MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings

It's not a news flash that most coverage of high school sports is driven by college fans interested in what kind of talent their teams might recruit. But when it comes to ranking high school teams, there's much more to the story than just talent.

Let's just take three teams as examples, and first, let me make it clear this is not a criticism of these players or their coaches. There are many, many factors that go into having an outstanding team, luck not the least of them, and just because a school doesn't wind up in the final Xcellent 25 doesn't mean that there was something lacking. Basically, it just means that other teams had better years, not that a particular team underperformed.

So Clarksville, Buford and Central Catholic of Oregon certainly can't be faulted for their seasons, which were by any objective standard outstanding. But all three, as it turned out, were treated more kindly by the various rankings than perhaps their performance deserved - and all three were loaded, not coincidentally, with elite talent.

None, as it turned out, won state titles, and none will finish in the Xcellent 25, though all were there at one point or another. They have been replaced, in many cases, with teams that don't have girls who will go on to star in the Big Six conferences or maybe play in the WNBA, but the rankings aren't about potential, but rather simple production (wins and losses).

It's easy to get blinded by the style and substance of elite players, but basketball is about a group of players and coaches, not individuals. It's important to remember, in the end, that it's not how much talent the team has, it's how much team the talent has.

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (1) St. Mary's (Phoenix) (30-0)*
Chantel Osahor may not get the recruiting love that some of her teammates do, but the 6-foot center might just be the most valuable player on the No. 1 high school team in the country.

2. (3) Whitney Young (Chicago) (34-0)*
A tough call here over McEachern, but the Dolphins played more out-of-state teams, and some pretty good ones. Two great teams, no doubt.

3. (4) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) (33-0)*
The Indians jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the Georgia semis, and seemed to be in control against Norcross --- especially when the lead extended to 13 early in the fourth quarter. But the Blue Devils came storming back, cutting the margin to two and having two tying 3-point attempts in the last 10 seconds. Both missed, however, and McEachern got that win, and then rolled over Hillgrove to complete an unbeaten season.

4. (5) Duncanville (Texas) (39-1)*
We'd love to see Texas teams get out of state more, but even though Duncanville never got too far from home, the Panthers are clearly an elite team.

5. (6) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) (36-2)
The Crusaders beat Princeton Day by 20, but they've lost a little focus lately because unlike most teams, they don't play for a state title.

6. (7) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (32-3)
It's serious now: Long Beach Poly on Saturday for the Southern California championship. The Jackrabbits were ranked much of the season and have plenty of firepower, and the teams are not only playing for a spot in the Xcellent 25, but the winner will be favored to win the state Division I title March 24.

7. (10) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) (34-3)
The Warriors survived Mt. Juliet 65-54 and then thumped previously unbeaten and No. 14 Science Hill by 15 to show, without a doubt, which is the best team in Tennessee.

8. (9) Bolingbrook (Ill.) (26-2)*
Season complete.

9. (10) La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) (30-1)
Upstart Serra knocked off previous No. 11 Windward, perhaps making the road to the California Division IV title game a little smoother for the Torreys. But Serra just didn't beat Windward, the Cavaliers rolled over them by 22.

10. (8) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) (30-4)*
Good Counsel started the season ranked behind St. John's of D.C., but then beat the Cadets three times to pretty much establish which was the better team. But in the last meeting, the championship of the Bishop Walsh Invitational, St. John's finally broke through, winning 62-59.

11. (15) Reynoldsburg (Ohio) (26-0)
The Raiders haven't played the national schedule that Twinsburg has, which means that some discount the unbeaten record. The teams will meet Friday in the Ohio semis, but the winner better not look past Fairmont.

12. (12) Hoover (Ala.) (31-3)*
Season complete.

13. (13) MacArthur (Irving, Texas) (35-3)*
Season complete.

14. (21) South Medford (Ore.) (30-0)*
West Linn took care of Oregon City in the quarterfinals, and South Medford rolled over previous No. 25 Central Catholic in the semis, leaving Westview as the final victim for the unbeaten Panthers.

15. (16) Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.) (19-3)
There are those who doubt the Northstars (though no one doubts Breanna Stewart), but Cicero-North can prove itself worthy of an even higher ranking by winning the NYSPHSAA Class AA and Federation tournaments the next two weekends.

16. (22) DuPont Manual (Louisville, Ky.) (37-2)*
The Crimsons built an 11-point first-half lead, but archrival Marion County battled back to take a fourth quarter lead. In the end, though, Manual prevailed, in part due to April Wilson's 23 points and 3-point marksmanship.

17. (17) Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) (29-3)*
Season complete.

18. (21) Twinsburg (Ohio) (23-3)
If you believe in comparative scores, the games Reynoldsburg and Twinsburg have played against Mason make Twinsburg a six-point favorite. If you believe in the Freeman rankings, Twinsburg is 7.5 points better. We'll find out Friday.

19. (22) Shabazz (Newark, N.J.) (32-1)
Just as it should be, the No. 1 team in New Jersey (Shabazz) and the No. 2 team in the Garden State (Manasquan) are on track to meet in the finals of the Tournament of Champions Tuesday.

20. (nr) Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (18-3)
The Kingsmen can ease a little of the pain of a heartbreaking season (coach Apache Paschall died in December) by winning the Federation title. But even if they do, the school itself is scheduled to close in June.

21. (14) Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) (38-1)*
There's no disgrace in losing to a better team, and a higher-ranked one -- and that's exactly what happened to the Hilltoppers when they played Riverdale in the Tennessee title game. And you know, 38-1 is a pretty good season.

22. (24) Seton LaSalle (Pittsburgh) (28-0)
The Rebels are rolling through the AA playoffs, but assuming they get by once-beaten Cranberry, they will face a tough Villa Maria team in the quarterfinals Tuesday.

23. (nr) Heights (Wichita, Kan.) (25-0)*
Only one starter returned from last year's 25-0 Heights' team, but coach Kip Pulliam kept the Falcons on track and they won 25 more in a row en route to their seventh state championship (six since 2002).

24. (nr) Edmond Santa Fe (Edmond, Okla.) (28-0)*
The Oklahoma 6A champion moves into the rankings thanks in great part to a win over Midwest City, which handled a strong intersectional field in the Fort Smith TOC back in December.

25. (nr) Goodrich (Mich.) (26-0)
You have to love any team that has Martians as their mascot -- and you also have to like a team that knocked off previous No. 19 Detroit Country Day (though the Yellowjackets were missing star Aerial Powers).

Dropped out: No. 11 Windward, No. 19 Detroit Country Day, No. 23 Clarksville, No. 25 Central Catholic.

*Season complete