High school girls basketball rankings: Long Island Lutheran No. 1 in National Top 10

Olivia Jones, Savvy Swords and Emily McDonald lead the way for top-ranked Crusaders.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Aaron Williams
By
Dec 11, 2025, 10:00am
Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) begins the 2025-26 high school girls basketball campaign at No. 1 in the initial National Top 10, which encompasses independent and academy-based programs. 

Injuries took their toll on the Crusaders last season, but they are back with a roster loaded with Division I talent. 

They're led by Vanderbilt commit Olivia Jones, Kentucky pledges Savvy Swords and Emily McDonald and Duke commit Sanai Green.

IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) has the talent to make a run at a second straight Chipotle Nationals title while DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) has European transfer Sara Okeke on campus after dominating the U18 EuroBasket Championship. Pennsylvania power Westtown (West Chester) is led by Class of 2027 standout Jordyn Palmer, who is off to a great start this season.

The high school basketball landscape has experienced unprecedented change over the past decade with an increasing number of student-athletes gravitating toward programs outside the realm of state governing bodies and prep hoops in a traditional sense. 

In response to those changes, MaxPreps has revamped its approach to national rankings, giving independent and academy-based programs their own platform. Programs who roster fifth-year players are not eligible for inclusion.
Long Island Lutheran starts at No. 1 in the National Top 10 girls basketball rankings behind Vanderbilt commit Olivia Jones. (PHOTO: Ron Esposito)
Long Island Lutheran starts at No. 1 in the National Top 10 girls basketball rankings behind Vanderbilt commit Olivia Jones. (PHOTO: Ron Esposito)
1. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.)
Record: 2-0
Key players: Olivia Jones (Vanderbilt), Emily McDonald (Kentucky), Savvy Swords (Kentucky), Taylor Brown, Emily Forrester, Sanai Green (Duke), Cece Arico
An aggressive schedule should showcase the talent with games against Sierra Caynon, Bullis, Red Bank Catholic and Neumann-Goretti among others.
Racked up impressive wins already in Ohio and Texas. The Ascenders have an eye toward repeating as Chipotle Nationals champions.

Record: 9-0
Key players: GiGi Battle (Indiana), Sara Okeke, Timani Harris, Chikae Desdunes (Penn State)
Battle is averaging 16.1 points and European transfer Okeke adding 15.9 per night as DME has outscored opponents 687-354 early in the year.

Record: 3-0
Key players: Jordyn Palmer, Atlee Vanesko (Ohio State), Jada Lynch
Class of 2027 standout Palmer has been sensational early, including 16 points and 12 boards in a 61-52 win over The St. James Performance Academy.

Record: 3-1
Key players: Jacy Abii (Notre Dame), Rieyan DeSouze (Texas A&M), Jemini Mitchell, Kamora Pruitt (North Carolina State)
Abii is back on the floor for the Bulldawgs after missing her junior year with an ACL injury. Legion bounced back from a loss to DME with a 66-57 win over St. James four days later.

Key players: Jezelle Banks, Jordyn Jackson (Maryland), Ashley MacCalla, Jayda Dixon
The first-year program has a wealth of talent with the senior Jackson leading the way. Banks, MacCalla and Dixon are all Class of 2027 standouts.

7. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Record: 4-1
Key players: Missy Odom (Florida State), Jordan Speller, Jayla Forbes, Kendall Perry, Jamila Ray (Western Kentucky), Zaniyah Williams (Auburn)
Odom, who also is a standout softball player, is leading the Eagles with 18.7 per night while junior Speller is averaging 12.2 points and 8.2 boards per game.

Record: 4-2
Key players: Ryan Carter, Zya Small, Kayla Snyder
Small is averaging 17.7 points per game while Carter, who transferred from Archbishop Wood, is chipping in 16.3 per night.

Record: 4-3
Key players: Amari Byles (Notre Dame), Gianna Jordan (Texas Tech), Natalia Jordan (Texas Tech), Nadia Jordan (Texas Tech), Mia Chambers, Cora Bennett (Grand Canyon)
Byles has the game to take over and the Jordan sisters round out talent-rich KCA squad.

Record: 5-2
Garcia was the MVP of the She Got Game Classic Hawaii and dropped 40 in a win over Montverde Academy before Thanksgiving.

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