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

Video: Xcellent 25 Girls Basketball Rankings Presented by The Army National Guard
Host Myckenna Guerrero looks at how things shake out as most teams are in playoff mode.

The Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard showed surprising stability this past week, though Duncanville did get knocked off in the Texas 6A playoffs. But at 39-2, with a win over new No. 6 Mansfield Timberview, kept the perennial Lone Star State power in the rankings.

Paul VI also lost, but the rankings say the No. 7 team should lose to the No. 4 team, so the defeat at the hands of rival St. John's didn't result in any demotion.

Mercer County, which will have to survive a very tough Kentucky postseason, jumps two spots to No. 13, and Westlake, which hammered a strong Collins Hill team, moves from No. 20 to No. 17, and could go even higher by winning the Class AAAAAA Georgia title.

The only newcomer is No. 25 Manasquan, which replaces Bishop McNamara, because Manasquan not only knocked St. John-Vianney out of the Xcellent 25 last week, but also will have to battle through the long New Jersey postseason.

Of course, turmoil becomes more and more likely as the state playoffs wind down, with Centennial's miraculous fourth-quarter comeback in Nevada serving as Exhibit A. Without a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send the game into overtime, Centennial might well have tumbled out of the rankings entirely and opened the door for newcomers like Dimond of Alaska to join the club.

(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) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 26-0
Archbishop Mitty suffered a major blow when 6-2 senior center Nicole Blakes, a San Diego signee, tore her ACL in the final regular season game. That obviously will make it tougher for Mitty to navigate the six potential playoff games.

2. (2) Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), 24-0
The four-team Brooklyn Queens playoff begins Thursday, and St. Francis Prep, which has played Christ the King tough on occasion, is the likely opponent in the finals.

3. (3) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 31-1
Since Riverdale has beaten Blackman twice by a combined 67 points, the Region 4AAA championship Wednesday isn't that threatening. The state playoffs begin March 7.

4. (4) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 29-2
St. John's handled No. 7 Paul VI 54-49 in the Washington Athletic Conference Championship, and now moves on to the D.C. playoffs. The loss to No. 1 Archbishop Mitty, however, will make it hard for St. John's to rise much higher.

5. (5) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 25-2
It's an ill wind that blows nobody good, and though No. 1 Archbishop Mitty will be seriously hampered by an injury to Nicole Blakes, St. Mary's now has a much better chance to avenge its TOC loss to Mitty in the NorCal Open Division.

6. (9) Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas), 39-2
Mansfield Timberview faces 25-5 Tivy on Thursday, but the biggest threat to Top 10 status will be 38-2 Amarillo, the likely opponent in the 5A title game.

7. (7) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 27-4
The loss to St. John's will keep Paul VI from moving much higher, but there is a chance to move down, as league rivals Bishop O'Connell and Bishop Ireton are both in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association playoffs, which run through Saturday.

8. (8) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 24-2
The season is over for Hamilton Heights, unless it gets invited to the GEICO (formerly Dick's) High School Basketball Nationals in New York City in late March.

9. (10) Southeast Raleigh (Raleigh, N.C.), 29-0
Southeast Raleigh's closest game in 2018 has been a 19-point win, but the 4A playoffs have reached the point that there are no more fish left to fry. Only good teams are left, with the semifinals Saturday and the state championship March 10.

10. (11) Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.), 23-1
Princess Anne draws 18-6 Bird on Saturday, but the toughest outs in the 5A bracket are likely Highland Springs and once-beaten Fleming.

11. (12) Centennial (Las Vegas, Nev.), 29-3
Down by 15 entering the fourth quarter of the state title game, Centennial's improbable rally came thanks to Justice Ethridge scoring 14 points in the period and Jade Thomas hitting a trey at the buzzer to send it into overtime. At that point, Liberty didn't have enough left in the tank, and Centennial won its fourth straight state title by nine.

12. (15) Mercer County (Harrodsburg, Ky.), 30-3
Kentucky throws all its teams into one gargantuan playoff, and Mercer County is in the 12th Region semifinals this weekend. The state title game isn't until March 11.

13. (14) Baldwin (N.Y.), 20-1
Massapequa doesn't look to be much of a challenge for the No. 14 team in the country Saturday, but as the New York playoffs move forward, the hurdles will get higher.

14. (16) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 23-5
Riverdale Baptist, like Hamilton Heights, is hoping to extend its season at the GEICO Nationals at the end of March.

15. (17) Winter Haven (Fla.), 30-1
Winter Haven will risk its ranking in the tough 8A playoffs, with 22-1 Lincoln, which beat Alabama 7A semifinalist Sparkman, Friday. Nova, which lost to Winter Haven by just nine Jan. 13, is the likely opponent in the finals.

16. (20) Westlake (Atlanta), 28-1
Westlake took over in the second half against strong Collins Hill and surprisingly won by 25. Next up is 27-2 North Forsyth, which hasn't lost since Dec. 19.

17. (18) Central Valley (Spokane Valley, Wash.), 24-0
Central Valley hasn't wavered this year, but this weekend's Hardwood Classic (otherwise known as the state championship playoff) will be its toughest test of the season.

18 (19) St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), 21-4
There have been years when the Bishop Walsh Girls Invitational Tournament has brought together multiple teams in the Xcellent 25, but it's not quite as strong this year. Still, the 24th iteration of the event March 1-3 will force St. Frances to play well to keep this spot.

19. (6) Duncanville (Texas), 39-2
After spending most of the season ranked as the best in Texas, Plano took out Duncanville in the 6A playoffs. The only other loss was to No. 6 Mansfield Timberview, which Duncanville also beat.

20. (21) Edwardsville (Ill.), 30-0
There are those who feel Edwardsville and the southern end of the state really can't compete with the teams in the north. On Friday, 33-2 Montini will put that theory to the test.

21. (22) Southridge (Beaverton, Ore.), 26-1
The playoffs are under way, and Southridge is the heavy favorite in Oregon — but Oregon is known for the depth and quality of its girls' basketball programs, so nothing is guaranteed.

22. (23) Holy Innocents Episcopal (Atlanta), 28-1
Holy Innocents should have little problem getting through this weekend, but the 1A Private championship game against either St. Francis or Wesleyan will not be easy.

23. (24) Eastview (Apple Valley, Minn.), 26-0
Eastview begins the Section 3AAAA playoffs Wednesday, but the No. 2 seed is 16-12 Stillwater, so don't expect an upset — this week, at least.

24. (NR) Manasquan (N.J.), 25-2
Manasquan knocked once-ranked St. John-Vianney out of the Xcellent 25, and now claims a spot in the rankings. Manasquan may well see St. John-Vianney again, if of course it survives the Group 2 playoffs this week.

25. (NR) East Kentwood (Kentwood, Mich.), 21-0
East Kentwood slides into the Xcellent 25 as Michigan's best, and its Wednesday opponent in the Class A District 6 playoffs, Caledonia, has lost to East Kentwood by seven and 21.

Dropped Out: No. 25 Bishop McNamara, No. 13 St. John-Vianney.