BENSALEM, Pa. – Mount Notre Dame of Cincinnati, Ohio maintained a steely grip on No. 1 in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings.

The Cougars completed a perfect 22-0 regular season and move onto the Ohio Division I postseason with a strong chance of repeating the state title feat.

Nos. 1-10 were unchanged and comfortably comprise the best of the Elite 25. No. 11 Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, Md.), an independent school neat Washington, D.C., has scheduled ambitiously and gets a healthy bump of seven positions.

The metrics also show that 12 teams were status quo and six teams dipped in the Elite 25. The biggest fall belongs to No. 21 Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) at seven spots following a shock loss and No. 24 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) dropped six after an upset.

Meanwhile, six teams rose in the Elite 25 for the opening week of February.

No. 23 Lake Highlands Prep (Orlando, Fla.) enters the Elite 25 rankings this week. The Highlanders are poised to win Florida’s Class 4A state championship and anything less would be an upset.

In the south Pacific, the Hawaii state championships will be played this week in Honolulu. Iolani School (Honolulu) is the top seed and the favorite, but don’t count out traditional powerhouse Konawaena (Kealakekua) from the island of Hawaii (or The Big Island).

Once the calendar moves to February that means the GEICO High School Nationals is right around the corner. The opening three months of the season nationally just sets up February when critical decisions will be made and the four coveted invitations will be extended for the event to be played at Christ the King High School in Middle Village, New York on April 3 and 4.

Though there are no slam dunks yet, it’s easy to add teams to the short list. Heading into the second weekend of February, Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Tenn.), Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, Md.), Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), Westlake (Ga.) and Lake Highlands Prep (Orlando, Fla.) are five Elite 25 teams that have an edge. St. Frances Academy (Md.) is on the outside looking in after a poor run of play in the past 11 days.

However, teams from Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Florida, Georgia and Utah are in the running. We’ll still keep an eye on defending champions New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.) because there are too many postseason tournaments options remaining. And it’s not assured that McNamara will get the okay from the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference like St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.) did a year ago.

Figure that two independent schools and two public school state champions from the states aforementioned will compose the field. Each week until the bracket is revealed we’ll handicap the proceedings. We’re hearing a few eyebrows will be raised if particular Elite 25 teams win state championships and get the thumbs up from their state governing bodies.

That’s it for this week.

Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from showcase events, postseason tournaments and key games all season. We’ll keep you abreast of anything breaking in the girls’ hoop world.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings return on February 12.

We hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Feb. 5, 2020

1. Mount Notre Dame, Cincinnati (22-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Won the Girls Greater Cincinnati League championship with an 8-0 record after dispatching Seton (Cincinnati), 77-40. Sophomore KK Bransford pocketed a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds and Makira Cook bucketed 14 points, making two 3-pointers. The Cougars also bested No. 24 St. Joseph Central Catholic (Huntington, W.Va.), 80-72, at the Tackett Auto Body Shootout in Ironton, Ohio. It was a decisive 22-13 run in the second period that opened up a 34-23 lead at the interval. Cook threw in 27 points and Branford added 26 points, 8 rebounds and 6 steals. The regular season is complete and the Ohio Division I playoffs are next.

2. Hamilton Heights Christian, Chattanooga, Tenn. (21-1)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: The Lady Hawks were dominant in a 72-46 thumping of Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.).

3. La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day (24-1)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Beat JSerra (San Juan Capistrano), 78-29, and Bonita Vista, 69-40. Meanwhile, the regular season concludes on Feb. 14 for the Torreys, who should by then clinch the Coastal League title.

4. Cypress Creek, Houston (33-0)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: The Cougars won district games by 54 and 60 points. Only three games remain in the season.

5. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (22-3)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: A perfect run in the Gold Coast League can be had Tuesday at Paraclete (Lancaster) and the Trailblazers have a transcontinental flight to New Jersey for games in the Metro Classic against Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) Friday and Rutgers Prep (Somerset) Saturday in Toms River. After that the postseason gets underway.

6. Southeast Raleigh, Raleigh, N.C (19-1)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Since starting Cap 7 Conference play against the Raleigh schools but the games have been noncompetitive for the most part. Thank goodness only four games are left before tournament play begins.

7. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (19-0)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Two more lopsided Lake Conference victories for the Royals, who have a light week ahead at Buffalo Friday. Connecticut-bound Paige Bueckers accrued 43 points and 13 assists in two games.

8. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (21-3)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Frank Oliver Jr.’s team has no let up and improved to 13-0 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference with two lopsided wins. The Lady Mustangs carried a 16-game win streak into Tuesday’s showdown at No. 20 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) and you can bet the two will meet later this month in the WCAC Tournament.

9. Ensworth School, Nashville, Tenn. (21-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: The end of January schedule finally caught up but the Tigers were up to the challenge of bagging all four wins, including three on successive days last weekend. The schedule normalizes this week with two region games against Lipscomb Academy (Nashville) Tuesday and Brentwood Academy Friday.

