No. 12 La Jolla Country Day (CA) rises seven spots in Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings; No. 7 South Bend Washington (IN)

BENSALEM, Pa. – There was plenty of reshuffling within the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings but no new teams joining the fray.

Three teams inside the previous Top 10 lost and thusly were dumped in the order. Eight teams, including the Top 5 teams, held their position and 17 shifted.

No. 10 Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) dipped four spots after suffering its first loss in an upset. No. 13 Etiwanda (Calif.) fell six following its second setback and No. 14 Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.) absorbed its first loss and dropped five.

Conversely, the big risers of the week are from California. No. 11 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) jumped six positions and continues to play steady. The Monarchs are on the verge of completing an unbeaten run in the Trinity League. No. 12 La Jolla Country Day upended Etiwanda and vaulted a whopping seven slots. All four California schools are expected to be bracketed in the same California Interscholastic Federation sectional or regional tournaments at some point this month.

No. 7 South Bend (Ind.) Washington is the first Elite 25 team to play in the postseason. SBW finished No. 1 in the Indiana state coaches’ poll and start Wednesday with the sectionals. Florida schools also get underway with district tournaments. Elite 25 teams from Tennessee, Alabama, Illinois and Kentucky are done this week or next.

Four teams will participate in league or county tournaments leading up to the playoffs and last week No. 19 Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Ky.) won the Louisville Invitational Tournament and are eyeing the defense of its All-Class Kentucky state championship.

Switching to the GEICO High School Nationals, title holders and No. 5 Montverde (Fla.) Academy is a near lock but four others need to be selected. Schools from Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina and Florida could round out the field. In the GEICO High School State Champions bracket, No. 4 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) looks to defend its title and both No. 9 Centennial (Las Vegas) and No. 21 Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) would need to win a state title to qualify. The remainder of the field will come from Florida, Georgia, Washington or New York. There are other states or conferences pondering whether to allow teams to participate in the April events.

We will keep you abreast.

There is an event involving three Elite 25 teams this weekend at Holmdel High School in New Jersey. The Coaches Choice USA presents the New Jersey Shore Conference Showcase Challenge on Saturday and Sunday with five games daily and the first one tipping at 11 a.m. EDT. Long Island Lutheran, St. John Vianney, Paul VI and Morris Catholic are scheduled to play. The link for the games is posted above. Can’t attend? No sweat because the games will be streamed for a fee on Baller TV.

So, we’ve covered a lot this week and the action is only beginning to rev up.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings will return on Feb. 8.

Stay safe.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Feb. 1, 2023

1. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (24-0)

1. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (24-0)

1. Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: USC-bound all-everything Juju Watkins scored a school-record 45 points and snared 16 rebounds and had 8 assists and 4 blocked shots, and Izela Arenas threw in 21 points when the Trailblazers defeated Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills), 93-49. Watkins continued her All-American play with 24 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks, Arenas bucketed season-high 30 points and junior MacKenly Randolph added 20 points and 8 boards in a 98-55 win over St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs).

2. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (17-0)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Defeated Westminster (Town & Country), 77-42, as Brooke Coffey scored 20 points, draining six 3-pointers. The Red Knights also defeated archrival St. Joseph Academy (St. Louis), 76-38, for their 85th straight win.

3. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (20-0)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: In Bronx, N.Y., Ashley Sofilkanich’s 16-point, 6-rebound efforts propelled the Lady Lancers past Ewing (N.J.), 58-45, at the Mecca Challenge. Zoe Brooks stuffed the stat sheet with 32 points, 7 steals, 6 rebounds and 4 assists during a 71-34 win at Holmdel.

4. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (15-2)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: It was a light work week for the Quakers who easily handled Connelly School of the Holy Child (Potomac, Md.), 66-22. There are three Independent School League games scheduled this week, capped by Potomac School (McLean, Va.) on Saturday. Win all three and the ISL’s top seed is in the bag.

5. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (23-1)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: On Senior Night, the Lady Eagles defeated Palm Bay (Melbourne), 75-65. Rusne Augustinaite scored 20 points, sinking four 3-pointers, and Mississippi State-bound guard Mjracle Sheppard had 15 points, 7 steals, 6 steals and 4 assists. The regular season wraps up on Feb. 10 at IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). After that it’s a long wait until the GEICO High School Nationals on March 31 in Fort Myers.

6. Hazel Green, Ala. (28-0)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: The Lady Trojans established an Alabama state record for most consecutive victories on the basketball court after defeating Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 76-7, for the 87th straight. The five-time reigning Class 6A championships last lost on Dec. 19, 2020, to nationally ranked Ellsworth School (Nashville, Tenn.), 50-47. The regular season ends Wednesday with a statewide showdown with No. 15 Hoover.

7. South Bend (Ind.) Washington (23-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: The Panthers open the postseason against Mishawaka in the Class 4A Plymouth Sectional first round. Semifinals are Friday and the final is Saturday.

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

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Kayleigh Heckel had 15 points, 5 assists and 4 steals and Savvy Swords netted 14 points when the Lady Crusaders doubled up St. Thomas Aquinas (Edison, N.J.), 86-43.

