Riding high after a big win at the Nike TOC and a perfect 14-0 record, Karlie Samuelson and Mater Dei hold the No. 1 spot for the second straight week.
Photo by James Conrad
Injuries change everything — but the scoreboard still doesn't lie.
Previous No. 21 Hopkins lost two starting guards to injuries, and then to Centennial 79-70, but there's no mercy here. Hopkins doesn't have any out-of-state wins, so it's gone from the Xcellent 25.
Paul VI registered a big win over No. 23 Our Lady of Good Counsel, but at the same time got the news it may be without two starters the rest of the season — which makes that No. 16 ranking not quite as solid as it might be.
Then again, Good Counsel suffered two of its losses while star guard Lindsay Spann was hurt, so it's among many teams that will be tougher when the talent returns to the court.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Girls Basketball Rankings1. (Last week 1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 14-0An easy win over La Jolla Country Day ended a tough holiday season for the Monarchs — who might get a bit of a challenge from once-beaten Orange Lutheran on Friday.
2. (2) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 16-0Riverdale took over in the last nine minutes to knock off No. 10 Oakland, 63-46, Saturday. The Warriors have now won 39 straight games, and 47 consecutive in Tennessee.
3. (3) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) 13-0Alpharetta has only lost twice, but Lexie Brown and the Bulldogs should still be unbeaten when they host Norcross on Jan. 15.
4. (4) Duncanville (Texas) 24-0The Panthers held Grand Prairie scoreless for the first 12 minutes, which is generally a good way to guarantee a win. DeSoto, though, will be more of a challenge on Friday.
5. (5) St. John's (Washington, D.C.) 13-0A rare easy week for the Cadets in the DMV should help them prepare for the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference challenges down the road.
