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

Video:15-year old girl dunks again
See sophomore sensation Francesca Belibi dunk again in a game.

As the top teams in the country take a deep breath and prepare for postseason, let's shift gears from the usual commentary to give the other 13,000 or so high school teams a moment in the spotlight.

Sure, the elite teams work hard, but so does almost every other team that posts scores on MaxPreps. That school that struggling to get to .500 has practice every day, runs liners every day, and players, coaches, parents and fans all take the results seriously. Hard work is hard work, regardless of talent level, and just because a girl is gifted athletically doesn't mean she should get more credit for her commitment than one who will never play the game again after Senior Night.

And in an increasingly fragmented world where the Internet allows people to belong to communities all over the globe, high school sports - especially on a winter evening - are truly a community gathering where familiar faces can be seen and old relationships renewed. This is especially true in areas where the girls and boys varsity teams play back-to-back games, a practice that should be encouraged, if not mandated, throughout the country. The combination allows everyone involved in the high schools and the communities to be in the same spot at the same time supporting young people, talented or otherwise, who spend a lot of time and effort trying to play a difficult and often unforgiving game.

So find some time to see your local girls play -- they deserve it, whether they're mentioned in the list below or not.

(Note: We urge all teams, not just those in the Xcellent 25, to make sure their rosters and schedules are up-to-date on MaxPreps. This allows parents, fans, media and college coaches easy access to what they need to know. Problems? Contact coachsupport@maxpreps.com.)


1. (last week 1) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 20-1
It's pretty clear what the big game is this week: No. 1 St. John's College must travel to No. 4 Paul VI (the previous No. 1) at 12:45 p.m. Sunday. And St. John's struggled to get past a struggling Good Counsel team, though maybe the players were just looking ahead.

2. (2) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 24-0
Riverdale had to go overtime after blowing a nine-point fourth quarter lead against five-loss Murray, but won 75-68. Now if Paul VI would cooperate by knocking off No. 1 St. John's, Riverdale moves to the top spot.

3. (3) Monacan (Richmond, Va.), 22-0
The postseason is next, and Monacan is the heavy favorite to win the large-school class in Virginia. And with the right set of outcomes, Monacan could wind up No. 1 in the nation.

4. (4) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 22-1
Paul VI sent a message to No. 1 St. John's by beating a very good Seton team, 62-30. St. John's beat Seton by nine. Sunday's game should be something.

5. (5) Centennial (Las Vegas, Nev.), 24-2
Centennial winds up its 49-point win cruise through southern Nevada Thursday (win by 50 and the coach has to fill out a report on why he or she allowed the rout to occur), and should face tougher opposition in postseason.

6. (6) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 19-2
Archbishop Mitty is kicking into high gear, knocking off a very good Sacred Heart Cathedral team by 20, 82-62. Three more quality opponents remain in league play, but Mitty has too many soldiers. 7. (7) Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.), 25-2
Clovis West has been getting ready for a deep postseason run for a while now, but the Southern California Regionals will be stacked with high-level opponents. Then again, the state committee could flip the script and send Clovis West north to play Mitty.

8. (8) Miami Country Day (Miami, Fla.), 25-1
Seffner Christian has emerged as the top competitor for Miami Country Day, and that matchup is looming. If the Spartans win out, a postseason trip to the Dick's High School National Tournament is a distinct possibility.

9. (9) Grandview (Aurora, Colo.), 18-1
Grandview trailed by three after the first quarter against twice-beaten Horizon, but then rolled to a 69-45 win. Cherry Creek will be the only challenge before postseason.

10. (10) Norcross (Norcross, Ga.), 23-2
Norcross begins the Georgia playoffs Wednesday against Central Gwinnett, a team it has beaten twice by an average margin of 41 points. Presumably things will get tougher this weekend.

11. (11) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 20-1
Hamilton Heights has played only three games since Jan. 16, and, after hosting Legacy Charter on Friday, won't play again until Feb. 22. Too bad Riverdale was never able to find time to get Hamilton Heights on the schedule.

12. (12) St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.), 24-0
St. Frances has taken on all comers lately, outlasting a beat-up Riverdale Baptist 48-38 Monday, and now will host another powerhouse, National Christian Academy, Saturday afternoon.

13. (13) North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.), 26-0
North Central had to battle through its playoff openers, winning by nine and 17, and the next big test could come in the second 4A Regional game of the day Saturday against Pike. Pike has lost three games, two to North Central by margins of seven and 13 points.

14. (14) Butler (Louisville, Ky.), 24-1
Sacred Heart Academy has been one of Kentucky's top teams for decades, and Butler travels there Thursday. Louisville is a tough town this year.

15. (21) Montini (Lombard, Ill.), 26-1
The regular season doesn't exactly wind down for Montini, which finishes against 21-3 Oswego East on Thursday. Luckily, the game is at home.

16. (18) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), 15-0
Edison proved to be a worthy opponent, but Detroit Country Day won 67-55 and climbed two more rungs on the ladder. The next test will probably be Renaissance on Feb. 21.

17. (20) Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.), 20-1
Rutgers Prep will finish the regular season against a very good Blair Academy team on Valentine's Day, and then begin the long process of the New Jersey postseason.

18. (18) Central Valley (Spokane Valley, Wash.), 20-0
Central Valley opens District 8 Regional play Wednesday, but will most likely not be tested until the Feb. 17 final -- which should be against 15-5 Chiawana.

19. (21) Amarillo (Texas), 33-1
Amarillo didn't blink after its insertion into the Xcellent 25, and after 34 games, hopes to make a deep, multi-game run in the Texas postseason.

20. (22) King (Milwaukee, Wis.), 20-0
As with many teams in the Xcellent 25, there's just one game left for before the playoffs, and that's not until Valentine's Day.

21. (23) Destrehan (La.), 29-0
Destrehan starts the postseason, and like all nationally ranked teams, will get the best possible effort out of every opponent. And no one, not even the pros, is immune to playoff pressure.

22. (24) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 22-0
The wheels keep turning in Minnesota, but they're turning fairly slowly. Hopkins should have little to concern itself with for the next couple weeks.

23. (25) Southeast Raleigh (Raleigh, N.C.), 23-0
Like so many members of the Xcellent 25, Southeast Raleigh wraps up the regular season this week (Thursday in this case) and begins gearing up for an intense postseason.

24. (NR) Rock Island (Ill.), 27-1
Rock Island jumps into the Xcellent 25 over several worthy candidates thanks to its strength of schedule. The only loss was to No. 15 Montini, but a trip to 23-6 Galesburg on Thursday could make this visit a brief one.

25. (NR) Holy Innocents Episcopal (Atlanta, Ga.), 24-1
Holy Innocents has only lost once, to Georgia stalwart McEachern, but has handled almost all the other Peach State powers -- and also has a 21-point win over one of Tennessee's best, Brentwood Academy.

Dropped out: No. 15 White Station, No. 19 Olive Branch.