MaxPreps Top 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

Video: 2016-17 MaxPreps National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Watch
See top players from teams throughout the Xcellent 25.

St. John's took care of Paul VI's hopes of a No. 1 ranking by taking down its rival 58-52 Monday in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title game. That gave St. John's two wins over Paul VI this year, against one loss, and made it crystal clear which was the best team in the DMV.

What made the win even more impressive is that St. John's played without one of its stars, Niya Beverley, who gave it a go early on an injured ankle but was simply unable to play. As a result, Aisha Sheppard had to carry the load, and despite facing a box-and-one for much of the game, she rose to the occasion, scoring 24 points and making big shots down the stretch.

Paul VI, despite an overwhelming advantage in size and a fully healthy roster, did not play with as much intensity as St. John's, and dropped down to No. 4 in the rankings. What kept them at that level is a win over No. 5 Centennial, which just won the Nevada state title and has a decisive win over No. 7 Clovis West on its resume.

At the bottom end of the Xcellent 25, Seton Catholic and Duncanville both moved into the rankings, and some may wonder why not unbeaten Edwardsville, which just handled previous No. 24 Rock Island. The answer, as is the case most of the time, is strength of schedule, and Seton Catholic combined a strong showing at the Nike TOC with a decisive win over Cactus Shadows (the only Arizona team to beat Seton Catholic) in the state title game to replace Rock Island.

Duncanville, one of the nation's elite programs, has overcome early losses to No. 17 Mansfield Timberview (a team it beat in the rematch) and Fayetteville of Arkansas, and has established itself as the top team in Texas' top division.

(Note: We urge all teams, not just those in the Xcellent 25, to make sure their rosters, statistics and schedules are up-to-date on MaxPreps. This allows parents, fans, media and college coaches easy access to what they need to know. Problems? Contact coachsupport@maxpreps.com.)

1. (last week 1) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 29-0
After disposing of Lawrence County 89-40, Riverdale gets -- yet again -- Stewart's Creek, a team Riverdale has beaten three times already this season. The last game, though, was a two-pointer, and even if Riverdale wins one more time, Stewart's Creek will stay alive in the Tennessee postseason.

2. (3) Monacan (Richmond, Va.), 27-0
Monacan is heavily favored the rest of the way, and returns to action in the Virginia playoffs Thursday against Charlottesville, which has lost its last two games by a total of 80 points.

3. (4) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 27-2
The win over Paul VI made it clear which team was the best in the DMV -- and now St. John's moves on to the Washington, D.C., playoffs.

4. (2) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 29-2
There will be little challenge for Paul VI in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division 1 playoffs, which will conclude Saturday.

5. (5) Centennial (Las Vegas, Nev.), 30-2
Centennial hammered Bishop Manogue 97-52 in the state championship game, and once again kept the margin below 50 -- which means no report needed to be filed about what Centennial might have done to keep the margin of victory down.

6. (6) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 24-2
Last year's giant-killer Pinewood -- a school with just over 200 students that upset No. 1 in the nation St. Mary's of Stockton in the 2016 postseason -- is next, but Mitty will move on to the Northern California Regionals regardless of Friday's result.

7. (7) Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.), 29-2
Next up in the Central Section playoffs is intracity rival Clovis on Saturday -- but since Clovis West won by 43 and 36 in the first two matchups, don't expect an upset.

8. (8) Miami Country Day (Miami, Fla.), 29-1
In Florida, the clock starts running continuously when a team gets up by 35 in the second half -- and Miami Country Day ran the clock in both the state semis and state finals.

9. (9) Grandview (Aurora, Colo.), 24-1
There's one obstacle left before the state's final four next weekend, but 24-1 Doherty lost only to 4A power Pueblo South -- in overtime. So Friday's game could be Grandview's first serious challenge since the Nike TOC before Christmas.

10. (10) Norcross (Ga.), 28-2
Collins Hill, the alma mater of Maya Moore, is next up on Friday, and Norcross can't afford to take the game lightly. Collins Hill has played a tough schedule and gone 24-4.

