Courtney Ekmark and No. 7 St. Mary's of Phoenix look to win their state tournament and hopefully rise in the Xcellent 25 rankings.
Photo by James Conrad
6. (6) Pflugerville (Texas) 36-0The Panthers will get a good read on how they compare with No. 3 Duncanville when they play Plano West Friday — Duncanville beat Plano West twice, by six and 32. Then, most likely, comes Dekaney and its 29-game winning streak.
7. (7) St. Mary's (Phoenix) 27-1Hamilton's pretty good, but St. Mary's already beat Thursday's opponent by 18. If the Knights win that, they'll play for the Arizona title Saturday against either Pinnacle (which they've already beaten) or 32-2 Highland.
8. (8) Centerville (Ohio) 22-1Lakota West will be a challenge … but that game is a week from Saturday. Barring a basketball miracle, Centerville will coast until then.
9. (9) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) 25-1Transfer Joshlyn Belcher hit four late free throws, and North Gwinnett held off Norcross to win the Region 7-AAAAAA title. Of course, the two could meet again in the state title game March 9.
10. (10) Fairmont (Kettering, Ohio) 20-1Fairmont should roll through its Division I District tournament, which doesn't conclude until March 2. After that, though, things will get more interesting.