No. 1 Sierra Canyon (CA) remains atop Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls rankings; No. 24 Hopkins (MN) tumbles after loss

BENSALEM, Pa. – Judgement days are upon the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings. Simply put it’s playoff time and more than half of the teams are playing in the postseason.

Notably Illinois, Iowa,  Nevada, Pennsylvania and Texas open this week and New Jersey schools were handed first round assignments for next week. Actually, No. 3 St. John Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.) and No. 22 Paul VI (Haddonfield, N.J.) are a course to meet in the Non-Public A South final in March.

Vianney coach Dawn Karpell won her 500th game last weekend and it was the 87th consecutive victory over a New Jersey opponent.

Super job, coach!

There are no additions to the Elite 25 this week but there was movement with 15 teams moving up one position after No. 24 Hopkins (Minnetonka, Min.) dipped 15 slots after a second shock loss in two weeks. The Lady Royals stay in the Elite 25 but now have plenty of heavy lifting when the Class 5A playoffs get underway in March. Nine teams were static, including the Top 8 teams.

All three teams from the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Open Division won pool games with No. 1 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth) cruising in its opener but will have two games this week to qualify for the title game on Feb. 25 in Anaheim.

One of the great traditions from Pennsylvania tips off this week. The Philadelphia Catholic League Tournament starts Wednesday with the quarterfinals and finishes with the final inside the historic Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania campus on Feb. 27. If you are going to the semifinals or finals (a doubleheader with the boys) so buy yourtickets in advance.

No. 17 Duncanville (Texas) have completed its season. The Pantherettes are ineligible for the University Interscholastic League Class 6A playoffs due to recruiting violations. We’ll monitor the Texas postseason and find out who peaking at the right time.

We’re done for another week.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings will return on Feb. 22. We’ll have more on the state tournaments and an update on the GEICO High School Invitational. So far, No. 5 Montverde (Fla.) Academy will get a chance to defend its title starting on March 31 in Fort Myers, Fla.

Be safe. Enjoy the season while it lasts because one loss in the postseason means the offseason has officially begun.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Feb. 15, 2023

1. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (27-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: MacKenly Randolph and Izela Arenas scored 19 points apiece, and USC-bound and McDonald’s All-American Juju Watkins added 18 when the Trailblazers defeated Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), 74-35, in the first of three CIF-Southern Section Open Division Pool A games. The Blazers play Ontario Christian Wednesday.

2. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (23-0)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: It was a fruitful trip across state to the Kansas City area as the Red Knights capped a 3-0 week with wins over Notre Dame de Sion (Kansas City, Mo.), 73-27, and Bishop Miege (Roeland Park, Kan.), 68-45. Three games are left in the regular season schedule.

3. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (26-0)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: The Lady Lancers beat Holmdel, 72-44, in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals and meet St. Rose (Belmar) Wednesday in the semifinals. Elsewhere, Bucknell-bound Ashley Sofilkanich had 12 points and 10 rebounds when the Lady Lancers stopped Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), 67-40. They led 34-25 at halftime and blew open the game in the third quarter.

4. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (21-2)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: The Quakers defeated Potomac School (McLean, Va.), 62-36, St. Andrew’s Episcopal (Potomac, Md.), 78-40 and Bullis School (Potomac, Md.), 66-57, in the Independent School League.

5. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (24-1)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: The Lady Eagles stopped IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 67-56, in the regular-season finale. Mississippi State-commit Mjracle Sheppard tossed in a game-high 17 points to go with 5 assists and 5 steals, Lety Vasconcelos and Sahnya Jah added 12 apiece. Up next is the GEICO High School Nationals next month in Fort Myers, Fla., where the Lady Eagles will be favored to defend their title.

6. South Bend (Ind.) Washington (27-0)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Defeated Valparaiso, 60-41 in the Class 4A Regional 1 final. Kira Reynolds scored 19 and Rashunda Jones had 18. Up next is the Class 4A Semi-state semifinals with Lake Central (St. John) Saturday at North Huntington (Huntington). The winner gets Fishers or Fort Wayne Snider in the final later that night.

7. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (16-2)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Olivia Jones posted a double-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists and Kayleigh Heckel added 19 points and 6 steals when the Lady Crusaders defeated Brooklyn Law & Tech, 78-24. Up next is Montclair (N.J.) Immaculate Tuesday in a late regular season test.

8. Centennial, Las Vegas (20-1)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Asani Ceaser scored 16 points and Cici Ajomale added 13 as the Lady Bulldogs ended the regular season with a 77-18 victory over Foothill (Henderson, Nev.). Leading 24-6 in the first quarter, the Lady Bulldogs went on a 23-0 tear in the second. In the Nevada Class 5A Southern League playoffs, they defeated Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 68-24, in the quarterfinals. Next up is the semifinals on Wednesday.

9. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (27-2)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Jenessa Cotton produced 18 points and 5 rebounds and sophomore Shaena Brew added 14 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds as the Monarchs tipped off the CIF-Southern Section Open Division Pool B play, beating Windward (Los Angeles), 67-54. Up next is Corona Santiago at home on Wednesday.

