MaxPreps Xcellent 25 high school girls basketball rankings

Macchiati Smith is just a sophomore, and listed at 5-foot-7 in your program -- which, as anyone who has followed the game of basketball for any amount of time knows, is a number to be trusted about as much as the statistics used in political campaign ads.

So with fewer than 30 seconds left and No. 3 Windward clinging to a three-point lead over rallying Mater Dei, No. 9 in the nation, Smith somehow managed to come up with a rebound off a missed Windward free throw and immediately score to put the Wildcats up 65-60. They hung on to win 65-62 (a Monarch 3-point attempt was short with two seconds left), and at the same time hung on to that No. 3 spot in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings, presented by the Army National Guard.

Smith finished with 16 points in one of the few major games in the country this past week, and 6-7 Imani Stafford had nine points and 15 rebounds for Windward, which led by as many as 10 in the fourth quarter before Mater Dei rallied. Nirra Fields, one of the most dynamic offensive players in the country, finished with 26 for the Monarchs, and Alexas Williamson had 17.

From here on out in most states, though, it's playoff time, and teams will not only stay within their state, the vast majority will only play schools in their same classification -- which in some cases, means the competition will regularly be intense, and in others, there will be only a couple of games that look to be a challenge.

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

1. (1) St. Mary's (Phoenix) (23-0)
The playoffs have started, and in round two, the Knights will face either 25-win Valley Vista or 22-win Millennium. And they'll most likely have to get past Tolleson, a perennial power in the area, after that.

2. (2) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) (24-1)
The Crusaders dismissed a very solid Archbishop Spalding team Monday, but will be challenged again by St. Anthony's of New York on Saturday.

3. (3) Windward (Los Angeles) (20-3)
After Macchiati Smith hit a game-winner against No. 12 Long Beach Poly, she followed up with big plays against No. 9 Mater Dei this week. And she's just a sophomore.

4. (4) Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.) (19-1)
The Northstars will gear up for the postseason by playing Christ the King Sunday, but the Royals are the not the power they once were, as they have lost 10 times this year.

5. (5) Bolingbrook (Ill.) (21-1)
Move along, nothing to see here -- at least until the playoffs begin after two more routs.

6. (6) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) (23-0)
There are pitfalls to winning easily for a long stretch of games. The Indians beat Hillgrove by 37 the first time around -- Tuesday they struggled and won by only six.

7. (7) Whitney Young (Chicago) (26-0)
The Dolphins won their fourth-straight Chicago city title, and their seventh in eight years, by knocking off Morgan Park 61-48. Whitney Young, though, had to make free throws to pull away in the fourth quarter.

8. (8) MacArthur (Irving, Texas) (33-2)
It's been a while since the Cardinals had to play up to their potential. The closest game since Dec. 21 has been a 15-point win. It was 77-12 Tuesday against Nimitz.

9. (9) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (22-3)
The Monarchs lost to No. 2 Riverdale Baptist, No. 3 Windward and preseason Top 5 team St. John's of D.C. Most likely, they're going to run into No. 12 Long Beach Poly at least once in Southern California's postseason, and to stay in the Top 10, they'll need to beat the perennial Division I power.

10. (10) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) (22-3)
The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference gantlet of good teams will continue to make the Falcons -- unlike many of the Xcellent 25 -- earn their rankings every time out.

11. (11) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) (22-3): After riding on cruise control pretty much all of 2012, the Warriors will get ready for the postseason with a nonleague Monday matchup with twice-beaten, and fourth in the state, Mt. Juliet.

12. (12) Long Beach Poly (Calif.) (24-2)
There was a time when the Jackrabbits relied solely on their press to score, and outside shooting was for everyone else. Not any more. So far this year, 10 Poly players have made more than one 3-pointer.

13. (13) La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) (23-1)
One of the problems of being a smaller school is finding competitive games outside the holidays, and the Torreys are proof. They play a 16-win team, Bishop's, Feb. 17 -- but beat them by 33 the first time around.

14. (14) Hoover (Ala.) (24-3)
The Buccaneers have no margin for error now, as the state playoffs have started. The winner of Thompson and Oak Mountain will be in Monday's area finals.

15. (15) Duncanville (Texas) (33-1)
The 5A playoffs start early next week -- and there will be few easy games for the Panthers once the postseason begins.

16. (16) Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) (28-0)
Another team that hasn't been tested in 2012, Science Hill's closest game this calendar year is 17 points. Things will get harder when the playoffs start next week.

17. (17) Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (12-1)
The good news: Bianca Cuevas scored 34 points in a 80-60 win over Bishop Loughlin Tuesday. The bad news: The school will close in June -- and for several players, it will be the second year in a row they have played nationally ranked basketball for a school that closed in June (last year it was St. Michael's).

18. (18) Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) (24-3)
Dr. Phillips has lost only to No. 4 Cicero-North, No. 10 Our Lady of Good Counsel, and Kentucky power, and ranked much of the season, Marion County. The Panthers haven't lost to anyone in Florida and have a win over Northern California's top team, St. Mary's of Stockton.

19. (19) Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.) (29-2)
The Patriots have a tough early draw in the Alabama playoffs, most likely getting Austin of Decatur on Monday -- but then again, they've beaten the Black Bears twice by an average of 20 points.

20. (20) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) (20-0)
The Royals keep playing the best teams in Minnesota, and keep beating them. It's 17-2 Edina Friday, and both those Hornet losses came at the hands of Hopkins.

21. (21) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) (12-1)
The Yellowjackets crushed some dreams last week, thumping two previously unbeaten teams, Pershing of Detroit and Carroll of Ohio. And the closest game was 15 points.

22. (22) Reynoldsburg (Ohio) (19-0)
The Raiders only beat Lincoln by four the first time around -- but that was on the road, and Reynoldsburg will be back in the friendly confines Friday.

23. (23) South Medford (Ore.) (20-0)
Crater has lost only six times, and might force the Panthers to break a sweat. After all, it was only a 19-point win last time -- and Tuesday, South Medford won by 51.

24. (24) Pflugerville (Texas) (37-0)
Jasmyn Booker and Ari Booth each had 13 points in a 22-point win over a good Georgetown team last week -- but the Panthers are so balanced, opponents never can focus on just one player. That kind of depth will serve Pflugerville well now that the playoffs have begun.

25. (25) DuPont Manual (Louisville, Ky.) (24-2)
The Rams have a couple tests before the Kentucky playoffs begin, but they won't start for two more weeks -- so don't expect Manual to drop out of the rankings again.