10. Northwestern, Kokomo, Ind. (23-0)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Idle. The Tigers played the host school on Tuesday in the Logansport Sectional first round. The winner gets Marion in the semifinals on Friday.

11. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (19-3)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Buried Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia), 54-23. Five games left in the regular season and the Lady Crusaders need to win out to entertain an invite to the GEICO Nationals.

12. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (17-1)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Crushed previously unbeaten St. John Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.), 77-51, for a fifth quality win this campaign. This week the Lady Crusaders meet Brooklyn (N.Y.) Law and Tech Friday and St. Thomas Aquinas (Edison, N.J.) Sunday. After those games only three are left in the regular season.

13. Duncanville, Texas (29-3)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The Pantherettes have won 18 straight games with three remaining in District 8-6A.

14. DeSoto, Texas (27-2)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The Lady Eagles have three district games left, including two this week, and must win all three to ice the District 7-6A crown.

15. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (25-2)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Kudos to coach Kevin Kiernan who became California’s first girls’ coach to reach 800 wins. The Monarchs dusted Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 61-46, at the Nike Extravaganza on their home court. Alyssa Durazo-Frescas netted 12 points and Brooke Demetre contributed 14 points and 8 rebounds .

16. Edison Public School Academy, Detroit (12-0)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Finally, the Pioneers had a competitive in-state game and narrowly beat Renaissance (Detroit), 54-52. Most of the games against Michigan teams were decided by heavy double-figures with the exception of an earlier game with Michigan Center at 16 points. Coach Monique Brown’s club hosted Southfield Arts and Technology on Tuesday for this week’s lone contest.

17. Amarillo, Texas (29-2)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: The Lady Sandies are 13-0 in District 3-5A but played Monterey (Lubbock) on Tuesday to determine the regular season champion. The season concludes with Lubbock on Feb. 11.

18. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (24-2)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: It was a three win week and a welcoming sight as the regular term finishes this week with St. Viator (Arlington Heights) Wednesday and Evanston Saturday at Northwestern University’s Welsh-Ryan Arena. The latter is one of the better games in the nation this week.

19. Westlake, Atlanta (23-2)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Closed the season with an eight-game winning streak and the Region 2-AAAAAAA regular season title at 10-0 and top seed in the Region 2 tournament.

20. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (21-3)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: The defense allowed only 39 and 43 points in a pair of WCAC wins. Bella Perkins and Fiona Hastick scored 12 points apiece in a 52-43 victory over St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.). The Panthers needed more of it against No. 8 Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) Tuesday in a league showdown. The WCAC playoffs are two weeks away.

21. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (22-4)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Lost to Windward School (Los Angeles), 58-51. The Lady Jackrabbits should rebound to win their final two Moore League games and clinch a perfect mark in the loop before the sectional playoffs begin.

22. Trenton Catholic Academy, Hamilton, N.J. (17-1)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Jasmin Boyd’s 15 points and 7 steals paced an 88-19 thrashing of Moorestown and Zoe Brook led three players in double figures with 19 points in an 81-55 defeat of Rancocas Valley (Mount Holly). The Lady Mikes host Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township) Monday in an intriguing late season matchup.

23. Lake Highlands Prep, Orlando, Fla. (22-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Highlanders enter the Florida Class 4A postseason as the favorite and the state’s top-ranked regardless of classification. Provided they win out an invitation to the GEICO Nationals is looking good.

24. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (19-3)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: For the second time in three games, the Panthers were shocked and lost a league game to McDonogh School (Owings Mills, Md.), 65-59. The regular season finishes up this Friday with Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.).

25. St. Joseph Central Catholic, Huntington, W.Va. (18-1)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: The Fighting Irish stay in the Elite 25 despite the 80-72 loss to No. 1 Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati) at the Tackett Auto Body Shootout in Ironton, Ohio. Grace Hutson and Hannah Roberts scored 19 points apiece and Dionna Gray had 18. They bounced back two days later to defeat Boyd County (Ashland, Ky.), 80-64.

Dropped: No. 20 Evanston (Ill.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, Md. (18-7)
2. Poly, Baltimore (16-1)
3. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (15-1)
4. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (17-1)
5. South Shore, Brooklyn, N.Y. (20-2)

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. (24-0)…F7
2. Homestead, Fort Wayne, Ind. (22-1)
3. Newark, Ohio (19-2)
4. Africentric Early College, Columbus, Ohio (14-4)
5. Millard South, Omaha, Neb. (19-0)

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

Southland

1. Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, Ky. (21-1)
2. Hoover, Ala. (27-2)
3. Cherokee, Canton, Ga. (23-2)
4. Meridian, Miss. (24-1)
5. Bradley Central, Cleveland, Tenn. (20-3)

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

Far West

1. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (17-3)
2. Windward, Los Angeles (19-4)
3. Cashmere, Wash. (17-0)
4. Woodinville, Wash. (20-0)
5. Centennial, Las Vegas (17-6)

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 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 Senior Writer Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released in April. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.