TOP CATS: Mount Notre Dame (OH) Cougars claim Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ National Championship crown with perfect mark

BENSALEM, Pa. – OK, the business at hand begins and ends in the Queen City or Cincinnati, Ohio. That’s the home of the Mount Notre Dame Cougars also known as the Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball National Champions.

The southwestern Ohio city gets its nickname from a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem penned in 1854 but there’s no doubt Dr. Scott Rogers’ team have earned the Queens of the Court!

Congratulations, ladies, take a bow!

The MND girls’ basketball team recorded a perfect 28-0 record but were denied a chance to defend their Division I state championship (from 2018-19). That stretched the win streak to 44 games, dating back to January 2019. This season the Cougars punched their ticket to Columbus for the Division I semifinals, where it was set to meet Mount Dame Academy (Toledo) on March 13. The OHSAA postponed states and then later canceled the winter season all together.

The season started with 61-59 victory over preseason No. 1 New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.) and featured an 8-0 mark in the Girls’ Greater Catholic League and a regular-season win over Elite 25-ranked St. Joseph Central Catholic (Huntington, W.Va.) in a showcase game in Ironton, Ohio.

The Cougars are in good shape heading into next season with three returning starters, including First Team All-State sophomore KK Bransford, and five of their top seven in the rotation. Bransford is one of the premier players from the Class of 2022.

There weren’t any changes to the Elite 25 over the last month. Once the COVID-19 novel coronavirus took hold in March, seasons were canceled and other suspended. There are a few remaining states holding out but finishing is looking bleaker by the day.

It was time to wrap up the season and the Elite 25 girls’ rankings for another year and we’re comfortable with the final order. Under normal circumstances the state tournaments and GEICO High School Nationals would impact the Elite 25, but the decision to cancel GEICO was the final major event.

So, another season is in the books. We appreciate all your support and readership. What started with football in the heat of August ends with basketball amid a pandemic.

Check back regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from summer showcase events when they get started. We’ll keep you abreast of anything breaking on the girls’ hoop planet.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ rankings will return next November but the football rankings will drop in mid-August. No date yet but we’ll be announcing through social mediums

Until next time, stay indoors. Stay strong. Pray for the countless frontline response people in the hospitals and first responders nationwide—those are real life heroes!

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball Final Rankings, April 22, 2020

1. Mount Notre Dame, Cincinnati (28-0)+ !

Previous rank: 1.

Low-down:Won Ohio Division I, Region 4 championship and are the Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions! The Cougars were slated to play in the Division I semifinals but the tournament was cancelled

2. Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, Chattanooga, Tenn. (25-1)* #

Previous: 2.

Low-down: Won National Association of Christian Athletes Division 1 tournament championship for the third time in four years. The Lady Hawks were invited to the GEICO Nationals.

3. La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day (32-1)+

Previous: 3.

Low-down: The Torreys captured the CIF Southern California Region Open Division championship before the Open Division state final was cancelled.

4. Southeast Raleigh, Raleigh, N.C (27-1)+

Previous: 4.

Low-down: Advanced to the Class 4A state final.

5. Duncanville, Texas (41-3)*

Previous: 5.

Low-down: Won UIL Class 6A state championship, closing on a 28-game win streak. It was the program’s 11^th state championship and first under coach LaJeanna Howard.

6. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (30-0)+

Previous: 6.

Low-down: The Royals were denied a second straight Class 4A state championship when the MSHL cancelled the tournament the day before the title game with Farmington. The season ends on a 62-game win streak. UConn-bound guard Paige Bueckers was the consensus national player of the year.

7. Ensworth School, Nashville, Tenn. (29-0)*

Previous: 7.

Low-down: Won the Division II-AA state championship.

8. Long Island Lutheran, Brookville, N.Y. (22-1)+

Previous: 8.

Low-down: The Lady Crusaders were scheduled to play in the New York State Federation Class AA semifinals but the tournament was cancelled. Last week, coach Rich Slater stepped down following 12 years and a 234-58 record and four Federation crowns.

9. Cypress Creek, Houston (41-1)

Previous: 9.

Low-down: Lost in UIL Class 6A state final and captured the Region III-6A championship. The Cougars return a strong team that will remain relevant in the Class 6A mix.

10. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (26-3)

Previous: 10.

Low-down: Won the program’s 13^th Northern California region championship and would have played No. 3 La Jolla Country Day in the state final.

11. Windward School, Los Angeles (27-6)

Previous: 11.

Low-down: Advanced to the CIF Southern California Region final. The Cougars fell short two victories of annexing the CIF Open Division state title.

12. Edison Public School Academy, Detroit (23-0)+

Previous: 12.

Low-down:Advanced to the Division 2, Regional 14 final before the postseason was suspended. Clemson-bound Gabby Elliott was named Michigan’s Miss Basketball.

13. Westlake, Atlanta (30-2)* #

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won a third straight Georgia Class AAAAAAA state championship. The Lions were invited to the GEICO Nationals.

14. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (30-3)

Previous: 14.

Low-down: Won CIF-Southern Section Open Division championship. Fell in the Southern California Region Open Division first round.

15. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (27-5)* #

Previous: 15.

Low-down: The Washington Catholic Athletic Association champions were invited to the GEICO Nationals.

16. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (32-4)*

Previous: 13.

Low-down: Won the Virginia Independent Schools Division 1 championship. It was the 14^th consecutive state title for the Panthers.

17. Trenton Catholic Academy, Hamilton, N.J. (28-1) +

Previous: 17.

Low-down: Won the Non-Public B South Section championship. The Lady Mikes were one win from the Non-Public B state crown.

18. Lake Highlands Prep, Orlando, Fla. (29-2)* #

Previous: 18.

Low-down: Won Class 4A state championship. The Highlanders were invited the GEICO Nationals.

19. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (25-3)*

Previous: 19.

Low-down: Won its fifth consecutive IAAM A Conference championship along with the regular season title.

20. St. Joseph Central Catholic, Huntington, W.Va. (23-1)+

Previous: 20.

Low: The WVSSAC Class A tournament was suspended. The top-seeded Irish were slated to face St. Marys in the quarterfinals. Lone loss was to No. 1 Mount Notre Dame.

21. Riverdale Baptist School, Upper Marlboro, Md. (27-4)

Previous: 21.

Low-down: Competed at National Association of Christian Athletes Division 1 Tournament and several national events.

22. DeSoto, Texas (32-3)

Previous: 22.

Low-down: Advanced to the Class 6A, Region I quarterfinals, where it lost in the waning seconds to No. 5 Duncanville.

23. Centennial, Las Vegas (24-6)*

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Won Nevada Class 4A state championship. It was the sixth straight state title for the Lady Bulldogs.

24. Lawrence North, Indianapolis (26-4)*

Previous: 24.

Low-down: Won Indiana Class 4A state championship.

25 Northwestern, Kokomo, Ind. (29-1)

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Advanced to the Class 4A state championship game. Senior Madison Layden, a Purdue signee, was named Indiana’s Miss Basketball.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. St. John Vianney, Holmdel, N.J. (28-1) +
2. New Hope Academy, Landover Hills, Md. (23-8)
3. Chartiers Valley, Bridgeville, Pa. (27-0) +
4. Poly, Baltimore (22-1) +
5. Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Va. (26-1)*^

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

Midwest

1. Newark, Ohio (28-2) +
2. Simeon, Chicago (34-3)*
3. Aquinas, La Crosse, Wis. (25-1) +
4. Fremd, Palatine, Ill. (30-7)*
5. Morton, Ill. (37-1)

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

Southland

1. Hazel Green, Ala. (35-2)*
2. Blanche Ely, Pompano Beach, Fla. (29-6)*
3. Cardinal Newman, Columbia, S.C (23-1)*
4. Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, Atlanta (26-5)*
5. Collins Hill, Suwanee, Ga. (31-1)

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

Far West

1. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (26-7)
2. Etiwanda, Calif. (26-6)
3. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (25-7)
4. Iolani School, Honolulu (25-2)*
5. Valley Vista, Surprise, Ariz. (28-3)*

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

! Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions

* Won a state, national or recognized conference/league postseason tournament championship

*^ Declared state co-champions

+ Postseason interrupted and cancelled by novel coronavirus concerns

# Invited to GEICO High School Nationals

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.