At No. 21, Brijanee Moore and St. Mary's of Stockton make their first appearance in the Xcellent 25.
Photo by David Steutel
The Rams lost only to twice-beaten Dillard of Florida in the Nike TOC — by three. Since then, they've been their usual pressing, running, dominating selves and jump into the Xcellent 25 for the first time this year.
22. (NR) Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 13-3As always, Oregon is a very good state for girls basketball, and Central Catholic, thanks to a win over Oregon City, looks like the pick of the litter — so far.
23. (21) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 15-3The Crusaders were supposed to play Potomac on Saturday, but opted for No. 10 Shabazz instead. That switch resulted in loss number three for Riverdale Baptist, and a trip to Nevada this weekend will add some more challenges.
24. (10) Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 15-2That loud "thump" you heard coming out of Tennessee was Oakland coming back to earth. Redemption is possible, though, against No. 2 Riverdale Jan. 25.
25. (25) Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis) 13-0Incarnate Word probably won't get tested until the Red Knights play Mercy of Kentucky Jan. 26 — and they get Mercy the day after the Kentucky team faces No. 13 Science Hill.
Dropped out: No. 20 Plano West, No. 24 Southwood.
