BENSALEM, Pa. – The latest Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings and no surprise that Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) is the No. 1 team. The Monarchs are clearly the best body of work after winning events in Arizona and Northern California.
In the preseason, we had six weeks to watch, gather information and decide who are the Best 25 teams to this point. Well, here it is.
Here’s wishing you a Happy New Year and hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor
Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Jan. 3, 2014
1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (11-0)
Low-down: Won Joe Smith Division of the prestigious Nike Tournament of Champions in Chandler, Ariz., beating No. 5 Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 47-38, in final Junior Katie Lou Samuelson was tabbed MVP. Also won a bracket of the West Coast Jamboree.
2. Bedford North Lawrence, Ind. (11-0)
Low-down: The Stars won the Hall of Fame Tournament in New Castle.
3. Duncanville, Texas (19-0)
Low-down: The Pantherettes remained perfect after 89 games winning the Sandra Meadows Memorial Classic after Christmas.
4. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel-Nor, Mo. (11-0)
Low-down: Won the Naples (Fla.) Holiday Shootout American Bracket championship. Junior Napheesa Collier is playing at another level.
5. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (9-1)
Low-down: Lost in the Nike TOC Joe Smith Division final to top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).
6. Blackman, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (14-1)
Low-down: Lost in Naples (Fla.) Holiday Shootout American Bracket final to No. 4 Incarnate Word (Bel-Nor, Mo.).
7. Whitney Young, Chicago (12-1)
Low-down: The Dolphins lone loss is at No. 5 Duncanville (Texas).
8. Miami Senior, Miami, Fla. (17-1)
Low-down: Won the Cresmon Bank Holiday Invitational in Myrtle Beach, S.C., beating Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.), 52-50, in final. Only loss was by upset in the Junior Orange Bowl Classic after Christmas.
9. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (12-1)
Low-down: Placed third in the American Bracket of the Naples (Fl.) Holiday Shootout, going 2-1.
10. Regis Jesuit, Aurora, Colo. (6-1)
Low-down: Went 2-1 at the Nike TOC. Next up is a date with No. 4 Incarnate Word Academy on Jan. 9.
11. Fairmont, Kettering, Ohio (10-1)
Low-down: The lone loss is a 53-40 decision to No. 2 Bedford North Lawrence (Ind.). Now the focus shifts to another Division I state title.
12. Homewood (Ill.) Flossmoor (8-2)
Low-down: The Vikings bounced back after Christmas with two wins against quality Ohio competition. Strength of schedule helps.
13. St. Mary’s College, Albany, Calif. (6-2)
Low-down: Coach Nathan Fripp’s bunch has a chance at redemption on Jan. 3 against top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). Took third in the Nike TOC Joe Smith Division.
14. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (9-3)
Low-down: In spite of the nascent tea, the Rams finished fourth in the Nike TOC Joe Smith Division.
15. Windward School, Los Angeles (10-2)
Low-down: Went 2-1 in the Nike TOC’s rugged Blue Division, placing second. UCLA-bound Jordin Canada was named to the all-tournament team.
16. Nazareth Regional, Brooklyn, N.Y. (9-3)
Low-down: The Lady Kingsmen remains ranked but that depends how quick South Carolina-bound Bianca Cuevas returns from injury. Won the Nike TOC Blue Division title.
17. Manvel, Texas (21-2)
Low-down: Took third place at the Sandra Meadows Memorial Classic in Duncanville, Texas.
18. New Hope Christian, Thomasville, N.C. (14-0)
Low-down: The Phoenix wiped out previously-ranked Life Center Academy (Burlington, N.J.) twice this season. They will play three teams from Australia this week.
19. Shabazz, Newark, N.J. (3-1)
Low-down: Went 2-1 at the West Coast Jamboree in California.
20. Sparkman, Harvest, Ala. (16-2)
Low-down: Won the BallN Powher Prep Invite in Montgomery, Ala. Kentucky-bound Alexis Jennings totaled 77 points in three games; and had 24 points and 15 rebounds in the final.
21. Warren Easton, New Orleans (14-1)
Low-down: The Eagles are Louisiana’s top-ranked Class 4A team and rolling by average margin of victory of nearly 19 points per game.
22. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (8-3)
Low-down: Placed fourth in the American Bracket of the Naples Holiday Shootout. Without Louisville-bound Ariana Freeman (knee injury), the Panthers went 1-2 at the event.
23. Joliet (Ill.) Catholic (11-0)
Low-down: Won Hillcrest Holiday Classic.
24. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (8-2)
Low-down: Won the Title IX Patsy Mink bracket title. Went 1-2 in the Nike TOC Joe Smith Division.
25. Seton-LaSalle, Pittsburgh (6-3)
Low-down: Won three games to capture the consolation bracket of the Cresmon Bank Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Expect the Western Pennsylvania school to
Dropped: Bay (Bay St. Louis, Miss.); Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.); Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights, Ill.); Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.); Rolling Meadows (Ill.); Life Center Academy (Burlington, N.J.); McEachern, (Powder Springs, Ga.); and Southwest DeKalb (Decatur, Ga.).
High-Fives by Region
East
1. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (9-0)
2. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (6-0)
3. Murry Bergtraum, Manhattan, N.Y. (8-1)
4. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (7-3)
5. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (7-0)
Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Midlands
1. Rock Bridge, Columbia, Mo. (7-2)
2. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (12-0)
3. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (6-0)
4. Notre Dame Academy, Toledo, Ohio (6-0)
5. Columbus (Ind.) North (11-1)
Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
South
1. Salmen, Slidell, La. (10-1)
2. Horn Lake, Miss. (13-0)
3. Dunbar, Fort Myers, Fla. (16-1)
4. Northside, Fort Smith, Ark. (10-1)
5. Blount, Prichard, Ala. (17-3)
Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Far West
1. Desert Vista, Phoenix (12-0)
2. Dobson, Mesa, Ariz. (13-1)
3. South Medford, Medford, Ore. (7-2)
4. Highlands Ranch, Colo. (8-1)
5. Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif. (8-3)
Geography: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Records through Jan. 1, 2014
About: The Blue Star Media Go-To 25 High School Girls’ Basketball Rankings are released weekly from January 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 8, 2014. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.
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