MaxPreps Top 25 high school girls basketball rankings

For the first time this year, no one dropped out of the Xcellent 25 — but No. 24 Oakland is hanging on only because of a November win over No. 16 Shades Valley.

But 21-1 New Hope Christian Academy (Thomasville, N.C.), which has lost only to No. 2 Riverdale, and just beat Georgia power Norcross by 20, is waiting in the wings, along with 17-0 Life Center Academy (Burlington, N.J.), so any upsets could result in some radical changes.

And though some states are in the middle of league play, others are getting close to postseason, which is when the Xcellent 25 will get seriously shaken up.

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Girls Basketball Rankings Presented by the Army National Guard

1. (Last week 1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 20-0
At 17-4, JSerra might seem like a solid opponent for the Monarchs, especially with a couple nice wins already. But the two teams already met, and Mater Dei won by 33. So expect no changes at No. 1 next week.

2. (2) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 20-0
After fending off No. 21 Blackman last Friday, the Warriors now get No. 24 Oakland this Friday. Talk about a tough league …

Read Mitch Stephens' story on the emergence of Murfreesboro as a girls basketball hotbed

3. (3) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) 18-0
Norcross is a long-time Georgia power, and features all-everything Diamond DeShields — but has lost two straight games. North Gwinnett, which beat Norcross by 15 last week, must now travel to Norcross to face a talented and frustrated team.

4. (4) Duncanville (Texas) 30-0
Cedar Hill, Friday's opponent, beat Mansfield Timberview. Mansfield Timberview lost to Duncanville by only eight Friday, so maybe Duncanville will be challenged. Then again, Duncanville already beat Cedar Hill by 21.

5. (6) Fairmont (Kettering, Ohio) 14-0
The Firebirds welcomed No. 13 Regis Jesuit to Ohio's Classic in the Country with a 43-35 win, but there's no time to gloat — next up is No. 17 Centerville, which lost by only seven the first time the two teams met.