THE SPECIAL 1: Juju Watkins lights it up at Hoophall Classic as No. 1 Sierra Canyon (CA) rolls; two teams slide in Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings

BENSALEM, Pa. – The regular season is officially past the midway point and in some states it’s the home stretch.

That means the same for the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball rankings. So goes the seasons (in all 50 states and the District of Columbia), so goes the Elite 25.

Florida and Indiana will conclude their regular seasons in two weeks with others by mid-February.

Last weekend, several of the Elite 25 teams hooked up at events from coast-to-coast. The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend means reflection on the life of the great American civil right leader. It also allows teams to travel to high-powered events.

Inside the top 10, there was a realignment. No. 1 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, Calif.) recorded a quality win over No. 7 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.). No. 3 St. John Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.) bounced up seven slots after taking down unbeaten No. 4 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.). No. 11 Montverde (Fla.) Academy dipped four positions after a loss to Sidwell at an event in Virginia. No. 6 Etiwanda (Calif.) slipped three after a loss.

Etiwanda’s loss at the St. James MLK Classic in Springfield, Va., opened the door for one of the two teams that have been added to the Elite 25.

No. 25 Morris Catholic (Denville, N.J.) re-enters the Elite 25 when it beat then-No. 3 Etiwanda by nine points. Morris Catholic hosts No. 11 Montverde Academy Saturday in one of the nation’s top games this weekend.

No. 21 Johnston (Iowa) debuts with a perfect 15-0 record and is Iowa’s top-ranked Class 5A team.

Don’t forget to tune into the GEICO Girls High School Invitational on Friday and Saturday from Sidwell Friends in Washington, D.C. The matchups are here. Three Elite 25 teams are involved.

Finally, the McDonald’s All-American Games will announce their rosters on Jan. 24. The nation’s elite 24 boys and 24 girls will be revealed on the NBA Today on ESPN between 3-4 p.m. ET.

They were 722 nominees from the Class of 2023 announced last week. Next year, coaches are encouraged to nominate their seniors. We’re aware of some coaches that submit all the seniors on their roster. It’s a simple process.

This year the games are slated for Houston on March 28, with the girls game at 6:30 p.m. and the boys game at 9 p.m. The girls game will air on ESPN2 and the boys on ESPN.
Once the chosen 48 are announced, we’ll have it here and send it out on social mediums.

That’s it for second week in January. The season is really moving at a quick pace.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings will return on Jan. 25. States such as Florida and Indiana are down to a few regular season games.

So, remain safe.

Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Rankings, Jan. 18, 2023

1. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (17-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down: Juju Watkins, a Southern Cal prized recruit, continued to make her case for National Player of the Year, scoring 29 points (11 of 15 free throws) and hauling down 14 rebounds as the Trailblazers defeated then-No. 5 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), 67-55, at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Junior post MacKenly Randolph also produced a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Next up are Marlborough (Los Angeles) Tuesday and Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) in the Mission League.

2. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel Nor, Mo. (12-0)

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Defeated Normal (Ill.) Community, 65-20. The Red Knights have two quality games this weekend in Louisville, Ky. The win streak reached 79 games.

3. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (14-0)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: North Carolina State-bound guard Zoe Brooks is making case for national player of the year honors. Her latest effort was another triple-double (25 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals) when the Lady Lancers overwhelmed Newington (Conn.), 81-38, at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Elsewhere, Brooks scored 30 points, hauled down 19 rebounds and had 11 steals for a triple-down in a 59-48 win over then-No. 2 Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.). The Lady Lancers closed with a 23-9 fourth quarter showing to rally from a 39-36 deficit.

4. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (12-1)

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Kayleigh Heckel scored 21 points and Kate Koval had 17 as the Crusaders defeated Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), 59-56. Syla Swords scored 22 points and Heckel had 12 points and 7 assists in a 71-46 victory over Red Bank (N.J. Catholic. Lost to then-No. 10 St. John Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.), 59-48. The Crusaders were outscored 23-9 in the decisive fourth quarter. The Crusaders host No. 11 Montverde (Fla.) Academy on Friday in its first home of the season.

5. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (12-0)

Previous: 6.

Low-down: Kelly Boyle (27 points) and Taylor Woodson (20) combined for 47 points in a 74-53 victory over Roseville. Sunaja Agara, a Stanford signee, pumped in a game-high 23 points and the Lady Royals dispatched Eden Prairie, 86-51. The Lady Royals host Class 4A top-10 teams in Wayzata (Plymouth) Tuesday and Minnetonka Friday.

6. Etiwanda, Calif. (18-1)

Previous: 3.

Low-down: At the St. James MLK Classic in Springfield, Ca., the Eagles defeated Montclair (N.J.) Immaculate, 63-51, and lost to Morris Catholic (Denville, N.J.), 63-54.

7. Sidwell Friends, Washington, D.C. (10-2)

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Upended then-No. 7 Montverde (Fla.) Academy, 65-53, at the St. James MLK Classic in Springfield, Va. The Quakers lost to top-ranked Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, Calif.), 67-55, at the Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts. Duke-bound Jadyn Duffy had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

8. Hazel Green, Ala. (22-0)

Previous: 8.

Low-down: In Hoover, Ala, the Lady Trojans defeated Tuscaloosa Central, 87-30, at the BallN National Showcase. Also beat Lee (Huntsville), 71-35.

9. South Bend (Ind.) Washington (19-0)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Defeated South Bend Adams, 88-33. Four games are left in regular season.