10. La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day (27-3)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Won the Coastal League Tournament championship, defeating Francis Parker (San Diego), 72-47, in the final. The CIF-San Diego Sectional Open Division playoffs tip with Scripps Ranch on Saturday.

11. Etiwanda, Calif. (27-2)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Kennedy Smith pumped in 33 points and snared 13 rebounds and Aliyahna had 18 points when the Eagles defeated Corona Santiago, 82-43, in the first of three CIF-Southern Section Open Division Pool B games.

12. Hoover, Ala. (30-1)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The Lady Bucs won the Class 7A Area 5 title, beating Vestavia Hills, 55-27, in the final and Tuscaloosa County (Northport), 64-27, in the semifinals. Alanah Pooler scored 21 points and North Carolina-bound Reniya Kelly added 17 in the latter win.

13. Hazel Green, Ala. (31-1)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: The Lady Trojans won the Class 6A Area 16 title, beating Lee (Huntsville), 66-32. They also defeated Athens, 66-10, in the sub-regional round.

14. Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park, Ill. (28-1)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Defeated Stevenson (Lincolnshire), 52-44 and Waubonsie Valley (Aurora), 51-38. Junior forward Olivia Austin put up 16 points and 8 rebounds in the latter win. In recruiting news, senior Grace Carstensen verbally committed to DePaul last week. The Roadrunners played Comer (Chicago) in the Class 3A regionals semifinals on Tuesday. The final is Thursday.

15. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (27-1)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: The Golden Eagles are co-champions of the Tri-River Athletic Conference, adding two more wins to end the regular season. They avenged a previous loss to rival Clovis with a 53-39 triumph and on Thursday embark on the CIF-Central Section Division I crown in the quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed.

16. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (22-2)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: The Monarchs captured the West Valley Athletic League championships with a 10-0 mark after two wins to close out the regular season. The CIF-Central Coast Section Open Division pool playoffs tip Thursday and continue Monday.

17. Duncanville, Texas (26-5)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: The Pantherettes forfeited their final game to Skyline (Dallas) and went 13-1 in the District 11-6A to win the title. They are not eligible for the postseason. Season complete.

18. Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, Ky. (26-3)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: The regular season concludes Thursday with Bullitt East (Mount Washington).

19. Edmond (Okla.) North (21-0)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: The Lady Huskies cruised to three victories last week.

20. Lone Peak, Highland, Utah (15-3)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Defeated Skyridge (Lehi), 55-41, and American Fork, 59-21. BYU-bound Kailey Woolston totaled 39 points and 16 rebounds in the two games. The regular concludes this week with two region games.

21. The Webb School, Bell Buckle, Tenn. (26-4)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Won Division II-A, District 3 title, defeating Middle Tennessee Christian (Murfreesboro), 82-41.

22. Paul VI, Haddonfield, N.J. (19-2)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Trailing after three quarters, the Eagles used a 23-16 run to end the game and record a 72-67 victory over Rutgers Prep (Somerset). Notre Dame-bound guard Hannah Hidalgo continued to put up big numbers finishing with 29 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists. Also defeated Bishop Eustace (Pennsauken), 95-33.

23. Morris Catholic, Denville, N.J. (21-3)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: In the Morris County Tournament semifinals, the Crusaders beat Randolph, 75-44. Alexis Rosenfeld posted 18 points and 18 rebounds. The county final is Friday against Montville. In the regular season, the Crusaders stopped Morristown-Beard, 77-31.

24. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (19-2)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Stanford-bound NuNu Agara scored 19 points but it wasn’t enough in a narrow 55-53 loss to conference rival Wayzata (Plymouth).

25. Johnston, Iowa (19-1)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Defeated Southeast Polk (Pleasant Hill), 82-77, in the regular-season finale. The Dragons open the playoffs Saturday in the Class 5A, Region 2 semifinals.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (18-5)
2. McDonogh School, Owings Mills, Md. (21-2)
3. Westtown School, West Chester, Pa. (19-4)*
4. Georgetown Visitation, Washington, D.C. (17-4)
5. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (19-6)

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

Midwest

1. Example Academy, Frankfort, Ill. (17-2)
2. Fremd, Palatine, Ill. (29-2)
3. Grand Rapids (Mich.) West Catholic (17-0)
4. West Clermont, Batavia, Ohio (23-0)
5. Chaska, Minn. (21-1)

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

Southland

1. Dr. Phillips, Orlando, Fla. (26-1)
2. Brookwood, Snellville, Ga. (24-1)
3. Clark, San Antonio (27-3)
4. Conway, Ark. (22-5)
5. Bearden, Knoxville, Tenn. (29-0)

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

Far West

1. Desert Vista, Phoenix (25-3)
2. Piedmont, Calif. (24-0)
3. Clackamas, Ore. (17-4)
4. Woodinville, Wash. (22-1)
5. Iolani School, Honolulu (20-5)*

Geography: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

* Won state, national or conference postseason tournament

 Records through Monday’s games

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 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 and prep sports writers. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.