9.  Centennial, Las Vegas (15-1)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The Lady Bulldogs stopped Coronado (Henderson), 60-43, and Canyon Springs (North Las Vegas), 77-20.

10. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (16-1)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: The Lady Royals suffered a rare regular season setback in an 87-80 decision to Providence Academy (Plymouth), the state’s No. 1 team in Class 2A, at the Community Clash. The schedule continues with Buffalo Tuesday and Edina Friday.

11. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (25-2)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Defeated Esperanza (Anaheim), 76-52, at Nike Extravaganza. The Monarchs also improved to 7-0 in the Trinity League with two lopsided wins. The regular season concludes with Rosary (Fullerton) Wednesday and the league title.

12. La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day (22-3)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Defeated No. 7 Etiwanda, 70-65, in a showdown of two of the CIF-Southern California Region’s top teams.

13. Etiwanda, Calif. (24-2)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Lost to No. 12 La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day, 70-65, stopping the win streak at six games. The Eagles are 8-0 in the Baseline League and will finish the regular season with two league games for a perfect record.

14. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (23-1)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Split two games, losing to Clovis, 52-51, and beating Clovis North (Fresno), 80-23. The home league loss was the first since 2012.

15. Hoover, Ala. (27-1)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The Lady Bucs defeated Bartlett (Tenn.), 65-40, at the Robertson’s Sportswear Lady Classic. The regular ends with a great home game against No. 6 Hazel Green in a battle between the top teams in Alabama’s Classes 6A and 7A.

16. Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park, Ill. (23-1)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: The Roadrunners have won 18 straight games, after defeating Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights), 47-26, and Conant (Hoffman Estates), 72-25. In the latter game, junior Ama Dray scored 16 points and Grace Carstensen had 14.

17. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (19-2)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Defeated Presentation (San Jose), 64-15, and St. Ignatius College Prep (San Francisco), 76-27, in the West Catholic League.

18. Duncanville, Texas (24-4)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: The Pantherettes had a close call last week, needing overtime to hold off Cedar Hill, 64-61. They also knocked off Lake Ridge (Mansfield), 62-53. The District 11-6A title race is over in three games as the Pantherettes are 11-0.

19. Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, Ky. (21-3)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Won Republic Bank Louisville Invitational Tournament, defeating Region 7 rival DuPont Manual (Louisville), 76-50, in the final. Reagan Bender (25 points, 4 3-pointers)), ZaKiyah Johnson (23 points, 8 rebounds) and Angelina Pelayo (17 points) teamed for 65 points. The Valkyries play Christian Academy (Louisville) Tuesday and host Bowling Green Saturday.

20. Edmond (Okla.) North (17-0)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: In the only game last week, the Huskies defeated Southmoore (Moore), 78-20. This week the schedule brings Yukon Tuesday and Westmoore (Oklahoma City) Friday.

21. Lone Peak, Highland, Utah (14-3)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Defeated Corner Canyon (Draper), 73-30, and Westlake (Saratoga Springs), 65-31.

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

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Defeated Providence Christian (Murfreesboro), 75-24, and Columbia (Tenn.) Academy, 98-32. Two games remain in the regular season.

22. Paul VI, Haddonfield, N.J. (14-2)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Despite a strong 27-point, 8-rebound effort from Notre Dame-bound guard Hannah Hidalgo, the Eagles lost to South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 51-47, at the Mecca Challenge in the Bronx, N.Y

24. Morris Catholic, Denville, N.J. (15-3)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Defeated Keenan (Columbia, S.C.), 80-68. Natalie Stoupakis drained six 3-pointers en route to 20 points and Mya Pauldo provided 17 points, 11 assists and 6 rebounds and Alexis Rosenfeld doubled up with 11 point and 10 boards. The Crusaders open the Morris County Tournament this week as top seed.

25. Johnston, Iowa (18-1)

Previous: 25.

Low-do wn: After a shock loss the previous week, the Dragons defeated Valley (West Des Moines), 59-46, and Centennial (Ankeny), 66-59.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (15-5)
2. McDonogh School, Owings Mills, Md. (18-2)
3. St. Paul VI, Chantilly, Va. (16-5)
4. Georgetown Visitation, Washington, D.C. (13-4)
5. Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (14-3)

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. (14-2)
2. Fremd, Palatine, Ill. (24-2)
3. Purcell Marian, Cincinnati (18-2)
4. Noblesville, Ind. (21-3)
5. Grand Rapids (Mich.) West Catholic (14-0)

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

Southland

1. Dr. Phillips, Orlando, Fla. (23-1)
2. Brookwood, Snellville, Ga. (20-1)
3. Clark, San Antonio (25-3)
4. Coffee County, Manchester, Tenn. (24-1)
5. Conway, Ark. (19-5)

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

Far West

1. Desert Vista, Phoenix (20-3)
2. Piedmont, Calif. (20-0)
3. Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (15-1)
4. Clackamas, Ore. (13-4)
5. Woodinville, Wash. (20-1)

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 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