THE RIGHT STUFF: Incarnate Word Academy (MO) girls amazing run continues with second straight Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Championship; coaching change at Montverde (FL)

BENSALEM, Pa. – It’s been 365 days since the Incarnate Word Academy Red Knights of Bel-Nor, Missouri was recognized as the National Champions by Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings.

The Red Knights were so good, so superior, we knew where to go back at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. But a sweet repeat for coach Dan Rolfes’ team was in the making for a year. William Shakespeare wrote in Henry IV, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” If you have ever won, you know the true meaning of the statement.

It’s never easy for a team to claim a second consecutive National Champion but in modern parlance top dog means No. 1!

The Red Knights can again extend the pointer finger skyward signifying who sits atop the girls’ high school basketball heap. It’s that simply for Incarnate Word, who carry a 100-game win streak into next season.

100!

Such a perfect, round number that is flawlessness.

If you think Incarnate Word didn’t have company that would be a foolhardy notion. Late season pushes at national tournaments in Fort Myers, Florida and Washington, D.C., pushed hard for their champions to claim the crowd.

But the only number that is relevant is zero. The number of losses the Red Knights had for the last three seasons. Incarnate Word won a sixth consecutive Missouri state champions in impressive fashion. The St. Louis all-female Catholic school last lost on Feb. 8, 2020, and will forge ahead with a cast of younger but experienced players in the fall.

There were five teams chasing the Red Knights.

Last weekend, No. 6 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) won its second straight State Champions Invitational, beating Elite 25 teams, No. 17 Centennial (Las Vegas) and No. 16 Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) in Washington. The Quakers (30-3) won it minus star players Leah Harmon and Duke-bound Jadyn Donovan, who were in Portland, Oregon for USA Basketball’s Nike Hoop Summit. Donovan is the District of Columbia Player of the Year.

The Quakers suffered three losses, two of which were to teams ranked ahead of them: No. 3 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) and No. 5 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, Calif.).

Sierra Canyon was the No. 1 team until losing in the CIF Southern Region Open Division final to No. 4 Etiwanda (Calif.), 55-54. Etiwanda went onto to win the California State Open Division championship.

LuHi (22-3) won the New York State Federation Class AA title and was runner-up to No. 2 Montverde (Fla.) Academy at the GEICO High School Nationals earlier this month on Fort Myers. Two of three losses by LuHi were at the hands of Montverde.

Montverde (25-1) won GEICO Nationals for a second straight time. Coach Special Jennings really had it rolling in central Florida and it was only of matter time before she moved onto the Division I level. Well, today it was announced Jennings was hired as the new head women’s coach at Jacksonville University. Congratulations to a class act and winner! The Montverde girls are a national brand and international too. The rosters are chock full of players from South America, Africa and Europe.

Sidwell’s win over the Lady Eagles on Jan. 16 was the difference. Montverde’s undefeated season was interrupted over the Dr. Martin King Weekend.

Incarnate Word stayed the course.

As for the final week, the Elite 25 featured movement and shifts. No. 22 Desert Vista (Phoenix) enters after an Arizona Open Division championship and trip to the SCI last weekend in Washington.

Eight teams, including the top-5, were static. There were 11 risers with No. 16 Lone Peak  (Highland, Utah) up three slots and five dipped, with No. 17 Centennial (Las Vegas) down 11.

All told 18 Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ teams won 20 state or major postseason national championships with Sidwell and No. 22 Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) bagging two apiece.

And finally, 18 teams from the preseason rankings remain in the Elite 25.

What a season!

That’s a wrap. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ preseason rankings will be revealed in November and go until mid-April.

We’d like to thank you sincerely our loyal readers. Without you, the Elite 25 do not exist. In the last 12 years, we’ve compiled rankings for Blue Star Media. Before that we were at USA TODAY and ESPN.com. Blue Star Media remains special and a national leader.

The club circuit has already taken flight with shoe companies adidas, Nike and Under Armour sponsoring high powered teams, tournaments and leagues. Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for the latest.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 preseason football rankings will drop in early August and a few weeks later the Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings. We’ll tweet the exact dates.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Final Rankings, April 10, 2023

1. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel-Nor, Mo. (32-0)* !

Previous: 1.

Low-down: The Red Knights are Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions for a second straight year. Also won a sixth straight state championship by annexing the Missouri Class 6 title.

2. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (26-1) %

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Won a second consecutive GEICO High School Nationals championship. Special Jennings won’t return because she was hired as the Jacksonville University head women’s coach this week.

3. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (23-3)*

Previous: 3.

Low-down: Won New York State Federation Class AA championship and advanced to the final of the GEICO Nationals.

4. Etiwanda, Calif. (32-3)*

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Won CIF Open Division state championship.

5. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (31-1)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Won CIF-Southern Section Open Division championship.

6. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (30-3)* #

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Won second consecutive District of Columbia State Athletic Association AA and State Champions Invitational championships. The Quakers bring back a loaded squad with UCLA-bound Kendall Dudley the leader and shoo-in for McDonald’s All-American status.

7. Hoover, Ala. (35-1)*

Previous: 8.

Low-down: Won a third straight Class 7A state championship.

8. Hazel Green, Ala. (36-1)*

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Won a state-record sixth consecutive Class 6A state championship.

9. Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park, Ill. (35-1)*

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Won Illinois Class 3A state championship.

10. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (28-3)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Advanced to CIF Open Division state final after winning the North Region crown.

11. Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, Ky. (36-3)*

Previous: 12.

Low-down: Won third consecutive Mingua Beef Jerky Sweet 16 championship. In Kentucky, there is one overall state champion. The Valkyries return a loaded squad, led by junior ZaKiyah Johnson. Coach Donna Moir has 773 career wins and six state titles after completing second three-peat.

12. Edmond (Okla.) North (29-0)*

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won second straight Oklahoma Class 6A state championship.

13. La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day (30-4)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Won second consecutive CIF-San Diego Sectional Open Division championship and advanced to the South Region semifinals.

14. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (29-4)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Won the Trinity League title and advanced to the CIF-Southern Region Open Division semifinals.

15. Duncanville, Texas (26-5)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: Won the District 11-6A title but the Pantherettes were ineligible for the UIL Class 6A state tournament. They will have a new coach next season too.

16. Lone Peak, Highland, Utah (25-3)*

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won second straight Utah Class 6A state championship and placed second at the State Champions Invitational. BYU-bound Kailey Woolston was named Most Valuable Player after totaling 60 points in two games. The Knights lost to No. 6 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), 50-46, in the SCI final as Woolston pumped in 28 points, making five 3-pointers.

17. Centennial, Las Vegas (25-2)*

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Won Class 5A state championship. It was the program’s eighth straight Nevada state title and 14th overall. Lost in State Champions Invitational semifinals to No. 6 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), 53-35.

18. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (31-1)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Won the Shore Conference Tournament for the third consecutive year and advanced to the New Jersey Non-Public A final. McDonald’s All-American and North Carolina State recruit was New Jersey’s player of the year.

19. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (30-2)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Won an 11th consecutive and 23rd overall CIF-Central Section championship and advanced CIF-Northern Region Open Division semifinals.

20. The Webb School, Bell Buckle, Tenn. (32-4)*

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Won Division II-A state championship.

21. Westtown School, West Chester, Pa. (22-5)**

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Won a second consecutive Pennsylvania Independent School Athletic Association championship and advanced to the GEICO Nationals semifinals. Another team coached by Fran Burbidge which has exploded on the national scene.

22. Desert Vista, Phoenix (29-4)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: Won the Arizona Open Division state championship and advanced to the State Champions Invitational semifinals.

23. Dr. Phillips, Orlando, Fla. (30-2)*

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Won FHSAA Class 7A state championship. Played in the State Champions Invitational.

24. Bedford (Ind.) North Lawrence (27-3)*

Previous: 24.

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

25. Morris Catholic, Denville, N.J. (27-4)*

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Won the Non-Public B state championship. The Lady Crusaders lost to Desert Vista (Phoenix), 67-59, in the State Champions Invitational quarterfinals.

Dropped: No. 25 South Bend (Ind.) Washington.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Lansdale (Pa.) Catholic (28-2)**
2. McDonogh School, Owings Mills, Md. (23-3)*
3. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (26-7)*
4. Georgetown Visitation, Washington, D.C. (24-6)*
5. Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (25-5)*

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

Midwest

1. St. Michael (Minn.)-Albertville (29-3)*
2. Example Academy, Frankfort, Ill. (21-2)*
3. Pleasant Valley, Riverdale, Iowa (26-0)*
4. Purcell Marian, Cincinnati (27-2)*
5. Kettle Moraine, Wales, Wis. (28-1)*

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

Southland

1. Clark, San Antonio (34-3)*
2. Bradley Central, Cleveland, Tenn. (35-1)*
3. Brookwood, Snellville, Ga. (31-1)*
4. Germantown, Madison, Miss. (29-2)*
5. Conway, Ark. (28-5)*

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

Far West

1. Clackamas, Ore. (26-4)*
2. Garfield, Seattle (23-1)*
3. Oakland (Calif.) Tech (30-5)*
4. Anchorage (Alaska) Christian (25-2)*
5. Iolani School, Honolulu (20-5)*

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

! Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions

 % GEICO High School Nationals Champions

 # State Champions Invitational Champions

 * Won state, national or conference postseason tournament championship

[Editor’s note: Each asterisk represents a separate postseason title]

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 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. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.