The holidays have ended and now it's time to get down to league play in most areas of the country. Here is the latest movement in the girls basketball rankings.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Girls Basketball Rankings
Mater Dei's girls move in to the top spot in the Xcellent 25, just like the boys team. A Nike TOC triumph catapulted the Monarchs to the top spot.
Photo by Mark Jones
The Samuelson sisters,
Karlie and
Lou, led the Monarchs to the Nike TOC title and the No. 1 ranking. But Southern California's rugged competition won't allow for any letdown.
2. (6) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 15-0Tennessee might just be the best state in the country for girls basketball this year. The Warriors dismissed previous No. 3 Science Hill, but have two other nationally ranked teams (Oakland and Blackmon) in their district.
3. (19) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), 11-0The Bulldogs vault to No. 3 on the strength of the Naples Holiday Classic title, but to retain this ranking, they're going to have to beat Georgia power Norcross at least twice.
4. (8) Duncanville (Texas), 20-0Like St. Mary's of Phoenix, the Panthers never leave their home state. But unlike St. Mary's, top-ranked teams don't come to them. So we know they're good, but we're just not sure how good.
5. (11) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 11-0The Cadets rolled through two tournaments, one in Puerto Rico and one in New York – but unlike most schools, league play will be a much bigger challenge than out-of-state events.
