Video: St. Mary's wins Nike TOCThe race for the national championship is just about to enter the home stretch, and out of the 13,000 or so high school girls basketball teams in the country, realistically only six are left with a legitimate shot at becoming the MaxPreps national champion.
Regardless of which team comes out on top, the six listed below have all had phenomenal seasons, and any one of them would be a deserving national champ. But when it's all sorted out in early April, only a single team will be left standing — and we'll look at the contenders starting from the top of the Xcellent 25.
Top 6 Girls Basketball National Title Contenders
If St. Mary's finishes its incredibly challenging schedule undefeated, it will likely be rewarded with a national title.
Photo by Mark Jones
St. Mary's has done everything that could be asked and more. Played in traditionally the toughest tournament in the country, the Nike TOC in Arizona? Check. Traveled back east to sample some of the best basketball east of the Mississippi? Check. Played the best teams in its home state? Check. And so far, all that has been accomplished without a single loss — but there are still plenty of potential landmines ahead. Two teams in the Xcellent 25 will likely be in the Northern California championships in mid-March (No. 5 Miramonte and No. 15 Archbishop Mitty), and then the survivor of the always brutal Southern California playoffs will be the final hurdle on March 26. If St. Mary's runs the table, there will be no doubt as to the most deserving team.
2. Duncanville (Texas) (3)Duncanville is also unbeaten, and also plays in a very tough state — and has wins over two ranked teams (No. 9 North Shore and No. 11 Blackman). There are many who believe Duncanville is the best team in the country, but the difference is travel: St. Mary's has been all over the country and all over its home state, while Duncanville has stayed home (except for one trip to Houston). But if St. Mary's falters and Duncanville wins out, the best in Texas will be crowned the best in the nation.
3. National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Md.) (5)Most of the time the national champion is unbeaten, and so far National Christian has met that criterion. The team has a quality win over No. 11 Blackman, plus victories over a collection of solid East Coast opponents, but a lot of pieces will have to fall into place for National Christian to finish No. 1. First and foremost, a win over No. 2 Riverdale Baptist on Feb. 5 is a necessity, and then winning the National Association of Christian Athletes postseason tournament in late February must follow. Oh, and St. Mary's and Duncanville will both have to lose as well.
4. Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.) (7)Why does Miramonte have a better chance to win the national title than Neumann-Goretti, a team ranked higher? Because Miramonte will very likely have to beat No. 1 St. Mary's of Stockton to stay unbeaten, and that win would trump anything on Neumann-Goretti's schedule. In addition, Miramonte would be expected to draw No. 15 Archbishop Mitty before facing St. Mary's, and then complete the season by beating the Southern California champ. Realistically, though, Duncanville will have to lose as well for Miramonte to ascend to No. 1.
5. Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) (6)Like the other contenders Neumann-Goretti is unbeaten, but it has played the weakest schedule — and is a Class AA school in Pennsylvania, which means its postseason competition won't be all that strong. Neumann-Goretti has traveled a bit but hasn't played an Xcellent 25 team, so a lot will have to happen for the Philadelphia school to rise to No. 1.
6. Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) (2)Why is the No. 2 team in the nation behind the No. 7 team? Because Riverdale lost to St. Mary's of Stockton at the Nike TOC (in overtime), and thus will be behind St. Mary's in the final rankings, barring a complete collapse by the No. 1 team. The logic begins with this axiom: The scoreboard doesn't lie. That means St. Mary's is better than Riverdale Baptist. If Miramonte, say, beats St. Mary's, then Miramonte is thus better than St. Mary's, and by extension, better than Riverdale Baptist. If St. Mary's doesn't lose, then Riverdale can't get to No. 1; if St. Mary's does lose to a ranked team, then Riverdale Baptist is behind that team as well.
