NATURAL HIGH: Lake Highlands Prep (FL) earns top spot in Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings; No. 11 Winston Salem Christian (NC) soars, No. 17 Duncanville (TX) tumbles

HOLLYWOOD BEACH, Fla. – It’s been more than month since the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings were updated and frankly there was some movement but the COVID-19 coronavirus has put a crimp in the season.

Normally the holiday basketball schedule is loaded with supreme events that match up the top teams. Hey, it’s a lot easier when events such as the Nike Tournament of Champions, West Coast Jamboree, Diamond State Classic, Title IX, Naples Holiday Shootout, Sandra Meadows Memorial Tournament and Iolani Classic are contested.

That changed this December. However, the silver lining of the December holiday schedule was the emergence of United Bank Tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was previously known as Cresmon Bank Holiday Classic but this year tournament director and former Myrtle Beach mayor John Rhodes scrambled to fill in the vacancies from the pandemic and did bang-up job. Rhodes had teams calling and he had an eight-team bracket that played from Dec. 19, 21-22 at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Expect more teams to opt in next year and more quality brackets to be created. Mostly teams from the Eastern seaboard (Georgia, the Carolinas, Maryland, Florida ) but this is a more economically efficient option for teams in the future. No. 1 Lake Highlands Prep (Orlando, Fla.) won the event and moved up to the top spot when preseason No. 1 Duncanville (Texas) lost for the first time in 40 games (on Dec. 22).

We’re still looking but many Martin Luther King Weekend events won’t take place. Next week we’ll cite the big ones that will be played.

Three teams enter the Elite 25 rankings: No. 11 Winston Salem Christian (N.C.), No. 12 Montverde (Fla.) Academy and No. 14 DeSoto (Texas).

The Elite 25 rankings continue to be fluid. There are 11 teams that have not played games and California isn’t scheduled (if it does play this season) to open until springtime. There is talk of games played outdoors. Each week more states are tipping off or starting practice. State tournaments won’t be played in some states and the regular seasons vary from 12 to 20 games.

You do the best you can with what you are offered. Personally, the 2020-21 is a wash. Play what you can and move onto to 2021-22 academic school year. We look forward to normalcy and day when gymnasiums are packed and regular seasons go uninterrupted.

The Elite 25 girls’ rankings will return on Jan. 13 and then each Wednesday until the Winter/Spring seasons are complete.

Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for our staff updates. We’ll keep you abreast of anything breaking in the girls’ hoop universe. For now stay safe.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings, Jan. 6, 2021

1. Lake Highlands Prep, Orlando, Fla. (10-0)

Previous rank: 2.

The Low-down: Won the United Bank Championship Division championship, toppling then-No. 3 New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.), 36-33, in the final. Stefanie Ingram netted 14 points and Nyla Harris collected 9 points and 17 rebounds. Next up is No. 12 Montverde (Fla.) Academy tonight in a nationally-charged matchup. Only the Highlanders’ A-game will suffice to remain in the top spot in the Elite 25 rankings.

2. Mount Notre Dame, Cincinnati (10-0)

Previous: 4.

The Low-down: The Cougars own authoritative victories over out-of-state teams from Indiana, Tennessee and Alabama. Dr Scott Rogers’ team is back in town this week for two games and nine scheduled games are left in the regular season.

3. Westlake, Atlanta (6-0)

Previous: 5.

The Low-down: The Lions, Georgia’s top-ranked Class AAAAAAA team, look solid through the first month of the term, and return to action after a two-week layoff against Morrow (Ga.) Wednesday.

4. Cypress Creek, Houston (16-0)

Previous: 9.

The Low-down: The Lady Cougars are No. 1 in UIL Texas’ Class 6A rankings.

5. New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, Md. (4-1)

Previous: 3.

The Low-down: The Lady Tigers advanced to the championship game of the United Bank Championship Division but lost to No. 1 Lake Highlands Prep (Orlando, Fla.), 36-33, in the final. Coach Sam Caldwell’s team will be okay with the bulk of the schedule straight ahead and qualifying for the GEICO Nationals their ultimate goal.

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

Previous: 6.

The Low-down: The Lancers won’t tipoff until later this month and are flush with Division I recruits.

7. Simeon, Chicago (0-0)

Previous: 7.

The Low-down: Idle. Illinois schools await the start of the season.

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

Previous: 8.

The Low-down: The CIF-Southern Section Open Division champions won’t play until the spring but they are very good with Stanford-bound Brooke Demetre as the go-to player.

