The nation’s elite pretty much refine skills and beat up on inferior competition during the next month while cruising through league and local action.
No. 4 Poly and No. 9 Bolingbrook maintained spots this week.
Photo by Mitchell Reibel
The one exception is this week during the Martin Luther King weekend when we’ll see Xcellent 25 teams challenge themselves outside the box.
The game of the week is no doubt on Monday when No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) takes on No. 3 Brea Olinda (Brea) in a rematch of the Southern California Division II showdown last season. Brea Olinda won that one 44-38 en route to a state championship.
This year’s game, at Mater Dei, is part of the Tony Matson Memorial Classic to honor the late Orange Lutheran coach who died of a heart attack in April at age 44. See more on Matson and the tournament on Thursday.
Mater Dei and Brea Olinda have overcome season-long injuries to two of the nation’s top juniors to hold down elite spots — the Monarchs’ 6-foot-1 Alexyz Vailotama (stress fractures to both legs) and Brea’s 6-2 Justine Hartman (torn ACL).
Mater Dei continues to get superlative play from Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (25.1 points per game, a leading candidate for national Player of the Year) while Brea has relied on much more balance, led by Kelsey Harris, a 5-9 senior, and junior point guard Alexis Perry.
The other big tournaments around the country include the three-day Classic in the Country (Berlin, Ohio) and the MLK Dream Classic in Chicago.
Only one ranked team will compete in Ohio - No. 22 Potter House Christian – but teams sitting right on the cusp are ready to pounce, including Regina (South Euclid, Ohio) and University (Newark, N.J.). {VIDEO_1e103ffc-d1ae-4784-8780-366e0befeb04,floatRightWithBar}Undefeated and host Hiland will try to upset Potter’s House Christian.
For the second straight week, there was little to no movement in the Xcellent 25. Last week, the teams switched around but no one moved out. This week, the top 24 squads went undefeated and a combined 38-0, but No. 25 Memphis Central lost, opening the door for Norcross (Ga.), which features one of the top freshman classes in the country.
All records include games through Sunday.
Xcellent 25 National High School Girls Basketball Rankings
1. (No. 1 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 15-0
2. (2) St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.), 15-1
3. (3) Brea Olinda (Brea, Calif.), 12-2
4. (4) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 10-2
5. (5) MacArthur (Irving, Texas), 26-0
6. (6) Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.), 14-0
7. (7) Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas), 19-1
8. (8) Whitney Young (Chicago), 11-0
9. (9) Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook, Ill.), 11-1
10. (10) Murry Bergtraum (New York City), 12-0
11. (11) Shabazz (Newark, N.J.), 8-0
12. (12) Mount Lebanon (Pittsburgh) 8-2
13. (13) St. Michael Academy (New York, N.Y.), 11-1
14. (14) Redan (Stone Mountain, Ga.), 11-0
15. (15) Hoover (Birmingham, Ala.), 18-1
16. (16) Duncanville (Texas) 24-1
17. (17) Timberview (Mansfield, Texas), 21-2
18. (18) South Broward (Hollywood, Fla.) 12-0
19. (19) Neptune (N.J), 8-0
20. (20) Incarnate Word (St. Louis, Mo.) 13-0
21. (21) Oregon City (Ore.) 13-0
22. (22) Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.), 18-3
23. (23) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) 8-0
24. (24) Midwest City (Okla.), 7-1
25. (NR) Norcross (Ga.) 13-2
Dropped out: No. 25 Memphis Central (Tenn.).
Oregon City's Brittany Knighton
Photo by Mitchell Reibel
Brittany Knighton, of No. 21 Oregon City, averaged 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds for the 13-0 Pioneers. The versatile Knighton has 31 steals, 22 assists and 22 blocks and is shooting 50 percent from the floor.
