No. 25 Detroit Edison (MI) enters Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings; California playoffs tip off in Southern Section

BENSALEM, Pa. – When power states such as Florida, Indiana and California are rolling in playoff mode it’s that time of year.

And on top of it, there will be the first state champions crowned this season as the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I and II titles are up for grabs and a week from today the hardware will already be doled out.

The Hawaiian championships will be played Friday at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.

In Indiana, Lawrence Central of Indianapolis, No. 20 in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings, has already won a Class 4A Sectional title and will move on to the regionals this weekend.

Here’s the Southern Section Open Division Pools A and B with Elite 25 teams No. 5 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth) and No. 7 Etiwanda as top seeds in their four-team pools. Each team plays three games.

Pool A

Sierra Canyon, Mater Dei (Santa Ana), Sage Hill School (Newport Beach) and Orangewood Academy (Garden Grove).

Pool B

Etiwanda, Ontario Christian, Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) and Corona Centennial.

The schedule has pool games on Saturday, Feb. 14 and Feb. 17. The pool winners meet on Feb. 23 at California Baptist University in Riverside. Last week, Mater Dei clinched the Trinity League title, Etiwanda coasted to the Baseline League crown and Sierra Canyon walked away with the Mission League.

It only set up what will happen over the next month, including the regional playoffs. All told there are 11 divisions in the Southern Section.

This was a relatively quiet week in the Elite 25 with No. 25 Edison Public School Academy, (Detroit) joining but that’s it.

That wraps up another week and it’s full speed ahead with the postseason games coming at a frenetic pace.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings will return on Feb. 14. It’s Saint Valentine’s Day and the first day of Lent for Christians. Keep the faith.

Be sure to follow us on X at @clawlor.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Feb. 7, 2024

1. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (21-0)

Previous rank: 1.

The Low-down: The Monarchs remained perfect with a pair of West Catholic Athletic League victories over St. Francis (Mountain View), 79-14, and Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (San Francisco), 91-55. Sophomore McKenna Woliczko scored her 1,000^th career point. Three league games are left in the regular season.

2. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (17-1)

Previous: 2.

The Low-down: Lauryn Swann scored a career-high 38 points and made 7 steals and Kayleigh Heckel had a double-double of 20 points and 11 assists in a 117-33 pasting of Brooklyn Law & Tech. Notre Dame-bound C Kate Koval put up 17 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Up next is No. 3 Montverde (Fla.) Academy on Feb. 16 at home.

3. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (20-1)

Previous: 3.

The Low-down: Jaloni Cambridge’s jumper with 5.8 seconds left rallied the Eagles over Palm Bay (Melbourne), 56-55, for their 13^th straight win. Cambridge scored 15 points, Eris Lester had 14 and Vivian Iwuchukwu 12. The Eagles host No. 15 IMG Academy (Bradenton) Friday.

4. Westtown School, West Chester, Pa. (21-2)

Previous: 4.

The Low-down: The Moose, which have 18 straight, closed out a perfect season with two lopsided in the Friends School League but head to the league tournament with a semifinal date on Tuesday at home and then the final slated for Friday at LaSalle University’s Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia.

5. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (26-1)

Previous: 5.

The Low-down: Sophomore Jerzy Robinson had a monster game with 40 points and 18 rebounds in a 93-38 win over Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks). The Trailblazers closed out the regular season beating Marlborough (Los Angeles), 75-46, for a perfect mark in the Mission League.

6. Morris Catholic, Denville, N.J. (19-0)

Previous: 6.

The Low-down: With the score tied at 41, the Crusaders used a 9-2 spurt to put away powerhouse St. John Vianney (Holmdel), 50-43, at the Winter Classic in Union. The Pauldo twins, Mia (19 points) and Mya (12), teamed for 31 points. In the Morris County Tournament, the Crusaders beat Morris Knolls (Rockaway), 76-22, in the quarterfinals. Mya bucketed 28 points and the Crusaders jumped to a quick 29-7 after one frame. The semifinals are Friday against Morristown.

7. Etiwanda, Calif. (25-3)

Previous: 7.

The Low-down: The Eagles completed a perfect 10-0 mark in the Baseline League with three more wins.

8. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (20-0)

Previous: 8.

The Low-down: The win streak reached 120 games after beating John Burroughs (St. Louis), 50-47.

9. Mansfield Timberview, Arlington, Texas (33-1)

Previous: 9.

The Low-down: Defeated Mansfield Summit, 79-31, in its lone game of the week.

10. Loyola Academy, Wilmette, Ill. (31-0)

Previous: 10.

