The goal of every major tournament is to get as many top teams together as possible. And with the GEICO High School Nationals there's even more pressure on to get the best on the same court.
This year, GEICO has achieved that goal. The GEICO Nationals not only has the top two teams in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school girls basketball rankings, its also features No. 9 and No. 11 — and none have lost a game. Simply put, the winner of the Saturday title game will assuredly be crowned the best team in the nation.
In most years, it doesn't play out that way. California teams (to mention just one state) have never participated in the GEICO, and even though Mount Notre Dame is unbeaten and No. 3, it won't affect the final rankings. After all, strength of schedule is one of the most important factors, and in a year when intersectional play was almost non-existent, the GEICO's ability to match teams from Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Utah is unique.
The first semifinal is 10:30 a.m. Friday (Eastern) and pits No. 1 Lake Highland Prep vs. No. 9 Paul VI. No. 2 Westlake takes on No. 11 Fremont at 12:30 p.m. Both games will be shown on ESPNU. The championship game is slated to tip-off at 10 a.m. (Eastern) Saturday.
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Damiya Hagemann, Edison Academy
Photo by Jeff Robertson
Record: 19-0 |
Last week: 1
Lake Highland Prep may not have the depth of its first-round opponent at the GEICO Nationals, but
Kayla Blackshear (a senior signed with Alabama),
Nyla Harris (a junior committed to Louisville,
Stefanie Ingram (junior, Central Florida) will be tough for No. 10 Paul VI to contain. If Ingram can get the ball to Harris and Blackshear in the paint, the Highlanders have a good chance to get to the Saturday's title game.
2. Westlake (Atlanta)
Record: 20-0 |
Last week: 2
Guard play is always important, but even more so at the high school level — which means Westlake and its guard tandem of
Raven Johnson (senior, McDonald's All-American, committed to South Carolina) and highly-rated junior
Taniya Latson are in good position to win the GEICO High School Nationals. And too much focus on the guards will free up 6-2 senior
Snoop Turnage (Virginia Tech) to do damage inside.
3. Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati)
Record: 28-0 |
Last week: 3
Season complete.
4. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.)
Record: 14-0 |
Last week: 4
The first meeting with No. 20 Chaska was canceled due to COVID, but hopefully the AAAA semifinal matchup set for April 7 will happen. And getting past Chaska doesn't mean the job is done — unbeaten Farmington is the likely opponent in the finals.
5. Edison Academy (Detroit)
Record: 10-0 |
Last week: 5
The Pioneers' season came to an abrupt end as one of its players tested positive for COVID, and the team had to withdraw from the Michigan postseason. Edison was the odds-on favorite to win the Class 2 title and continue its 34-game winning streak, so its ranking is unaffected by a situation out of its control.
6. Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis)
Record: 29-0 |
Last week: 6
Season complete.
7. Norman (Okla.)
Record: 19-0 |
Last week: 8
Season complete.
8. St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.)
Record: 14-0 |
Last week: 9
Season complete.
9. Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)
Record: 10-0 |
Last week: 9
The Panthers may have played 10 games, but those contests included enough quality competition to get PVI into the GEICO Nationals and a shot at No. 1 Lake Highlands Prep on Friday. The Paul VI system — with its presses and traps — not only features seniors
Bella Perkins and Duke-bound
Lee Volker but plenty of depth that can wear down even the toughest opposition.
10. DeSoto (Texas)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: 11
Season complete.
11. Fremont (Plain City, Utah)
Record: 26-0 |
Last week: 11
Unlike the other three teams at the GEICO Nationals, Fremont relies on size. The inside play of 6-4 senior
Emma Calvert (signed with BYU) and 6-5 sophomore
Maggie Mendelson will create big problems for the other, smaller teams. But the key will be whether Fremont's guards can get the ball to Calvert and Mendelson to utilize their height and skill.
12. Newark (Ohio)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: 12
Season complete.
13. Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)
Record: 17-0 |
Last week: 13
Season complete.
14. Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Record: 10-0 |
Last week: 14
Season complete.
15. Cypress Creek (Houston)
Record: 32-1 |
Last week: 7
Season complete.
16. New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.)
Record: 13-3 |
Last week: 16
Season complete.
17. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Record: 21-2 |
Last week: 17
Season complete.
18. Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.)
Record: 13-0 |
Last week: 18
Season complete.
19. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: 19
Season complete.
20. Chaska (Minn.)Record 15-0 |
Last week: 20
In a state loaded with talent, Chaska and No. 4 Hopkins appear to be the cream of the crop — but "appear" is the operative word. The two are expected to meet April 7 at the Target Center in the AAAA semifinals, and the winner will be favored to win it all, but there are too many outstanding players and quality teams in Minnesota to set anything in stone.
21. Hazel Green (Ala.)
Record: 36-1 |
Last week: 21
Season complete.
22. Pius X (Lincoln, Neb.)
Record: 25-0 | Last week: 23
Season complete.
23. Crown Point (Ind.)
Record: 25-1 |
Last week: 24
Season complete.
24. Zebulon B. Vance (Charlotte, N.C.)
Record: 12-0 |
Last week: 25
Season complete.
25. Shawnee Mission Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)
Record: 23-0 |
Last week: NR
Season complete.
Dropped out: None.
