MaxPreps Xcellent 25 high school girls basketball rankings

Whitney Young and Bolingbrook have been going at it in Illinois for what seems like forever, and this year, the two national Top 10 teams met in an Illinois playoff game - but sadly, not the championship.

And as one would expect when 26-1 met 31-0, it was a flat-out war, and a very long one. It took four overtimes for Whitney Young to finally put away Bolingbrook in a classic basketball game, regardless of level or gender. Janee Thompson had 34 points in the 74-65 win, which had far too many highlights and twists of fate to summarize here.

In another clash of titans, Duncanville showed which is the best team in Texas, at least so far, by knocking off MacArthur 62-55 in overtime. The Panthers thus replace MacArthur in the Top 10, but the Cardinals are too good to drop out.

The same can't be said of Long Beach Poly, which got knocked off by Brea-Olinda 49-43. Though the Jackrabbits have played elite teams close, the only one they beat was La Jolla Country Day, by two, and the Torreys countered with a 12-point win over Poly.

In our final note, Santiago had a 27-0 record, amassed against good but not great opponents. When it met Mater Dei, one of the elite programs in the country that year-in and year-out plays everybody, the result was predictable: 71-32. Message sent, lesson learned for Santiago.

MaxPreps National Girls Basketball Playoff Brackets



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

1. (1) St. Mary's (Phoenix) (30-0)*
It was no contest in Arizona, and the Knights finished the season 30-0 thanks to a pair of routs (61-28 and 65-40) in the final two games of the playoffs. In fact, the average margin of the St. Mary's victories in the Division I postseason was 34 points.

2. (2) Windward (Los Angeles) (27-3)
It wasn't all tea and crumpets against St. Bernard in the Southern Section Division IV semifinals, as Windward's lead was just four in the third quarter. But the Wildcats hung on to win 59-52 and will face Serra, a team that lost to St. Bernard by five, Saturday.

3. (5) Whitney Young (Chicago) (32-0)
The Dolphins will be heavy favorites the rest of the way in Illinois, but it's far from a done deal. Their opponents will all be good teams with nothing to lose … and Whitney Young has already played the most important game of the season.

4. (4) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) (29-0)
Westlake isn't a gimme, but assuming the Indians win that one, they need to watch out for 26-1 Beach, which hasn't lost since Dec. 18.

5. (14) Duncanville (Texas) (37-1)
Sophomore Ariel Atkins had 15 points for the Panthers in their 62-55 overtime win over previous No. 6 MacArthur -- next up is Cypress Falls, a team they beat by 11 back in November, and then most likely Dekaney, which has won 39 in a row after losing its opening game.

6. (7) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) (32-2)
The Crusaders are ready for the National Association of Christian Athletes championships, where they will run into a couple teams tougher than Arundel, which they beat 101-28.

7. (8) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (28-3)
After disposing of Santiago, next up is the renewal of a great rivalry between two imposing programs: Brea-Olinda vs. Mater Dei in the Southern Section Division IAA finals.

8. (9) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) (28-3)
Faith Randolph had 25 points, and the Falcons beat St. John's for the third time this season, completing a remarkable double in the toughest league in the country: a 16-0 run through the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference regular season, and a playoff sweep on top of that.

9. (3) Bolingbrook (Ill.) (26-2)
The difference between a win and a loss at a high level is the thinnest of margins. The Raiders lost in four overtimes, and a free throw here, a different call there, and Bolingbrook beats Whitney Young. But the scoreboard, in the end, doesn't lie ...

10. (10) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) (28-3)
There was a time playing that Shelbyville Central was a time for terror. It was 76-16 Monday, though, as Riverdale rolled on - but not past Bolingbrook in the Xcellent 25, as the Raiders beat the Warriors early in the year.

11. (12) La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) (26-1)
Horizon is next in the San Diego Section Division IV playoffs, but the Torreys have beaten the Panthers by an average of 39 points in their two meetings.

12. (13) Hoover (Ala.) (29-3)
Hoover held off Shades Valley, 52-48, and things won't get any easier. Central is next, and the Red Devils are 33-1 -- and they avenged that single loss twice.

13. (6) MacArthur (Irving, Texas) (35-3)
Alexis Jones had 44 points Friday, but Duncanville "held" her to 31 (just two baskets in the fourth quarter and overtime), and the Cardinals were scoreless in the last three minutes of the 62-55 loss.

14. (15) Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) (34-0)
Once-beaten Morristown-Hamblen East is next, but that one loss was by 42 to Mt. Juliet, a team the Hilltoppers beat by 10.

15. (16) Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (15-2)
Due to the sometimes wacky structure of the New York playoffs, the Kingsmen haven't played since Feb. 21, and then will go against the winner of Christ the King and Bishop Loughlin Thursday, so there will be no margin for shaking the rust off.

16. (17) Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.) (17-3)
Just like Nazareth, there's a long break for the Northstars. But since their next game is against a team they already beat by 68, there won't be quite as much pressure.

17. (18) Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) (29-3)*
The Panthers made it two Florida large school state titles in a row by trouncing Dr. Krop by 22 in the 8A title game Saturday. They also won a Florida championship in 1992, if you're keeping track.

18. (19) Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.) (34-2)
There's one common opponent between Bob Jones and Davidson - and it doesn't look good for the underdog. Davidson lost to Bessemer City by two; the Patriots beat them by 24.

19. (20) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) (18-1)
The toughest team the Yellowjackets will face in districts has 10 losses, which will soon be 11.

20. (21) Reynoldsburg (Ohio) (22-0)
After obliterating Franklin Heights 109-15 (and remember, the clock was running in the fourth quarter), Bishop Waterson will be a much tougher test Thursday.

21. (22) South Medford (Ore.) (26-0)
The Panthers are one win away from the final eight at the Rose Garden in Portland, where they would finally get a challenge after not having a close game since Dec. 29.

22. (23) DuPont Manual (Louisville, Ky.) (30-2)
A few years ago, Sacred Heart Academy was the power in Kentucky. And though the Valkyries aren't what they were, they're still an opponent that needs to be respected.

23. (24) Twinsburg (Ohio) (19-3)
Twinsburg only beat Walsh Jesuit by five back in early December, so Thursday's district semifinal is far from a walkover.

24. (25) Shabazz (Newark, N.J.) (25-1)
The Bulldogs should dominate the romantically named North 2 Group 2 New Jersey bracket. Hanover Park will be the toughest opponent, most likely, but the Freeman formula makes the line at about 25.

25. (nr) Clarksville (Tenn.) (34-0)
Another unbeaten Tennessee team appears in the rankings, but with Riverdale, Science Hill and Memphis Central all in the mix, only one or two will be here when the season ends.

Dropped out: No. 11 Long Beach Poly.

*Season complete