CHICAGO – It appears to be a wrap. That means top-ranked Duncanville (Texas) is virtually lock for the Blue Star Media National Championship.
Last week in Sacramento, Calif., No. 7 Miramonte (Orinda) fell to No. 5 Chaminade (West Hills) in the CIF Open Division championship contest. It shuffled the Elite 25 rankings a tad but the real movement will be reserved for the Dick’s Sporting Good High School National Tournament this weekend in New York. Three teams in the Dick’s National are Elite 25 worthy and a worthy is knocking on door in the Far West Region.
The matchups are big-time: Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, Md.) vs. St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.), 11 a.m. EDT,, and Seton Catholic Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) vs. Ribault (Jacksonville, Fla.), 1 p.m. Riverdale Baptist won the 2014 Dick’s Nationals and is the lone team to have played in the event on the highest stage at Madison Square Garden. The winner will get bump in the Elite 25 after picking up two impressive wins.
The television schedule:
The three-day, single-elimination tournament begins Friday, at 12 p.m. ET (boys quarterfinals on ESPNU) and continues on April 1, at 11 a.m., all from Christ the King High School (girls semifinals on ESPNU and boys semifinals on ESPN2). On Saturday, competition shifts to Madison Square Garden, where a girls (ESPN2 at 10 a.m.) and boys champion (12 p.m. on ESPN) will be crowned.
The Elite 25 girls and boys’ rankings will be released again on April 3.
Check back periodically at www.bluestarmedia.org for updates, photos and columns. Our staff is always attending events and keeping you abreast of the latest issues.
We hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor
Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ rankings, March 30, 2016
1. Duncanville, Texas (39-0)*
Previous rank: 1.
Low-down: Won Class 6A state championship. It was the program’s third title in four years and ninth overall plus a fifth undefeated season with the last in 2013. Season complete.
2. Centennial, Las Vegas (31-1)*
Previous: 2.
Low-down: Won Division I state championship. Season complete.
3. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (33-1)*
Previous: 3.
Low-down: Won a 10th straight Virginia Independent Schools Division I tournament and third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Tournament and regular season titles. Season complete.
4. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (29-1)*
Previous: 5.
Low-down: Won a second straight PIAA Class AA state championship. In two seasons, coach Andrea Peterson is 59-1 with two state championships. That’s one of the greatest starts to a coaching career. Season complete.
5. Chaminade, West Hills, Calif. (31-4)*
Previous: 13.
Low-down: The Eagles captured the CIF Open Division championship, beating then-No. 4 Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.), 80-71, in the final. Leaonna Odom’s last prep game was memorable, contributing 33 points, 15 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists. The point production was an Open Division single-game record. The Duke-bound senior is playing in the McDonald’s All American Game this week here. Season complete.
6. St. Mary’s Stockton, Calif. (28-1)
Previous: 6.
Low-down: Won ninth straight sectional title and 17th overall CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship. Advanced to the NorCal Regional semifinals. Season complete.
7. Miramonte, Orinda, Calif. (32-1)
Previous: 4.
Low-down: Lost in the CIF Open Division final to No. 13 Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.), 80-71. Sabrina Ionescu, a McDonald’s All American, posted a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in her last varsity game. Season complete.
8. Canyon, Texas (35-1)*
Previous: 7
Low-down: Won a third straight state championship and 18th overall state tournament title. Season complete.
9. St. Francis, Alpharetta, Ga. (31-1)*
Previous: 8.
Low-down: Won second consecutive Class A Private state championship. Next stop is the Dick’s Nationals semifinals in New York on April 1.
10. Ribault, Jacksonville, Fla. (29-1)*
Previous: 9.
Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship. The Dick’s Nationals are next and No. 9 St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) is the semifinal opponent on April 1 in Middle Village, N.Y., which is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens.
11. Bellevue, Wash. (29-0)*
Previous: 10.
