No. 2
Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) completed a top 10 trifecta over the weekend with the Crusaders grabbing wins over No. 5
Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), No. 9
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and No. 10
Morris Catholic (Denville, N.J.).
Long Island Lutheran now has 10 wins over teams ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25 at some point in the season.
The Crusaders opened the run with a 73-55 win over Montverde Academy led by
Syla Swords (27 points, 8 rebounds),
Kayleigh Heckel (16 points) and
Lauryn Swann (15 points).
The following day, all five starters finished in double figures in an 81-58 win over Morris Catholic.
Kate Koval led the way with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
Long Island Lutheran struggled from the field Monday against Sidwell Friends before a second-half scoring burst from Syla Swords helped the Crusaders to a 63-42 win over the Quakers. Also coming up big for head coach Christina Raiti's team was sophomore guard
Olivia Jones, whose defense and timely buckets in the second half helped stave off a Sidwell upset bid.
One of the biggest games this week goes down in Southern California as No. 3
Etiwanda and No. 4
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) meet for the Southern Section Open Division title. This is the third straight season the two have met for the championship.
Last year, Sierra Canyon beat the Eagles 70-57 while Etiwanda got the better of the Trailblazers 69-57 in the 2021-22 season. The loser of the Southern Section title game has come back to flip the script in the CIF Open Division Southern California Regional final on their way to winning the state title — Etiwanda last season and Sierra Canyon in 2022.
Kennedy Smith, Aliyahna Morris, Grace Knox and Shaena Brew lead No. 3 Etiwanda against No. 4 Sierra Canyon on Friday in the Southern Section Open Division final. This is the third year in a row the two have met in a MaxPreps Top 25 showdown for the title. In the two previous seasons, the loser of the section final has come back to win the CIF state title. (Photo: Lonnie Webb)
Record: 26-0 |
Last week: 1
Central Coast Section pool play wraps up with a game against Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) on Wednesday. The Monarchs easily beat Saint Francis (Mountain View) and Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) last week.
2. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.)
Record: 20-1 |
Last week: 2
Crusaders close their season with a Wednesday home game against Ursuline Academy (Wilmington, Del.).
3. Etiwanda (Calif.)
Record: 28-3 |
Last week: 3
Pool play saw the Eagles go 3-0 with wins over Centennial (Corona), Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) and Ontario Christian (Ontario).
4. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Record: 30-1 |
Last week: 5
The Trailblazers were perfect in pool play with victories over Orangewood Academy (Garden Grove), Sage Hill (Newport Beach) and Mater Dei (Santa Ana).
5. Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 21-5 |
Last week: 4
Two losses over the weekend but the Quakers only drop one spot. UCLA commit
Kendall Dudley was a bright spot in the loss to Long Island Lutheran.
6. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)
Record: 27-0 |
Last week: 6
After winning the region title with a 68-43 win over Newton (Covington), the Rams open the AAAAAAA bracket with Richmond Hill on Wednesday.
7. Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.)
Record: 23-4 |
Last week: 6
Finished 21-1 in WCAC play, beating Elizabeth Seton (Blandensburg) and Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney) over the weekend after dropping a game to Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.) 64-58 on Tuesday.
8. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 23-3 |
Last week: 8
Regular season complete. Expected to compete in a postseason tournament to be announced.
9. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Record: 21-3 |
Last week: 9
Snapped a two-game skid with Saturday's win over No. 5 Sidwell Friends. The Eagles close out the season against DME Academy (Orlando) on Thursday and Central Pointe Christian Academy (Kissimmee) on Saturday.
10. Morris Catholic (Denville, N.J.)
Record: 25-1 |
Last week: 10
Won its third straight Morris County title with a 73-41 win over Chatham on Saturday.
Mia Pauldo and
Mya Pauldo combined for 38 points in the win.
11. Hebron Christian (Dacula, Ga.)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: 11
Open AAA postseason play against Cedar Grove (Ellenwood).
12. Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas)
Record: 37-1 |
Last week: 12
A 64-44 win over Ryan (Denton) advanced the Wolves to Friday's regional semifinals against Amarillo.
13. Johnston (Iowa)
Record: 24-0 |
Last week: 13
The Dragons meet Sioux City West (Sioux City) in the Class 5 regional final Tuesday.
14. Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis, Mo.)
Record: 24-0 |
Last week: 14
Set the state record with 124 straight victories over the weekend with a 75-32 win over Ursuline Academy (St. Louis).
15. Thomas Dale (Chester, Va.)
Record: 21-0 |
Last week: 15
Knights tangle with Glen Allen on Tuesday in the VHSL Class 6 Region A semifinals.
16. Clark (San Antonio, Texas)
Record: 31-2 |
Last week: 16
Dispatched Cedar Ridge (Round Rock) last week and face Steele (Cibolo) in Tuesday's Class 6A regional quarterfinals.
17. DeSoto (Texas)
Record: 26-5 |
Last week: 17
Tangle with Cedar Hill on Tuesday in a Class 6A regional quarterfinal matchup. A win earns a date with Cypress Lakes (Katy).
18: Duncanville (Texas)
Record: 30-4-4 |
Last week: 18
The Pantherettes remain on a collision course to possibly face DeSoto on Saturday in the regional final with a win over Cypress Springs on Friday.
19. Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.)
Record: 22-5 |
Last week: 19
Reached Thursday's 4A regional final against Palm Bay (Melbourne) after downing Bishop Moore (Orlando) 80-44 on Monday.
20. Purcell Marian (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Record: 21-1 |
Last week: 20
Opened sectional play with an 84-45 win over New Richmond, setting up a quarterfinal matchup with Hughes (Cincinnati) on Wednesday.
21. Nazareth Academy (LaGrange Park, Ill.)
Record: 28-3 |
Last week: 21
A Tuesday win over 20-11 Lyons Township (LaGrange) would advance the Roadrunners to Thursday's sectional championship against Whitney Young (Chicago) or Kenwood (Chicago).
22. Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Record: 30-1 |
Last week: 22
Semi-state wins over Plainfield and Center Grove (Greenwood) earned the Bears a 4A title date against Lake Central (St. John).
23. Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.)
Record: 32-0 |
Last week: 23
Ramblers take on Glenbrook North (Northbrook) on Tuesday in the Park Ridge sectional semifinal. A win would earn a date with the winner of Maine South (Park Ridge) and New Trier (Winnetka).
24. Burroughs (St. Louis, Mo.)
Record: 21-2 |
Last week: 24
Regular season wraps up Wednesday against No. 14 Incarnate Word Academy and a Thursday date against Nerinx Hall (Webster Groves).
25. Bradley Central (Cleveland, Tenn.)
Record: 27-1 |
Last week: 25
Won their 13th straight district tournament title beating East Hamilton (Ooltewah) 83-13
On the bubble: Dowling Catholic (West Des Moines, Iowa), 17-3;
Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 22-2;
Walker (La.), 34-1;
Ridgeline (Millville, Utah), 21-2;
Camden (S.C.), 25-2
