then Roebuck, South Carolina but were canceled over coronavirus concerns.

This year the event moves to Florida sunshine. The Highlanders will be joined by three other teams. No. 3 Westlake (Atlanta) is a leading candidate for the tournament and are heavy favorites to win Georgia’s Class AAAAAA championship on the weekend of March 12. Expect the Utah Class 6A winner to get an invite plus one other school.

Elsewhere, there are no additions or movement in the Elite 25 girls’ rankings. Lake Highland Prep wasn’t the only state champion from the Elite 25 crowned. In South Carolina, No. 22 Cardinal Newman (Columbia) won the state independent Class AAA championship and four Indiana schools took home state titles last weekend too.

The Texas Class 6A state tournament Final Four will be finalized this week. Same goes for the Ohio Division I tournament that features No. 2 Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati) and No. 18 Newark. In Alabama, No. 9 Hazel Green plays for the Class 6A championship Wednesday morning in Birmingham. No. 10 Hoover will do the same Wednesday afternoon in Class 7A. New Jersey schools No. 7 St. John Vianney (Holmdel) and No. 19 Rutgers Prep (Somerset) finish their seasons this week without state playoffs.

Well, that wraps up the last week in February and a look ahead to early March.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings will return on March 10.

Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for our staff updates. We’ll keep you abreast of anything breaking on the girls’ basketball universe. For now, keep safe and mask up.

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

 Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings, March 3, 2021

1. Lake Highland Prep, Orlando, Fla. (19-0)*

Previous rank: 1.

The Low-down: Won the Class 4A state championship, trouncing Lincoln Park (Fort Pierce), 84-30. Nyla Harris was nearly perfect from the floor, converting 10-of-11 shots for 21 points and added 6 assists and 5 steals. Eleecia Carter and Stefanie Ingram scored 14 points apiece for the winners, who led 51-19 at halftime. In the semifinals, the Highlanders stopped Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), 44-32, as Carter had 16 points and 4 assists and Harris added 13 points and 5 rebounds. Next stop is the GEICO Nationals in April.

2. Mount Notre Dame, Cincinnati (24-0)

Previous: 2.

The Low-down: Defeated Lakota East (West Chester), 56-22, to win Division I Princeton District 2 championship. Next is Centerville Wednesday in the Region 4 semifinals. The winner gets Huber Heights Wayne or Mason (Cincinnati) Saturday in the final.

3. Westlake, Atlanta (17-0)

Previous: 3.

The Low-down: The Lady Lions continue their dominance in the Class AAAAAA state tournament by thrashing Brunswick, 84-36, in the second round and Northside (Warner Robins), 85-30, in the first round. In the quarterfinals, they met Kell (Marietta) Tuesday. The state semifinals are this weekend.

4. Cypress Creek, Houston (30-0)

Previous: 4.

The Low-down: The Cougars played Shadow Creek (Pearland) Tuesday night in the Class 6A, Region III finals. Also beat Summer Creek (Houston), 70-41, in the semifinals and Heights (Houston), 59-31, in the quarterfinals

5. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (12-0)

Previous: 5.

The Low-down: Taylor Woodson’s game-high 24 points propelled the Lady Royals over Edina, 81-34. Junior C Maya Nnaji bucketed 28 points in a 79-48 victory over Buffalo. Three games remain in the regular season.

6. DeSoto, Texas (25-2) #

Previous: 6.

The Low-down: The Lady Eagles advanced to the Class 6A, Region II final after crushing Langham Creek (Houston), 74-41 in the semifinals and Sachse, 56-23, in the quarterfinals. Houston-bound Kendall Brown netted 20 points in the quarters. DeSoto needs one more win to reach the state semifinals for the second time in three seasons. Next is a showdown with archrival Duncanville Tuesday for a trip to the Class 6A state final.

7. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (11-0)

Previous: 7.

The Low-down: Essentially the Lancers clinched New Jersey’s top ranking since there are no state tournaments after knocking off previously-unbeaten Trenton Catholic Academy (Hamilton), 62-55. Vianney’s 11-0 tear to open the fourth quarter erased a deficit. Junior Madison St. Rose led all scorers with 28 points (four 3-pointers) and cleared 6 rebounds. The Lancers are the top seed in the Shore Conference Tournament that tips off Tuesday with Jackson Memorial in the quarterfinals.

8. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (24-0)

Previous: 8.

The Low-down: The Red Knights opened the postseason with a resounding 89-34 victory over Hazelwood Central (Florissant) in the Class 6, District 5 semifinals. Next is Pattonville Thursday in the district final.

9. Hazel Green, Ala. (35-1)

Previous: 9.

The Low-down: Samiya Steele’s 18 points on the 7-of-11 shooting were enough to overcome McGill-Toolen Catholic (Mobile), 55-45, in the Class 6A state semifinals. The Lady Trojans return to the state final for the fifth straight year and have won the last three 6A titles. They meet Carver Montgomery (Montgomery) Wednesday for the 6A crown.

10. Hoover, Ala. (31-1)

Previous: 10.

The Low-down: The Lady Bucs advanced to the Class 7A state semifinals after beating Clemens (Austin), 61-25, in the region final. They beat Auburn, 55-36, in the Class 7A semifinals as Reniya Kelly scored 16 points. Next is Hewitt-Trussville for the state title on Wednesday afternoon.

