State championships in
California,
Ohio and
Pennsylvania helped solidify five spots in the Xcellent 25 this week, which had little movement.
Third-ranked Brea Olinda (
Calif.), No. 5 Mount Notre Dame (Ohio), No. 6
St. Mary’s (
Calif.), No.
14 Archbishop Carroll (
Pa.) and No. 17 Long Beach Poly (
Calif.) all at least held spots with state-title wins. St. Mary’s actually moved up one spot with its win over
Inglewood.
Newcomers Detroit Country Day (Mich.) and Mt. Lebanon (Pa.) earned ways into the Xcellent rankings with state championships. Mt. Lebanon upset previous No. 15 Cardinal O’Hara, which dropped into bubble status.
Only No. 7 Riverdale Baptist is still playing as it participates in the NHSI tournament April 4-5. Look for the final Xcellent 25 on April 6.
About the Rankings: MaxPreps already provides the most comprehensive high school sports ratings with the MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard, a computer model developed by Ned Freeman. Now, it’s time to get the human element involved.
Each Monday, Mitch Stephens will run down the top 25 girls basketball teams in the country – weighing record, quality wins and losses and other factors to determine the best of the best.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25
1. Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 30-0. Season ended two weeks ago.
2. Washington (South Bend, Ind.) 26-1.
3. Brea Olinda (Brea, Calif.) 33-2 (1-0 last week). Put on a clinic in a decisive 68-45 win over a very strong Carondelet team in the California CIF Division II championship game. Kelsey Harris had 25 points and the Wildcats limited Carondelet to 29 percent shooting. With the win, Brea Olinda became the most successful program, boys or girls, in state history with nine titles and it won its 27th straight game.
Brea Olinda celebrates California Division II state title.
Photo By David Steutel
4. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 32-1.
5. Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati, Ohio) 27-1 (2-0). Had little trouble in the state Division I semifinal win over McKinley (62-51) and in the finals over Start (52-38) for its fourth straight crown. Gabby Smith and Kathryn Reynolds had 13 apiece, Kendall Hackney added 12 and Ashley Fowler 10. A 17-5 run in the first quarter against Start set the tone. Hackney is going to USC, Smith to Vanderbilt and Fowler to Ohio University.
6. St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.) 31-3 (1-0). Had little trouble with Inglewood for its fifth state title 71-62 as Afure Jemerigbe had 23 points, Allie Moreno 15 and Chelsea Gray 14 in the Division III game. With no seniors and Gray and Jemerigbe considered two of the best juniors in the country, the Rams could be preseason No. 1 in 2009-10.
7. Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 24-2 (0-0). Ends the Xcellent 25 season with two games April 4-5 at the NHSI against St. Frances Academy and the winner of Oak Hill Academy and Seton Keough.
8. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 28-2.
9. Bolingbrook (Ill.) 25-4.
10. Heritage Christian (Indianapolis, Ind.) 26-1.
11. Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 33-2.
12. Westbury Christian (Houston) 43-1.
13. Kentwood (Covington, Wash.) 28-1.
Kentwood celebrates Washington Class 4A state title.
Photo By Juliann Tallino
14. Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa) 30-1 (2-0). A 28-7 run in the final 8:14 of the first half paved the way to a 68-45 win over Lampteter-Strasburg for the state 3A title as Hollie Mershon and Erin Shields had 13 points each and Kerri Shields added 12.
16. Cajon (San Bernardino, Calif.) 32-3.
17. Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 31-3 (1-0). After a lackluster first half, Poly was impeccable the second, outscoring Monte Vista 38-16 to win its unprecedented fourth straight California Division I championship 57-33 Saturday at Arco Arena. As usual, the Jackrabbits relied on fullcourt pressure and depth to win going away. Ta’nitra Byrd had 12 points and McDonalds All-American Monique Oliver 10 points for Poly, which made 14 of 24 shots the second half and forced 24 turnovers overall.
18. Summit (Mansfield, Texas) 34-4.
19. Nimitz (Houston) 37-2.
20. Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.) 32-0.
21. Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) 24-4.
22. Dulles (Sugar Land, Texas) 36-3.
23. Detroit Country Day (Mich.) 26-1 (2-0). Finished season and game with 24-4 run to repeat as state Class B champions with a 50-40 win over Catholic Central. Don’t forget this name on your All-American list next year: Madison Williams. The 6-6 junior had 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 blocks for the winners. Teammate Amber Moore added 13 points and Troy Hambric and Sharena Taylor combined for 17.
24. Fayetteville (Ark) 31-0.
25. Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh, Pa) 31-0. In the 4A state finals, the Blue Devils got 19 points and 11 rebounds from Madison Cable and 21 from Emily Miller to roll to the upset win over previous No. 15 Cardinal O’Hara 67-58 on Friday.
On the Bubble: Cardinal O’Hara (Springfield, Pa.) 25-3; Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas) 32-4; Detroit Community (Detroit, Mich.) 22-0; East Lansing (Mich.) 26-1; Fargo South (Fargo, N.D.) 24-1; Highlands Ranch (Colo.) 24-3; Jones (Madison, Ala.) 33-3; Murry Bergtraum (New York, N.Y.) 24-1; St. Michael Academy (New York, N.Y.) 23-3; Westlake (Atlanta) 27-2.
Past Weeks: Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 20, Jan. 26, Feb. 2, Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 23. March 2. and March 9, March 16.
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