BENSALEM, Pa. – In a rarity, the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings remained the same. All 25 teams won and move ahead. For some the regular-season finish line is in sight and others have a date with the postseason.

By the end of February, the entire national will be playing meaningful elimination playoff games while some states will have concluded their tournaments.  No matter where you live buckle up for a wild ride.

Just because the ride wasn’t bumpy this week, doesn’t mean that trend will hold up for the first full week of February. Expect changes.

As we move closer to the GEICO High School Nationals, the four-team event is slate for April 5 and 6 at Christ the King High School in Middle Village, N.Y. So far No. 1 Miami (Fla.) Country Day (two time winners of the event) and No. 6 Centennial (Las Vegas) control their own destinies as long as they win state titles. Both are heavily favored.

Also under strong consideration for the coveted invite are No. 5 New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.) and No. 21 Hamilton Heights Christian (Chattanooga, Tenn.). Additionally nationally ranked teams from Georgia, North Carolina (independent schools), Maryland (IAAM schools), Washington, Florida, Arizona and Utah are in the mix. The National Association of Christian Athletes Division I tournament is Feb. 19-22 in Dayton, Tennessee (Fort Bluff Gymnasium) and that could impact the GEICO Nationals.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings return on February 13.

Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from showcase events and key matchups this season. Blue Star Media will keep you abreast of anything breaking in the girls’ hoop universe.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, February 6, 2019

1. Miami (Fla.) Country Day (22-1)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Coach Ochiel Swaby’s team is headed to postseason after three wins last week. In a local matchup, Koi Love tossed in 22 points and freshman Sydney Shaw had 15 in an 80-70 victory over Oxbridge Academy (West Palm Beach). The Class 4A, Region 4 tournament opens on Feb. 14 as the Spartans aim for a sixth straight state championship. 

2. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (23-1)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: The Cadets host No. 3 Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) on Saturday in a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference key game. This is the second meeting of the season and a third is likely for the conference tournament that tips later this month. Last week, the Cadets topped Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 54-45, as sophomore Azzi Fudd totaled a game-high 23 points.

3. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (22-1)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Senior Aliyah Matharu scored a game-high 24 points in an 80-48 blowout of Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) and 25 (five 3-pointers) in a 71-42 rout of Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.). The national game of the week is Saturday at No. 2 St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.) that will likely determine the top-seed in the WCAC Tournament.

4. Africentric Early College, Columbus, Ohio (18-0)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Tennessee-bound Jordan Horston, a McDonald’s All-American, posted a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds in a narrow 47-45 win over Newark, one of Ohio’s top Division I teams.

5. New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, Md. (26-3)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: The win streak reached 13 games after beating Caravel Academy (Bear, Del.), 57-41. Four games are left in the regular season with a game Saturday hosting Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) on Senior Night.

6. Centennial, Las Vegas (24-1)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: The Lady Bulldogs close out the regular season Wednesday at Arbor View (Las Vegas) and a perfect ledger in the Northwest League. This could be the year coach Karen Weitz’s team is invited to the GEICO Nationals in April in New York.

7. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (26-0)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: The Trailblazers are the No. 1-seed in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division. They open Pool A play on Saturday against Troy (Fullerton) and also face No. 25 Redondo Union (Redondo Beach) on Feb. 13 and Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) on Feb. 16. The pool play is a new playoff format.

8. Mansfield (Texas) Timberview (33-1)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: The Lady Wolves crushed Centennial (Burleson), 78-46, and Crowley 57-33, and closed out the regular season on Tuesday at rival Mansfield Legacy.

9. Westridge Academy, Kernersville, N.C. (18-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Idle. Coach Delaney Rudd’s squad has two games until playing in the Independent High School Championship (starting on Feb. 22).

10. Edison Public School Academy, Detroit (12-1)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Idle. The Pioneers have a state showdown with Heritage (Saginaw, Mich.), the state’s third-ranked Division 1 club.

11. Maine West, Des Plaines, Ill. (26-0)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: The Warriors need two victories this week against Vernon Hills on Tuesday and Marist (Chicago) on Thursday to post an undefeated regular season.

