MaxPreps Top 25 national high school girls basketball rankings

As usual, the Nike TOC scrambled the rankings, but with more major tournaments coming this weekend, expect some more turmoil.

No. 2 Mater Dei, No. 4 Shabazz and No. 20 St. Mary's of Stockton are at the West Coast Jamboree in the San Francisco Bay Area, and No. 5 Duncanville, No. 10 Manvel and No. 13 Whitney Young highlight the Sandra Meadows Classic in Texas. Oh, and No. 1 Incarnate Word and No. 3 Blackman top a strong field at the Naples Holiday Classic in Florida.

It should be quite a week, and the next iteration of the Xcellent 25 will likely look quite different.


1. (1) Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis), 6-0
The Red Knights will warm up against Webster Groves, a solid Missouri team, before heading off to the Naples Holiday Classic, where a bevy of top teams will try to take out the top team in the Xcellent 25.

2. (2) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 8-0
The Monarchs ruled the Nike TOC once again, but it wasn't easy. First, MVP Katie Lou Samuelson had to make two late free throws to salvage a first-round win against No. 11 Homewood-Flossmoor and then the Monarchs watched a 25-point third quarter lead dwindle to seven before beating No. 6 Long Beach Poly in the finals.

3. (3) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 12-0
The Ezell Christmas Tournament was barely a warmup for the Blaze, as they won the three games by an average of 28 points. The Naples Holiday Classic, which starts Dec. 30, will be a much different story, however.

4. (4) Shabazz (Newark, N.J.), 0-0
Yes, 0-0 is correct, but the Bulldogs finally get started this weekend. It will be a long way from home at the West Coast Jamboree in Northern California.

5. (5) Duncanville (Texas), 13-0
Once the presents are opened and the turkey is digested, Duncanville jumps right back into it with two games in the Sandra Meadows Classic, which began Thursday. No. 10 Manvel and No. 13 Whitney Young will battle it out on the other side of the bracket.

6. (8) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 5-1
The Jackrabbits didn't kick it into gear until midway through the third quarter against No. 2 Mater Dei, and that was way too late against such a quality team. Still, wins over No. 7 Regis Jesuit and St. Mary's of Stockton made the trip to the Nike TOC worthwhile.

7. (6) Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.), 6-1
Regis had a five-point lead late in the fourth quarter against No. 6 Long Beach Poly but faded down the stretch. The defending Colorado champs bounced back to win their next two, however, including a 17-point thumping of Homewood-Flossmoor, to stay in the top 10.

8. (9) Bedford North Lawrence (Bedford, Ind.), 9-0
Thrice-beaten Pike is next, on Friday, but those three losses were to three of Indiana's top teams. Still, were Bedford North Lawrence to lose, it would be a stunning upset.

9. (10) New Hope Christian Academy (Thomasville, N.C.), 11-0
The Phoenix have won their last two games by a combined 151 points, which hardly has them ready for what they'll face at the Title IX Classic starting Friday, though they will ease into it against Bishop O'Connell.

10. (14) Manvel (Texas), 17-1
Manvel didn't have to work too hard to run its record to 17-1, winning the last two by a combined 129 points, but things will get serious at the Sandra Meadows Classic. No. 5 Duncanville will presumably await in the finals, but Whitney Young is on the same side of the bracket as well.

11. (11) Homewood-Flossmoor (Flossmoor, Ill.), 6-2
The Vikings had the lead against No. 2 Mater Dei with 13 seconds left at the Nike TOC but couldn't hold on. They bounced back to beat Christ the King by one, but then got thumped by No. 7 Regis Jesuit on the last day.

12. (13) Fairmont (Kettering, Ohio), 7-1
Down by 12 at half, and by five going into the fourth quarter, Fairmont rallied for a 42-41 win over rival Centerville. Next up is Michigan's Southfield-Lathrup, which was 18-4 last season.

13. (18) Whitney Young (Chicago), 8-0
The Dolphins swim south to Texas this week to play five games in three days at the Sandra Meadows Classic at Duncanville. Texas schools are used to playing that many games in a short time, but most other high school teams aren't -- which just adds to the challenge of the strong field.

14. (17) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 10-2
Riverdale got back on track with a win over always-tough Overton, 67-56, and faces one of Alabama's best, Brewer, after Christmas.

15. (19) Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.), 6-2
The Bruins added another win, this one over Kansas power St. Thomas Aquinas, and now face a tough Missouri opponent in Dexter.

16. (NR) Saint Mary's (Albany, Calif.), 6-2
The Panthers move back into the Xcellent 25 thanks to beating two previously ranked teams at the Nike TOC in Arizona. The loss to No. 2 Mater Dei isn't a black mark, as only the No. 1 team in the rankings should be expected to beat Mater Dei.

17. (NR) Joliet Catholic Academy (Ill.), 7-0
The Hillcrest Holiday Classic is next for Joliet Catholic, and first up is Hillcrest -- which already lost to No. 11 Homewood-Flossmoor by 35.

18. (23) Lawrence North (Indianapolis), 11-0
After slipping past Warren Central 80-28, Lawrence North draws Warren Central again in the opening round of the Ben Davis Holiday Tournament. We're guessing Lawrence North emerges from that one unscathed.

19. (NR) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 3-0
The Saints haven't played many games, but all three wins are against quality opponents, so Neumann-Goretti jumps into the Xcellent 25 for the first time.

20. (15) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 7-2
After destroying then-No. 7 Riverdale Baptist by 27 in the opening round, the Rams lost to No. 6 Long Beach Poly and Northern California rival, and now No. 16, Saint Mary's of Albany, at the Nike TOC. Next up is the West Coast Jamboree, and most likely a date with No. 4 Shabazz in the semifinals.

21. (NR) Miami (Fla.), 12-0
After knocking off previously unbeaten Orangeburg-Wilkinson in South Carolina, Florida's top team debuts in the Xcellent 25. The Junior Orange Bowl tournament is next.

22. (22) Horn Lake (Miss.), 11-0
Horn Lake handled New Site by 11, and now moves on to the Coldwater Christmas Tournament, which hopefully will supply some tough competition.

23. (25) Northside (Fort Smith, Ark.), 7-1
Northside will get another interstate test this week as the Grizzles travel to Springfield, Mo., for an invitational tournament.

24. (7) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 5-2
The Crusaders got pounded by No. 20 St. Mary's of Stockton in the first game at the Nike TOC, losing by 27, bounced back to edge then No. 12 Christ the King, and then lost by 17 to No. 7 Regis Jesuit. Not a good trip.

25. (NR) Desert Vista (Phoenix), 12-0
The Thunder staked a claim as Arizona's best with a 3-0 run through their bracket at the Nike TOC. Too bad they don't play anyone else out of state, as it's hard to say how good they really are.

Dropped out: No. 16 St. Anthony's, No. 20 Southwest DeKalb, No. 21 Paul VI, No. 24 Elizabethtown.