MaxPreps Top 25 national high school girls basketball rankings

Early season rankings are as reliable as weather forecasts, but they're a lot more fun - though taking them too seriously can cause unnecessary angst.

Blackman of Tennessee, for example, last year's defending national champion and the preseason No. 1 in the nation, lost on its home court to Potter's House Christian and the powerful inside play of Rellah Boothe -- but there's a long season ahead.

And unlike other years, it's unclear if there's really a powerhouse team that's going to roll through a challenging schedule undefeated, so Blackman -- and everyone else -- will have chances to make a move. And the way things are going early, those moves could come as early as next week.


1. (2) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 1-0
After handling a solid Upper Room Christian team in the opener, Riverdale Baptist moves to the top spot thanks to Blackman's loss. The Crusaders will get tested, though, by a strong Miller (Va.) team Saturday.

2. (4) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 3-0
The one-two punch of point guard Te'a Cooper and forward Caliya Robinson is backed up with plenty of experienced talent. A trip to Texas later this month should tell more of the story.

3. (11) Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.) 5-0
A one-point win counts the same as a 10-point win, and thanks to tourney MVP Valerie Higgins, Chaminade slipped past previous No. 3 Mater Dei 60-59 and now jumps into the top 10.

4. (5) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) 3-0
After handling some in-state opponents -- including tough Ardrey Park -- Myers Park now travels to Tennessee to take on No. 11 Blackman, which is still smarting after getting knocked out of the top spot in the rankings.

5. (6) Whitney Young (Chicago) 0-0
The Dolphins jump right into the swim of things, opening with Montini, a consistent Illinois power, and Benton Harbor, a quality Michigan opponent.

6. (NR) Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 2-0
After Potter's House Christian took over late against Blackman, the next night, talented Oakland upheld the honor of Murfreesboro with a 70-68 win -- and earned a spot in the top 10.

7. (8) Elizabethtown (Ky.) 0-0
We'll find out in a hurry about Elizabethtown. The Panthers play previous No. 1 Blackman Saturday in Murfreesboro, right after taking on one of Arkansas' best, Conway, on Friday.

8. (3) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 3-1
Despite 27 points from Katie Lou Samuelson, Mater Dei dropped a 60-59 decision to No. 3 Chaminade -- and to add insult to injury, Leaonna Odom, who transferred from Mater Dei to Chaminade, finished with 14 points.

9. (NR) Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.) 9-1
Beating the previous No. 1 in the nation is always a good way to get people's attention, but then the Lions turned around the next night and lost to another Tennessee team, Oakland. Still, an impressive start …

10. (10) Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.) 2-0
Rock Bridge's strong front line handled two strong opponents at the Turkey Jamm in Tennessee last week. Up next is Kirkwood, which won 25 games last year.

11. (1) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 3-1
After the upset loss to Potter's House Christian, Blackman has to drop -- but next up is a date with No. 4 Myers Park, so a chance for redemption is imminent.

12. (12) Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) 0-0
Has not played.

13. (13) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.) 0-0
The Rams don't ease into things -- their first tournament is the Iolani Classic in Hawaii (tough duty) but there they'll see No. 1 Riverdale Baptist and the team that knocked them out of postseason last year, Miramonte.

14. (14) Bedford North Lawrence (Ind.) 6-0
Bedford North Lawrence's national ranking barely survived an encounter with Ohio's Fairmont. Dominique Mcbryde scored all 13 of Bedford North Lawrence's fourth-quarter points in a 55-53 win.

15. (15) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) 0-0
Has not played.

16. (16) Leavenworth (Kan.) 0-0
Has not played.

17. (17) South Medford (Ore.) 0-0
Has not played.

18. (19) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 0-0
Has not played.

19. (20) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 2-0
Hopkins will get an early test against Eastview, which went 34-2 last year and won the state title -- after knocking off Eden Prairie, which shocked Hopkins in the postseason.

20. (21) Braintree (Mass.) 0-0
Has not played.

21. (22) Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.) 0-0
Has not played.

22. (23) Northside (Fort Smith, Ark.) 3-0
A win's a win, but it hasn't been an easy start for Northside, which slipped past West Memphis by one, and then knocked off Hall by just five.

23. (24) Lawrence North (Indianapolis) 3-0
The internecine Indiana girls' basketball wars got off to an early start, with Lawrence North handing Columbus North its first loss of the year, 64-60. The Indiana teams don't travel, though, so regional comparisons are difficult.

24. (NR) Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) 5-0
Millennium inserted itself into the national scene for the first time by knocking off previous No. 7 Desert Vista 81-76 in overtime. But the Tigers did return all five starters from a 27-4 team, so it's not that big of a surprise.

25. (NR) Miami Country Day 8-0
Miami Country Day is considered by local experts to be the best in a competitive Florida, but we'll find out for sure when they play in the Naples Holiday Shootout after Christmas.

Dropped out: No. 7 Desert Vista; No. 9 Conway; No. 18 East Central; No. 25 Marian.