Previous No. 1 Mater Dei loses in overtime, paving the way for new leader Riverdale.
Tiffany Lewis and the Riverdale Lady Warriors are the new No. 1 team in the Xcellent 25 rankings thanks to a Mater Dei loss. Three more wins could earn Riverdale a national championship.
Photo by John Pratt
Riverdale is the new queen of the Xcellent 25 mountain, thanks to an upset loss for Mater Dei — but to stay there, Riverdale must win out this weekend.
Duncanville is extremely impressive as well, but with no significant out-of-state competition it's hard to really measure how good the Pantherettes are. Teams that want to win national titles need to play national schedules, as best they can, and Duncanville didn't do that. Maybe next year ...
View the girls basketball state playoff brackets
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Girls Basketball Rankings Presented by the Army National Guard1. (2) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 30-0Blackman was eliminated, so no more crosstown rematches — but Memphis Central and No. 11 Science Hill stand in the way of the state title, and a potential national championship.
2. (3) Duncanville (Texas) 42-0Make it eight Texas titles for the Pantherettes (two in a row), and a fourth unbeaten season. Only a lack of any significant regional or national wins keeps Duncanville out of the top spot — for now, at least.
3. (4) Windward (Los Angeles) 30-0Windward will likely face Troy, but not until March 12. Looming just over the horizon is previous No. 1 Mater Dei, which got upset in the Southern Section playoffs, but still was pulled up into the Open Division.
4. (13) St. John's (Washington, D.C.) 30-1The Cadets will try to finish a superb season by winning the very competitive Bishop Walsh Invitational this weekend.
5. (9) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) 30-1North Cobb was 27-3, but North Gwinnett rolled, 57-40 — setting up Saturday's AAAAAA championship game against who else but archrival No. 23 Norcross. The teams have played three times, and North Gwinnett has won twice, but the stakes are a little higher in game number four.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 10 Bishop O'Dowd wrapped up the North Coast Section Division III title last week, and now sets its sights on the California Open Division playoffs.
Photo by Dennis Lee
Marion Country rolled over Larue County 82-60, and now moves into Kentucky's Sweet 16. Bowling Green is up first on March 13, and the Knights already beat the Purples by 23.
7. (7) St. Mary's (Phoenix) 29-1The Knights have finished their season, and since they haven't left the state in two years, it's hard to jump the Arizona champs much higher.
8. (8) Centerville (Ohio) 25-1Don't be fooled by the seven losses for Princeton, Centerville's opponent Wednesday. When
Kelsey Mitchell is healthy, Princeton is very, very good — and if Centerville wins, up next is No. 9 Fairmont.
9. (10) Fairmont (Kettering, Ohio) 22-1Mason is 22-1, and lost only to Princeton, a team the Comets beat earlier in the season. If Fairmont beats Mason Wednesday, it's either No. 8 Centerville or Princeton Friday.
10. (12) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) 26-3Bishop O'Dowd beat Miramonte by 29, and Miramonte had lost only once all season, to No. 3 Windward. O'Dowd moves into the Northern California Open Division playoffs, but the Dragons are focused on the state championship game March 23.{PAGEBREAK}
No. 11 Science Hill hopes to get deep into the Tennessee playoffs for an eventual showdown with No. 1 Riverdale.
Photo by John Pratt
Finally, Science Hill gets some competition: 29-2 Bradley Central, which has not lost to a Tennessee team this season. If the Hilltoppers get past Bradley Central, a strong Overton team is the likely next opponent.
12. (15) Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis) 30-0MICDS is 24-2, but hasn't faced anywhere near the competition Incarnate Word has. Kirksville, the likely next opponent, has only one loss, but the story is the same there too.
13. (16) Twinsburg (Ohio) 27-0Solon might be a challenge, but eventually the Tigers are going to have to rise to the level of No. 8 Centerville and No. 9 Fairmont, which have played tougher schedules.
14. (17) Mead (Spokane, Wash.) 25-1Mead survived a 34-point performance by Brittany McPhee of Mt. Rainier in the semis, winning 51-50, and then coasted past Arlington to win the Washington 4A championship.
15. (1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 28-1Southern California is full of outstanding teams, and Etiwanda got its biggest win ever with a 73-72 overtime thriller over the previous No. 1. But the Monarchs are still in the California Open Division, and should at least get a shot at No. 3 Windward, and perhaps No. 10 Bishop O'Dowd as well.{PAGEBREAK}
Unique Coleman and No. 16 St. Mary's hope to ride their section title to success in the California state tournament.
Photo by Ralph Thompson
St. Mary's is a pressing, running team, and the Rams will run into another two-loss team, Miramonte, that does almost exactly the same thing, in the first game of the Northern California Open Divsion playoffs. Don't blink.
17. (19) Bedford North Lawrence (Bedford, Ind.) 30-0The Stars missed their first ten three-pointers in the state championship game, but
Sammy Dillman nailed their 11th attempt with 1:20 to go, and Bedford North Lawrence slipped past South Side, 54-41, to win the 4A title.
18. (20) Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 23-3Jaime Nared's older sister is a college star at St. Mary's, but Jaime averages 24 points a game for 20-4 Westview — which is Central Catholic's opponent Thursday. No. 23 Oregon City is the likely opponent Friday, followed by the state title game Saturday.
19. (21) Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.) 27-1The Cavaliers draw Seton in the first round of the Bishop Walsh Invitational and, if form holds, they'll then meet DMV power Our Lady of Good Counsel in the semifinals.
20. (22) Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights, Ill.) 31-1Marian Catholic lost only one game this season — to Rolling Meadows — so when
Kauai Bradley followed in a missed shot as the buzzer sounded to give the Spartans a 48-47 win, it was not only a state championship, but revenge as well.{PAGEBREAK}
Sydnei McCaskill and No. 22 Dr. Phillips have finished their season, but that doesn't mean they can't move up in the rankings.
Photo by Mark Jones
Beaverton is next, a team Oregon City is expected to handle, but then comes No. 18 Central Catholic — and that's only the 4A semifinals.
22. (24) Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) 29-3The Panthers have completed their season, but the better the teams they lost to (No. 7 St. Mary's of Phoenix and No. 23 Oregon City) play in postseason, the higher their ranking may rise.
23. (25) Norcross (Ga.) 27-5The one time Norcross beat No. 5 North Gwinnett, it was a 47-29 rout. The losses were by 15 and five so, even though the teams have played three times, there's no pattern that predicts who should win the AAAAAA title game Saturday. Guess we'll just have to watch …
24. (NR) Notre Dame (Quincy, Ill.) 31-0That makes it three straight Illinois 3A titles for Notre Dame, and this year's ledger includes wins over Rock Bridge of Missouri and 4A finalist Rolling Meadows, which split with No. 20 Marian Catholic.
25. (NR) Hoover (Ala.) 28-4The Alabama state champs didn't get another shot at Shades Valley, which accounted for two of their losses, but do have wins over No. 23 Norcross and South Medford of Oregon.
Dropped out: No. 6 Pflugerville, No. 14 New Hope Christian Academy
