Raider Nation: Maryland school captures state title, enters Blue Star Media Go-To 25 girls’ basketball rankings

BENSALEM, Pa. – The latest Blue Star Media Go-To 25 girls’ basketball rankings feature one new school and two of selected last week to participate in the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament.

The four-team tournament field was released with No. 16 Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) facing Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.) at 10: 30 a.m., and No. 6 Miami (Fla.) High playing Fremont (Plain City, Utah) at 12:30 p.m., on April 4 at Christ the King High School in Middle Village, Queens, N.Y. Both games will be televised on ESPNU. The championship tilt will be played at Madison Square Garden on April 5.

Joining the Go-To 25 rankings is No. 24 Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.), a team with quite a future. All starters return from a 26-0 team that captured the Maryland’s Class 4A crown.

Heading into this week, 17 schools in the Go-To 25 rankings have won state, conference or national postseason tournament titles. Two more from Missouri could push that total to 19. Pennsylvania and Minnesota crown champions this weekend while New York State play their Federation tournaments. California is still two weekends away.

The rankings return on March 25 and won’t return for two weeks until April 8 when the final Go-To 25 rankings will be released.

Check back periodically at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from showcase events. We hope to see you at a game soon and keep in mind the Dick’s Nationals are coming to New York City from April 3 to 5, featuring 10 action-packed games (7 boys, 3 girls). – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Girls’ Basketball Rankings, March 18, 2014

1. Blackman, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (35-1)*

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Won Class AAA state championship.

2. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel-Nor, Mo. (29-1)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: The Red Knights open the Class 4 state tournament against Marshfield Friday afternoon in the semifinals. The championship game is Saturday versus either Benton (St. Joseph) or Dexter.

3. Windward School, Los Angeles (25-2)

Previous: 3

Low-down: Idle. Next up is Etiwanda Tuesday in the CIF Southern California Regional Open Division semifinals, with the winner advancing to meet No. 4 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) or No. 10 Poly (Long Beach) Saturday in the final in Ontario.

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

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Idle. After an opening-round bye, coach Kevin Kiernan’s club plays No. 10 Poly (Long Beach) in the Southern California Regional semifinals Tuesday. The winner meets either No. 3 Windward (Los Angeles) or Etiwanda Saturday in the final. Junior Katie Lou Samuelson was named Gatorade’s California player of the year.

5. Manvel, Texas (37-2)*

Previous: 4.

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

6. Miami High, Miami, Fla. (31-1)*

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Won Class 8A state championship. Regular season complete but the Stings are headed to New York City in April for the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament.

7. Duncanville, Texas (35-1)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Finished runner-up in Class 5A. Coach Cathy Self-Morgan was named the Naismith High School Coach of the Year. Season complete.

8. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (30-1)*

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship, defeating Southeast Raleigh, 61-46, in final. The Mustangs jumped to a 14-2 early lead and never flinched. MVP Rydeiah Rogers had 25 point and cleared 20 rebounds. Four starters return for the Mecklenburg County school, which looks to win back-to-back titles. Season complete.

9. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (28-0)*

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Defeated St. Basil Academy (Jenkintown), 64-29, in Class AA quarterfinals and Minersville, 60-42, in the second round. A.J. Timbers hit for 15 points, including four 3-pointers, in the quarters. The Saints face Dunmore in the semifinals Tuesday, with the winner advancing to Friday’s final against Seton-LaSalle (Pittsburgh) or Burrell in Hershey.

10. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (24-3)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Lahjahna Drummer collected 14 points and 10 rebounds and Arica Carter added 11 points and 6 steals in a 70-26 thrashing of The Bishop’s School (La Jolla) in the quarterfinals of the Southern California Regional Tournament. Up next is No. 4 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) in the semifinals.

11. Regis Jesuit, Aurora, Colo. (26-2)*

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship, crushing Fossil Ridge (Fossil Ridge), 60-34, in final. The Raiders left little doubt taking a 19-3 into the second quarter. Also beat Poudre (Fort Collins), 58-35, in semifinals. Season complete.

