The delicate dance through the postseason minefield has barely begun, and this week four teams were knocked out of the MaxPreps Top 25 high school girls basketball rankings. That means the carnage has only started, and that the final version of these rankings may look quite different than the ones you see below.
Significant changes could occur next week, as No. 1 Sidwell Friends and No. 3 St. John-Vianney meet Sunday on a neutral court, and California's Southern Section Open Division leaves little margin for error for No. 2 Etiwanda and No. 8 Sierra Canyon.
Down the road, No. 10 Incarnate Word Academy will likely have to deal with once-ranked Rock Bridge, and No. 2 DeSoto and No. 23 Duncanville are on course to meet for the third time in the Texas 6A playoffs.
So for teams on the outside looking in — we see you, Parkway — there will be plenty of opportunity to grab a spot. Of course, the hopefuls have to keep winning too, and at this time of year, uncertainty is the rule, not the exception.
Rhian Richardson, Woodward Academy
Photo by Ben Ennis
Record: 19-0 |
Last week: 1
The Quakers have another major matchup this week, as they will make up the postponed game against No. 3 St. John-Vianney on Sunday. If Sidwell Friends does run the table and finish No. 1, they will have more than earned the top spot.
2. Etiwanda (Calif.)
Record: 25-0 |
Last week: 2
The Eagles finish the round robin portion of the Southern Section Open Division playoffs with Rosary Academy on Wednesday and Mater Dei on Saturday.
3. St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.)
Record: 21-0 |
Last week: 3
The Lancers removed all doubt as to the best team in New Jersey — and removed previous No. 24 Rutgers Prep from the MaxPreps Top 25 — with an 88-48 trouncing Sunday. No. 1 Sidwell Friends will be a bigger challenge this Sunday, though.
4. DeSoto (Texas)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: 4
The Eagles begin the 6A playoffs with likely challenges from Tyler Legacy and Ellison in the first two rounds, and new No. 23 Duncanville in the round of eight.
5. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.)
Record: 18-1 |
Last week: 5
The Royals were going to play IMG Academy on Friday, but Florida rules require the Ascenders to choose between this game and a possible bid to the GEICO High School Nationals. IMG decided to roll the dice and hope for an invitation.
6. La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla, Calif.)
Record: 21-2 |
Last week: 6
The Torreys are in the San Diego Section Open Division, which isn't anywhere close to the Southern Section in terms of competition. But Mission Hills, which only lost at La Jolla Country by five earlier this year, could surprise.
7. Classen SAS (Oklahoma City)
Record: 17-1 |
Last week: 7The Comets drew a bye in the first round of the 4A playoffs, and so get a week off — which can help (getting healthy) or hurt (going stale). They won't know which until Feb. 24.
8. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Record: |
Last week: 8
The big one for the Trailblazers in Southern Section Open Division pool play will be Centennial of Corona on Saturday but the likely matchup with No. 2 Etiwanda on Feb. 26 is what everyone wants to see.
9. New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.)
Record: 23-2 |
Last week: 9
New Hope's season is complete, and the hope is for a bid to the GEICO High School Nationals.
10. Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis)
Record: 20-0 |
Last week: 10
The Red Knights have two more home games before postseason begins, with a likely matchup against once-ranked Rock Bridge as the playoff highlight.
11. Cedar Park (Texas)
Record: 31-0 |
Last week: 13
The Timberwolves are rolling along, as they are in a different division than No. 2 DeSoto or No. 23 Duncanville.
12. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Record: |
Last week: 12
Like New Hope and DME, Montverde is waiting on a GEICO bid.
13. Conway (Ark.)
Record: 24-1 |
Last week: 14
The Wampus Cats host 20-3 North Little Rock on Wednesday and then travel to Northside next Tuesday — but note that Conway just handled Northside at home, 65-46.
14. DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Record: 23-3 |
Last week: 11
DME slides down after a loss to Central Pointe Christian, a school that reclassifies players to give them an extra year of high school basketball. Montverde, however, beat Central Pointe Christian.
15. Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.)
Record: 21-4 |
Last week: 15
The Highlanders draw 19-5 Palm Bay, which has played a difficult schedule, or 16-9 Eustis in regional finals Friday. Lake Highland Prep will be the heavy favorite regardless.
16. Fremont (Plain City, Utah)
Record: 19-2 |
Last week: 16
The Silverwolves host Davis on Thursday — the 6A playoffs begin next week, and Fremont is expected to justify this ranking by rolling through the postseason.
17. Hazel Green (Ala.)
Record: 31-0 |
Last week: 18
The Trojans are the clear favorite in Alabama's 6A playoffs, but it's never an easy road in postseason. Mortimer Jordan, for example, could be a test in the quarterfinals.
18. Johnston (Iowa)
Record: 21-0 |
Last week: 19
The Dragons open the Class 5A playoffs against 1-20 Council Bluffs. Des Moines North is the likely opponent next Tuesday.
19. Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.)
Record: 22-2 |
Last week: 20
The War Eagles will start the AAAAA playoffs next week, and even though it's not the top bracket, the competition from Forest Park and Warner Robins will be challenging.
20. Franklin Community (Franklin, Ind.)
Record: 27-1 |
Last week: 21
The Grizzly Cubs got a big win over 24-3 Bedford North Lawrence to move on to the 4A semifinals Saturday against 19-8 Mooresville. The other side of the bracket, though, is a lot tougher: 24-3 Crown Point and 23-4 Noblesville.
21. Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Record: 21-0 |
Last week: 24
The Blaze move on to the District 4 playoffs, with the Regionals slated to begin Feb. 25.
22. Duncanville (Texas)
Record: 31-6 |
Last week: NR
Of the Pantherettes' six losses, five are to ranked teams, and they avenged the one loss to an unranked team by winning the rematch by 20. They also have wins over No. 13 Conway and No. 23 Bishop McNamara. In short, they belong.
23. Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.)
Record: 13-4 |
Last week: NR
The Mustangs have lost only to ranked teams, and have knocked two teams out of the MaxPreps Top 25 in the last two weeks. So despite a relatively low number of games, BMac is back.
24. Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati)
Record: 22-0 |
Last week: NR
Mount Notre Dame returns to the rankings, and should have no trouble sticking around for the next couple rounds of the Division I playoffs. But the road will get rougher the longer they go.
25. Garfield (Seattle)
Record: 14-0 |
Last week: NR
Hampered by COVID-related restrictions, the Bulldogs couldn't leave the state of Washington to test their talented roster. Instead, they've just laid waste to the western part of the Evergreen State.
Dropped out: No. 18 Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.); No. 21 Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.); No. 22 Homestead (Fort Wayne, Ind.); No. 25 Apex Friendship (N.C.).
