Christ the King has one of the great traditions in girls basketball. Players such as Chamique Holdsclaw, Sue Bird and Tina Charles have played for the Royals, and on the boys side, Lamar Odom and Khalid Reeves have put on the uniform.
Sierra Calhoun, Christ the King
Photo by James Conrad
But this season, Christ the King started the year 0-6, going 0-4 at the Nike TOC in Phoenix, and suffering through a season in which .500 seemed like an impossible dream. But Sunday, redemption arrived when previous No. 3 Cicero-North came to New York City.
Behind the 20 points of
Sierra Calhoun, the Royals knocked off the Northstars 62-58 and upped their record to 11-10 -- and also sent a message that Christ the King is not to be ignored in the complex New York postseason. Of course, Cicero-North can't be discounted either, as UConn-bound
Breanna Stewart had 30 points and 20 rebounds despite being the focus of several junk defenses. And if the Royals don't go 10-for-10 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, the Northstars might still be in the Top 10.
Riverdale Baptist did stay in the Top 10, even though the previous No. 2 took a hit by losing to St. Anthony's of New York, 49-48. The reason the Crusaders only dropped to No. 7 is their impressive resume, which includes wins over two Top 10 teams, Windward and Mater Dei, and several other impressive victories. Cicero-North, on the other hand, has played a much less demanding schedule, and so didn't have quite the same margin for error.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings, presented by the Army National Guard
1. (1) St. Mary's (Phoenix) (26-0)The Knights get a bye in the first round of the Arizona playoffs even though they are the third seed -- behind 27-2 Mountain View and 28-4 Highland. Go figure ...
2. (3) Windward (Los Angeles) (23-3) After a name-the-score game against Nipomo, the Wildcats will start the Southern Section playoffs -- and there are several teams that are fully capable of giving Windward a challenge. So looking ahead to a SoCal Regional matchup against La Jolla Country Day would be a mistake.
3. (5) Bolingbrook (Ill.) (23-1)The last time the Raiders' margin of victory was less than 25 points, it was Dec. 22 at the Nike TOC. That's a long time to go without a meaningful fourth quarter.
4. (6) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) (25-0)The playoffs don't start until Feb. 24, which will give Diamond DeShields of Norcross time to get healthy again -- and that will make the AAAAA playoffs much more interesting.
5. (7) Whitney Young (Chicago) (27-0)The state playoffs finally begin, but that doesn't mean the Dolphins will encounter rough water -- at least for a while.
6. (8) MacArthur (Irving, Texas) (32-2)Keller is 24-5 and on a 12-game winning streak, and the Indians are next up for MacArthur. After that, it's most likely Cedar Hill, which lost to the Cardinals by only six back in December.
7. (2) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) (25-2)The trip to the Bahamas to play some of the Caribbean's best youth teams won't be quite as much fun after the upset loss to St. Anthony's - but a couple days at the beach should ease the pain pretty quickly.
8. (9) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (23-3)Though the Southern California spotlight has been on Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly, Santiago of Corona is 27-0 - and will be looking to prove itself in the Southern Section playoffs, which begin Saturday.
9. (10) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) (24-3)High school teams score 100 points every once in a while, usually in a rout. But Good Counsel hung triple digits on a pretty good Archbishop Carroll team. Of course, Carroll got 81 in the 100-81 all-out sprint. Don't expect those numbers Friday against Holy Cross, though.
10. (11) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) (25-3) The Warriors had to come back from a seven-point deficit to slip past Tennessee power Mt. Juliet, 62-58.
Shacobia Barbee and
Tyisha Petty each had 19 points in the win.
11. (12) Long Beach Poly (Calif.) (25-2)The Jackrabbits open the Southern Section playoffs Saturday and then, assuming they win, would play again next Wednesday. The first couple games should be easy, but a loss would end Poly's season.
12. (13) La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) (24-1)They play a 16-win team, Bishop's, Feb. 17 -- but beat them by 33 the first time around.
13. (14) Hoover (Ala.) (26-3)The sub-regionals are next, but really, Alabama is a two-horse race between longtime rivals Hoover and No. 19 Bob Jones.
14. (15) Duncanville (Texas) (33-1) The Panthers will most likely face either 24-win Mansfield Timberview or 30-win Carroll in the regional quarterfinal -- assuming they can get by 22-win Marcus first. Texas is tough.
15. (17) Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (14-1)The Kingsmen handled two tough opponents, unbeaten Manasquan and Archbishop Molloy, this past week, and have two more on tap when January games against Christ the King and Bishop Ford are finally rescheduled.
16. (16) Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) (30-0)The playoffs have begun in Tennessee, but Science Hill has already beaten up on all its potential opponents in its district, so it will be at least another week until the Hilltoppers are tested.
17. (4) Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.) (15-3)The Northstars got a rude awakening after too many easy games, now they need to get back on track so they can get another shot at the New York City powers in the postseason.
18. (18) Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) (26-3)Lake Mary is a consistent state championship contender, and the Rams are next up for Dr. Phillips. Still, the Panthers are heavy favorites to win the 8A title. Yes, Florida has eight divisions.
19. (19) Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.) (31-2)Huntsville is next for the Patriots, but the Panthers have 14 losses and should be only a minor impediment on the road to the rubber game with Hoover.
20. (20) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) (22-0)Eden Prairie and Wayzata are the second- and third-best teams in Minnesota, and the Royals get them back-to-back this week -- and both are on the road.
21. (21) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) (16-1)Inkster, one of the best in Michigan in recent years, has lost two in a row, but the Vikings should still challenge the Yellowjackets. The playoffs don't start for another week, though.
22. (22) Reynoldsburg (Ohio) (20-0) Lincoln proved to be a tough opponent the second time around, as the Raiders' total margin of victory in the two games was seven points. But a win's a win, and the next two games should be much easier.
23. (23) South Medford (Ore.) (22-0)The Panthers don't look to face a challenge until they advance out of the southern Oregon region, and that won't be for a couple weeks.
24. (24) Pflugerville (Texas) (38-0)We'll find out just how good Pflugerville is very soon. Looming is 29-2 The Woodlands, which lost those two games by a total of four points. Then again, 38 straight wins is pretty impressive too.
25. (25) DuPont Manual (Louisville, Ky.) (27-2)The last test before the postseason will be Butler, a solid team, in what TV guys would call a trap game. We'll see if the Rams can avoid it.