12. Riverdale, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (22-1)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The District 7-AAA record is perfect in 10 games after knocking off Blackman (Murfreesboro), 63-56, and Oakland (Murfreesboro), 73-49. The regular season concludes Friday at Smyrna.

13. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (19-1)

Previous: 13. 

Low-down: Won the Webster Groves Winter Challenge, beating Ladue (St. Louis), 76-35, in the final. DePaul-bound Marisa Warren was named tournament’s Most Valuable Player scoring 20 points. Also topped Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.), 62-48, in the semifinals.

14. Collins Hill, Suwanee, Ga. (24-1)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: The Region 6-AAAAAAA tournament starts on Thursday in the semifinals for the No. 1-seed, who earned a bye. The third-place game and final is Friday.

15. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (14-4)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: On a day when the Royals honored one of their best, the late Clare Droesch, CK rolled to a 71-48 win over Stuart Day School (Princeton, N.J.). The Royals are back at this week with three games in the Brooklyn-Queens Class AA Division.

16. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (19-0)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Junior sensation Paige Bueckers scorched the nets for a season-high 43 points and surpassed 2,000 career points in a 69-66 win over Wayzata (Plymouth) in the battle of the Minnesota’s top two Class 4A teams before 4,000 in Minnetonka. The reverse fixture is Feb. 22 in the regular season finale and will carry more significance for home court advantage in the Section 6 title game.

17. Mount Notre Dame, Cincinnati (18-2)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: The regular season concludes Saturday against Notre Dame Academy (Toledo, Ohio). Then it’s the Division I Princeton 4 District opener against Western Hills (Cincinnati) on Feb. 16.

18. Westlake, Atlanta (23-0)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Georgia’s defending Class AAAAAAA state champions completed their second straight unbeaten campaign against in-state competition.

19. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (20-2)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: If the Monarchs polish off their final two league opponents, they will have a perfect 10-0 mark in the West Catholic League and move into the CIF-Central Coast Section playoffs.

20.  Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (16-1)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: In two easy Beach Region victories, the Lady Cavaliers scored 87 and 108 points. Three games are on tap this week.

21. Hamilton Heights Christian, Chattanooga, Tenn. (19-2)

Previous: 21. 

Low-down: Defeated Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.), 58-36, in last week’s only contest.

22. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (17-1)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: The Lady Lancers have two interesting games against New York powerhouses before the Shore Conference Tournament, starting with Long Island Lutheran (Brookville) on Sunday and No. 15 Christ the King (Middle Village) on Feb. 12 (now rescheduled).

23. Roland Park Country Day, Baltimore (21-1)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: The Artic vortex that plunged temperatures below zero postponed one game but the Reds did manage a 64-53 league win over St. Vincent Pallotti (Laurel, Md.).

24. Germantown Academy, Fort Washington, Pa. (23-1)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Four games remain before the Patriots head into the PAISSA Tournament that tips on Feb. 15. They are 9-0 in the Inter-Ac League and en route to the championship.

25. Redondo Union, Redondo Beach, Calif. (23-3)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: The Sea Hawks clinched the Bay League regular season title. Next is the newly formatted CIF-Southern Section Open Division Championships, featuring three games in pool play. The Pool A opener is Saturday against Bishop Montgomery (Torrance).

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Franklin, Somerset, N.J. (17-0)

2. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (22-4)

3. Cathedral, Boston (13-0)

4. Chartiers Valley, Bridgeville, Pa. (20-0)

5. Saddle River (N.J.) Day School (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. Beaver Dam, Wis. (18-1)

2. Derby, Kan. (14-0)

3. Wayzata, Plymouth, Minn. (19-1)

4. Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Ind. (23-1)

5. Pickerington (Ohio) Central (17-1)

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

Southland

1. Northside, Fort Smith, Ark. (20-0)

2. Cedar Hill, Texas (32-4)

3. Scott County, Georgetown, Ky. (23-1)

4. Hendrickson, Pflugerville, Texas (35-1)

5. Maryville, Tenn. (25-1)

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

Far West

1. Grandview, Aurora, Colo. (16-3)

2. Windward School, Los Angeles (20-5)

3. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (25-3)

4. Etiwanda, Calif. (25-3)

5. Pinewood School, Los Altos Hills, Calif. (19-2) 

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. 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.