Centennial, Montini jump into top 5 as MLK play shakes up rankings.
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As always, the Martin Luther King Day Jr. slate of games upsets the rankings apple cart – with the big news this week being Centennial's beatdown of previous No. 2 Clovis West in Northern California. That win avenged an earlier loss, and because Centennial's only defeat is at the hands of Paul VI, the defending Nevada state champions jump to No. 2.
The other big move was Montini Catholic taking over the third spot. Some observers might believe that Riverdale may have more talent, but Montini has done more on the court up to this point, and must navigate a tougher road to its state title in Illinois than Riverdale faces in Tennessee.
Still, Riverdale stays at No. 4, but things get complicated with the four teams ranked six through 10. Though Archbishop Mitty and Clovis West each have two losses, they have played much tougher schedules than Miami Country Day and Grandview. A case could be made for a different order of that quartet, but since it's likely that Miami Country and Grandview will win out, and either Clovis West or Mitty must lose somewhere along the line in the California Open Division playoffs, later revision is certain.
Few important intersectional games remain on the schedule, but postseason play will begin soon, and some nationally ranked teams are invariably surprised by an in-state upstart when the postseason pressure starts to mount.
(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.)
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
1. (1 last week) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 16-0Thanks to Centennial's win over Clovis West, Paul VI's position is even more secure -- because Paul VI beat Centennial by seven back in December. But uneasy rests the head that wears the crown, as No. 1 must travel to Elizabeth Seton on Wednesday.
2. (10) Centennial (Las Vegas), 19-2Centennial made a statement at the Martin Luther King Jr. Shootout at St. Mary's of Stockton, slipping by the very strong hosts by three and then pummeling No. 8 Clovis West 70-46, to avenge an earlier loss.
3. (7) Montini (Lombard, Ill.), 21-0Montini has played a tougher schedule than it might appear, and it's noticeably tougher than Riverdale's -- thus the jump in the rankings. And Butler of Kentucky this weekend and the Illinois playoffs will definitely be a test.
4. (4) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 15-0Riverdale apparently will not play No. 13 Hamilton Heights, or even unranked Mercer County. The win over Norcross is impressive, but the best win for Norcross is over No. 16 White Station, and only by two.
5. (5) Monacan (Richmond, Va.), 13-0An 11-point win over Forest Trail was a good one, as Forest Trail has beaten No. 13 Hamilton Heights. But Monacan may not be seriously tested the rest of the year as the other top Virginia teams are not in the same postseason division.
6. (8) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 14-1This is where it gets confusing. St. John's beat Mitty, which beat Clovis, which beat St. John's. But No. 1 Paul VI comes to St. John's on Tuesday, and many doubts could be erased.
7. (9) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 13-2Mitty disposed of league rival Sacred Heart Cathedral and San Diego's best, Mission Hills, and will continue grinding through a difficult schedule -- before getting into the California Open postseason. Few teams have played as tough a schedule.
Archbishop Mitty moved up two spots to No. 7 in the Xcellent 25 girls basketball rankings.
Photo by Ted Walker
After beating Centennial by 15 at the Nike TOC, the Nevada powerhouse returned the favor by hammering Clovis West by 24 in Northern California. And Clovis West also has a loss to Archbishop Mitty.
9. (3) Miami Country Day (Miami), 22-1That one loss, unfortunately, was to Clovis West, and by 22, at the Nike TOC. So Miami Country Day can't really be ranked ahead of Clovis West -- and there's only one more game left in Miami Country Day's regular season.
10. (6) Grandview (Aurora, Colo.), 11-1Grandview lost to No. 9 Miami Country Day in overtime at the Nike TOC, but beat No. 7 Mitty by one at the buzzer. The Colorado 5A playoffs will be a challenge, but not too big.
11. (7) Norcross (Ga.), 18-2Norcross had a shot at jumping into the Top 10, but couldn't get it done against No. 4 Riverdale. The road in Georgia looks pretty smooth from here, and, on top of that, Norcross gets a week off to rest.
12. (12) Manasquan (N.J.), 12-0Manasquan will get a test Tuesday as Red Bank Catholic, long a New Jersey stalwart, comes to town. Manasquan won by four the first time around.
13. (14) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 18-1Two impressive wins -- 62-38 over Providence Day and 90-41 over Memphis Central -- help erase the sting of the defeat at the hands of Forest Trail. Too bad Riverdale couldn't find a way to play Hamilton Heights.
14. (16) St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), 18-0An intersectional win over Rogers of Ohio -- plus a solid schedule all year long -- jumps St. Frances two spots. And there's plenty of meat left on the slate.
15. (17) Seton Catholic (Chandler, Ariz.), 19-2The visit to Cactus Shadows on Friday will be the toughest matchup for Seton Catholic until the 4A playoffs -- where Cactus Shadows again will be the toughest matchup.
16. (15) White Station (Memphis, Tenn.), 16-2That 58-53 win over Memphis Central doesn't look quite as impressive after Hamilton Heights beat the same team by 49 -- thus the drop in the rankings.
17. (18) North Central (Indianapolis), 21-0Indiana has always been known as a basketball state, and the fact that North Central's first-round matchup in postseason -- on Jan. 31 -- is already set shows just how organized the Hoosiers are.
18. (19) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), 10-0As usual, Detroit Country Day has had its way with Michigan opponents, and its only out-of-state game left is against winless Waite of Ohio.
19. (20) Central Valley (Spokane Valley, Wash.), 14-0Before Tuesday's game, Mead had given Central Valley its closest game in Greater Spokane league play, losing by only 15. That was on the road, though, and the rematch at Central Valley wasn't that much of a challenge. It was 11-0 after one quarter and the final was 58-22.
20. (21) Olive Branch (Miss.), 21-1Jason Thompson got by his wife and coaching rival Janna Thompson and her Horn Lake team last Friday, but there's no word on whether he's still sleeping on the couch. Back-to-back games against solid Southaven are tap whether Jason is sleeping well or not.
21. (22) North Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.), 16-1It's been a tough year for perennial Arkansas power Northside, with close losses littering the schedule, but it would be unwise for North Little Rock to think Friday's game -- at Northside -- will be an easy win.
22. (NR) Male (Louisville, Ky.), 14-1Male jumps into the Xcellent 25 on the strength of a solid body of work -- including a 64-45 win Providence Day -- and the fact that the only loss is to No. 1 Paul VI by eight points.
23. (23) King (Milwaukee, Wis.), 15-0King trailed at the half against Eisenhower on Tuesday, a four-loss team, but righted the ship to win by five. Still, a win's a win.
24. (24) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 17-0Hopkins won't exactly ease into postseason but it shouldn't be too difficult. And once there, in-state rival Eastview awaits.
25. (25) Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), 9-2Long Island Lutheran will be tested Sunday when once-beaten McDonogh shows up on the schedule. McDonogh's loss was to No. 15 St. Frances.
Dropped out: No. 13 Mason (Ohio).
