Video: Top 25 girls basketball rankings
La Jolla Country Day on quest for CIF Open Division crown.
In some states, for some teams, the postseason is a walk in the park, disturbed only if something extremely unlikely occurs, such as a rabid squirrel dropping from a branch to attack an unwary visitor. But barring such out-of-the-blue interventions, more than a few elite teams in states with many divisions can start planning their banquet speeches before the final whistle blows.
In other states, it's far from that simple. California has instituted Open divisions, so in that state, the top 12 teams (out of around 1,400) have all been placed in the same bracket, so clearly every game will be a flat-out war. Elsewhere, the two best teams may find themselves meeting early in the playoffs, so the state championship is essentially decided before the state championship game.
And some don't play in a state championship at all, such as Bishop McNamara of Maryland.
So the pressure on members of the MaxPreps Top 25 national high school girls basketball rankings varies wildly, as No. 1 La Jolla Country Day, for example, will have to beat the best of the best to retain its ranking. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), on the other hand, could be in cruise control already given Wayzata's injury issues, and for many observers, the only question is how big the margins of victory will be.
Usually, though, the state playoffs have their share of landmines, as a good team that catches fire late can appear to come out of nowhere to shock a nationally ranked opponent, or some strange officiating plays a big role in a surprising final outcome.
That of course is what makes it fun, and though we're pretty sure some teams are safely settled in the Top 25, and that others are on shaky ground, you just never know. Tune in next week and you'll find out how right, or wrong, we were …
MaxPreps Top 25 national high school girls basketball rankings
De'Ja Morgan, Southeast Raleigh
Photo by Steven Worthy
The California playoff system looks to have benefited the top-seeded Torreys, who gets a first-round bye in the Southern Regional Open. Of course, after that will come three very difficult games, including an anticipated second-round matchup with No. 7 Mater Dei.
Hamilton Heights cruised to a 70-51 win over New Hope in the National Association of Christian Athletes' tournament, but now the talent-packed roster will only practice until the GEICO High School Nationals on April 3 and 4.
Though Mount Notre Dame is favored to finish unbeaten and win the Ohio Division I title, the two games it must win to do so will not be easy. First up: No. 22 Fairmont on Friday. If that hurdle is leapt, another tough game — against either Pickerington Central or Newark — will remain.
When Wayzata was fully healthy, it could challenge Hopkins. Wayzata is not fully healthy, so expect Hopkins to roll on Thursday, and then continue rolling to another Minnesota championship.
Duncanville barely survived against Cedar Hill, and next up is 40-0 Cypress Creek, No. 12 in the country, and perhaps undervalued due to a weak schedule. We'll find out which team winds up in the Top 10 next week.
Eventually, Long Island Lutheran will play another game — but not until March 27. The last game LuHi played was Feb. 22, so that's a lot of time practicing and a lot of time for minds to wander.
Unlike No. 1 La Jolla Country Day, Mater Dei jumps right into the fire in the Southern California Regional Open Division, drawing once-ranked Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) in the first round, then the winner of once-ranked Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) and No. 20 Windward (Los Angeles) should things go well, and after that, LJCD. Oh, and then comes the title game against the best team in Northern California.
After a forfeit win in the first round of Division 2 District play, Edison may not find the next two rounds much more difficult. Eventually, however, some quality teams will show up in the bracket, and given Edison's recent struggles, this ranking could be in jeopardy at that point.
The GEICO National High School Championships will take four teams, and the only way Bishop McNamara gets to play any more games is to be one of those four. At this point, it's hard to say whether Bishop McNamara is in or out.
Though Baylor (Friday's opponent) and Briarcrest Christian both have better records, likely the toughest out in the Division II-AA Tennessee bracket is Brentwood Academy — but note that Ensworth has already beaten Brentwood Academy twice, once by 31 points.
Trenton Catholic moves into the New Jersey Non-Public B playoffs, and the biggest obstacle to making the final four is likely Moorestown Friends. Down the road, No. 21 St. John-Vianney is the biggest threat.
It's pretty hard to argue with a 40-0 record, especially when you consider that Cypress Creek's closest game in the 6A playoff was a 20-point win over Clear Springs, which had 31 wins to its credit. Of course, to rise any higher, No. 5 Duncanville must be dispatched.
Paul VI dealt with some familiar faces in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association playoffs, including Bishop O'Connell, which upset PVI earlier this year. But Paul VI took care of business in the finals, winning 52-43, and wrapping up another impressive season.
A lot of weight is placed on strength of schedule, which is why St. Joseph Central is expected to roll through the West Virginia Class A playoffs, even though unbeaten Parkersburg Catholic is the likely finals' opponent. The reason? St. Joseph Central strength of schedule is 19.3 (29 is the best in the country); Parkersburg Catholic 1.7.
St. Frances Academy's season is complete unless GEICO comes calling, and that seems unlikely. Had the Bishop Walsh Tournament gone ahead as planned, St. Frances might have been able to improve its resume.
Lake Highland Prep took the Class 4A title with relative ease, as the closest game was a 15-point win in the finals against Bishop Kenny. The GEICO National High School Championships could be next.
There are some teams with gaudy records in the North Carolina 4A bracket, but Southeast Raleigh has had little trouble dealing with its in-state rivals. The only loss all season was by three points to No. 15 St. Frances in December. Since then, it's been smooth sailing.
Westlake will have to work to win its AAAAAAA title Saturday as Collins Hill — alma mater of Maya Moore — is 31-0. Westlake, though, has played a much more difficult schedule, and its average margin of victory in postseason is 33.7 points.
Riverdale Baptist's hopes of taking down No. 2 Hamilton Heights were dashed when New Hope pulled off the 60-53 upset in the National Association of Christian Athletes' semifinals. A GEICO bid seems pretty much out of the question, so Riverdale Baptist's season is likely complete.
Losing to No. 7 Mater Dei is no disgrace, so Windward only drops a spot — and can rise rapidly with wins over Sierra Canyon and Mater Dei in the Southern California Regional Open. Of course, a loss would precipitate a quick exit from the Top 25.
Go figure: St. John-Vianney is seeded behind six-loss Red Bank Catholic in the Non-Public A New Jersey playoffs. Vianney's only defeat came at the hands of No. 6 Long Island Lutheran. They'll settle it on the court, most likely, March 11.
Though Fairmont is probably looking ahead to a chance to knock off No. 3 Mount Notre Dame, it must be mentioned that Wednesday's opponent, Mercy McAuley, handed Fairmont one of its two losses back on Jan. 25.
DeSoto's superb season is over after a tough loss to No. 5 Duncanville in the Texas 6A playoffs. Note, however, that DeSoto only had two seniors on the roster, and that several of its best players were sophomores.
Sapulpa is 20-2 and riding a 10-game win streak into Thursday night's 6A East Area playoff game. The winner moves on to state while the loser … well, it's that time of year.
Chartiers Valley last lost a game on March 10, 2018. Since then, it's been 55 wins in a row, and winning the 6A title would make it 60. Warren is the first obstacle, this weekend.
Dropped out: Northwestern (Kokomo, Ind).
