MaxPreps Top 25 national high school girls basketball rankings

It's hard to imagine anything worse than this: Riverdale and Smyrna, two quality Tennessee basketball teams, played to lose Monday night.

And no, "played to lose" is not a euphemism. There's video of a player deliberating dribbling into backcourt to give the ball to the other team. There are reports of players intentionally standing in the lane on offense, turning to the officials and begging them to call three seconds and give the ball to the other team.

But when one team resorted to trying to score at the other team's basket, the travesty was halted. Both teams were eventually tossed out of the postseason tournament and fined $1,500. The fate of the coaches is unknown, but there are already sanctions pending.

The reason for this disgusting display? Neither team wanted to play No. 3 Blackman in the next round, which was an elimination round, and that's what the winner would have had to do. The loser, due to a quirky Tennessee playoff structure, would live to play another day and still have postseason life.

It was a very sad day for both programs, and ironically, sooner or later one of them would have had to play Blackman anyway, so the travesty at best would have only postponed the inevitable.

See playoff brackets from around the nation


1. (Last week 1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 27-1
The stage was set for a big-time confrontation between No. 1 Mater Dei and nine-time state champion Brea-Olinda, at Brea, Tuesday night — but Mater Dei didn't follow the script. The Monarchs won 77-50 and move on to play another traditional power, Alemany, Friday night.

2. (2) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 24-0
The 50-45 win over Archbishop Wood, which gave Neumann-Goretti its second straight Catholic League title, was sweeter than most, and not just because the venerable Palestra was packed to the rafters. Wood's coach, John Gallagher, resigned earlier this year after questions were raised about emails sent to college coaches claiming Neumann-Goretti's players were going to be ineligible.

3. (3) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 26-2
After Riverdale and Smyrna were disqualified, Lawrence County was moved into Wednesday's regional semifinals. Oakland is the likely opponent Saturday, a team Blackman has beaten three times already.

4. (4) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 26-1
Sectional playoffs have begun, but St. Mary's should not be troubled until the Northern California Regionals begin March 10.

5. (5) Whitney Young (Chicago), 26-1
Things are starting to get serious in Illinois, as Whitney Young's next opponent is most likely Marian Catholic, a team the Dolphins beat by just four on Jan. 17.

6. (7) Cypress Woods (Cypress, Texas), 31-1
Back before Thanksgiving North Shore and Cypress Woods played in a tournament, and the result was the only blemish in Cypress Woods' record. Cypress Woods got its revenge in early December, and now the two teams will go at it again Friday to see who stays alive in the Texas postseason.

7. (9) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 25-2
Almost every team, no matter how good, gets tested like this: Poly was down 12 with 4:49 left in the third quarter against a strong Vista Murrieta team, but came storming back to win 58-54. Next up, Chaminade, a team that spent some time in the Xcellent 25 and would like nothing better than to return.

8. (8) Elizabethtown (Ky.), 26-2
Elizabethtown hasn't played since Feb. 13, but none of its opponents in the 17th district came within 30 the first time they've played. Region 5 will be more of a challenge, but it would be a shock if Elizabethtown doesn't move on to the state tournament.

9. (10) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.), 24-1
Oddly enough, there are four teams in North Carolina with 22-0 records, and Myers Park (24-1) is seeded fourth in that group of five. We'll find out soon if that seeding reflects reality.

10. (11) Desert Vista (Phoenix), 28-3
Mesquite is next on Wednesday, but Millennium is the likely opponent Friday — and Millennium is the only Arizona team to beat Desert Vista this year.

11. (12) Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 29-1
Paxon provided a test, but Dillard passed it easily, winning the 5A (out of eight divisions) title, 51-35. The only loss was to Desert Vista in the Nike TOC.

12. (13) Miami Country Day (Miami), 30-2
Seffner Christian lost to Miami Country Day in the 3A playoffs two years ago. Seffner Christian lost to Miami Country Day in the 3A state finals last year. And Seffner Christian lost to Miami Country Day in the 3A playoffs in 2015. Time to change divisions?

13. (14) St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.), 25-0
Middletown South's defensive reputation preceded it, but St. Rose rolled to a 69-49 victory anyway, setting up a rematch with No. 24 Manasquan Friday in the Shore Conference Tournament finals.

14. (23) Lawrence North (Indianapolis), 27-1
Back in December, Lawrence North beat No. 21 Columbus North 64-60 — but Columbus North hasn't lost since. And after upsetting Bedford North Lawrence, the rematch is next on the postseason schedule.

15. (15) Holy Innocents Episcopal (Atlanta), 29-0
There are three games between Holy Innocents and a perfect season, not to mention a Georgia state championship. But tough Wesleyan could be the final roadblock March 6.

16. (16) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 27-2
Bishop Ireton, which Paul VI just beat 60-29, and untested St. Anne's-Belfield are the most likely hurdles Paul VI must leap to win the Virginia Division I Independent School title.

17. (17) Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.), 22-0
White Station only lost to Ridgeway by 10 back in December, and is riding a seven-game winning streak into Wednesday's game. That streak includes two wins over Memphis Central, but it still would be a major upset if Ridgeway went down.

18. (18) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 22-1
Minnetonka is all that's left of a desultory late-season schedule. Minnesota doesn't let schools travel much, if at all, and so Hopkins has to settle for beating up on locals.

19. (19) Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), 24-0
Gonzaga slipped past Walla Walla 52-46, and moves deeper into the Washington playoffs. Curtis, which has lost two straight, is next.

20. (20) Northside (Fort Smith, Ark.), 24-1
There was a time when Southside could go toe-to-toe with Northside's elite teams. Not any more, however, and Northside's last regular season game shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

21. (NR) Columbus North (Ind.), 27-1
Despite playing at previous No. 6 Bedford North Lawrence, a place where they had lost playoff games the last three seasons, Columbus North led for almost the entire game and pulled off a 48-40 victory that may or may not have qualified as an upset, even though Bedford North Lawrence was unbeaten coming in.

22. (21) Braintree (Mass.), 20-0
Braintree moves into the South Division I playoffs, where it will run into a bunch of teams it has already beaten pretty easily.

23. (22) Konawaena (Kealakekua, Hawaii), 31-1
Season complete.

24. (24) Manasquan (N.J.), 22-2
Manasquan now has won two out of three versus St. John-Vianney after Tuesday's win, and a chance to avenge the other loss — to No. 13 St. Rose — will come up Friday in the Shore Conference Tournament finals.

25. (25) Eastview (Apple Valley, Minn.), 23-1
Like Hopkins, Eastview is just marking time until the Minnesota playoffs begin.

Dropped out: No. 6 Bedford North Lawrence