BENSALEM, Pa. – It was a rare quiet week in the Blue Star media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings. The order was static as nearly everyone has concluded the postseason.

This weekend Michigan and Pennsylvania conduct their state championships while the New York Federation Class AA tournament will be played in Glens Falls. A powerful four-team field flush with champions from four separate federations is ready to go, with No. 11 Christ the King (Middle Village) the favorite. In Michigan, No. 8 Edison Public School Academy (Detroit) looks to win the newly renamed Division 2 state championship in Grand Rapids. First, though, the Pioneers had tough game in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night with Goodrich. There are no guarantees. 

The only real movement left is at the top of the Blue Star Media Elite 25 rankings. The Top-4 teams are all headed to the GEICO High School Nationals, beginning with the semifinals on April 5 at Chris the King High School in Middle Village, New York (both games are on ESPNU): No. 4 New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.) vs. No. 1 Miami (Fla.) Country Day, 11 a.m. EDT and No. 3 Centennial (Las Vegas) vs. No. 2 St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.), 1 p.m. 

The Championship Saturday for the girls is April 6 at 10 a.m. on ESPN2. The boys’ final follows at 12 p.m. on EPSN.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings return on March 27. Only two ranking periods remain. The final rankings are April 9.

Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from showcase events, state tournaments and the McDonald’s All-American Game in March. Blue Star Media will keep you abreast of everything girls’ basketball. Follow us on Twitter: @BlueStarMedia1. 

Also, here’s a link to the NCAA Women’s bracket. 

Congratulations to all the state champions! Well done. Vernal equinox (a.k.a. springtime) is here Wednesday at 5:58 p.m. EDT. That’s a good thing.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, March 20, 2019

1. Miami (Fla.) Country Day (26-1)*

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Idle. The Lady Spartans, Florida Class 5A champions, return to the GEICO Nationals, an event they won in 2017. The opponent is No. 4 New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.).

2. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (35-1)* *

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Idle. The GEICO Nationals semifinal game against No. 3 Centennial (Las Vegas) is April 5 in New York. Azzi Fudd became the first-ever sophomore to be crowned the Gatorade National Girls’ Basketball Player of Year.

3. Centennial, Las Vegas (31-1)*

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Idle. Won Nevada Class 4A state title. Next up is the GEICO Nationals on April 5. The opponent is No. 2 St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.).

4. New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, Md. (37-3)* *

Previous: 4.

Low-down: The Tigers were selected to play in the GEICO Nationals after winning two prestigious national postseason tournaments. Next is top-ranked Miami Country Day in the GEICO semifinals on April 5.

5. Maine West, Des Plaines, Ill. (35-0)*

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship. Season complete.

6. Africentric Early College, Columbus, Ohio (28-0)*

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Won second straight Division III state championship, defeating Waynesburg, 51-47. Tennessee-bound Jordan Horston scored 15 points, 10 rebounds and dished off 6 assists. In the semifinals, the Lady Nubians stopped Hiland (Berlin), 61-48. Junior Alexia Smith scored 19 points and Horston posted a double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Season complete.

7. Westridge Academy, Kernersville, N.C. (29-0)* *

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Won two major postseason tournaments while running the table. Season complete.

8. Edison Public School Academy, Detroit (24-1)

Previous: 8.

Low down: Won the Division 2, Region 15 championship, stopping Center Line, 65-21. The Pioneers played Goodrich Tuesday in Division 2 quarterfinals. The state semifinals are Friday and the final is Saturday in Calvin College’s Van Noord Arena in Grand Rapids.

9. Westlake, Atlanta (30-0)*

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Won second consecutive Class AAAAAAA state championship. Season complete.

10. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (31-4)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Three of four losses were to No. 2 St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.). Season complete.

11. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (25-4)*

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Idle. The New York State Federation Class AA semifinals are this weekend in Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls. The Royals face Long Island Lutheran (Brookville) Friday afternoon with that winner playing South Shore (Brooklyn) or Ossining in Saturday’s final.

12. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (32-0)*

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship, overwhelming Stillwater, 74-45. The Royals trailed by two points at halftime but roared back with a 47-16 run over the final 16 minutes. Junior Paige Bueckers scored 13 points and Maya Nnaji had 18. In the semifinals, the Royals raced to a 38-23 edge at halftime during a 75-53 rout of  Centennial (Circle Pines). Bueckers tossed in 28 points. In the quarterfinals, Bueckers netted a game-high 29 points to lead the Royals over Lakeville North, 68-46. Season complete.

13. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (32-1)*

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won the CIF Open Division state championship. Season complete.

14. Mount Notre Dame, Cincinnati (27-2)*

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Won Division I state championship, downing Pickerington Central, 52-31. Julia Hoefling scored 14 points. In the semifinals, the Cougars beat GlenOak (Canton), 55-37. Freshman KK Bransford paced a balanced attack with 13 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Season complete.

15.  Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (25-1)*

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Won Class 5 state championship. Season complete.

16. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (30-2)*

Previous: 16. 

Low-down: Won third straight Class 4 state championship, beating Lincoln Prep (Kansas City), 61-35, in the final. It was the 10^thoverall title for the Red Knights. Belmont-bound Kiki Britzmann scored 11 of her 19 points in the first half and Purdue-recruit Rickie Woltman added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Also beat Miller Career Academy (St. Louis), 59-28, in the semifinals. Season complete.

17. Amarillo, Texas (37-4)*

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Won a second consecutive Class 5A state championship. Season complete.

18. Converse (Texas) Judson (38-5)*

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Won Class 6A state championship. Season complete.

19. Franklin, Somerset, N.J. (34-0)* *

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won second State Tournament of Champions title, holding off Saddle River (N.J.) Day School, 65-57. The Warriors set a state single-season mark for wins and became the first unbeaten TOC championship since Shabazz (Newark) in 2006. The Maryland-bound Diamond Miller capped her career with 25 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 blocked shots. In the semifinals, the Warriors outlasted St. Rose (Belmar), 55-50. Miller scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half. Season complete.

20. Hamilton Heights Christian, Chattanooga, Tenn. (24-3)

Previous: 20. 

Low-down: Season complete.

21. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (25-3)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Advanced to the in the CIF-Northern California Region Open semifinals. Season complete.

22. Germantown Academy, Fort Washington, Pa. (30-1)*

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Won the Pennsylvania Independent School Athletic Association championship. Season complete.

23. Bradley Central, Cleveland, Tenn. (34-3)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Won Class AAA state championship. Season complete.

24. Riverdale, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (31-2)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Advanced to the Class AAA semifinals. Season complete.

25. Collins Hill, Suwanee, Ga. (30-2)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Advanced to the Class AAAAAAA state championship. Season complete.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Saddle River (N.J.) Day School (28-3)* 

2. Chartiers Valley, Bridgeville, Pa. (28-0) 

3. Woodbridge, Va. (29-1)*

4. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (24-4)* 

5. Manchester (N.J.) Township (32-3)* 

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

Midwest

1. Beaver Dam, Wis. (27-1)*

2. Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Ind. (27-1)*

3. Pickerington (Ohio) Central (28-2)

4. Wayzata, Plymouth, Minn. (26-3)

5. Northwestern, Kokomo, Ind. (27-3)*

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

Southland

1. Hoover, Ala. (34-1)*

2. Pearl, Miss. (31-1)*

3. Ryle, Union, Ky. (32-5)*

4. Northside, Fort Smith, Ark. (28-1)*

5. Goose Creek, S.C. (23-1)*

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

Far West

1. Benson, Portland, Ore. (26-4)*

2. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (31-4)

3. Pinewood School, Los Altos Hills, Calif. (27-4)

4. Millennium, Goodyear, Ariz. (26-4)*

5. Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, Colo. (24-4)*

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

* Won state, national or conference/league postseason tournament championship

[Note some schools have won multiple tournament titles]

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.