12. Shabazz, Newark, N.J. (29-1)*

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Won the Group 1 state championship, thrashing Haddon Township, 80-49 for its seventh straight chip. Zaire O’Neil, a Georgia Tech recruit, scored 19 points and snared 8 rebounds. That’s 11 state titles and now the State Tournament of Champions await as the top-seeded Bulldogs play the winner of Eastside (Paterson) and St. Rose (Belmar) in the semifinals Friday in Toms River. The final is Monday in Trenton.

13. Rock Bridge, Columbia, Mo. (25-3)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: The Bruins shredded two opponents, advancing to the Class 5 state semifinals, where they will play St. Joseph’s Academy (St. Louis) Thursday. The winner meets Lee’s Summit North or Eureka Saturday in the final.

14. Whitney Young, Chicago (32-3)* **

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Won second Class 4A state championship in three years. The Dolphins closed on a 14-game wins streak, securing the program’s third state title. Season complete.

15. Bedford North Lawrence, Ind. (27-1)*

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Won second straight Class 4A state championship. The Stars are 55-1 over the last two seasons. Season complete.

16. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (27-3)*

Previous: 17.

Low-down: The National Association of Christian Athletes Division I champions are in the Dick’s Sporting Good High School National Tournament next month in New York.

17. McEachern, Powder Springs, Ga. (28-2)*

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Won the Class AAAAAA for the second time in three years. Season complete.

18. Princeton, Cincinnati (28-2)*

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won Division I state championship, edging North Canton Hoover, 61-55, for the program’s first title in 27 years. Ohio State-bound Kelsey Mitchell scored 15 od her game-high 30 for the team’s 16^th straight win. In the semifinals, Mitchell’s 23 points were enough in a 60-52 victory over Notre Dame Academy (Toledo). Mitchell was named Ohio’s Gatorade player of the year. Season complete.

19. Canyon, Texas (34-4)*

Previous: 20.

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

20. Shades Valley, Birmingham, Ala. (31-4)*

Previous: 21.

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

21. Salmen, Slidell, La. (33-1)*

Previous: 22.

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

22. Sparkman, Harvest, Ala. (33-3)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Lost in Class 6A final. Season complete.

23. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (34-2)*

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Won fourth Class 3A state championship in five years. Season complete.

24. Eleanor Roosevelt, Greenbelt, Md. (26-0)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won the Class 4A state championship, stopping North Point (Waldorf), 64-30. Junior C Tolu Omokore recorded a double-double, 15 points and 20 rebounds. It was the Raiders’ first title since five straight from 2005 to 2009. Five starters return. Season complete.

25. New Hope Christian, Thomasville, N.C. (34-1)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Lost in NACA National Tournament Division I final. Season complete.

Dropped: No. 15 St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (21-2)

2. Cosby, Midlothian, Va. (26-0)*

3. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (28-1)*

4. McDonogh, Owings Mills, Md. (29-2)*

5. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (29-5)*

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

Midlands

1. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (25-2)*

2. Eastview, Apple Valley, Minn. (28-1)

3. St. Thomas More, Champaign, Ill. (33-2)*

4. Fairmont, Kettering, Ohio (24-3)

5. Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines, Iowa (23-3)*

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

South

1. Broken Arrow, Okla. (29-0)*

2. Horn Lake, Miss. (29-1)*

3. Butler, Louisville, Ky. (32-3)*

4. Tucker, Ga. (29-4)*

5. Miami (Fla.) Country Day, (26-3)*

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

Far West

1. Saint Mary’s College, Albany, Calif. (27-7)

2. Miramonte, Orinda, Calif. (29-1)

3. Desert Vista, Phoenix (30-2)*

4. Gonzaga Prep, Spokane, Wash. (25-1)*

5. Reno, Nev. (30-1)*

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

Records through Sunday

* Won state, national or conference postseason tournament

** Includes forfeit wins or losses

About: The Blue Star Media Go-To 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 Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released April 8, 2014. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.