10. Clovis West, Fresno, Calif. (19-0)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: The Golden Eagles won three times, beating Clovis North (Fresno), 73-40, Central (Fresno), 57-45, and Monterey Trail (Elk Grove), 65-46.

11. Montverde (Fla.) Academy (18-1)

Previous: 7.

Low-down: In Springfield, Va., the Eagles defeated Mount Zion Prep (N.C.), 75-43, and then-lost to No. 5 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), 65-53, at the St. James MLK Classic. The Eagles face two Elite 25 teams on the road this weekend.

12. La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day (18-2)

Previous: 12.

Low-down: The Torreys used an 18-6 run in the fourth quarter to take down Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), 64-47, at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Breya Cunningham produced 20 points and 8 rebounds and Sumayah Sugapong scored 16. This weekend, the Tories play two tournament games in Washington, D.C.

13. Centennial, Las Vegas (9-1)

Previous: 13.

Low-down: In Stockton, Calif., the Lady Bulldogs defeated Mission Hills (San Marcos, Calif), 73-44, and St. Mary’s (Stockton), 62-60, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Showcase.

14. Hoover, Ala. (24-1)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: At the J-4 Sports MLK Invitational, the Lady Bucs defeated Luella (Ga.), 68-48. Also beat Munroe (Quincy, Fla.), 66-23, at BallN Martin Luther King Jr. Classic. The Lady Bucs started last week with two wins in Class 7A, Area 5.

15. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (13-2)

Previous: 15.

Low-down: Defeated Oakland (Calif.) Tech, 68-60, Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland), 61-31, and Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (San Francisco), 65-45.

16. Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, Ky. (16-2)

Previous: 16.

Low-down: ZaKiyah Johnson provided 20 points and Angelina Pelayo added 14 points and 9 rebounds to help defeat Olentangy Liberty (Powell, Ohio), 52-32, at the Classic in the City in Columbus, Ohio. This weekend the Valkyries have a showdown with No. 2 Incarnate Word Academy (Bel Nor, Mo.) at the Raatz Fence/O’Shea’s Classic in Louisville.

17. Duncanville, Texas (18-4)

Previous: 17.

Low-down: The Pantherettes have won 13 straight and sit atop District 11-6A with two wins improving to 7-0. They played No. 22 DeSoto on Tuesday in a district rivalry game.

18. Conway, Ark. (17-2)

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Defeated Cabot (Ark.), 71-57, and Cardinal Ritter College Prep (St. Louis, Mo.), 65-41.

19. Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park, Ill. (19-1)

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Defeated Naperville (Ill.) North, 49-30, and Batavia, 58-39. Junior forward Olivia Austin had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards against Batavia.

20. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (18-2)

Previous: 20.

Low-down: Caia Elisaldez and Addie Deal netted 17 points apiece for the Monarchs in a 62-50 victory over Sage Hill (Newport Beach) in a meeting of Orange County’s top two teams at the Matt Denning Nike Classic in Santa Ana.

 21. Johnston, Iowa (15-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Dragons enter the Elite 25 as Iowa’s top-ranked Class 5A team. They have two games this week, including a road game at Dowling Catholic (West Des Moines) Friday.

22. DeSoto, Texas (16-4)

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Defeated Lake Ridge (Mansfield), 54-42, and Cedar Hill, 47-40. The Eagles faced No. 17 Duncanville on Tuesday in a District 11-6A showdown.

23. Paul VI, Haddonfield, N.J. (10-1)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Defeated University (Newark), 69-45, at the Philadelphia All-American High School Classic. Hannah Hidalgo, a Notre Dame signee, poured in a game-high 39 points.

24. Lone Peak, Highland, Utah (10-3)

Previous: 23

Low-down: BYU-bound guard Kailey Woolston poured in a game-high 38 points, sinking 10 3-pointers, in a 74-23 blowout of Pleasant Grove.

25. Morris Catholic, Denville, N.J. (13-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

Low-down: The Crusaders fearless scheduling has landed them back in the Elite 25 after taking down then-No. 3 Etiwanda, 63-54, at the St. James MLK Classic in Springfield, Va. Mia Pauldo, the game’s Most Valuable Player, had 19 points and 5 assists and Alexis Rosenfeld had 10 points and 13 rebounds. They host No. 11 Montverde (Fla.) Academy on Saturday.

Dropped: No. 21 Zionsville (Ind.) and No. 22 Shabach Christian Academy (Landover, Md.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. St. Paul VI, Chantilly, Va. (13-4)
2. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (10-5)
3. Shabach Christian Academy, Landover, Md. (16-5)
4. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (13-2)
5. McDonogh School, Owings Mills, Md. (12-2)

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

Midwest

1. Example Prep, Frankfort, Ill. (12-2)
2. Fremd, Palatine, Ill. (18-2)
3. Purcell Marian, Cincinnati (14-2)
4. Noblesville, Ind. (18-3)
5. Zionsville, Ind. (18-1)

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

Southland

1. Edmond (Okla.) North (15-0)
2. Dr. Phillips, Orlando, Fla. (20-1)
3. Clark, San Antonio (20-3)
4. The Webb School, Bell Buckle, Tenn. (15-3)
5. Summer Creek, Houston (25-2)

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

Far West

1. Garfield, Seattle (9-0)
2. Desert Vista, Phoenix (15-3)
3. Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, San Francisco (14-2)
4. Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (11-1)
5. Camas, Wash. (13-2)

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 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.