9. Hoover, Ala. (12-0)

Previous: 11.

The Low-down: Alabama’s top-ranked Class 7A squad won the Big Orange Classic, sweeping three state-ranked opponents. The Lady Bucs’ defense allows only 40 points per game.

10. Renaissance, Detroit (0-0)

Previous: 10.

The Low-down: Idle. Michigan has not determined a start date.

11. Winston Salem Christian, Winston-Salem, N.C. (19-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: Do Lions ever rest? Nineteen games in less than two months is a torrid pace but that’s coach/former NBA guard Delaney Rudd’s style. Last weekend, they won three games at She’s Got Game Classic in Georgia.

12. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (13-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: The Eagles meet No. 1 Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) Wednesday in showdown that determines the top team from the Sunshine State.

13. Converse (Texas) Judson (11-0)

Previous: 19.

The Low-down: The Rockets were perfect in November and December. This week they play two district games.

14. DeSoto, Texas (12-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: It’s been an interesting start of the season for the Eagles, who lost to an Oklahoma team but then knocked off District 11-6A archrivals and previous top-ranked Duncanville, 62-55, on Dec. 22. The district rematch is Jan. 23 at home.

15. Reynoldsburg, Ohio (3-0)

Previous: 22.

The Low-down: After a late start, the Raiders picked three wins after Christmas.

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

Previous: 15.

The Low-down: Won the 49^th Visitation Tournament title, beating Westminster (Town & Country), 58-54, in the final. Six-three post Natalie Potts poured in a game-high 25 points. The Red Knights play twice this week.

17. Duncanville, Texas (15-1)

Previous: 1.

The Low-down: The Pantherettes were upended by DeSoto, 62-55, on Dec. 22. It halted the defending UIL Class 6A champions win streak at 40 games. In spite of the loss, they rebounded to for three consecutive wins heading into this week’s District 11-6A play

18. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (0-0)

Previous: 12.

The Low-down: Idle. The season opens on Jan. 15 against Eden Prairie with first-year coach Tara Starks at the helm.

19. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (0-0)

Previous: 13.

The Low-down: The defending Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champions won’t get underway until later this month.

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

Previous: 14.

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

21. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (0-0)

Previous: 16.

The Low-down: Idle. McDonald’s All American shoo-in Azzi Fudd, who signed with Connecticut and the nation’s top-ranked senior, is worth the wait.

22. Bolingbrook, Ill. (0-0)

Previous: 18.

The Low-down: Idle. Illinois is still on pause.

23. Rutgers Prep, Somerset, N.J. (0-0)

Previous: 23.

The Low-down: Idle. Practice gets underway in New Jersey next week. Coach Mary Klinger’s team is absolutely loaded.

24. Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (0-0)

Previous: 24.

The Low-down: Idle. Colorado hoops tip off later this month.

25. Cardinal Newman, Columbia, S.C (5-1)

Previous: 21.

The Low-down: Lost to No. 1 Winston Salem Christian (Winston-Salem, N.C.) , 50-47, after a COVID-19 pause within the program that canceled three games and a tournament appearance in nearby Myrtle Beach. Next scheduled games are Jan. 11 and 12. Junior C Ashlyn Watkins is worth the drive.

Dropped: No. 17 Penn (Mishawaka, Ind.); No. 20 Carmel (Ind.) and No. 25 Winter Haven (Fla.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic (0-0)
2. Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (0-0)
3. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (0-0)
4. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (0-0)
5. Chartiers Valley, Bridgeville, Pa. (1-0)

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

 Midwest

1. Penn, Mishawaka, Ind. (12-2)
2. Germantown, Wis. (13-0)
3. Edison Public Academy, Detroit (0-0)
4. Waukee, Iowa (2-0)
5. Wayzata, Plymouth, Minn. (0-0)

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

 Southland

1. Norman, Okla. (5-0)
2. Classen SAS, Oklahoma City, Okla. (7-0)
3. Hazel Green, Ala. (18-1)
4. Blanche Ely, Pompano Beach, Fla. (5-0)
5. Winter Haven, Fla. (5-0)

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

Far West

1. Grandview, Aurora, Colo. (0-0)
2. Fremont, Plain City, Utah (8-0)
3. Valley Vista, Surprise, Ariz. (0-0)
4. Iolani School, Honolulu (0-0)
5. West Linn, Ore. (0-0)

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 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.