11. Converse (Texas) Judson (25-1)

Previous: 11.

The Low-down: The Rockets played San Antonio Reagan Tuesday in the Class 6A, Region IV final with the winner going to the state tournament. They beat Harlingen, 61-38, in the Class 6A, Region IV semifinals

12. Edison Public Academy, Detroit (7-0)

Previous: 12.

The Low-down: The Pioneers won three times and had a close call. Michigan’s top-ranked team defeated Cass Tech (Detroit), 70-35, Mercy (Farmington Hills, Mich.), 48-47, in overtime and West Bloomfield, 62-53.

13. Simeon, Chicago (3-0)

Previous: 13.

The Low-down: The Wolverines rolled over Hyde Park (Chicago), 96-33, and Evanston, 62-45.

14. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (0-0)

Previous: 14.

The Low-down: The CIF-Southern Section Open Division champions won’t play until the spring.

15. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (0-0)

Previous: 15.

The Low-down: California Interscholastic Federation teams won’t start until the spring.

16. Grandview, Aurora, Colo. (11-0)

Previous: 16.

The Low-down: Whenever teams jump to a 25-6 lead through one quarter it’s an indication of a blowout. And that’s exactly what happened when the Wolves walloped Eaglecrest (Centennial), 74-32, on Senior Night. The also trounced Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), 63-36. The Wolves are cruising and the closest game they’ve had this season is a 15-point margin. The regular season ends Saturday with Overland (Aurora). Junior C Lauren Betts, Stanford pledge, surpassed 1,000 career points last week.

17. Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (12-0)

Previous: 17.

The Low-down: Defeated Vista Peak (Aurora), 90-22. The Eagles close out the regular season Wednesday vs. George Washington (Denver).

18. Newark, Ohio (26-1)

Previous: 18.

The Low-down: Maddie Vejsicky bucketed a game-high 36, sinking 10 3-pointers, when the Wildcats ripped Watkins Memorial (Pataskala), 72-38, in the Division I district final. The Wildcats played Pickerington Central Tuesday in the Region 3 semifinals. The final is Saturday afternoon.

19. Rutgers Prep, Somerset, N.J. (10-0)

Previous: 19.

The Low-down: The Argonauts behind Villanova-bound Christina Dalce’s 15 points Franklin (Somerset), 65-33. Belle Pellecchia scored 15 points when the Argos trounced Montgomery (Skillman), 87-27. It was 24-1 after one quarter and 48-9 at the break. Game with Ridge (Basking Ridge) was canceled. Additionally, the top-seeded Argos crushed Hillsborough, 82-36, in the Skyland Conference Blue Division Tournament quarterfinals. They play Hunterdon Central (Flemington) Wednesday in the semifinals. The title game is Friday.

20. Winston Salem Christian, Winston-Salem, N.C. (25-1)

Previous: 20.

The Low-down: Idle.

21. Paul VI, Chantilly, Va. (10-0)

Previous: 21.

The Low-down: Season complete.

22. Cardinal Newman, Columbia, S.C (18-1)*

Previous: 22.

The Low-down: Won third consecutive SCISA Class AAA state championship, beating Northwood Academy (Summerville), 53-43, in the final. Junior C Ashlyn Watkins had a monster game with 23 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocks. Also beat Florence Christian, 53-33, in the semifinals and Porter-Gaud (Charleston), 86-24, in the quarterfinals. Season complete.

23. New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, Md. (10-3)*

Previous: 23.

The Low-down: The Lady Tigers had one game postponed and another canceled. This week they face Archbishop Spalding (Severn) Thursday.

24. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (22-2)

Previous: 24.

The Low-down: Idle.

25. Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (7-1)

Previous: 25.

The Low-down: The Vikings faced two of the stronger teams from the Philadelphia Catholic League and dispatched both of them. Kaitlyn Orihel flipped in 24 points and Ryanne Allen added 15 in a 57-51 win over Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia). They also put away reigning PCL Tournament champion West Catholic (Philadelphia), 79-48. Four games remain in the regular season and then four rounds in the Class AAAA state tournament.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (10-0)*
2. Trenton Catholic Academy, Hamilton, N.J. (10-1)
3. Madison, Vienna, Va. (16-1)*
4. Trinity, Washington, Pa. (18-1)
5. Bridgewater (Mass.)-Raynham (12-0)

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

 Midwest

1. Crown Point, Ind. (25-1)*
2. Pius X, Lincoln, Neb. (22-0)
3. Germantown, Wis. (29-1)*
4. Mason, Ohio (20-0)
5. Farmington, Minn. (13-0)

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

 Southland

1. Duncanville, Texas (28-2)
2. Ponchatoula, La. (31-0)
3. Bearden, Knoxville, Tenn. (28-1)
4. Norman, Okla. (15-0)
5. Elizabethtown, Ky. (17-0)

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

Far West

1. Fremont, Plain City, Utah (23-0)
2. Herriman, Utah (21-1)
3. Seton Catholic Prep, Chandler, Ariz. (15-0)
4. Casteel, Queen Creek, Ariz. (14-0)
5. Mountain View, Meridian, Idaho (20-2)*

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

* Won state championship or national tournament title

 # Includes forfeit loss

Records are through Monday

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 nationwide. 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. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.