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

Video: 13-year old girl dunks
Cardinal Newman's (SC) Ashlyn Watkins throws it down despite her young age.

The carnage continues in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard, as teams sort themselves out on the court — and this week, most of the casualties occurred at the Art Turner Memorial in Washington, D.C. St. John's (Washington, D.C.) jumped five spots thanks to some big wins, and Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), Hamilton Heights (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) took turns beating each other up — and the ride won't be any smoother this week.

There are major matchups all over the country (including Hawaii), and not long after, the big Christmas events will shake things up even further.

So if you have any desire to see high-quality high school basketball, check out any of the games mentioned in the rankings below, and not only will you see good teams, you'll see the future of the women's game in action.

(Note: Teams that wish to be recognized either locally or nationally should make sure their information — schedule, results, roster, coach, etc. — is up to date on MaxPreps. If you have any issues, please contact coachsupport@maxpreps.com.)

1. (Last week 1) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 7-0
After handling No. 12 Mercer County, Riverdale shouldn't have much to worry about until Dec. 15, when the No. 1 team travels to pesky Stewarts Creek. After that comes the Nike TOC.

2. (2) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 3-0
St. Mary's hasn't been challenged — or challenged itself, depending on how you look at it — so far, but things will heat up over Christmas vacation with trips to the Nike TOC and the Title IX Holiday Classic.

3. (8) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 2-0
St. John's jumps to No. 3 thanks to stumbles by teams ahead of it, and a big win over previous No. 12 South Shore. But talented New Hope and No. 14 Baldwin appear on the schedule this weekend, so St. John's will have to earn this spot again.

4. (5) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 2-0
After slipping past tough Sacramento 66-57, two more NorCal stalwarts are lined up — St. Mary's of Berkeley and Oak Ridge.

5. (NR) Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), 2-0
One of the great programs in girls' basketball jumps back into the Top 10 thanks to a 46-45 win over No. 6 Paul VI. Nothing much will change in the near future, though, as Christ the King doesn't play again until Dec. 16.

6. (6) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 3-1
Counterbalancing the loss to No. 5 Christ the King was an eight-point win over previous No. 4 Hamilton Heights — and remember the first rule of the Xcellent 25: The scoreboard doesn't lie.

7. (4) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 7-1
Counterbalancing the loss to No. 6 Paul VI was an overtime win against previous No. 3 Riverdale Baptist —and wins over McDonogh and Roland Park Country were impressive as well.

8. (3) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 2-1
There will be a chance for redemption after that OT loss to No. 7 Hamilton Heights when Riverdale Baptist heads for the Nike TOC in Arizona in mid-December.

9. (9) Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.), 4-0
The 61-50 win over a solid Woodbridge team — a team that played for a Virginia state title last year — validates this ranking. A couple wins in competitive games this weekend at the She Got Game Classic will validate it even further.

10. (10) Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis), 3-0
It took overtime for Incarnate Word to get past Regina, a small-school Iowa power, and it won't get any easier this weekend with one of Florida's best, Miami Country Day, and No. 6 Paul VI on tap.

11. (11) North Little Rock (Ark.), 3-0
Fayetteville is North Little Rock's biggest challenger in Arkansas, according to those who should know, and North Little Rock is in Fayetteville's tournament this weekend — which could make for an exciting championship game.

12. (7) Mercer County (Harrodsburg, Ky.), 1-1
Mercer County has to rebound quickly, as in-state threat, and No. 21 nationally, Sacred Heart will be the opponent Saturday in the Kentucky Premier Challenge.

13. (14) DeSoto (Texas), 12-0
After getting by Bishop Lynch on Tuesday night, the next roadblock will be 12-3 South Grand Prairie next Tuesday — at South Grand Prairie.

14. (15) Baldwin (N.Y.), 0-0
Talk about jumping into the fire: Baldwin opens its season at the She Got Game Classic against a very good McDonogh team Saturday and then draws No. 3 St. John's on Sunday.

15. (16) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 2-0
Shakopee was 2-0 coming into Tuesday night's game, but Hopkins rolled, 81-61. Then it's 3-0 Iowa City West on Saturday.

16. (17) Carmel (Ind.), 12-0
Two big wins keep Carmel in the Xcellent 25: a 63-42 romp over one of Illinois' best, Rock Island, and a 52-51 squeaker over in-state rival Lawrence North.

17. (18) Winter Haven (Fla.), 5-0
Winter Haven's biggest test of the season could be at the She Got Game Classic, as two teams knocking on the door of the Xcellent 25 — St. Frances and New Hope — are on the schedule.

18. (NR) Rock Creek Christian Academy (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 5-0
This stay could be brief, as three tough opponents await in the She Got Game Classic: Northwest Guilford, McEachern and Miami Country Day. Surviving that gantlet will most likely jump Rock Creek into the top 15.

19. (19) Franklin (Somerset, N.J.), 0-0
At least Franklin has started practice now, but games are still a ways away.

20. (21) Southeast Raleigh (Raleigh, N.C.), 5-0
One of the North Carolina's best — and one of the few to venture out of state — will be tested by New Hope and St. Francis of New York at the She Got Game Classic this weekend.

21. (NR) Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.), 3-0
No. 12 Mercer County is up on Saturday, and combined with the trip to the Nike TOC, Sacred Heart will have every chance to prove it belongs in the Xcellent 25.

22. (NR) Hoover (Ala.), 8-0
Comparative scores are always tricky, but No. 1 Riverdale beat Hazel Green by two; Hoover beat Hazel Green by 12. And with wins over Deshler, Ramsey and Shades Valley, Hoover has already staked a strong claim as Alabama's best.

23. (23) Mesquite (Gilbert, Ariz.), 7-0
Getting by in-state rival Valley Vista Tuesday was a big step, but the real test will come at the Nike TOC. Of course, that's played in Mesquite's home town, which does make things easier.

24. (25) Centennial (Las Vegas), 3-0
Centennial handled 4-1 Cimarron-Memorial by 51 Tuesday, and now moves to the ‘Iolani Classic in Honolulu this weekend. Aside from Waikiki, the ‘Iolani features No. 25 Southridge, Hawaii's best in Maryknoll, and Miramonte, which is averaging 77 points a game so far.

25. (NR) Southridge (Beaverton, Ore.), 0-0
Southridge starts its season in the ‘Iolani Classic, and most likely only the winner will make it to the Xcellent 25 next week.

Dropped Out: No. 12 South Shore, No. 13 Montini, No. 20 Regis Jesuit, No. 22 Windward, No. 24 Kentridge