Video: Freshman with the full court buzzer beater
See this wild play from Pennsylvania.Even though there was only one game impacting the Xcellent 25 last week, it raised some fundamental questions about how the rankings work.
Chaminade knocked off previous No. 6 Miramonte 80-71 in the California Open Division championship, a result that some would consider as definitive evidence that Chaminade is the best team in California -- and thus better than No. 2 St. Mary's. After all, St. Mary's lost to unranked Pinewood in the NorCal semifinals, a team Miramonte then beat badly to qualify for the finals.
So if we look at the last weeks of the season, Chaminade would seem to be the clear choice.
But St. Mary's played more elite teams than Chaminade, and only lost once. Chaminade lost four times, including one to nine-loss Fairmont Prep, which lost to Mater Dei by 15 in the Southern California playoffs. Mater Dei then lost by 21 to six-loss Cajon. Chaminade also lost to Alemany, which lost 11 times, though Chaminade beat Alemany twice.
Granted, Chaminade star Leaonna Odom was hurt for all but one of those losses, but every team has injuries and illnesses and sometimes players drag themselves onto the court even though they are way below 100 percent. A loss is a loss, regardless of who's hurt, or otherwise rankings could give credit to teams that lost a player for the entire season, reasoning that had that girl been healthy, the team would have won many more games.
So if we look at the entire season, rather than the last two weeks, St. Mary's has a much better body of work -- and that's why St. Mary's remains No. 2, and Chaminade only moves to No. 9.
There will be those who say that the state champion should always be ranked ahead of a non-state champion from the same state, and there's a case to be made for that position. But we feel the Xcellent 25 reflects the entire season, not just the last two weeks, and that's the basis of the rankings you see below.
Check out girls basketball state champions from across the countryMaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Chaminade is tussling with California teams St. Mary's and Chaminade in the rankings.
Photo by Dennis Lee
Season complete.
2. (2) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 28-1Season complete.
3. (3) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 35-3Riverdale Baptist can't move up, as it lost to St. Mary's head-to-head, but a loss in the Dick's Invitational this weekend could move the Maryland team down. This definitely qualifies as a lose-lose proposition.
4. (4) Centennial (Las Vegas), 31-1Centennial has a win over Chaminade, further cementing this spot.
5. (5) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 33-1Season complete.
6. (7) Forestville (Md.), 25-2Season (and school) complete.
7. (8) St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.), 31-1The word now is that 6-foot-3
Kasiyahna Kushkituah will be playing at the Dick's Invitational. How effective she'll be after rehabbing a knee injury, though, is up in the air. Still, 6-3 is 6-3.
8. (9) Bellevue (Wash.), 29-0Season complete.
9. (12) Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.), 31-4The computer says Chaminade played the toughest schedule in the country, which gives an idea just how competitive Southern California girls basketball is. There are a lot of very good teams, and on any given night, even the best can struggle to win.
10. (10) St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.), 31-1Season complete.
11. (11) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 29-1Season complete.
12. (6) Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.), 32-1Miramonte expected to play Archbishop Mitty (ranked at the time) and St. Mary's (still No. 2) in the Northern California playoffs, but both were upset. It could be that Miramonte would have lost, but it also could be that Miramonte would have won, and thus wound up in the top 10. But No. 12 isn't bad.
13. (13) Seton Catholic (Chandler, Ariz.), 31-1Seton Catholic lost to Archbishop MItty over Christmas, in a tournament just a few miles from Mitty's California home. This weekend, they travel again, and have a chance to redeem themselves in the Dick's Invitational, and not only prove that the No. 13 ranking is deserved, but so is a spot in the top 10.
14. (14) Dekaney (Houston), 37-2Season complete.
15. (15) ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 25-3Season complete.
16. (16) Argyle (Texas), 35-1Season complete.
17. (17) Ribault (Jacksonville, Fla.), 28-1Florida's best played a very weak schedule, but could make up for it this weekend, as three teams ranked ahead of it are in the Dick's Invitational. First up is No. 13 Seton Catholic.
18. (18) Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.), 29-2Season complete.
19. (19) South (Wichita, Kan.), 25-0Season complete.
20. (20) Wadsworth (Ohio), 28-1Season complete.
21. (21) Konawaena (Kealakekua, Hawaii), 27-1Season complete.
22. (22) LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.), 35-0Season complete.
23. (23) Highlands Ranch (Colo.), 26-2Season complete.
24. (24) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 32-4Season complete.
25. (25) Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.), 32-3Season complete.
Dropped out: None.
