There's been so much written and said and broadcast about how different the past 12 months have been, but when it comes to basketball, the game is still the same.
And postseason is still postseason, with upsets, close games, controversy and, sometimes tears. Even the winners cry sometimes, but they also hang banners in the gym, and in the end, it doesn't matter if the banner was won during a COVID year or not. Players still had to perform, coaches still had to lead and fans still had to fret until the issue was no longer in doubt.
And in the same way, a spot in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school girls basketball rankings is something earned. Every team listed below earned its ranking on the court, playing the same game that teams ranked in the past did, and the same one that will be played next year and beyond.
Of course things might have been different without the pandemic, but "might" covers a lot of ground. What counts more is "achieved," and that's what all the teams in the MaxPreps Top 25 did – and there's no asterisk involved.
NOTE: Coaches and team personnel are encouraged to update
schedules and results on MaxPreps – especially those in the mix for
MaxPreps Top 25 consideration. For assistance or questions, please reach
out to support@maxpreps.com.
Tanajah Hayes, Zebulon B. Vance
Photo by Matthew Plyler
Record: 19-0 |
Last week: 1
The
GEICO High School Nationals will be in Fort Myers, Fla., just three hours away through the middle of Florida — so will Lake Highland Prep have any sort of home-court advantage? Not really, but then again, the Highlanders may not need it.
2. Westlake (Atlanta)
Record: 21-0 |
Last week: 2
The unbeaten season, the No. 2 ranking and invite to the GEICO High School Nationals all were looking a little shaky at halftime of the AAAAAA title game — but then Westlake asserted itself and pulled away for a 64-46 win over pesky Carrolton.
3. Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati)
Record: 28-0 |
Last week: 3
The 72nd straight win and eighth state title did not come easy, as it took double overtime for the Cougars to tame No. 12 Newark in the championship game. The final was 57-55, so it was a nail-biter until the last horn sounded.
4. Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.)
Record: 13-0 |
Last week: 4
Hopkins disposed of 14-win Becker with no problem, and now prepares for the AAAA playoffs — which won't begin until Friday. There's still a long way to go, though, as the state title game isn't until April 9.
5. Edison Academy (Detroit)
Record: 10-0 |
Last week: 5
The Pioneers found fifth gear, it seems, as they beat two of the better teams in state by 27 and 20 last week. Wayne Memorial, another quality team, shows up on the schedule Saturday.
6. Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis)
Record: 27-0 |
Last week: 6
The Red Knights were pushed before slipping past Rock Bridge 46-42 in the Class 6 playoffs. Now, Staley is up in the semifinals. Should Incarnate Word advance, the winner of Webster Grove and Kickapoo would be next — and note that Incarnate Word has already beaten both.
7. Norman (Okla.)
Record: 19-0 |
Last week: 8
After getting national headlines when an announcer used a racial slur while Norman knelt during the National Anthem, Union joined Norman in the next game in the pregame silent statement. Norman then slipped past Union 53-50 and knocked off Bixby in the 6A final to finish the unbeaten season.
8. St. John-Vianney (Holmdel)
Record: 14-0 |
Last week: 9
Season complete.
9. Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.)
Record: 10-0 |
Last week: 10
The Panthers could rise higher with a strong showing at the GEICO Nationals. With the top two teams in the field, PVI could make a strong claim for No. 1 by beating both.
10. DeSoto (Texas)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: 11
The Eagles were down 11 in the second quarter to previous No. 9 Cypress Creek, which hadn't played a close game all season. This one wasn't close either, as DeSoto went on a 45-18 run and finished with a 53-37 win to claim its first state title.
11. Grandview (Aurora, Colo.)
Record: 16-0 |
Last week: 13
It's anticipated the Wolves, Valor Christian and Regis Jesuit will be three of the four teams in the 5A semifinals. Any of the three could easily wind up cutting down the nets. But it says here it's Grandview wielding the scissors.
12. Newark (Ohio)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: 12
You can't come much closer. The Wildcats came from four down in the last minutes to force the first overtime, scored at the buzzer to force the second, and then came up just one basket short after 40 minutes of play. Still, a great season, and a deserving No. 12 in the country.
13. Fremont (Plain City, Utah)
Record: 26-0 |
Last week: 15
The Silverwolves got the call to make travel plans for Florida and the GEICO High School Nationals at the end of the month.
14. Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Record: 10-0 |
Last week: 14
Season complete.
15. Cypress Creek (Houston)
Record: 32-1 |
Last week: 7
The Cougars' 3-point touch evaporated at the worst possible time, and DeSoto's size took away points in the paint. The result? A disappointing 53-37 loss in the 6A finals.
16. New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.)
Record: 13-3 |
Last week: 16
New Hope finished on a high note, rolling over a good Westtown team, 86-53. And the head-to-head win over Montverde is why three losses is ranked ahead of two.
17. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Record: 21-2 |
Last week: 17
Season complete.
18. Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.)
Record: 13-0 |
Last week: 18
Season complete.
19. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: 19
Season complete.
20. Chaska (Minn.)
Record: 12-0 |
Last week: 20
For the Hawks to get that shot at No. 4 Hopkins — the regular season game was canceled because of a positive COVID test — the first step will be getting by 13-4 Minnetonka, which took Chaska to overtime earlier this year.
21. Hazel Green (Ala.)
Record: 36-1 |
Last week: 21
Season complete.
22. Pius X (Lincoln, Neb.)
Record: 25-0 |
Last week: 23
Season complete.
23. Crown Point (Ind.)
Record: 25-1 |
Last week: 24
Season complete.
24. Zebulon B. Vance (Charlotte, N.C.)
Record: 12-0 |
Last week: 25
Season complete.
25. Shawnee Mission Northwest (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)
Record: 23-0 |
Last week: NR
Not only did the Cougars take care of 23-2 Topeka in the 6A playoffs for its first state title, the Jayhawk State's best also handed 4A champ and crosstown rival Bishop Miege its only loss.
Dropped out: No. 22 Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.).