11. (11) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 25-1
Hamilton Heights moves on to the USA National Prep Basketball Championships, and will face the likes of Forest Trail, Life Center, TPLS and, especially, National Christian Academy. The winner of this tournament will have something to brag about.

12. (12) St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.), 27-0
St. Frances faces host Bishop Walsh in the first round of the Bishop Walsh Girls' Invitational, and will likely have to go through McDonogh or Riverdale Baptist to win it.

13. (14) Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.), 26-1
So Rutgers Prep has one less loss than the Patrick School, and beat Patrick by 12 head-to-head. But Patrick is the top seed in the playoffs. Go figure …

14. (15) Southeast Raleigh (Raleigh, N.C.), 31-0
Millbrook started out the season in the Xcellent 25 and was considered the team to beat in North Carolina, and the chance to prove the preseason predictions were correct comes Saturday in the 4A semis against Southeast Raleigh. And unbeaten Mallard Creek is on the other side of the bracket.

15. (16) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 24-3
Just as with Texas, it's sometimes hard for outsiders to grasp just how good the local competition is in Southern California -- Harvard-Westlake, Poly's opponent in the Southern Section Open finals Saturday, has three losses to schools not well known outside of SoCal, but is battle-tested and unintimidated.

16. (17) Central Valley (Spokane Valley, Wash.), 24-0
Central Valley draws the winner of Woodinville and Bellarmine Prep Thursday, and then must win two more games to complete the undefeated season and claim its second straight Washington 4A title.

17. (18) Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas), 36-2
Flower Bluff is up Thursday, and it's expected that Canyon and coaching wizard Joe Lombard will be Saturday's likely opponent. Canyon just knocked previous No. 13 Amarillo out of the Xcellent 25, and though Mansfield Timberview has more talent, an upset would not be a shocker.

18. (NR) Duncanville (Texas), 37-2
Duncanville moves into the national rankings for the first time since December, and will remain if it rolls through the 6A playoffs as expected. But Texas, like Southern California, is full of quality teams that are more than capable of surprising a favorite.

19. (19) King (Milwaukee, Wis.), 23-0
Divine Savior Holy Angels is Thursday's playoff opponent, and a win likely sets up a rematch with Oak Creek in the Division 1 quarterfinals -- and King beat Oak Creek by 11 back in December.

20. (20) Destrehan (La.), 33-0
Destrehan beat Natchitoches Central by 25 in the second game of the season, and hopes to repeat the outcome Thursday. A win presumably sets up a state title game against top seed Barbe, which has three losses.

21. (21) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 26-0
Though Washburn shouldn't be much of a challenge in Wednesday's playoff opener, the likely Saturday opponent is 24-3 Robbinsdale Cooper, which is riding a 12-game winning streak.

22. (22) Butler (Louisville, Ky.), 29-2
Butler draws Mercy on Wednesday in the playoffs -- and beat Mercy 58-35 earlier in the year. Saturday's game against Bullitt East or North Bullitt should be more of a challenge.

23. (23) Montini Catholic (Lombard, Ill.), 32-1
It took double overtime, but Montini survived a close encounter with perennial Illinois power Homewood-Flossmoor Monday -- and it doesn't get any easier. Unbeaten Edwardsville is up next, on Friday.

24. (NR) Seton Catholic (Chandler, Ariz.), 29-3
Seton Catholic's signature win over No. 17 Long Beach Poly, and that 61-27 thumping of Cactus Shadows in the 4A state title game brings Arizona's best back into the Xcellent 25.

25. (25) Newark (Ohio), 24-0
Dublin Jerome is Thursday's opponent, but it's not going to be an easy road for Newark. Ohio has more than a few quality teams, and if Newark survives the postseason unscathed, a spot in the Xcellent 25 will have been earned.

Dropped out: No. 13 Amarillo, No. 24 Rock Island