MaxPreps Top 25 high school girls basketball rankings

Injuries change everything — but the scoreboard still doesn't lie.

Previous No. 21 Hopkins lost two starting guards to injuries, and then to Centennial 79-70, but there's no mercy here. Hopkins doesn't have any out-of-state wins, so it's gone from the Xcellent 25.

Paul VI registered a big win over No. 23 Our Lady of Good Counsel, but at the same time got the news it may be without two starters the rest of the season — which makes that No. 16 ranking not quite as solid as it might be.

Then again, Good Counsel suffered two of its losses while star guard Lindsay Spann was hurt, so it's among many teams that will be tougher when the talent returns to the court.



MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Girls Basketball Rankings

1. (Last week 1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 14-0
An easy win over La Jolla Country Day ended a tough holiday season for the Monarchs — who might get a bit of a challenge from once-beaten Orange Lutheran on Friday.

2. (2) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 16-0
Riverdale took over in the last nine minutes to knock off No. 10 Oakland, 63-46, Saturday. The Warriors have now won 39 straight games, and 47 consecutive in Tennessee.

3. (3) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) 13-0
Alpharetta has only lost twice, but Lexie Brown and the Bulldogs should still be unbeaten when they host Norcross on Jan. 15.

4. (4) Duncanville (Texas) 24-0
The Panthers held Grand Prairie scoreless for the first 12 minutes, which is generally a good way to guarantee a win. DeSoto, though, will be more of a challenge on Friday.

5. (5) St. John's (Washington, D.C.) 13-0
A rare easy week for the Cadets in the DMV should help them prepare for the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference challenges down the road.{PAGEBREAK} 6. (6) Fairmont (Kettering, Ohio) 11-0
After playing Wayne Wednesday, the Firebirds have ten days off to prepare for No. 15 Regis Jesuit in the Braggin' Rights Classic.



7. (7) Marion County (Lebanon, Ky.) 15-0
DuPont Manual has been a Kentucky power for the last few years, and the Saturday meeting will be game number three this week for Marion County.

8. (8) Windward (Los Angeles) 14-0
After rolling through a lower bracket of the Nike TOC and then knocking off Long Beach Poly and No. 22 Bishop O'Dowd at the Oaks Christian tournament, the Wildcats took a well-deserved break.

9. (9) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 16-0
Though Riverdale has the highest ranking, the real war in Murfreesboro is the long-time rivalry between Blackman and Oakland – and the two top ten teams will go at it Friday night.

10. (10) Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 13-1
When a team loses to No. 2 in the nation, as Oakland did, it's not a surprise — and it's no reason to drop that team in the rankings.{PAGEBREAK}

Diani Akigbogun has helped Regis Jesuit to the No. 15 spot in the rankings.

Photo by Mark Dalby

11. (11) St. Mary's (Phoenix) 12-1
The Knights are very, very good – and only Pinnacle would seem to have a shot at the upset. The two teams play Jan. 21 at Arizona State.

12. (12) Shabazz (Newark, N.J.) 8-0
Bishop Ford has some very good wins on its schedule, but the Bulldogs handed the Brooklyn team its fourth loss, 66-60. League play is next, and it won't be nearly as challenging.

13. (13) Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) 15-2
The Hilltoppers can pretty much kick back until their weekend in Kentucky later this month — which will include a game with No. 7 Marion County.



14. (14) Pflugerville (Texas) 24-0
The Panthers are in year two of a dominant run (just one loss), but they host 21-4 Cedar Ridge Friday night.

15. (15) Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) 9-0
Unbeaten Grandview, which also won its bracket at the Nike TOC, comes to Regis on Saturday night — and then it's off to Ohio for the Classic in the Country.{PAGEBREAK}

16. (20) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 15-0
Freshman Jasmine Whitney beat the buzzer with a layup Tuesday, and Paul VI beat previous No. 16 Our Lady of Good Counsel 57-55 — but adjusting to a new starting lineup won't be easy.

17. (17) Shades Valley (Birmingham, Ala.) 18-1
The Mounties beat Wesleyan, a solid Georgia team, 54-42, and then gave Mountain Brook its second loss of the season, 45-36, Tuesday.

18. (18) Centerville (Ohio) 11-1
The Elks don't get much respect from Ohio journalists, who have them ninth in the state — but we think that win over previously-ranked Seton LaSalle counts for a lot more than wins over local teams.

19. (NR) Columbus North (Columbus, Ind.) 17-0
The Bulldogs jump into the national rankings not only as Indiana's best team, but also thanks to a win over previous No. 22 Whitney Young. There are three good teams in their league, though, so this ranking is precarious.



20. (19) Plano West (Plano, Texas) 24-2
The first time, Plano West lost to Duncanville by six. The next time, it was by 32. They're likely to meet again in postseason, but as of right now, we know who the favorite would be.{PAGEBREAK} 21. (23) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 14-2
The Crusaders get traditionally-strong Bullis on Friday and two-loss Potomac on Saturday. They're not in a league, so they do what they can with the schedule.

22. (25) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) 7-3
The Dragons' league is weak, but they'll host St. Mary's of Berkeley, which beat Long Beach Poly at the Nike TOC, on Saturday.

23. (16) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) 11-3
Amanda Fioravanti scored six points in the last 80 seconds to tie the game against No. 20 Paul VI Tuesday, but it wasn't enough — and neither was the return of Lindsey Spann in a 57-55 loss.

24. (24) Southwood (Shreveport, La.) 14-0
The Bulldogs shouldn't have much problem with 1-11 Parkway this weekend, and are gearing up for the postseason.

25. (NR) Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis) 13-0
The Red Knights move into the rankings thanks in great part to a season-opening win over Hoover of Alabama, which has wins over top teams from Georgia and Oregon.

Dropped out: No. 21 Hopkins, No. 22 Whitney Young