NEW YORK – Another great season is in the books and top-ranked Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) is the Blue Star Media Elite 25 girls’ basketball National Champions.

The Saints peeled off 31 straight wins under first-year head coach Andrea Peterson, who took over just prior to the start of the season. Peterson honed her craft as a standout in the Philadelphia Catholic League last decade at Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.) and then finally at Drexel University, where quarterbacked the Dragons to the NCAA tournament. Peterson’s star is rising in the coaching ranks but it’s likely she’ll stay near her roots in southeastern Pennsylvania.

The Elite 25 had the Saints ranked in the No. 1 slot wire-to-wire. The final rankings had 11 teams from the preseason and 23 state champions. Talk about elite status!

Three Elite 25 teams competed at the seventh Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament, with No. 9 Miami (Fla.) Country Day taking home the title at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

We’ll have full coverage of the first-ever Jordan Brand Classic girls’ all-star game next week from Brooklyn, N.Y. The game is April 17 at the Barclay’s Center and will showcase some the top seniors before they head off to college.

Check back periodically at www.bluestarmedia.org for staff updates from showcase events all summer. Our staff will be busy until early August.

With so many events, shootouts and tournaments between now and the end of July, there are great games to attend and cover. We’ll bring it all to your screens. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 preseason girls’ rankings will return in mid-November. Thanks to our thousands of readers, who have made the difference this season. You have helped raise the awareness of the Elite 25 and it’s showing in our growing numbers. After five years, we’re gaining ground and quickly becoming the go-to rankings in the industry.

Until next season, we hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Girls’ Basketball rankings, April 6, 2015

1. Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia (31-0)*

Previous rank: 1.

Low down: Won Class AA state championship and Elite 25 National Championship. Ciani Cryor was named the Class AA state player of the year. Andrea Peterson was named the Naismith National High School Coach of the Year.

2. St. Mary’s, Stockton, Calif. (34-1)*

Previous: 3.

Low down: Won CIF Open Division state championship, topping then-No. x Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 76-69, in the final and will carry a 29-game win streak into next season. Junior Mi’Cole Cayton had 21 points and cleared 7 rebounds, freshman phenom Aquila DeCosta had 15 points and junior sniper Kate Tudor added 10 points. The Rams have won seventh of their eighth state titles under the tutelage of coach Tom Gonsalves.

3. Blackman, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (32-2)*

Previous: 2.

Low down: Won second straight Class AAA championship.

4. Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C. (29-1)*

Previous: 4.

Low down: Won second consecutive Class 4A state championship. Coach Barbara Nelson bagged her ninth state title (seven at Providence County Day of Charlotte), as the Mustangs became Mecklenburg County’s first 4A girls’ basketball to repeat as state champions. Season complete.

5. Cypress Woods, Cypress, Texas (35-1)*

Previous: 6.

Low down: Won Class 6A state championship.

6. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (26-1)*

Previous: 7.

Low down: Won second straight Class A state championship. It was the sixth title for coach Mary Cicerone, also winning in 1988, ’92, ’96 and ’98.

7. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (31-3)

Previous: 8.

Low down: The Monarchs lost to then-No. 3 St. Mary’s (Stockton), 76-69, in the CIF Open Division final. Connecticut-bound Katie Lou Samuelson, the national player of the year, flipped in 19 points, and Andee Velasco and Ally Rosenblum each tossed in 20.

8. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (32-2)*

Previous: 9.

Low down: Won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and a ninth straight Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I championship. Season complete.

9. Miami (Fla.) Country Day (32-2)* **

Previous: 11.

Low down: Won the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School Invitational Tournament, knocking off archrival then-No. 5 Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 57-41, in the final. Stony Brook-bound F Ogechi Anyagaligbo had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks to win MVP honors. MichelleBerry, who signed with Cal State Fullerton, scored a team-high 13 points and ripped down 10 rebounds.

10. Dillard, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (31-2)*

Previous: 5.

