Kahdeja Howell and Memphis Central are back in the Xcellent 25.
File photo by Chris Pondy
The real action doesn't begin until the Christmas break, though there will be a few more significant games this coming weekend – just as there were a couple this past week.
First, Memphis Central jumped back into the Top 25 by knocking off previous No. 9 Riverdale 66-60 in an all-Tennessee matchup, and then Brea-Olinda, with longtime coach Jeff Sink now coaching the boys, upset previous No. 16 Windward 69-65 in the all-California final of Brea's tournament.
Finally, Hoover of Alabama proved its worth by shackling Norcross of Georgia 41-27, but otherwise, the Xcellent 25 spent the first week of December playing the role of local bullies rudely snatching holiday candy out of weaker hands.
Come Christmas, most of the big girls will face kids their own size, and by Jan. 1, it's pretty much a lock that the Xcellent 25 will look a lot different.
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 NATIONAL GIRLS BASKETBALL RANKINGS PRESENTED BY THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD1. (1) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 3-0Courtney Ekmark and St. Mary's willwelcome many Xcellent 25 teams totheir hometown for the Nike TOC.
File photo by James Conrad
The Crusaders opened the season with three easy wins, but will get tested this weekend by Regis Jesuit of Colorado (making the trip back east) and Bishop Loughlin of New York.
2. (2) St. Mary's (Phoenix), 4-0 The Knights got somewhat of a battle from Hamilton (winning 74-57), but won't really be challenged until the Nike TOC begins Dec. 19.
3. (3) Bolingbrook (Ill.), 2-0 After beating Riverdale of Tennessee and Twinsburg of Ohio, two national-level teams, the Raiders haven't played since – but they will get back into action this week.
4. (4) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 2-0 Like the three teams above them in the rankings, the Cadets are playing in the Nike TOC, and the only possible threat to this ranking is that they will look past some decent local opposition in between now and Dec. 19.
5. (5) MacArthur (Irving, Texas), 14-0Everything's bigger in Texas, including the schedule. In Washington state, for example, teams can only play 20 games all season. MacArthur will get in 20 before No. 15 Shabazz plays its first one.
6. (6) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 5-0The Indians' biggest issue now is that they don't play in any major events, and so can't really do much more than beat up on lesser teams and hope that the two elite teams they knocked off, Norcross and Memphis Central, don't lose any more games.
7. (7) Spring Valley (Columbia, S.C.), 2-0 Though Aiken's mascot is very cool – the Fighting Green Hornets – Spring Valley should have little trouble swatting them away this week. The first big test will be at the Crescent Bank Holiday Invitational over Christmas break.
8. (8) Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 0-0The Kingsmen (an odd mascot for a girls' team) have yet to play, but presumably they'll get going this weekend – but in New York, you never can tell.
9. (11) Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.), 5-0The Panthers are beating up on local teams, but we'll find out how good they really are when they get to Phoenix to play against the other powers in the Nike TOC.
10. (12) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 1-0The Monarchs got hit hard by graduation, but the addition of transfer
Nirra Fields (headed to UCLA) has them back at the top of the California rankings. Are they as good as last year? The Nike TOC will tell the tale.
11. (13) Hoover (Ala.), 6-1After stumbling against Riverdale, the Buccaneers thumped in-state rival Bob Jones and knocked off Georgia power Norcross 41-27. They'd love to get another shot at Riverdale in the Peach State Classic after Christmas.
12. (10) Norcross (Ga.), 2-2Two losses and still No. 12? When the losses are to No. 6 and No. 11, they don't affect the rankings that much. But sooner or later, the Blue Devils have to beat someone.
13. (14) Buford (Ga.), 1-0Opinions are mixed about Buford, especially with
Andrea Carter out with an injury. But the Wolves can show everyone how good they are at the Nike TOC.
14. (15) Whitney Young (Chicago), 3-0Whitney Young and Bolingbrook have gone back and forth in Illinois for the past few seasons, and there's no reason to expect that to change this year. They do get a challenge this week when St. John the Baptist from New York comes to Chicago.
15. (17) Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.), 5-0The Lions' biggest issue is the quality of their opposition. Some teams won't, or can't, play them because they aren't members of the Florida State High School Athletic Association.
16. (18) Shabazz (Newark, N.J.), 0-0The first game for Shabazz is Dec. 20 – but by February, the Bulldogs will be as good as anyone in the nation.
17. (19) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), 1-0The Yellowjackets don't travel much, so a) they have to keep winning in Michigan, and b) when they do play an out-of-state team, they better win.
18. (20) Marion County (Lebanon, Ky.), 2-0Like so many other teams on this list, the Knights will toy with local opposition until they travel to Phoenix for the Nike TOC.
19. (21) Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.), 4-0Oregon's best team, it says here, will have to prove itself in Oregon – and that's a very good state for girls' basketball.
20. (22) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 0-0 Gorman gets under way this week in Hawaii – and more than a few mainland teams have found that focusing too much on the luau and not enough on the basketball can be a recipe for an upset loss.
21. (23) Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.), 3-0No challenges yet for North Carolina's top team, but the Chargers should get a shot at Spring Valley in the Crescent Bank Holiday Invitational.
22. (24) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 0-0The Rams have yet to play, but they should have their frenetic press in high gear by the time they get to Phoenix for the Nike TOC.
23. (25) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 1-0This year, the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference is one of the best in the country, and Good Counsel jumps into league play this week – and then goes to the Nike TOC.
24. (nr) St. Joseph's Academy (St. Louis), 2-0The Angels are another team just biding their time until the Nike TOC, which is so strong this year that the second 16-team bracket will be outstanding as well.
25. (nr) Memphis Central (Tenn.), 2-2When a team plays a schedule as tough as Memphis Central's, there are plenty of opportunities to move up – or down. This week, a 66-60 win over previous No. 9 Riverdale has the Warriors back in the top 25.
Dropped outNo. 9 Riverdale
No. 16. Windward