Xcellent 25 girls basketball rankings: It is the St. Mary's Knights' title to lose

Usually, at some point the national champion has to earn the title on the road, battling a tough opponent on either unfriendly ground or at some distant neutral site. This year, St. Mary's (Phoenix, Ariz.) could wind up No. 1 without ever leaving the state of Arizona.

For the Knights, as for any team with dreams of being the best in the country, it begins at the Nike TOC, which has been held in Chandler, just south of Phoenix, for more than a decade. This year, St. Mary's rolled to four straight wins - and who can say how much sleeping in their own beds helped the players perform at a high level?

Then the Knights played No. 3 Windward of Los Angeles on Martin Luther King Day - at Arizona State, conveniently located in Tempe, even closer to Phoenix than Chandler. That was another big win against a nationally ranked opponent. From here on out, St. Mary's plays only in-state teams.

The Knights have five league games left, which they would have to work hard at to lose, and two non-conference games against Xavier Prep (a team they already beat 61-33) and Pinnacle (Phoenix), which just happens to be the last Arizona team to beat St. Mary's, winning 68-58 last Jan. 21.

But two cautionary notes: 1) The Knights came back and thumped Pinnacle 69-49 Feb. 8; and 2) Pinnacle was led by 6-foot-5 Aley Rohde, who has started every game for 12-4 Arizona as a freshman in college.

Chandler (Ariz.) and Mountain View (Mesa, Ariz.) are postseason impediments to St. Mary's quest for No. 1, but the Knights beat Chandler 68-62 (leading by 18 in the second half) and Mountain View lost to Chandler.

In short, the title is the Knights' to lose - and they don't have to leave home to make it happen.

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

1. (1) St. Mary's (Phoenix) (17-0)
The Knights jumped on No. 3 Windward early and never let up, thanks in great part to Chantel Osahor, perhaps the most undervalued of all the St. Mary's stars. She finished with 24 points in the 62-48 win.

2. (2) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) (17-1)
The Crusaders have a couple tough games left, including one against Potter's House Christian. Unless St. Mary's loses in the Arizona playoffs, No. 2 is as high as they can go.

3. (3) Windward (Los Angeles) (16-3)
Yes, the Wildcats lost, but to the No. 1 team in the country - so why should they drop? Kristen Simon, the "other" Windward post, had 20 points and seven rebounds, but it wasn't quite enough against St. Mary's in its home town.

4. (4) Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.) (10-2)
The Northstars are waiting for the postseason, but they would be wise not to look too far past once-beaten West Genesee this week. If Breanna Stewart gets sick or in foul trouble or runs out of gas, nothing will come easy for Cicero-North.

5. (5) Bolingbrook (Ill.) (14-1)
The 1-2 combination of Morgan Tuck and Jewel Loyd - plus the six other Division I seniors on the roster - make the Raiders too tough for just about anyone. But St. Joseph's of St. Louis is on tap Jan. 26, and the Angels have been on the fringes of the Xcellent 25 all year.

6. (6) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) (14-0)
We might as well get this straight: It's "mack-each-urn". Barring a stunning upset, the Indians are going to be in the Top 10 for a while.

7. (7) Whitney Young (Chicago) (18-0)
The Dolphins were pushed by Montini in the McDonald's Shootout, winning "only" 64-56. But like Bolingbrook, have their eyes focused on the big prize: The Illinois state title.

8. (8) MacArthur (Irving, Texas) (25-2)
Just one game this week, against a team the Cardinals have already beaten by 25. Sometimes life in the Top 10 can get a little boring.

9. (9) Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (4-0)
The Kingsmen are finally back on the court after a tumultuous and tragic season so far - and plans are for them to play Riverdale Baptist and H.D. Woodson this weekend.

10. (10) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (17-2)
Canyon's not a bad team, but the Monarchs thumped the Comanches 63-27 in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup. Maybe 17-2 JSerra will be more of a challenge Saturday.

11. (11) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) (15-3)
A 6-0 run in the final 2 minutes propelled the Falcons to a hard-fought 51-47 win over the Academy of the Holy Cross Tuesday night. Up next is highly regarded St. John's (Washington, D.C.), which started the season in the Top 10.

12. (12) Marion County (Lebanon, Ky.) (15-2)
Balanced scoring helped Marion County slip past DuPont Manual Saturday, 63-61. Kyvin Goodin-Rogers (16), Makayla Epps (14), Bre Elder (11) and Logan Powell (10) all were in double figures in the matchup between Kentucky's top teams.

13. (13) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) (17-3)
After easily disposing of previous No. 18 Norcross, 63-40 in Georgia, the Warriors return home to face 15-2 Blackman Friday.

14. (14) Long Beach Poly (Calif.) (15-1)
The Jackrabbits finally got back in action after a long break, stomping Lakewood 66-18, and will face two league rivals this week that shouldn't pose much of a problem. On Jan. 28, though, Poly gets a shot at Windward.

15. (15) La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) (17-1)
The Torreys get 15-3 Serra (a much bigger school) this week, but otherwise the biggest challenge looks to be No. 3 Windward in the Southern California playoffs.

16. (16) Hoover (Ala.) (17-3)
The Buccaneers are rolling through Alabama, anticipating a postseason rematch with rival Bob Jones, the only team in the state to beat them this year.

17. (17) Duncanville (Texas) (26-1)
There's a case to be made that Duncanville should be ranked ahead of MacArthur - if you believe in comparative scores. The Panthers beat Cedar Hill, who they play again Friday, by 23. MacArthur only beat the Longhorns by six.

18. (19) Twinsburg (Ohio) (11-2)
The Tigers rolled past Fairmont, which beat previous No. 25 McKinley, but now must gear up for Kentucky power, and previously ranked, DuPont Manual Saturday.

19. (20) Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) (19-3)
Two more losing teams must be disposed of before the Panthers face Florida's other top team, Edgewater, Jan. 25.

20. (nr) Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) (21-0)
The Hilltoppers debut at No. 20, thanks in great part to wins over Bob Jones of Alabama (which beat Hoover) and Mt. Juliet, a Tennessee power. But that said, Science Hill doesn't have much left on the schedule until the playoffs.

21. (23) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) (8-1)
The Yellowjackets were down by five at half against Rogers of Ohio, but Aerial Powers finished with 25, and Detroit Country Day won by nine.

22. (22) Shabazz (Newark, N.J.) (10-1)
The Bulldogs have played one ranked team, No. 18 Twinsburg, and lost, but they have plenty of talent and are New Jersey's best. That has them here for now, but there's not much margin for error.

23. (24) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) (15-0)
DeLaSalle hasn't lost since Dec. 9, so the Islanders should be a good test for Hopkins, which hasn't played a game in 10 days and could be a little rusty.

24. (nr) Wesleyan (Norcross, Ga.) (13-2)
The Wolves move into the Xcellent 25, but with games against St. Francis of Georgia and Bob Jones of Alabama this weekend, they will have to play well to stay.

25. (nr) Reynoldsburg (Ohio) (14-0)
Six-foot-3 sophomore Alyssa Rice leads the young Raiders, who replace in-state rival McKinley in the 25th spot - and hopefully they will avoid the same fate (two losses after the first appearance).

Dropped out: No. 18 Norcross, No. 21 Memphis Central, No. 25 McKinley.