MaxPreps Top 25 national high school girls basketball rankings

Some days are like that.

Previous No. 1 Riverdale Baptist was playing up-and-comer Bishop McNamara at home and was winning, though not easily, until midway through the fourth quarter. Bishop McNamara made a run -- perhaps sparked when superfrosh Honesty Grayson had to leave the game for a while with an injury -- but still trailed by four with a minute to go. But Kholby Oliver hit a 3-pointer to cut the margin to one, 45-44, and after Myka Johnson-Matthews tied the game at 45, confusion reigned.

Eventually, with less than second left, Riverdale Baptist called a timeout it did not have, resulting in a two-shot technical foul. Oliver missed the first but drained the second, and because of the technical, McNamara got the ball at half court, inbounded and recorded the biggest win of Frank Olivers's time there.

Luckily, it's a long season, and Riverdale Baptist will have plenty of chances to redeem itself at major tournaments, but losing on that kind of play is a tough way to drop out of a No. 1 national ranking.


1. (2) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 5-0
This might just be the kiss of death, as the two previous occupants of this spot immediately lost. But as long as point guard Te'a Cooper and forward Caliya Robinson are on the court, McEachern will be very tough to beat.

2. (6) Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 6-0
The way of the rankings, like the way of the warrior, is littered with the fallen. As teams above them lose, the Patriots keep rising. Then again, Oakland plays No. 9 Blackman Friday, and Blackman did start the season No. 1, so another titan will fall this weekend.

3. (NR) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 4-0
The Jackrabbits lost a lot to graduation, but always seem to reload -- and there were obviously enough arrows in the quiver as Poly took down previous No. 3 Chaminade, 63-57, as Tania Lamb knocked down four straight free throws late to seal the deal.

4. (3) Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.), 8-1
Chaminade will take on tough Windward this weekend in its last tuneup before the West Coast Jamboree after Christmas. The Eagles will definitely be battle-tested heading into league play, as they have already played plenty of close games and taken on some of the top teams in the nation.

5. (8) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 7-1
The Monarchs are in temporary abdication until the Nike TOC, which begins in Arizona Dec. 18, and will feature its usual Xcellent 25-heavy lineup in the 16-team Joe Smith Division.

6. (9) Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.), 11-1
Nothing much on the schedule this week, but Potter's House was lucky to get past Smyrna, 60-59, last week. The next big test will be Ribault Dec. 23.

7. (15) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 2-0
Neumann-Goretti handled No. 21 Paul VI in impressive fashion and the Saints will continue taking on some of DMV's best, with Elizabeth Seton and St. John's coming up.

8. (10) Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.), 3-0
Rock Bridge's strong front line handled two strong opponents at the Turkey Jamm in Tennessee last week. Up next is Kirkwood, which won 25 games last year.

9. (11) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 6-1
Blackman's case gets stronger and stronger, as playing a tough schedule makes up for a lot. Wins over No. 12 Myers Park and No. 14 Elizabethtown were impressive, and next up is No. 2 Oakland.

10. (13) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 0-0
The Rams still haven't played, and will most likely coast into the finals of the Iolani tournament on Saturday. But most likely, No. 17 Riverdale Baptist will be on the other side of the scorer's table.

11. (12) Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), 1-0
Long Island Lutheran is easing into the season, but too much relaxation might cause problems after Christmas, when the Crusaders face some of the nation's best in the Naples Holiday Shootout.

12. (4) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.), 6-1
Myers Park had a chance to avenge its only loss of last year, but fell to No. 9 Blackman by 17. The game was in Blackman's home town, but it was still a disappointing loss that knocked the Mustangs out of the top five.

13. (14) Bedford North Lawrence (Ind.), 8-0
Indiana is loaded this year, and 7-0 Center Grove is next up -- but Jenna Allen and Dominique McBryde are an awfully solid one-two punch.

14. (7) Elizabethtown (Ky.), 3-1
Elizabethtown handled Conway last week, but No. 9 Blackman proved to be too much. Still, losing to a team of that caliber is no disgrace -- but even though John Hardin is unbeaten, a loss to that in-state opponent Saturday would end E-town's time in the Xcellent 25.

15. (NR) Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), 4-0
The Mustangs will get a test against always-tough Murray Bergtraum of New York on Saturday, but looking past unbeaten Bishop Ireton Thursday would not be wise.

16. (NR) Montini (Lombard, Ill.), 8-0
Six-foot-5 freshman Lindsey Jarosinski had 10 rebounds as Montini came from seven points down in the third quarter to knock off previous No. 5 Whitney Young 49-45.

17. (1) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 3-1
The reward for the bitter loss to Bishop McNamara? A trip to Hawaii for the Iolani Classic, which includes No. 10 St. Mary's and another strong Northern California team in Miramonte.

18. (22) Northside (Fort Smith, Ark.), 6-0
Seniors Tiarra McDonald and Kira Shepard have Northside off to a strong start, but East Central of Oklahoma and Incarnate Word of Missouri will be in the Fort Smith TOC field this weekend.

19. (21) Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), 2-0
Central Valley and high-scoring Madison Hovren are up next for Gonzaga Prep, which took care of one of Oregon's best, South Salem, last week.

20. (16) Leavenworth (Kan.), 0-0
Like St. Mary's of Stockton, Leavenworth has yet to play, but they're in the Blue Springs tournament this week. It's almost as good as going to Hawaii … or not.

21. (18) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 2-1
As always, teams are not punished too much for losing to those ranked above them -- in this case, No. 7 Neumann-Goretti. After all, that's supposed to happen.

22. (20) Braintree (Mass.), 0-0
Friday's opponent, Milton, has already played seven games -- but lost four. Of course, not playing has kept Braintree solidly in the rankings for three weeks, so it's not that bad.

23. (23) Lawrence North (Indianapolis), 4-0
Last year, Lawrence North was riding high after a huge win over rival Bedford North Lawrence -- and Pike punctured the balloon with a 53-50 upset. Unbeaten Pike is on the schedule Saturday, so expect fireworks.

24. (24) Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.), 7-0
Unbeaten Independence is up this weekend, but the real test for the Xcellent 25 newcomers will be the Nike TOC.

25. (25) Miami Country Day, 11-0
Ribault is 9-0, and the traditional power and Miami Country Day meet Saturday in the Andy Hart Memorial Tournament at Lafayette High school. The picture will become much clearer …

Dropped out: No. 5 Whitney Young; No. 17 South Medford; No. 19 Hopkins