Neumann-Goretti (PA) holds down top spot in Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings; five additions bolster field

BENSALEM, Pa. – The latest Blue Star Media high school girls’ basketball rankings.

Check back periodically at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from showcase events all season. Our staff will be busy until early April. The next Elite 25 girls’ rankings will appear Jan. 21. Hope to see you at a game soon; please support your local high school teams. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Girls’ Basketball rankings, January 14, 2015

1. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (11-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low down: Defeated West Catholic (Philadelphia), 80-15, and Shipley School (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), 76-60. Georgia Tech-bound G Ciani Cryor recently surpassed 1,000 career points. The Saints have a challenging week with Philadelphia Catholic League powers Cardinal O’Hara (Springfield) and Archbishop Wood (Warminster) and then play Saturday against Upper Dublin (Fort Washington) at the Blue Star Elite High School Invitational in Radnor, Pa.

2. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (14-1)

Previous: 2.

Low down: The Monarchs cruised to victories by 43 and 24 points. Saturday’s game with Miramonte (Orinda) at the MLK Showcase in Stockton, Calif., will be another big test.

3. Blackman, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (14-2)

Previous: 4.

Low down: The Blaze recorded quality district wins over Smyrna, 65-42, and Riverdale (Murfreesboro), 56-48, to improve to 4-0.

4. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (12-1)

Previous: 5.

Low down: After averaging 86 points in two lopsided wins, the Rams host the MLK Showcase with games against regionally ranked Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth) on Saturday and La Jolla Country Day on Monday.

5. Bedford North Lawrence, Ind. (16-0)

Previous: 6.

Low down: The Stars stretched their two-season win streak to 30 games, beating Evansville Central, 58-41.

6. Potter’s House Christian, Jacksonville, Fla. (22-2)

Previous: 3.

Low down: The Lions went 2-1 at the New Year’s Resolution in New Jersey.

7. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (6-0)

Previous: 7.

Low down: Coach Mary Cicerone’s squad has mega games this weekend with league rivals Mercy (Farmington Hills) Friday—a team they beat in the last year’s Class A semifinals—and No. 8 Whitney Young (Chicago) Saturday in Ann Arbor.

8. Whitney Young, Chicago (13-1)

Previous: 8.

Low down: Junior G Kiara Lewis recorded 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals in a 66-57 victory over Heritage Christian (Indianapolis). This weekend another border battle at No. 7 Marian (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) in Ann Arbor, Mich.

9. Chaminade, West Hills, Calif. (13-2)

Previous: 6.

Low down: Valerie Higgins’ buzzer-beating driving layup propelled the Rams over Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth), 59-57, at the Sierra Canyon Super Showcase. Higgins accounted for 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks as the Rams rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes.

10. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (12-1)

Previous: 11.

Low down: USC-bound Aliyah Mazyck registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists in a 68-12 blowout of Independence (Charlotte). Saturday’s game with New Hope Christian Academy (Thomasville, N.C.) is one to circle.

11. Ridgeway, Memphis (14-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: The Roadrunners have a light week at Collierville on Tuesday. Their signature win this season is a 20-point blowout of Mississippi’s top-ranked Class 5A team Olive Branch.

12. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (13-0)

Previous: 13.

Low down: The Cavaliers played Maury (Norfolk) on Monday in a pivotal regional game.

13. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (14-1)

Previous: 14.

Low down: Edged Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), 53-52. North Carolina State-bound Jonquanae Cole netted six of 13 points in the final minutes after incurring foul trouble in the first half.

14. Long Island Lutheran, Brookhaven, N.Y. (8-2)

Previous: 18.

Low down: Defeated then-No. 10 Eastside (Paterson, N.J.), 53-45, at the New Year’s Resolution in Paterson

15. Miami (Fla.) Country Day (18-1)

Previous: 19.

Low down: Coach Ochiel Swaby’s team must respond this weekend with wins against Dunbar (Fort Meyers) and Dillard (Fort Lauderdale). After this week, there are only three games left in the regular season.

16. Cypress Woods, Cypress, Texas (19-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: The Wildcats are Texas’ top-ranked Class 6A team.

17. Osborne, Marietta, Ga. (14-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: Georgia’s top-ranked Class AAAAAA ha already beaten No. 25 McEachern (Powder Springs) and features Nikiri Goings and Maya Benham, both headed to Cincinnati.

18. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (15-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: The Wildcats defeated Pike (Indianapolis), 48-46, to take over first place in the competitive Metropolitan Conference. They need to win their final three conference games to close out a perfect campaign.

19. Elizabethtown, Ky. (16-2)

Previous: 20.

Low down: The Panthers dropped previously-undefeated Homestead (Fort Wayne, Ind.), 71-68, at the Kentucky-Indiana Challenge Cup. Next up is Fort Knox on Friday afternoon.

20. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (11-2)

Previous: 21.

Low down: The Jackrabbits returned home to register two lopsided wins in the Moore League.

21. Desert Vista, Phoenix (13-3)

Previous: 23.

Low down: The Thunder have 11 regular season games left—all in Arizona.

22. McEachern, Powder Springs, Ga. (12-2)

Previous: 25.

Low down: Te’a Cooper, a Tennessee recruit, flipped in 28 points in an 86-35 win over North Paulding (Dallas). Three games this week is capped by a date with Holy Innocents Episcopal on Saturday at the Krossover Classic in Lawrenceburg, Ga.

23. Braintree, Mass. (7-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low down: The Wamps are Massachusetts’ top-ranked team with quality wins over Bishop Williams (Braintree, Mass.) and Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) on their dossier. This week it’s three games against locals Needham, Weymouth and Wellesley.

24. Fremd, Palatine, Ill. (16-3)

Previous: 12.

Low down: The Vikings split two games at the Fremd Chicagoland Invitational Showcase 2015. In a 67-45 win over Crete-Monee, Duke-bound Haley Gorecki had a double-double, with 28 points and 10 rebounds.

25. Leavenworth, Kan. (6-1)

Previous: 22.

Low down: The defending Kansas Class 5A champions slipped this week against Shawnee Mission Northwest but get a pass.

Dropped: No. 10 Eastside, Paterson, N.J.; No. 15 Karr, New Orleans; No. 16 Westlake, Atlanta; No. 17 Archbishop Molloy, Briarwood, N.Y.; and No. 24 Vista Ridge, Cedar Park, Texas.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Cumberland Valley, Mechanicsburg, Pa. (10-1)

2. Stonewall Jackson, Manassas, Va. (12-0)

3. Ursuline Academy, Wilmington, Del. (9-1)

4. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (7-1)

5. Eleanor Roosevelt, Greenbelt, Md. (6-1)

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

Midlands

1. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (12-1)

2. Archbishop Alter, Kettering, Ohio (12-0)

3. Mason, Cincinnati (11-0)

4. Valley, West Des Moines, Iowa (11-0)

5. Martin Luther King, Detroit (9-0)

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

South

1. Olive Branch, Miss. (18-1)

2. Salmen, Slidell, La. (14-3)

3. Ribault, Jacksonville, Fla. (20-2)

4. St. Francis, Alpharetta, Ga. (12-1)

5. Northside, Fort Smith, Ark. (14-1)

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

Far West

1. Gonzaga Prep, Spokane, Wash. (11-0)

2. St. Ignatius, San Francisco (12-1)

3. Konawaena, Kealakekua, Hawaii (20-1)

4. Lynwood, Bothell, Wash. (10-0)

5. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (11-2)

Geography: 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 Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released April 4. Follow him on Twitter: @clawlor.