Texas school ascends to No. 1 in Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings

BENSALEM, Pa. – Well, it didn’t take long for the top two teams in the Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings to fall in the same week. There’s always a first and this was it.

It makes sense for Duncanville (Texas), the defending Go-To 25 national champion, to move back into the top spot. The Pantherettes’ winning streak has surpassed 90 games and counting. Cathy Self-Morgan’s club will hit triple digits in February.

No. 3 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) dips two spots after its loss. The Monarchs will fly to the East Coast for a rare appearance at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., on Friday night.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend marks the last big lollapalooza for hoops this season. Several national showcases highlight the weekend as some states are only three weeks from the postseason.

Only teams with flexible schedules and lax state travel rules will hit the road for regional and national games from here out. Our staff will be at the Hoophall Classic, Classic in the Country (Berlin, Ohio) and at events in New York, Pennsylvania and California. Check back at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from these sites.

Finally, No. 20 Lawrence North (Indianapolis) joins the Go-To 25 rankings after a convincing win over then-No. 2 Bedford North Lawrence (ind.).

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

Blue Star Media Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Jan. 14, 2014

1. Duncanville, Texas (22-0)

Previous rank: 3.

Low-down: The new No. 1 team is familiar with this slot. Defeated DeSoto, 88-38, as the Texas-bound backcourt of Ariel Atkins (20 points) and Tasia Foman (25) teamed for 25.

2. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel-Nor, Mo. (13-0)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Recorded an impressive 68-50 win over then-No. 10 Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.).

3. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (13-1)

Previous: 1

Low-down: The Monarchs bounced back after a loss to a pair of easy wins. Lost to then-No. 13 Saint Mary’s College (Auburn, Calif.), 55-41. Play at the Hoophall Classic against Archbishop Williams (Braintree, Mass.) Friday.

4. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (11-1)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: The Jackrabbits have four Moore League games before a showdown with No. 14 Windward (Los Angeles) on Jan. 25.

5. Blackman, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (16-1)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: The Blaze has two district games this week. Circle Jan. 25 rematch with No. 2 Incarnate Word (Bel-Nor, Mo.) in Louisville, Ky.

6. Saint Mary’s College, Albany, Calif. (10-2)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Huge win over then-No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) gives Nathan Fripp’s group street cred. This weekend another showdown with Etiwanda.

7. Miami High, Miami, Fla. (19-1)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Beat Hialeah, 65-25. Light schedule for Stingarees until the playoffs.

8. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (14-1)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: The Mustangs had two lopsided victories.

9. Fairmont, Kettering, Ohio (12-1)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: The Firebirds play twice at the Classic in the Country (Berlin, Ohio) this weekend against Solon and Notre Dame Academy (Toledo).

10. Homewood (Ill.)-Flossmoor (11-2)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The average margin of victory in two league games was 64 points.

11. Whitney Young, Chicago (13-2)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Fell to Trinity (River Forest), 56-52.

12. Regis Jesuit, Aurora, Colo. (7-2)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Lost to No. 2 Incarnate Word (Bel-Nor, Mo.) by 18 points on the road but returned to destroy Grandview (Aurora), 62-41. Purdue-bound Justine Hall flipped in 22 points.

13. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (9-3)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: The Rams have been idle since Dec. 31.

14. Windward School, Los Angeles (12-2)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Next two challenges are No. 6 Saint Mary’s (Albany) and No. 13 St. Mary’s (Stockton) this weekend.

15. Nazareth Regional, Brooklyn, N.Y. (13-3)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: The Lady Kingsmen play two ranked teams this weekend at the Rose Classic Super Jam in Brooklyn.

16. Manvel, Texas (24-2)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Only seven games left in the regular season.

17. New Hope Christian, Thomasville, N.C. (19-0)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: The Phoenix play three showcase games this weekend in Chattanooga, Tenn. Delaney Rudd’s team is on a mission to play in the NHSI at Madison Square Garden in April.

18. Shabazz, Newark, N.J. (8-1)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: The Lady Bulldogs have peeled off five wins since their trip to California. Doniyah Kline pumped in 17 points in a 59-37 win over Holy Cross (Kensington, Md.) at the New Year’s Resolution Showcase in Paterson, N.J.

19. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (10-2)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Chloe Jackson’s 23 points rescued the Crusaders in a 74-70 overtime win over Stonewall Jackson (Manassas). 

20. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (14-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Upset then-No. 2 Bedford North Lawrence, 59-49, but lost to Pike (Indianapolis), 53-50. Hard to fathom.

21. Bedford North Lawrence, Ind. (13-1)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: The Stars were upended at Lawrence North (Indianapolis), 59-49.

22. Sparkman, Harvest, Ala. (19-2)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Kentucky-bound Alexis Jennings is on the verge of the McDonald’s All American Game.

23. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (12-3)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: The Panthers have won three straight in the league since Louisville-bound Ariana Freeman went down with a knee injury,

24. Joliet (Ill.) Catholic (15-0)

Previous: 23.

Low-down: The Hilltoppers have a massive game at No. xx Whitney Young (Chicago) on Jan. 25.

25. Seton-LaSalle, Pittsburgh (9-3)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: The Rebels are 4-0 in WPIAL Section 4-AA play.

Dropped: No. 21 Warren Easton (New Orleans).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (12-0)

2. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (11-0)

3. Murry Bergtraum, Manhattan, N.Y. (10-2)

4. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (9-3)

5. Mount St. Joseph Academy, Flourtown, Pa. (12-1)

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

Midlands

1. Rock Bridge, Columbia, Mo. (10-2)

2. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (7-0)

3. Notre Dame Academy, Toledo, Ohio (7-0)

4. Eastview, Apple Valley, Minn. (12-0)

5. Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill. (17-1)

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

South

1. Salmen, Slidell, La. (15-1)

2. Horn Lake, Miss. (15-0)

3. Dunbar, Fort Myers, Fla. (19-1)

4. Northside, Fort Smith, Ark. (12-1)

5. Blount, Prichard, Ala. (21-3)

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

Far West

1. Desert Vista, Phoenix (15-0)

2. South Medford, Medford, Ore. (9-2)

3. Highlands Ranch, Colo. (10-1)

4. Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif. (10-3)

5. Dobson, Mesa, Ariz. (16-2)

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

Records through Sunday’s games.

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.