Last year's Texas 5A champion Duncanville will look to once again dominate in-state competition.
File photo by Jim Redman
The Texas power lost a little punch but still returns
Ariel Atkins, one the top players in the country, and adds 6-4 sophomore
Ciera Johnson to an already loaded roster. But the Pantherettes, as usual, won't leave the state of Texas, and though they will play some out-of-state teams in the Sandra Meadows Classic, both Troy of California and Hall of Arkansas lost most of their firepower. The toughest out-of-state opponent appears to be Central of Arkansas, but the schedule's degree of difficulty pales in comparison to other teams with similar talent levels.
7. Windward (Los Angeles) 32-1Former Stanford star and WNBA veteran Vanessa Nygaard had no trouble adjusting to her first year as a high school coach, but then again having point guard
Jordin Canada and post
Kristen Simon made the transition a lot easier. Both are back, and Windward will once against test itself at the Nike TOC, and then try to survive California's new Open playoffs, which put all the top teams into the same postseason bracket.
8. Fairmont (Kettering, Ohio) 27-1Seniors
Kathryn Westbeld (6-1) and
Makayla Waterman (6-2) have been playing together since third grade, and their self-described "crazy chemistry" paid off with a state title. With all but two players returning, the drop-off shouldn't be much for a team that finished last year No. 4 in the nation.
9. Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) 26-2The Raiders are always good, but with five starters back from a 26-2 team, this might be their best chance ever to win a national title. They play in the Nike TOC, so they'll get a shot at Mater Dei and they also play No. 1 Incarnate Word — which means all the pieces are in place for a special season.
10. Bedford North Lawrence (Bedford, Ind.) 28-0 The unbeaten 4A champs return their top six players, and eight of their top ten, and only a limited out-of-state schedule has them starting out this low. They will play No. 8 Fairmont, however, and given that three of their top players (6-2
Dominique Mcbryde, 6-3
Jenna Allen and 5-7
Alexa Bailey) are just juniors, they could be even better next year.
