BENSALEM, Pa. – It was a relatively quiet week in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings. There are no additions to the rankings but that figures to change over the Dr. Martin Luther King weekend, where there are national events aplenty.

Two of the best events this weekend is the Classic in Country (Berlin, Ohio) and St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.) MLK Showcase. The Classic in the Country is where the top-ranked Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati) will be playing. In California, the MLK Showcase features mainly West Coast schools but others are traveling from Colorado, Maryland and Nevada.

There was a little shifting of spots within the Elite 25 with No. 16 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) dipping 12 positions after suffering a rare league loss. No. 2 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) registered the biggest win of the week, knocking off an unbeaten team in No. 20 South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

The expectations remain high this weekend with several Elite 25 teams involved at high-powered MLK events.

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

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 rankings return on January 22.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Jan. 15, 2020

1. Mount Notre Dame, Cincinnati (15-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Dr. Scott Rogers’ team chalked up three victories last week and are 4-0 in the Girls Greater Cincinnati League after an 82-42 win over St. Ursula (Cincinnati). They also beat Centerville, 71-61, and Ryle (Union, Ky.), 74-44. Sophomore KK Bransford is averaging 21.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while making 58.2% of her shots. The Cougars take a trip this weekend to the Classic in the Country in Berlin, Ohio, where they face Laurel Saturday and Winston-Salem (N.C.) Christian Sunday. After that there are only four games remaining in the regular season.

2. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (13-1)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: The Lady Panthers defeated previously unbeaten No. 20 South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 55-45, at the 695 Public vs. Private Challenge. They also crushed Roland Park Country (Baltimore), 79-40, in an IAAM A Conference game.

3. Hamilton Heights Christian, Chattanooga, Tenn. (15-1)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: The Lady Hawks posted two wins at the Ultimate South Shootout, beating Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.), 70-49, and Arlington (Tenn.), 60-37. This weekend the action shifts north to Brooklyn, N.Y., for two games at the Rose Classic Super Jam against two Canadian power programs from Ontario and Manitoba.

4. La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day (17-1)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: The Torreys are headed to the Bay Area this weekend for two games in the MLK Bishop O’Dowd Showcase against Salesian College Prep (Richmond) Saturday and St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) Monday.

5. Cypress Creek, Houston (27-0)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: The Cougars captured District 17-6A games by 50 and 55 points.

6. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (16-3)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: The Trailblazers stretched the win streak four game after dispatching Chaminade (West Hills), 59-34, at the Southern California Showcase in Pasadena. Coach Alicia Komaki leads her team into a showdown with No. 12 Poly (Long Beach) Saturday and four days later it’s a matchup with Windward (Los Angeles).

7. Southeast Raleigh, Raleigh, N.C (13-1)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: After a loss in a holiday tournament, the Bulldogs rebounded to capture a pair of Cap 7 Conference games. Only one month remains in the regular season.

8. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (13-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Paige Bueckers scored 22 points and Maya Nnaji had 20 in an 82-27 blowout of Edina in the last week’s lone game. This week the action picks up with three games.

9. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (16-3)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: The Lady Mustangs handled all three Washington Catholic Athletic Conference opponents and travel to New York this weekend for meeting with Canadian power Crestwood Prep (North York, Ontario) at the Rose Classic Super Jam in Brooklyn.

10. Ensworth School, Nashville, Tenn. (12-0)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: The Lady Tigers beat Pope John Paul II (Hendersonville), 74-31, and Lipscomb Academy (Nashville), 66-15, in region play.

11. Northwestern, Kokomo, Ind. (17-0)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: With the season winding down, the Tigers have tough out-of-state game this weekend at Maine West (Des Plaines, Ill.).

12. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (14-2)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Coach Carl Buggs will lead his team into a showdown game against No. 6 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth) on Saturday.

13. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (11-0)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: The Crusaders are 11-0 for the first time after defeating Summit  Academy Charter (Brooklyn), 78-39. Kaylene Smikle pumped in 20 points and Paris Clark added 18.

14. Duncanville, Texas (21-3)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: The Pantherettes play district games against Pearce (Richardson) Tuesday and White (Dallas) Friday.

15. DeSoto, Texas (23-2)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: The Lady Eagles won two district games. Last week, coach Andrea Robinson confirmed in published reports that 6-4 Sa’Myah Walker, one of the nation’s top sophomores, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL suffered in a holiday tournament on Dec. 28. That’s a huge blow to the Lady Eagles’ Class 6A title defense.

16. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (18-2)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: The Monarchs were upended by Rosary Academy (Fullerton), 65-55.

17. Edison Public School Academy, Detroit (8-0)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Defeated Huron (Ann Arbor), 82-51, in the lone game. This weekend Michigan’s top-ranked team has two games.

18. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (16-2)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: The Panthers dusted three WCAC foes and hosts Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) Friday.

19. Africentric Early College, Columbus, Ohio (11-2)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: The Nubians, who are Ohio’s top-ranked Division III club, improved to 7-0 in league play with a lopsided victory by Briggs (Columbus).

20. South Shore, Brooklyn, N.Y. (14-1)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Suffered first loss of the campaign to No. 2 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), 55-45, at the 695 Hoops Public vs. Private Challenge in Maryland.

21. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (14-3)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: The Lady Crusaders defeated TPLS Christian Academy (Richmond, Va.), 79-69, and have a rivalry game against National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Md.) on Friday.

22. Amarillo, Texas (24-2)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: The Sandies picked up district wins over Randall and Lubbock.

23. Evanston, Ill. (15-2)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Defeated Niles West (Skokie), 74-38.

24. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (17-2)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: The Redwings escaped with a pair three-point victories over Simeon (Chicago) and Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights).

25. Westlake, Atlanta (18-2)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: The Lions split two games at the Big West Shootout in Nevada, losing to Centennial (Las Vegas), 73-61.

 Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Trenton Catholic Academy, Hamilton, N.J. (9-1)
2. Chartiers Valley, Bridgeville, Pa. (14-0)
3. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (11-1)
4. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (8-0)
5. St. Vincent Pallotti, Laurel, Md. (13-3)

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. (19-0)
2. St. Joseph Central Catholic, Huntington, W.Va. (14-0)
3. Maine West, Des Plaines, Ill. (17-1)
4. Homestead, Fort Wayne, Ind. (15-1)…MON
5. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (18-3)

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

Southland

1. Lovejoy, Ga. (16-1)
2. Tampa Bay Tech, Tampa, Fla. (13-3)
3. Cherokee, Canton, Ga. (17-2)
4. Booker T. Washington, Tulsa, Okla. (10-0)
5. Hoover, Ala. (21-1)

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

Far West

1. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (11-3)
2. Etiwanda, Calif. (14-3)
3. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (16-3)
4. Cashmere, Wash. (12-0)
5. Woodinville, Wash. (13-0)

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. 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.