The calendar is about to hit February and that means the high school girls basketball season is hitting the final stretch of regular-season games as teams hope to be playing their best ball heading into playoffs. And playoffs mean anything can happen, including a shuffling in the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings as winners advance and others head home.
Speaking of battles, it's going down in Alabama on Tuesday as No. 13
Hazel Green puts its state record for consecutive wins on the line against No. 19
Hoover. The Trojans set the Yellowhammer State mark with their 87th straight win over the weekend. The two won't meet in the postseason — Hazel Green is 6A while Hoover is 7A — so this is for state bragging rights.
Freshman Kristen Johnson drives to the basket for No. 13 Hazel Green against Sparkman. The Trojans set the state mark with 87 straight wins and put that on the line Tuesday against No. 19 Hoover. (Photo: Joe Boyd)
Record: 24-0 |
Last week: 1
In addition to her school-record 45 points in a 93-49 win over Alemany, Watkins added 16 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks.
2. Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 15-2 |
Last week: 2
Jadyn Donovan had 20 and
Leah Harmon added 15 in a blowout win, the Quakers' lone game last week.
3. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Record: 32-1 |
Last week: 3
Rusne Augustinaite led four Eagles in double figures with 20 points in a 75-65 win over Emma Risch and Palm Bay.
Mjracle Sheppard had 15 while
Sahnya Jah and
Vivian Iwuchukwu each dropped 14.
4. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.)
Record: 14-2 |
Last week: 4
Kayleigh Heckel led five Crusaders in double-digits as they doubled up New Jersey's St. Thomas Aquinas.
Savannah Swords had 14, while
Diora Ressaissi,
Lauryn Swann and
Syla Swords each added 10.
5. La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla, Calif.)
Record: 22-3 |
Last week: 6
The Torreys gutted out a 70-65 win over No. 10 Etiwanda in an ESPN-televised game.
Jada Williams led the effort with 24 points while
Breya Cunningham and
Sumayah Sugapong each chipped in 20.
6. Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis)
Record: 17-0 |
Last week: 5
Win streak reached 85 with wins over Westminster Christian (St. Louis) and St. Joseph's Academy (St. Louis).
7. St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.)
Record: 20-0 |
Last week: 7
Remained perfect with a 13-point win over Ewing (Trenton) as
Zoe Brooks finished with 18 points and six boards while
Ashley Sofilkanich added 14 and six.
8. Morris Catholic (Denville, N.J.)
Record: 16-3 |
Last week: 9
The Crusaders went to South Carolina and beat Keenan (Columbia, S.C.) 80-68.
Natalie Stoupakis had 20 points while connecting on six 3-pointers.
9. South Bend Washington (South Bend, Ind.)
Record: 23-0 |
Last week: 10
Amiyah Reynolds scored 15 points,
Kira Reynolds added 14 and
Rashunda Jones contributed 12 as the Panthers took an in-state battle over La Lumiere (La Porte) 60-44.
10. Etiwanda (Calif.)
Record: 24-2 |
Last week: 10
Kennedy Smith finished with 23 in the loss to No. 5 La Jolla Country Day.
11. Duncanville (Texas)
Record: 24-4 |
Last week: 13
The Pantherettes needed overtime to pull out a 64-61 win over Cedar Hill.
12. The Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tenn.)
Record: 20-4 |
Last week: 14
Rebounded from a GEICO Girls Basketball Invitational title game loss to Sidwell Friends with a pair of blowout wins over in-state opponents.
13. Hazel Green (Ala.)
Record: 28-0 |
Last week: 15
Broke the state mark for consecutive wins, beating Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 76-7 on Saturday. The program's last loss was Dec. 19, 2020. That will be put to the test Tuesday as Hazel Green travels to No. 19 Hoover.
14. Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.)
Record: 23-1 |
Last week: 12
Fell two spots after first loss of the season, a 52-51 defeat at the hands of crosstown rival Clovis.
15. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.)
Record: 17-1 |
Last week: 8
The Royals fell 87-80 to Providence Academy (Plymouth) on Saturday. It was just the third loss for the program since the 2018-19 season.
16. Paul VI (Haddonfield, N.J.)
Record: 14-2 |
Last week: 16
Hannah Hidalgo had 25 and eight in a tightly-contested loss to South Shore at the Mecca Showcase. The other loss was to No. 4 LuHi.
17. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)
Record: 18-2 |
Last week: 17
The Monarchs kept rolling with a pair of 49-point wins over Presentation (San Jose) and St. Ignatius (San Francisco).
18. Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.)
Record: 21-3 |
Last week: 18
Reagan Bender had 25,
ZaKiyah Johnson added 23 and
Angelina Pelayo scored 17 as the Valkyries handled DuPont Manual 76-50 on Saturday.
19. Hoover (Ala.)
Record: 28-1 |
Last week: 19
The Bucs were busy with a trio of wins last week as a showdown looms on Tuesday with No. 13 Hazel Green.
20. Lone Peak (Highland, Utah)
Record: 14-3 |
Last week: 20
Junior
Shawnee Nordstrom led the Knights with 17 in a 65-31 win over Westlake (Saratoga Spring) as
Makeili Ika and
Kailey Woolston each added 14 points.
21. Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.)
Record: 23-1 |
Last week: 21
Junior
Trinity Turner led the Panthers with 23 and freshman
Kendall Perry added 10 in a 64-46 win over Mainland (Daytona Beach).
22. Coppell (Texas)
Record: 31-2 |
Last week: 22
Jules Lamendola scored 22 and
Macey Mercer added 14 in a 53-34 win over Flower Mound.
23. Conway (Ark.)
Record: 19-5 |
Last week: 23
The Wampus Cats returned to Arkansas and came away with a pair of blowout wins over Jonesboro and Bryant.
24. Mason (Ohio)
Record: 18-1 |
Last week: 24
Sophomore
Madison Parrish scored 13 and senior
Carly Prows added 11 in a 53-26 win over Oak Hills (Cincinnati).
25. Piedmont (Calif.)
Record: 20-0 |
Last week: 25
Remained unbeaten with a 70-28 win over San Leandro last week. The Division 4 squad is eligible for the CIF Northern California Open Division postseason.
On the bubble: Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.), 17-0;
Monterey (Lubbock, Texas), 25-3;
Desert Vista (Phoenix), 20-3;
McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.), 18-2;
Hebron Christian Academy (Dacula, Ga.), 21-0.
