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

Video: Sarah Bates, Clovis West High School
Watch the Clovis West senior guard's highlights from last season.

It's Christmas time, and for girls who play on the nation's top high school basketball teams, that usually means tree-decorating, wrapping presents and mistletoe awareness take a backseat to security lines, cramped seats and lots of games.

Though there have been more than a few top-flight tournaments up to this point, things get serious starting this coming week at the Nike TOC in Arizona – which will feature 10 teams in the Xcellent 25, and four of the top six. That's only fitting, as this is the 20th annual Nike TOC, and it's unfortunate that No. 1 Paul VI couldn't make the trip, though three teams from its league will try to make up for that absence.

After Christmas, there are a host of quality tournaments, which unfortunately tends to dilute the competition. Three members of the Xcellent 25 are in Florida, for example, but all are at different tournaments, while the Crescom Holiday Tournament can claim two. Other Xcellent 25 members host their own tournaments (Montini Catholic and Duncanville), and the Title IX event in Washington DC is also very strong.

No team, however, can match -- or would want to, most likely -- what Long Beach Poly is in the middle of. They played in Hawaii last weekend, will play in Arizona next week, and will travel across the country to Washington, D.C., after Christmas.

And unlike NBA teams, they won't have their own private charter, first class accommodations and five-star hotels, or someone to take care of their luggage and give them a $150 per diem.

(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. (1 last week) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 6-0
After knocking off two Xcellent 25 teams in the early going, Paul VI eases off a bit, though Washington Catholic Athletic Conference play begins Dec. 21. After Christmas, Paul VI heads to Florida for a good if not quite elite tournament.

2. (2) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 4-0
It took overtime, but Mitty held onto its No. 2 ranking by beating Xcellent 25 newcomer Clovis West by one in the championship of the ‘Iolani tournament. Next up, No. 21 Grandview in the first round of the Nike TOC.

3. (3) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 7-0
Stewart's Creek always seems to rise to the occasion against Riverdale, and last week was no exception. Riverdale escaped with a 57-50 victory, and now will move on to the Nike TOC, where No. 20 Riverdale Baptist awaits in the first round.

4. (4) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 10-0
Though the Fort Smith Tournament of Champions doesn't have the same cachet as the Nike TOC in Arizona, it still brings together some of the top teams in the Midwest. Hamilton Heights beat Van Buren 50-43 to win that TOC, and now returns to its home state for two tough games this weekend.

5. (5) Centennial (Las Vegas, Nev.), 5-1
Like most teams serious about national rankings, Centennial finds a way to get to the Nike TOC every year. The first-round matchup is against one of Kentucky's best, Mercer County, and lurking on the other side of the four-team pod is No. 13 Clovis West and D.C. power St. John's College.

6. (6) Miami Country Day (Miami, Fla.), 9-0
Here's a surprise – a top 10 team is playing in the Nike TOC. Miami Country Day handled a tough South Broward team last week, takes on traditional Florida power Dillard on Friday, and then gets a strong Elizabeth Seton opponent in the first round of the TOC on Monday.

7. (10) Monacan (Richmond, Va.), 4-0
Monacan jumps into the top 10 on the strength of a win over previous No. 8 National Christian. The 12-point victory, not surprisingly led by Megan Walker, is the last tough matchup for Monacan until the Crescom Holiday Tournament after Christmas.

8. (12) Norcross (Ga.), 11-0
A top 10 team will lose at the Crescom Holiday Tournament after Christmas, and presumably it will be in the game matching No. 7 and No. 8 in the nation. But that's a tough tournament, and an upset by non-ranked team is far from out of the question.

9. (9) Montini (Lombard, Ill.), 11-0
The 55-48 win over Rock Island was a good one for Montini, but the best in Illinois doesn't have a tough test for quite some time – at least, that's what it looks like now. Montini hosts its own tournament after Christmas, and it's pretty hard to beat a team of this quality on its home floor.

10. (8) National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Md.), 4-1
St. John Vianney, one of New Jersey's best, should be a good test on Saturday, but National Christian's Xcellent 25 status will depend greatly on its performance at the Title IX Classic after Christmas.

11. (11) St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.), 0-0
St. Rose finally gets to play a game, and Point Pleasant Beach gets the honor of being the first opponent. A bigger test, though, will come at the Diamond State Classic, always a quality tournament in Delaware.

