Neumann-Goretti is the MaxPreps 2014-15 girls basketball national champion.
Photos by Ken Reabe Jr./Graphic by SocialRecluse Graphx
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a national champion.
Nobody found a way to beat Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) during the 2014-15 season, and though some other teams across the nation had legitimate reasons to win the title, it's simply too hard to deny the Saints.
Though the bulk of the Xcellent 25 didn't change after the Dick's Sporting Goods National High School championship in New York this past weekend, Miami Country Day's solid performance vaulted MCD all the way to No. 7.
The win, though, pushed a couple of other teams down in the rankings, such as Manasquan and Hopkins, both of which avenged their losses but didn't have the overall strength of schedule that Miami Country Day did. Paul VI lost to an unranked team, and Mater Dei lost twice to Chaminade (before beating that team once), so MCD climbs up the ladder.
Past MaxPreps National Champions2014 –
Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)2013 –
Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)2012 –
St. Mary's (Phoenix)2011 –
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)Final MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Girls Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Neumann-Goretti finished a perfect 30-0.
Photo by Ken Reabe Jr.
Season complete.
2. (2) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 32-2Season complete.
3. (3) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 34-1Season complete.
4. (4) Cypress Woods (Cypress, Texas), 35-1Season complete.
5. (5) Columbus North (Ind.), 28-1Season complete.
6. (6) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.), 29-1Season complete.
7. (12) Miami Country Day, 32-2By beating Dillard, Miami Country Day avenged one of its two losses, and did so decisively (57-41 in the finals of the Dick's Nationals in New York). The other loss was to No. 23 Long Island Lutheran, which MCD can counter with wins over No. 21 Elizabethtown and SoCal power Long Beach Poly (by 20).
8. (7) Manasquan (N.J.), 31-2Season complete.
9. (8) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 32-2Season complete.
10. (9) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 30-1Season complete.
11. (10) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 31-3Season complete.
12. (11) Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 31-2It was more the Florida championship than the "national" championship, as the Dick's tournament is billed, but the neutral court result still affects the Xcellent 25. Dillard doesn't drop too far, though, thanks to a solid body of work.
13. (13) Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), 27-1A one-point loss to the No. 7 team in the country, 3,000 miles from home is hardly a disgrace. Gonzaga Prep's other out-of-state venture was against Oregon 6A finalist South Salem, and that was a one-point win.
14. (14) Whitney Young (Chicago), 28-2Season complete.
15. (15) Heritage Christian (Indianapolis), 28-2Season complete.
16. (16) Marian (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), 27-1Season complete
17. (17) Konawaena (Kealakekua, Hawaii), 31-1Season complete.
18. (18) Capital Prep (Hartford, Conn.), 25-1Season complete.
19. (19) Braintree (Mass.), 25-0Season complete.
20. (20) Easton (New Orleans), 31-1Season complete.
21. (21) Elizabethtown (Ky.), 32-3Season complete.
22. (22) Cumberland Valley (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), 32-1Season complete.
23. (23) Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), 19-4Season complete.
24. (24) Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.), 38-5Season complete.
25. (25) Harlan (Iowa), 26-0Season complete.
Dropped out: None.