Low down: Won Class 5A state championship and finished second at the Dick’s Nationals, losing to then-No. 11 Miami (Fla.) Country Day, 57-41. The Lady Panthers split two games with MCD this season.

11. Chaminade, West Hills, Calif. (27-4)

Previous: 10.

Low down: Won CIF-Southern Section Open Division championship. Also advanced to the Southern California Region Open Division final.

12. Braintree, Mass. (25-0)*

Previous: 12.

Low down: Won second straight Division I championship.

13. Cumberland Valley, Mechanicsburg, Pa. (32-1)*

Previous: 13.

Low down: Won second straight and third overall Class AAAA state championship. Junior Kelly Jekot, Villanova recruit, was named the Class AAAA state player of the year.

14. Capital Prep, Hartford, Conn. (25-1)*

Previous: 14.

Low down: Won Class L state championship.

15. Columbus (Ind.) North (28-1)*

Previous: 15.

Low down: Won Class 4A state championship.

16. Canyon, Texas (34-3)*

Previous: 16.

Low down: Won second straight Class 5A championship.

17. Archbishop Alter, Kettering, Ohio (30-0)*

Previous: 17.

Low down: Won second Division II state championship.

18. Ursuline Academy, Wilmington, Del. (24-1)*

Previous: 18.

Low down: Won 15^th state championship in 22 appearances.

19. Gonzaga Prep, Spokane, Wash. (28-1)*

Last week: 19.

Low down: Won second straight Class 4A state championship but had a win streak stopped at 50 games, falling 60-59 to then-No. 11 Miami (Fla.) Country Day, at the Dick’s Nationals in New York last weekend. Oregon-bound Otiona Gildon dropped in 26 points (on 10 of 21 shooting) and cleared 19 rebounds. Senior guard Laura Stockton netted 16 points and handed out 7 assists.

20. Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minn. (30-1)*

Previous: 20.

Low down: Won fourth Class 4A state championship in five years.

21. Konawaena, Kealakekua, Hawaii (30-1)*

Previous: 21.

Low down: Won Division I state championship,

22. Benet Academy, Lisle, Ill. (34-3)*

Previous: 22.

Low down: Won first-ever Class 4A state championship.

23. Pius XI, Milwaukee (28-0)*

Previous: 23.

Low-down: Won second overall WIAA Division 2 state championship.

24. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (26-4)

Previous: 18.

Low down: Advanced to the CIF Southern California Region Open Division semifinals.

25. Holy Cross, Covington, Ky. (33-3)*

Previous: 25.

Low-down: Won Kentucky Sweet Sixteen State Championship, becoming the first Northern Kentucky school to win the single-class state crown. Also won the All Class A title.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Manasquan, N.J. (31-2)*

2. St. Rose, Belmar, N.J. (32-2)*

3. Long Island Lutheran, Brookhaven, N.Y. (21-4)*

4. Central Bucks West, Doylestown, Pa. (32-2)

5. Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y. (21-8)*

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

Midlands

1. Lakota West, West Chester, Ohio (28-2)*

2. Whitney Young, Chicago (28-2)

3. Incarnate Word Academy, Bel-Nor, Mo. (29-2)*

4. Heritage Christian, Indianapolis (28-2)*

5. Eastview, Apple Valley, Minn. (30-2)

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

South

1. Warren Easton, New Orleans (36-1)*

2. Natchez, Miss. (24-1)*

3. McEachern, Powder Springs, Ga. (24-6)*

4. Lake Highland Prep, Orlando, Fl. (29-2)*

5. Jeff Davis, Montgomery, Ala. (31-5)*

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

Far West

1. Centennial, Las Vegas (31-2)*

2. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (25-5)*

3. Miramonte, Orinda, Calif. (30-3)

4. Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif. (25-9)*

5. Sky View, Smithfield, Utah (25-0)*

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

* Won state, national or conference postseason tournament championship

** Dick’s Sporting Goods High School Tournament champions

 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. Teams with fifth-year or postgraduate players are not eligible to be ranked. 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 on April 4. Follow him on Twitter: @clawlor.