12. (13) Duncanville (Texas), 17-1
Those hoping Duncanville would sink back to the pack in 2016-17 appear to be doomed to disappointment. Duncanville is rolling through the best that Texas has to offer, and as usual, is favored in its own tournament, the Sandra Meadows Classic, after Christmas. 13. (NR) Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.), 7-1
How does a team get into the Xcellent 25 after losing? When that loss is to Archbishop Mitty, No. 2 in the nation, by one, in overtime – and follows a victory over the previous No. 7, in this case Long Beach Poly, the game before. Clovis West has been knocking on the door of the Xcellent 25 for the last couple years, and now has simply kicked it down.

14. (14) Cardinal O'Hara (Springfield, Pa.), 0-0
Admit it, Little Flower Catholic for Girls does not sound like the kind of opponent that keeps coaches awake at night – and Cardinal O'Hara will be ready to open the season with a bang on Thursday. Then comes St. Mary's of Stockton in the first round of the Nike TOC, and just because the California team is unranked doesn't mean it shouldn't be treated with the utmost respect.

15. (15) Manasquan (N.J.), 0-0
New Jersey has plenty of quality teams this year, and eventually Manasquan will have to prove itself against opponents like St. Rose and St. John Vianney. Until then, the KSA tournament in Florida after Christmas will be as tough as the schedule will get.

16. (16) Homewood-Flossmoor (Flossmoor, Ill.), 6-1
There are a lot of quality teams going to Florida for tournaments after Christmas, but unfortunately they all seem to be going to different ones. Homewood-Flossmoor, which survived Oswego East 45-44 last week, will be at the Junior Orange Bowl, which is a good tournament but not a great one.

17. (17) Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas), 14-1
Mansfield Timberview will have its spot in the Xcellent 25 tested over the next week in a pair of road games. The first is at rival Mansfield Summit, which is 10-3 so far this year, and then Timberview travels to unbeaten Red Oak next Tuesday.

18. (18) Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.), 8-1
Millbrook should have no problem in the two games prior to the John Wall Invitational after Christmas, but North Carolina's best needs a solid performance there to offset that 42-point loss to No. 1 Paul VI.

19. (19) St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.), 5-1
St. Francis will tune up for the Nike TOC with a game against always tough Southwest DeKalb but things get real right away in Arizona as Seton Catholic (barely on the outside of the Xcellent 25), No. 1 Archbishop Mitty and No. 21 Grandview all are in the same four-team pod.

20. (20) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 8-1
Those who don't have a finger on the pulse of the national girls' basketball scene – and there aren't a lot of us – might not of been impressed with Riverdale Baptist's three straight wins over Bishop McNamara, McEachern and Archbishop Wood. But those are three very good teams, though not as good as No. 3 Riverdale, which is Riverdale Baptist's first-round opponent in the Nike TOC. Now that's scheduling.

21. (21) Grandview (Aurora, Colo.), 3-0
Is Grandview for real? The 58-30 win over Regis Jesuit in Colorado offers some proof, but the real test will come Monday when No. 1 Archbishop Mitty shows up on the other side of the scorer's table. It won't get any easier from there, as there are three more nationally ranked teams in the upper half of the bracket.

22. (7) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 2-1
Don't be surprised if Long Beach Poly rises just as quickly as it fell after that loss to No. 13 Clovis West. After all, that was in overtime, and now Poly heads to the Nike TOC, followed by a trip to the Title IX classic in Washington DC. One, or conceivably two, tournament championships could put Poly right back in the top 10.

23. (23) Central Valley (Spokane Valley, Wash.), 4-0
We know Central Valley is good, but we really don't know how good – and we're unlikely to find out given the schedule limitations for Washington schools, and no games against out-of-state teams. But there's talent on the roster, and no losses on the ledger.

24. (24) North Little Rock (Ark.), 5-0
North Little Rock survived Arkansas power Conway, 61-60, and now will travel to Mississippi to take on unbeaten Olive Branch and the team many consider to be Mississippi's best, Murrah. Oh, and Conway will get at least two more cracks at North Little Rock before the season is over.

25. (25) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), 3-0
Like Central Valley, Detroit Country Day can't travel as much as other teams, so Saturday's matchup against Whitney Young of Chicago will be crucial in cementing the team's spot in the Xcellent 25. That said, the word is that Michigan is pretty strong this year.

Dropped out: No. 22 Long Island Lutheran