Video: 2016 McDonald's All American Wootten Award Nominees - Girls
See the top girls players in the country this season.Last week, National Christian Academy dodged a bullet. This week, it was knocked out of the Xcellent 25 by the ricochet.
National Christian Academy lost on the floor to Potter's House Christian on Feb. 25, but Potter's House had knowingly imported a player from another high school for the NACA championships, so that became a forfeit win for last week's No. 3. This week, though, it was revealed that National Christian has used ineligible players, and has had to forfeit at least four games.
This situation is a little more complex, as the players involved, though attending another school, had permission to play with National Christian last season because their school did not have a varsity squad. But that school added a varsity team midway through this season, and those two players no longer should have been on National Christian's roster.
Still, ineligible players are ineligible players, and forfeits are forfeits, so National Christian drops from the Xcellent 25.
Check out girls basketball playoff brackets from around the nationMaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Duncanville won a Texas state title and lurks in the No. 2 spot, waiting to see if St. Mary's will slip up.
Photo by Kenneth Toso
After a 10 straight 20-point-plus victories, St. Mary's moves into the Northern California Regionals -- but first-round opponent Carondelet, alma mater of Jayne Appel and Nebraska star Natalie Romeo, may not break the streak.
2. (2) Duncanville (Texas) 39-0 *Season completeDuncanville is clearly the class of Texas, dominating two good teams -- Steele (81-41) and No. 16 Dekaney (76-42) -- in the semis and finals. If you're counting, this is the fifth undefeated season and ninth state championship.
3. (4) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 37-3Riverdale Baptist may not be done yet, as the Dick's Nationals is still a possibility, but rolling through the always competitive Bishop Walsh Invitational, and knocking off Our Lady of Good Counsel 61-45 in the final, wouldn't be a bad way to finish.
4. (5) Centennial (Las Vegas) 31-1 *Season completeSeason complete.
5. (6) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) 33-1Bishop O'Connell put up a fight in the Virginia Independent Schools championship, only losing by 10, but Paul VI is a legit top five team. It would have been nice, though, to have seen them against another top 10 opponent.
6. (7) Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.) 29-0Miramonte handled Bishop O'Dowd, 82-67, and moves into the Northern California Open Division playoffs Saturday. A second-round matchup against No. 10 Archbishop Mitty seems likely, with No. 1 St. Mary's the heavy favorite to be next.
7. (8) Forestville (Md.) 23-2Forestville draws Forest Park Friday in the Maryland 1A semifinals, and Forest Park lost the opening game of the season, and hasn't lost since. But Forestville is No. 7 in the nation for a reason.
8. (10) St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) 31-1That one loss is to Forestville, which is why Forestville is one spot ahead in the rankings. But watch out: St. Francis returns all five starters next season.
9. (13) Bellevue (Wash.) 29-0 *Season overBellevue won its second 3A title, knocking off previous No. 15 Lynnwood 73-60 in the semifinals and then hammering Arlington by 29 in the finals. Last year's Washington champ went to the Dick's Nationals on the East Coast -- will Bellevue make it two in a row?
10. (12) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 23-3Mitty is young, tall and talented, and moves into the Northern California Open Division playoffs. The first round opponent is Salesian, which took No. 1 St. Mary's to overtime before losing by five on the road.
11. (14) Highlands Ranch (Colo.) 25-1In the first three rounds of the 5A tournament, Highlands Ranch has won by 48, 29 and 30. Ralston Valley looks to be the next victim, but the winner between ThunderRidge and No. 14 Grandview will await in the finals.
12. (16) Villa Maria Academy (Erie, Pa.) 26-0Villa Maria continues to roll through the Pennsylvania 3A playoffs, with Hampton Park next on Wednesday. But giant-killer Archbishop Wood is likely to appear down the road.
13. (17) St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.) 27-1Gloucester Catholic is next, and is one of the many solid New Jersey teams. St. John-Vianney has many rivers to cross before claiming a state title.
14. (18) Grandview (Aurora, Colo.) 26-0 Grandview has no losses and Thursday's 5A semifinal opponent ThunderRidge has three, but when ThunderRidge played at Grandview, it was just a eight-point win for Grandview. And ThunderRidge only lost to No. 11 Highlands Ranch by nine.
15. (19) Seton Catholic (Chandler, Ariz.) 31-1 *Season completeSeason complete.
16. (25) Dekaney (Houston) 37-2So how does a team that loses by 34 in its last game not only stay in the rankings, but jump nine spots? By beating previous No. 9 North Shore by 11 in the semifinals and proving itself the second-best team in Texas, a state loaded with talent.
17. (20) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) 26-1Sometimes a team's record doesn't quite reflect its level, at least nationally. Minersville was 28-0 coming into Tuesday's 2A playoff game, but went out 28-1 after losing to Neumann-Goretti, 71-33.
18. (NR) Argyle (Texas) 35-1Argyle lost only to 6A semifinalist Steele by four back on Dec. 5, and then rolled to the 4A title, winning by 10 in the title game. As mentioned, Texas is chock full of good teams, and there's no doubt three of them deserve to be in the Xcellent 25.
19. (NR) Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.) 27-4Chaminade returns to the Xcellent 25 after knocking off Long Beach Poly in the Southern Section Open Division final. Of course, both advance to the Southern California Regional Open playoffs, and are likely to meet again March 19. Like Texas, California is loaded with good teams, so there are no guarantees.
20. (21) South (Wichita, Kan.) 22-0Shawnee Mission West, Wednesday's 6A state opponent, has already knocked off one unbeaten team, Olathe South, so it wouldn't be wise for Wichita South to put too much stock in those 10 Shawnee Mission West losses.
21. (22) Konawaena (Kealakekua, Hawaii) 27-1 *Season complete Season complete.
22. (23) LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) 35-0 *Season overLeFlore quieted the doubters by handling Homewood, the defending 6A champion, 80-65 in the state title game. The other big win came over Southwest DeKalb, which won a state championship in Georgia.
23. (NR) Northwest Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.) 30-0Northwest Guilford hasn't played the toughest schedule, but going unbeaten in North Carolina -- or anywhere, for that matter -- is far from easy. But there's only game left, against 29-2 Millbrook, in the 4A title game.
24. (NR) Mason (Ohio) 25-2Mason jumps into the rankings thanks to avenging its two losses to Lakota West in the playoffs, and handing Wadsworth its only loss. But there are two games left in the Division I playoffs, and Mason must win both to retain this spot.
25. (NR) Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) 32-3 *Season overBenet's three losses were all in-state, but in the playoffs, when it mattered most, Benet beat everyone. Add in wins over Indiana 3A champion Heritage and tough Homestead and you have a spot in the Xcellent 25.
Dropped out: No. 3 National Christian Academy, No. 9 North Shore, No. 11 Cicero-North Syracuse, No. 15 Lynnwood, No. 24 Long Beach Poly.
