Rankings could shift next week as some teams head for showdowns with ranked opponents.
Kiara Perry and No. 4 Duncanville continue to roll with an impressive 29-0 record.
Photo by Jim Redman
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend has become a traditional holiday for the top teams in the country to get away from the drudgery — and 30-point routs — of league play, and sign up for some elite competition in one-day events.
Oddly enough, No. 1 Mater Dei isn't doing that, and No. 2 Riverdale is matched up against crosstown rival No. 9 Blackman Friday in AAA District 7 Tennessee competition. The Tennessee rivals plus No. 24 Oakland all continue to boast national rankings while residing in the same 109,000-population town of Murfreesboro. (
See Mitch Stephens' column on that rarity).
You have to go all the way down to No. 6 Fairmont to find that big MLK showdown, in this case with Colorado's No. 12 Regis Jesuit making the trip to Ohio for the Classic in the Country.
Then again, you don't have to watch a nationally ranked team to see quality girls basketball — there are good games all over the country this weekend, and it's well worth braving the weather to check some of them out.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Girls Basketball Rankings1. (Last week 1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 17-0A lot of teams load up over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, but not the Monarchs — at least this year. They have tough league games down the road, but it would take an upset of massive proportions to unseat No. 1 before the postseason.
2. (2) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 18-0The irresistible force meets the immovable object Friday night — No. 2 Riverdale at No. 9 Blackman in a bitter crosstown rivalry. Get there really early …
3. (3) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) 16-0The big showdown with Norcross — which had beaten North Gwinnett four straight times — was decided by 5-2
Baylee Rexing, who hit four three-pointers and scored 16 points in a 64-49 win Tuesday.
4. (4) Duncanville (Texas) 29-0The Panthers only beat DeSoto, a traditional Texas power, by 24. And next up Mansfield Timberview, which gave them their best game since Jan. 1 — a 22-point squeaker.
5. (5) St. John's (Washington, D.C.) 15-0The Cadets beat No. 20 Our Lady of Good Counsel 77-73 earlier this year, but this Friday Good Counsel has star guard Lindsay Spann back in action. And this one's on the road.{PAGEBREAK}
Angel Allen (20) has helped lead Blackman to an 18-0 record and a No. 9 ranking.
Photo by John Pratt
It's going to be a challenging weekend for the Firebirds, starting with No. 12 Regis Jesuit at the Classic in the Country Saturday. Sunday, it's two-loss Wadsworth for Fairmont.
7. (7) Marion County (Lebanon, Ky.) 18-0Marion County was down six at half to Kentucky's DuPont Manual, but then took over in the last 16 minutes.
Makayla Epps had 37 points on 11 of 18 shooting, and added six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
8. (8) Windward (Los Angeles) 16-0The next big game will be a rematch with Long Beach Poly Jan. 26. The Wildcats won round one by 16 on a neutral court — this one will be at home.
9. (9) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 18-0Freshman
Crystal Dangerfield had 18 points, and freshman
Jazz Bond had eight rebounds and two blocks as Blackman blew away No. 24 Oakland 18-3 in the fourth quarter for an eventual 46-28 win.
10. (12) Shabazz (Newark, N.J.) 12-0After disposing of No. 23 Riverdale Baptist, 59-42, last Saturday, the Bulldogs draw Blair Academy this Saturday — and Blair's only loss was to unbeaten Life Center Academy in the first game of the season.{PAGEBREAK}
Brenisha Payne and Pflugerville remain undefeated at 28-0.
Photo by Jamie Harms
The Knights have so many Division I players it's only fitting that their biggest game until postseason should be at Arizona State. They'll play once-beaten Pinnacle there Monday, and it should be noted that Pinnacle's only loss was to No. 8 Windward — by six.
12. (15) Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) 13-0Junior
Diani Akigbogun had 18 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks as Regis Jesuit came back in the fourth quarter to beat previously unbeaten Grandview, 59-53. Now it's off to Ohio to face No. 6 Fairmont and a strong McKinley team on Saturday and Monday.
13. (13) Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) 17-2Tennessee (Bristol) has a nice record (13-3) and would seem to be able to give the Hilltoppers a go on Friday. But the two teams have already played, and Science Hill won by 37.
14. (14) Pflugerville (Texas) 28-0Stony Point had lost just three times before Tuesday night, so it looked like there was a chance Pflugerville would be challenged. Or not — Pflugerville 84, Stony Point 47.
15. (16) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 17-0The unblemished record looks pretty safe for a while, as Paul VI doesn't have a particularly tough team on the schedule until Seton on Jan. 25. The first time the two teams met, it was just a five-point win for PVI.{PAGEBREAK}
After starting the season at No. 1, Daniella Williams and Bishop O'Dowd are slowly making the climb back towards the top.
Photo by Mark Jones
The Mounties have two tough games this weekend: Mountain Brook at home and Alpharetta in Georgia. If they handle those opponents, it looks like smooth sailing until postseason.
17. (18) Centerville (Ohio) 14-1Centerville handled one-time national power Chaminade-Julienne 60-44 Monday, and will take on one-time national champion Beavercreek (now 9-6) Saturday — but the big one is Jan. 23 at No. 6 Fairmont.
18. (19) Columbus North (Columbus, Ind.) 19-0Indiana, after all, is the self-proclaimed basketball capital of America, so it's only right that Indiana's best be in the Xcellent 25. And Columbus North should remain here for at least another week, as the schedule isn't daunting.
19. (22) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) 10-3The Dragons handled St. Mary's of Berkeley, which beat Long Beach Poly, last weekend, and this weekend will take on California's defending Division V (the smallest schools) champion, Brookside Christian.
20. (23) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) 14-3It's a tough league when you play a nationally ranked team pretty much every week (No. 5 St. John's is up Friday). Good Counsel is healthy this time, or at least as healthy as elite teams are in late January, plus the game is at home.{PAGEBREAK}
At No. 21, Brijanee Moore and St. Mary's of Stockton make their first appearance in the Xcellent 25.
Photo by David Steutel
The Rams lost only to twice-beaten Dillard of Florida in the Nike TOC — by three. Since then, they've been their usual pressing, running, dominating selves and jump into the Xcellent 25 for the first time this year.
22. (NR) Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 13-3As always, Oregon is a very good state for girls basketball, and Central Catholic, thanks to a win over Oregon City, looks like the pick of the litter — so far.
23. (21) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 15-3The Crusaders were supposed to play Potomac on Saturday, but opted for No. 10 Shabazz instead. That switch resulted in loss number three for Riverdale Baptist, and a trip to Nevada this weekend will add some more challenges.
24. (10) Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 15-2That loud "thump" you heard coming out of Tennessee was Oakland coming back to earth. Redemption is possible, though, against No. 2 Riverdale Jan. 25.
25. (25) Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis) 13-0Incarnate Word probably won't get tested until the Red Knights play Mercy of Kentucky Jan. 26 — and they get Mercy the day after the Kentucky team faces No. 13 Science Hill.
Dropped out: No. 20 Plano West, No. 24 Southwood.