The Low-down: Won GCAC Tournament title, defeating Montini Catholic (Lombard), 76-57, in the final. Senior Paige Engels scored a game-high 23 points. Up next is the Class 4A playoffs.

11. Grayson, Loganville, Ga. (23-0)

Previous: 11.

The Low-down: The Rams upped their mark to 8-0 in Region 4-AAAAAAA with an 83-36 victory over Parkview (Lilburn). Two games remain in the regular season.

12. Purcell Marian, Cincinnati (21-1)

Previous: 12.

The Low-down: Won the Miami Valley Conference title with a convincing 86-43 over Norwood. Jayda Mosley scored 20 points, Ky’Aira Miller had 17 and McKenzie Jones 11.

13. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (19-3)

Previous: 13.

The Low-down: Defeated St. Paul VI Catholic (Chantilly, Va.), 62-43. Five games remain in the regular season all in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

14. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (15-3)

Previous: 14.

The Low-down: Improved to 9-0 in the ISL with wins over Potomac School (McLean, Va.), 73-51, and Holy Child (Potomac, Md.), 67-27.

15. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (21-3)

Previous: 15.

The Low-down: Defeated Central Pointe Christian Academy (Kissimmee), 63-53. The Ascenders have two games this week against Elite 25 teams.

16. Hebron Christian Academy, Dacula, Ga. (21-2)

Previous: 16.

The Low-down: The regular season finishes Friday with Stephens County (Toccoa).

17. Duncanville, Texas (27-4)

Previous: 17.

The Low-down: The Pantherettes notched a pair of easy victories improving to 11-1 in District 11-6A with one more at Skyline (Dallas) Tuesday.

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

Previous: 18.

The Low-down: Defeated Cleveland 61-50 and McMinn Central (Englewood), 56-44. The regular season is over on Friday vs. Chattanooga Christian.

19. Lawrence Central, Indianapolis (26-1)

Previous: 20.

The Low-down: Won three games to capture a Class 4A Sectional, beating Warren Central (Indianapolis), 54-39, in the final. The Bears play Mount Vernon (Fortville) in the regionals Saturday.

20. DeSoto, Texas (21-5)

Previous: 21.

The Low-down: Defeated Mansfield Legacy, 71-32, and Lake Ridge (Mansfield), 70-29. The regular season closes Friday with Mansfield.

21. Hazel Green, Ala. (27-4)

Previous: 22.

The Low-down:

Won Class 6A, Area 16 title beating Lee (Huntsville), 60-27. Also topped Mae Jemison (Huntsville), 95-29.

22. Clark, San Antonio (28-2)

Previous: 23.

The Low-down: Defeated San Antonio Johnson, 58-48, and San Antonio Johnson, 56-45. The regular concluded Tuesday at San Antonio Churchill.

23. Johnston, Iowa (19-0)

Previous: 24.

The Low-down: The Dragons beat Northwest Waukee), 76-42, and Waukee, 72-59. The regular season wraps up Friday.

24. DME Academy, Daytona Beach, Fla. (17-4)

Previous: 25.

The Low-down: Defeated Lake Mary, 64-44. The Lakers played No. 15 IMG Academy (Bradenton) in a showdown road game.

25. Edison Public School Academy, Detroit (11-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

The Low-down: Defeated then-No. 19 Bolingbrook (Ill.), 73-70. Coach Monique Brown’s team has three games this week, including West Bloomfield which was played Tuesday night.

Dropped: No. 19 Bolingbrook (Ill.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Thomas Dale, Chester, Va. (17-0)
2. Oakland Catholic, Pittsburgh (20-0)
3. Rutgers Prep, Somerset, N.J. (17-4)
4. Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (15-5)
5. Cardinal O’Hara, Springfield, Pa. (17-2)

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

Midwest

1. Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park, Ill. (24-3)
2. Center Grove, Greenwood, Ind. (25-1)
3. Verona, Wis. (19-0)
4. Millard West, Omaha, Neb. (18-1)
5. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (18-2)

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

Southland

1. Grace Christian, Sanford, N.C (26-0)
2. Fort Bend Austin, Sugar Land, Texas (30-1)
3. Summer Creek, Houston (29-3)
4. Lake Highlands Prep, Orlando, Fla. (18-5)
5. Choctaw, Okla. (19-0)

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

Far West

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (22-6)
2. Sage Hill School, Newport Beach, Calif. (24-2)
3. Ontario (Calif.) Christian (25-3)
4. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (25-2)
5. Iolani School, Honolulu (23-3)

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

Records through Monday’s games.

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 (formerly Twitter) at @clawlor.