Video: Ball drops in off top of backboardSteinert (Hamilton, N.J.) player Lynzie Morgan makes remarkable shot.It was an unexpectedly quiet week in the Xcellent 25, as only one ranked team got upset in the spate of Martin Luther King weekend events — and Homestead still managed to hang on at No. 25.
This week, the spotlight shifts to rivalry games, most notably No.11 Blackman and No. 13 Riverdale, both from Murfreesboro, Tenn. No. 20 Highlands Ranch and knocking-on-the-door ThunderRidge are both from Highlands Ranch, Colo. and, just as in the Tennessee matchup, there's a lot of history suiting up as well.
Of course most teams in the Xcellent 25 dominate their leagues and, if nothing special is scheduled on weekends, the focus shifts to getting ready for postseason — which in some states will begin Feb. 1.
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MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Undefeated Duncanville is making a bid to be the top team in the nation.
Photo by David Megginson
Back at full strength, St. Mary's rolled over two Southern California opponents this past weekend. St. Mary's will continue playing upper-level NorCal teams until postseason begins.
2. (2) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 22-1Cumberland Valley has been just on the outside of the Xcellent 25 this year, as a loss to Central Dauphin has been hard to overcome. But Saturday, Cumberland Valley will host Riverdale Baptist, and an upset in Mechanicsburg could change everything.
3. (3) Duncanville (Texas) 27-0Duncanville's slow but sure rise could easily end with a national championship — and a well-deserved one. There are more than a few who believe the best in Texas is the best in the nation this year.
4. (4) Centennial (Las Vegas) 17-1
Desert Oasis, Wednesday's opponent, is the second best team in the Sunset-Northwest League. But with five losses, the chances of Desert Oasis pulling off the big upset are pretty low.
5. (5) National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Md.) 20-0
National Christian is riding this high on the strength of a five-point win over No. 11 Blackman back in November — but an early February date against No. 2 Riverdale Baptist will add a key chapter to the story.
6. (6) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) 14-0
Neumann-Goretti held off previously unbeaten Cardinal O'Hara 62-56 to cement this spot in the Xcellent 25 — and there may not be many more challenges left on the schedule.
7. (7) Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.) 15-0
Some felt Southern California power Mater Dei would burst Miramonte's bubble Saturday — but Miramonte jumped to a 40-18 halftime lead and handed the Monarchs just their second loss of the season.
8. (8) Forestville (Md.) 12-1
Forestville traveled to New York City over the MLK weekend and won 71-29 and 71-25. Forestville could have found two Maryland teams at the same level and saved some money.
9. (9) North Shore (Houston) 25-1
North Shore has only league games remaining, and in the first round the closest call was a 23-point win. Or, to put it another way, when do the playoffs start?
10. (10) Montini (Lombard, Ill.) 21-0
Morgan Park is a quality team, and may be Montini's last serious test before postseason begins. The teams will play Saturday on a neutral court, and it should be noted that Morgan Park has played a tougher overall schedule.
11. (11) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 18-2
Blackman had to work to take care of Whitney Young this past weekend, but that might have been because the big one — at crosstown rival No. 13 Riverdale — is Friday.
12. (12) St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) 19-1
St. Francis beat Holy Innocents by 10; unbeaten Collins Hill beat Holy Innocents by seven. If you believe in point spreads, St. Francis then should be a three-point favorite over Collins Hill when the two meet Saturday. Or not.
13. (15) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 19-1
A 21-point win over a quality Archer team, on the road in Georgia, is good news for Riverdale fans, who hope for more of the same Friday night when archrival Blackman comes calling.
14. (14) Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.) 11-0
There's a reason Cicero North stayed at No. 14 — the team couldn't play any games because of the snow. Maybe this week ...
15. (16) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 11-3
Archbishop Mitty had a week off for finals, but up now is unbeaten Presentation, a league rival with a long history of pulling off major upsets. And the game is at Presentation.
16. (17) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 19-1
Paul VI got back on track in the second half against tough St. John's Tuesday, and pulled away for a 77-68 win over the team that knocked off Our Lady of Good Counsel, which handed Paul VI its only loss.
17. (18) Bellevue (Wash.) 14-0
Mercer Island looked to be a threat to Bellevue's dominance, but when the final horn sounded it was a 22-point win for the No. 18 team in the nation. The two play again, though, in the final game of the regular season — at Mercer Island.
18. (19) Lynnwood (Bothell, Wash.) 14-0
Lynnwood remained a step behind Bellevue by thumping another strong Washington team, Todd Beamer. The final was 62-38, and Lynnwood should be in cruise control until February.
19. (20) Central (Little Rock, Ark.) 16-0
Cabot is always a tough out in Arkansas but Central survived, winning 54-49 Tuesday. Another potentially difficult game is on tap Friday, at West Memphis.
20. (21) Highlands Ranch (Colo.) 13-1
There's no more fooling around in Colorado, as Highlands Ranch travels to rival ThunderRidge Friday night. Tipoff is 7 p.m., but you might want to get there early.
21. (22) Villa Maria Academy (Erie, Pa.) 14-0
Philadelphia's Cardinal O'Hara tested No. 6 Neumann-Goretti last week; this Saturday, New York's Cardinal O'Hara (14-1) will be a challenge for Pennsylvania's other member of the Xcellent 25.
22. (23) Heritage (Saginaw, Mich.) 11-0
Saginaw faced one of its biggest tests of the season and passed with flying colors, knocking off Midland Dow 53-38 Tuesday. The rematch, though, will be at Midland Dow in February.
23. (24) Wenonah (Birmingham, Ala.) 22-0
Wenonah had no problem with Ramsay on its home court, but only won by seven at a neutral site. Next Tuesday, the game is at Ramsay, and a national ranking will be at stake.
24. (25) St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.) 10-1
After edging Morris Catholic by three last week, St. John Vianney will face another test against Lenape this Sunday. But remember, the only loss was in three overtimes to No. 21 Villa Maria, and Vianney was without Kelly Campbell, its best player, in that one.
25. (13) Homestead (Fort Wayne, Ind.) 18-1: Homestead has played the toughest schedule in Indiana and hasn't been afraid to travel, so even the three-point loss to Benet doesn't knock Homestead out of the Xcellent 25. That seven-point win over Morgan Park the next day helped too.
Dropped out: None.
