No. 24 Providence Academy (MN), No. 25 Dallas Lincoln (TX) join Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings; state playoffs tip in Florida and Indiana

BENSALEM, Pa. – Two teams from smaller classifications in Minnesota and Texas debut in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings.

At the stroke of February, the Elite 25 held firm for 22 spots but losses created two openings at the foot of the rankings as Texas teams entered the final week of the regular season and Minnesota still has three weeks left before the postseason.

No. 24 Providence Academy of Plymouth, Minnesota (near the Twin Cities) has won 31 consecutive games over two seasons and is the top-ranked team from Class 2A (4A is the largest Minnesota classification). The Lions (20-0) have won the last three 2A state championships. The Lions are led by high-scoring junior Maddyn Greenway (her dad played in the NFL), who recently cracked the 4,000-point career point barrier and committed to Kentucky in November after helping the Lions win a state soccer title.

In Texas, No. 25 Dallas Lincoln (32-2), the No. 1 team in the UIL Class 4A rankings, returns to the Elite 25 with a history in the limelight. The Tigers have reached the state tournament (or Final Four in a class) 16 times with three state crowns. Last year, the Tigers fell in the 4A semifinals. This year, the Tigers could be the team to beat but it takes seven playoff victories to claim the hardware in San Antonio (Feb. 27-March 1).

The states of Florida and Indiana are in playoff mode for the remainder of the month. Florida’s district play is ongoing and sectionals in the Hoosier State are the first set of playoffs with state finals on Saturday, March 1 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The nation’s toughest bracket, the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Open Division, will be revealed Saturday, Feb. 8. There are at least four teams from the Elite 25 included in the two four-team pools.

According to the Southern Section computer rankings, Elite 25 teams Ontario Christian, Etiwanda, Mater Dei and Sierra Canyon School are in and the next four are Bishop Montgomery, Ventura, Windward School and Fairmont Prep. This is the likely eight in pool play. Championship games are at the Toyota Center in Ontario on Feb. 28 and March 1. After that, it’s the Southern Region Open Division playoffs with the winner off to the state final in Sacramento.

Well, we’re out of here for another week. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings return on Wednesday, Feb. 12.

 Our prayers and heartfelt feelings go out to the families and friends of those lost on Wednesday, Jan. 30 in the deadly midair collision over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. What started as a mission to find the survivors became a recovery. Bless the 67 souls of American Eagle Flight 5432 from Wichita, Kansas and the service members from the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter.

Also, in Philadelphia, an air ambulance carrying six crashed killing the passengers and one on the street on Friday, Jan. 31. The debris was scattered over four streets in the Northeast section of the city. Apparently, the jet never had a chance, crashing within a minute of takeoff.

In Southern California, people are in need after the wildfires continue to ravage the surrounding Los Angeles area. After four weeks, people are starting to pick up the pieces of their lives.

Consider donating here to the Red Cross to assist the relief efforts, The Salvation Army or another called Fire Aid. No dollar amount is too small and prayers are always welcome. Be safe California.

Bye for now.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Feb. 5, 2025

1. Ontario (Calif.) Christian (25-1)

Previous rank: 1.

The Lowdown: The Knights finished the regular season, beating Lynwood, 77-50, at the Riptide Showcase in Los Angeles. Kaleena Smith netted 26 points, Sydney Douglas added 12 points and 18 rebounds for the double, Dani Robinson had 12 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds and Tati Griffin added 10 points and 6 rebounds.

2. Morris Catholic, Denville N.J. (16-0)

Previous: 2.

The Lowdown: Idle. The top-seeded Lady Crusaders open the Morris County Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 6 with Morris Tech (Denville).

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

Previous: 3.

The Lowdown: That’s it for the regular season with an 89-45 victory over Louisville (Woodland Hills). Junior Jerzy Robinson averaged 31 points and 11.5 rebounds in the two previous wins over Harvard-Westlake (Studio City) and Chaminade (West Hills) in the Mission League.

4. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (21-1)

Previous: 4.

The Lowdown: The Eagles won three games at the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament, including a 73-70 decision over No. 12 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.). Aaliyah Crump scored 18 points and Lourdes Da Silva Costa added 14. Up next is DME Academy (Daytona Beach) on Thursday, Feb. 13.

5. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (26-2)

Previous: 5.

The Lowdown: The Monarchs captured their 18^th consecutive Trinity League crown, defeating Orange Lutheran, 66-40, with a 6-0 record. Iowa-bound and McDonald’s All American Addie Deal provided 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 steals and Devyn Kiernan added 12 points and 3 steals. The CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoffs start Saturday, Feb. 15.

6. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (16-3)

Previous: 6.

The Lowdown: Defeated Miami Country Day, 55-26.

7. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (26-0)

Previous: 7.

The Lowdown: Defeated Clovis East, 91-30, and Central (Fresno), 78-53, as the Golden Eagles clinched their 25^thstraight league title. Also, senior Keegan Medeiros became the program’s 19^th player to surpass 1,000 career points.

8. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (18-1)

Previous: 8.

The Lowdown: Defeated Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.), 62-54, and St. Paul VI Catholic (Chantilly, Va.), 69-40, in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. Two weeks remain in the regular season. In January, the Lady Mustangs were a perfect 10-0 with three wins over ranked teams.

