MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings

Tradition is more than just an entry in the dictionary.

Four national championships. Tina Charles, Sue Bird, Chamique Holdsclaw. Fifteen New York Federation AA championships. Twenty-seven straight league titles.

That's just the tip of the iceberg for Christ the King, which was the dominant power in girls basketball for almost two decades. But then a combination of factors chipped away at the Royals' invulnerability.

This year, it seemed like the dynasty's end had finally come. Six straight losses to start the season, and a team that simply struggled on the court. But then something happened. Maybe the ghosts of graduated greats started hanging around the gym. Maybe the weight of history pushed the team forward.

First, it was now-No. 16 Cicero-North that was knocked off by the resurgent Royals. And then Christ the King not only upset Nazareth in the division playoffs, the Royals knocked the previously No. 15 Kingsmen out of the Xcellent 25.

Christ the King may only be 15-13 overall, but the Royals have shown that tradition can come alive -- and now, that 16th state title is definitely within reach.

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

1. (1) St. Mary's (Phoenix) (30-0)*:
The only tarnish on the Knights' trophy is that even though they played a national schedule, they never left the state of Arizona. And in fact, they never were more than an hour from home in Phoenix. Still, 30 up and none down is pretty impressive.

2. (3) Whitney Young (Chicago) (34-0)*:
So after beating Bolingbrook and going 34-0, why aren't the Dolphins No. 1? It's not because we don't like sea-going mammals, but rather that Whitney Young beat two ranked teams, and St. Mary's beat four.

3. (4) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) (31-0):
Back on Nov. 16, McEachern and Norcross played in the first game of the season, and the Indians won by 12. They haven't lost since while Norcross hasn't quite lived up to lofty preseason expectations. The two meet again Thursday in the Georgia semis, and the stakes are a lot higher than they were back in the first game.

4. (5) Duncanville (Texas) (39-1)*:
Duncanville, alma mater of Tamika Catchings, lost only to Plano West -- but later beat the 33-3 Wolves by 17. And after knocking off MacArthur in the Texas quarterfinals, they rolled to the title with two easy wins.

5. (6) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) (36-2):
After getting tested by Oak Hill Academy in the National Association of Christian Athletes championships, the Crusaders have two name-the-score games this week.

6. (7) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (29-3):
The toughest team in Mater Dei's half of the Southern California Regional bracket looks to be Santiago - and the Monarchs just beat that team by 39. Long Beach Poly and Brea are in the other half, though, so it won't be an easy ride to the California title game.

7. (8) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) (28-3):
Somehow, Good Counsel didn't play Archbishop Spalding, maybe the only DMV power the Faclons missed this season. Luckily, or unluckily, they'll most likely get them in the second round of the Bishop Walsh Invitational.

8. (9) Bolingbrook (Ill.) (26-2)*:
Eight seniors had a great run at Bolingbrook, but the Raiders will face some severe rebuilding when Morgan Tuck and company move on to college.

9. (10) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) (31-3):
Ask coaches and they will tell you how hard it is to beat a good team three times in a row. Riverdale has beaten 32-4 Mt. Juliet by five and four points in their first two meetings. The third one, today, will likely be the toughest yet.

10. (11) La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) (29-1):
The Torreys' best win is Long Beach Poly, but they also lost to the Jackrabbits. It's likely they'll run into Windward on March 17, and a win there might move them higher.

11. (2) Windward (Los Angeles) (27-4):
One of the negatives of being the No. 2 in the nation is that the target on the back of the uniform is as big as the Staples Center, and so when Serra's Caila Haley hit two free throws at the end of the third OT to beat Windward 82-77, the Cavaliers rushed the court as if they had won the national championship. But the Wildcats are still alive in California's postseason, and could play Serra again next Tuesday.

12. (12) Hoover (Ala.) (31-3)*:
Last year, Bob Jones knocked off Hoover in the Alabama title game, 39-36 in what was clearly a defensive struggle. This year, the Bucs took defense to a new level, holding the Patriots to just one field goal in the second half en route to a 44-26 win.

13. (13) MacArthur (Irving, Texas) (35-3)*:
At the end of the season, the wins over St. John's of D.C. and Incarnate Word of Missouri don't look as good as they did in December. The Cardinals beat up a lot of Texas teams, but Texas teams don't travel much, so it's hard to say how good MacArthur really was.

14. (14) Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) (36-0):
The Hilltoppers shouldn't have too much trouble with seven-loss Lawrence County Thursday, but then on Friday comes their first big test in a long time: the Clarksville-Memphis Central survivor.

15. (20) Reynoldsburg (Ohio) (25-0):
Not only was it a good win over the McKinley Canton team, it was also win No. 300 for coach Jack Purtell. Next up is Northland, which has lost only once all season, and after that, most likely No. 21 Twinsburg.

16. (16) Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.) (18-3):
Superscorer Saniya Chong and unbeaten Ossining can force themselves into the national picture by knocking off Cicero-North and Naismith Player of the Year Breanna Stewart next week - if both get that far.

17. (17) Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) (29-3)*:
The past lives today. Dr. Phillips' loss to Cicero-North at the Nike TOC in December keeps the Panthers right behind the Northstars.

18. (19) Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) (20-1):
The Yellowjackets and unbeaten Goodrich are set to meet in the Class B quarterfinals next Tuesday, and the winner of that will be expected to go on to win the state title. And finish in the Xcellent 25.

19. (21) South Medford (Ore.) (27-0):
South Medford, Central Catholic and perennial power Oregon City will decide which team is the best in Oregon this weekend at the Rose Garden. This might just be the best state tournament in the country this year.

20. (22) DuPont Manual (Louisville, Ky.) (33-2):
The girls are tough in Kentucky: They play a doubleheader on Saturday, and the nightcap is the state title game. The chalk says Manual and Marion County will go at it for the third time, and it will be no surprise they split the first two.

21. (23) Twinsburg (Ohio) (22-3):
Though Twinsburg has beaten its next opponent (Solon) twice, and the last time was just by eight points. And after that, it's most likely unbeaten Reynoldsburg, which is No. 15 this week.

22. (24) Shabazz (Newark, N.J.) (28-1):
The Bulldogs won their three North 2 Group 2 playoff games by an average of 39 points. Manasquan and Teaneck, though, are yet to be reckoned with.

23. (25) Clarksville (Tenn.) (36-0):
Though Memphis Central has seven losses, the generally accurate Freeman mathematical ratings have the Warriors slightly ahead of Clarksville -- meaning this may be a tougher game than the records would suggest.

24. (nr) Seton LaSalle (Pittsburgh) (25-0):
It's hard to get a line on the Rebels, as they didn't play outside Pennsylvania, but they handled Mt. Lebanon, which beat Florida runner-up Dr. Krop by 15.

25. (nr) Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) (24-1):
The Rams have dominated their Oregon opposition, and are just two points from an unbeaten season. They avenged that one-point loss to Westview, though, but still haven't played an elite team.

Dropped out: No. 15 Nazareth, No. 18 Bob Jones.
*Season complete