Low-down: Won Class 3A state championship. Season complete.
12. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (36-3)*
Previous: 11.
Low-down: After winning two postseason tournaments and playing a challenging national schedule, the Lady Crusaders head back to the Dick’s Nationals. They last won it in 2014 and will play Seton Catholic Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) in the semifinals on Friday in Middle Village, N.Y.
13. Konawaena, Kealakekua, Hawaii (24-1)*
Previous: 12.
Low-down: Won second straight Division I state championship. Season complete.
14. Riverdale, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (32-4)*
Previous: 14.
Low-down: Won Division I Class AAA state championship for the fifth state title and first since 2013. Season complete.
15. Wenonah, Birmingham, Ala. (33-1)*
Previous: 15.
Low-down: Won third consecutive Class 5A state championship. Season complete.
16. Lynnwood, Bothell, Wash. (26-1)
Previous: 16.
Low-down: Finished third in the Class 3A state tournament. Season compete.
17. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (32-3)*
Previous: 17.
Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship for the second straight year. Season complete.
18. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (29-2)*
Previous: 18.
Low-down: Won third straight Class 5A state championship and state-record seventh overall. The Cavaliers competed in their state-record eighth straight final and 10th overall. Season complete.
19. Poly, Long Beach, Poly, Calif. (27-6)
Previous: 19.
Low-down: Advanced to the CIF-Southern California Region Open Division final. Season complete.
20. North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (36-2)
Previous: 20.
Low-down: Advanced to the Class 6A state tournament semifinals. Season complete.
21. Wadsworth, Ohio (28-1)*
Previous: 21.
Low-down: Won Division I state championship and second overall. Season complete.
22. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (29-2)
Previous: 22.
Low-down: Advanced to Division I Sunset Region final. Season complete.
23. Providence Day School, Charlotte, N.C. (27-2)*
Previous: 23.
Low-down: Won seventh straight North Carolina Independent Schools 3A championship. Season complete.
24. South Salem, Salem, Ore. (28-1)*
Previous: 24.
Low-down: Won second straight Class 6A state championship. Season complete.
25. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (31-1)*
Previous: 25.
Low-down: The Lady Lancers won the State Tournament of Champions for girls’ state record seventh time. Also captured a 17th state title taking home the Non-Public A crown. Season complete.
Dropped: None.
High-Fives by Region
East
- Forestville, Md. (25-2)*
- Cumberland Valley, Mechanicsburg, Pa. (29-3)*
- Ossining, N.Y. (28-2)*
- Manasquan, N.J. (28-7)*
- Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (25-6)*
Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Midwest
- Penn, Mishawka, Ind. (28-2)*
- Fremd, Palatine, Ill. (31-3)
- South, Wichita, Kan. (25-0)*
- Minnetonka, Minn. (25-4)*
- Archbishop Alter, Kettering, Ohio (28-2)*
Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Southland
- Argyle, Texas (35-1)*
- Spring (Texas) Dekaney (37-2)
- LeFlore, Mobile, Ala. (35-0)*
- Butler, Louisville (31-5)*
- Lake Highland Prep, Orlando, Fla. (29-3)*
Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Far West
- Central Valley, Veradale, Wash. (28-0)*
- Seton Catholic Prep, Chandler, Ariz. (32-1)*
- Brea (Calif.) Olinda (29-4)*
- ThunderRidge, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (26-3)*
- Layton, Utah (25-0)*
Geography: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
* Won state, national or conference/league postseason tournament championship
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 in early April. 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, administrators and prep sports writers. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.
Senior Writer and national analyst for Blue Media and compiles the Blue Star Elite 25 national boys and girls high school basketball and football rankings during the season. Lawlor, an award-winning writer, is a voting committee member and advisor for several national high school events, including the McDonald’s All-American Games. He previously wrote for USA TODAY and ESPN.com, where he was the national preps writer, while compiling the national rankings in four sports.