9. Etiwanda, Calif. (21-4)

Previous: 9.

The Lowdown: Defeated Rancho Christian (Temecula), 109-71. Cal-bound Aliyahna “Puff’ Morris had 29 points, 4 assists and 2 steals and Grace Knox, an LSU signee and McDonald’s All American, had a double-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. One game left in the regular season.

10. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (16-3)

Previous: 10.

The Lowdown: Defeated St. Francis (Mountain View), 78-52, and Valley Christian (San Jose), 78-32.

11. Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Ind. (21-0)

Previous: 11.

The Lowdown: Completed a perfect regular season, defeating Pike (Indianapolis), 76-64. Up next is the Class 4A first round on Tuesday, Feb. 4 against Fishers. The winner plays Zionsville on Friday, Feb. 7 in the semifinals. The final is Saturday, Feb. 8.

12. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (14-3)

Previous: 12.

The Lowdown: The Lady Crusaders split two games in Florida. They defeat Alabama powerhouse Hillcrest (Tuscaloosa), 66-40. Olivia Jones had a double-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists and Taylor Brown scored 17 points. In a 73-70 loss at No. 4 Montverde (Fla.) Academy, Jones had 30 points and 5 rebounds and Brown netted 21 points.

13. Conway, Ark. (24-1)

Previous: 13.

The Lowdown: Defeated Jonesboro, 61-23, and Bryant, 69-42.

14. Westtown School, West Chester, Pa. (22-3)

Previous: 14.

The Lowdown: Defeated Friends Select (Philadelphia), 94-27, in the regular season finale. The Friends’ Schools League semifinals are Tuesday, Feb. 4 and the final is Friday, Feb. 7 at La Salle University.

15. Hebron Christian Academy, Dacula, Ga. (22-1)

Previous: 15.

The Lowdown: On Senior Night, the Lions defeated Stephens County (Toccoa), 96-22.

16. Lawrence Central, Indianapolis (21-1)

Previous: 16.

The Lowdown: Idle. The Bears meet Indianapolis schools North Central or Warren Central on Friday, Feb. 7 in the Class 4A, Section 10 semifinals. The final is Saturday, Feb. 8.

17. Bradley Central, Cleveland, Tenn. (22-1)

Previous: 17.

The Lowdown: Defeated Clarksville Christian, 47-30, and Ooltewah, 99-19.

18. Converse (Texas) Judson (32-1)

Previous: 18.

The Lowdown: The win streak reached 25 games in a 51-46 victory over San Marcos. The Rockets close out the schedule with Canyon on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

19. Johnston, Iowa (16-0)

Previous: 19.

The Lowdown: Defeated Valley (West Des Moines), 69-33, on Senior Night.

20. Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, Ky. (18-2)

Previous: 20.

The Lowdown: The Valkyries capped a 5-0 week, defeating Seneca (Louisville), 86-7. Seven games remain in the regular season.

21. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (17-2)

Previous: 21.

The Lowdown: The Quakers rattled off three wins in the Independent School League with two more this week.

22. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (14-2)

Previous: 22.

The Lowdown: Defeated St. Joseph’s Academy (St. Louis), 71-31, and Alton (Ill.), 60-48.

23. Boswell, Fort Worth, Texas (32-2)

Previous: 24.

The Lowdown: The Pioneers are 11-0 in District 3-6A with one game remaining.

24. Providence Academy, Plymouth, Minn. (20-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Lowdown: Minnesota’s top-ranked Class 2A team enters the Elite 25 with a 31-game win streak over the last two seasons, including a 2024 state title. Last week, junior Maddyn Greenway, a Kentucky commit, became the state’s fourth girls player to eclipse 4,000 career points. She scored 38 points in a 101-68 blowout win over St. Michael-Albertville (Minn.) at the Breakdown USA Community Clash. The Lions average 88 points per game.

25. Lincoln, Dallas (32-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Lowdown: Texas’ top-ranked Class 4A team enters the Elite 25 on a nine-game win streak with regular season finale on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Dropped: No. 23 Belleville (Mich.) and No. 25 Duncanville (Texas).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (16-0)
2. Paul VI, Haddonfield, N.J. (16-0)
3. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (21-2)
4. Bishop Ireton, Alexandria, Va. (18-5)
5. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (17-3)

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

Midwest

1. Kenwood, Chicago (25-2)
2. Lyons, La Grange, Ill. (26-1)
3. Strongsville, Ohio (17-1)
4. St. Ignatius College, Chicago (22-3)
5. Nazareth Academy, La Grange, Ill. (24-2)

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

Southland

1. Winter Haven, Fla. (20-2)
2. Cypress Springs, Cypress, Texas (26-3)
3. Putnam City North, Oklahoma City (18-1)
4. Walker, La. (27-1)
5. Hillcrest, Tuscaloosa, Ala. (28-2)

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

Far West

1. Ridgeline, Millville, Utah (22-0)
2. Clackamas, Ore. (15-2)
3. Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (14-2)
4. Grandview, Aurora, Colo. (14-3)
5. Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, Calif. (21-3)

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

Records through Monday

About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ High School Basketball Rankings are released weekly from December 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. The final rankings will be released at the conclusion of the season. Follow him on X at @clawlor.