MaxPreps Top 25 national high school girls basketball rankings

If you like cliches, you could call it the calm before the storm.

If you prefer a little more precision, it's an early February lull between the last of the big weekend showcase events and the start of state playoffs.

Either way, though, the impact is the same: Most of the Xcellent 25 teams focus on pounding league opponents, fine tuning for the postseason and, most important, getting healthy and fired up.

That said, though, postseason play isn't that far away for some states (Florida starts Feb. 5, for example), and even though it generally takes a couple weeks for the elite teams to run into serious challenges, the playoffs always produce a fair share of major upsets.

Still, with states like New Jersey and California in action until late March, the 2014-15 Xcellent 25 has a long way to go before the final rankings are settled.


1. (1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 19-1
Katie Lou Samuelson has a knee issue and will miss at least a game. Luckily, Mater Dei has settled into league play. But if Samuelson is out for more than three weeks, the Monarchs will be hard-pressed to hold on to this spot.

2. (2) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 17-0
Neumann-Goretti has another easy week ahead, and as a Class AA team, will not face many of Pennsylvania's top teams in the postseason.

3. (3) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 20-2
After disposing of tough Smyrna, Blackman now returns to the most challenging crosstown rivalry in the country -- its matchups with Riverdale. Blackman won the first round on the road, and the next bout is Friday at Blackman. It won't end there, though, as they'll likely meet in postseason play as well.

4. (4) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 20-1
After disposing of the second-best team in its league, 93-44, St. Mary's should roll through its next four games, barring a disaster of epic proportions.

5. (5) Whitney Young (Chicago), 19-1
Madinah Muhammad hit a 3-pointer with time running out to send the game against Joliet Catholic into overtime, and then Kiara Lewis put the Dolphins ahead for good with 12 seconds left in the extra period as Young survived, 64-61. Another tough one is on tap Saturday: 19-2 Trinity.

6. (6) Bedford North Lawrence (Ind.), 19-0
Bedford North Lawrence should have no problem with 1-19 Bloomington North this week, and then is off until Feb. 5. In other words, no stress on Super Bowl Sunday.

7. (11) Cypress Woods (Cypress, Texas), 23-1
Cypress Woods just keeps on rolling, though Langham Creek might offer up some resistance next Tuesday. But Texas is tough, and if Cypress Woods wins out, it will have proved itself as one of the best in the country.

8. (9) Elizabethtown (Ky.), 21-2
After thumping Riverdale 77-64, Elizabethtown cemented its spot in the top 10. E-Town is back to Kentucky for the rest of the season, and will be a heavy favorite from here on out.

9. (12) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 16-2
Poly will tune up for postseason with a Saturday home game against always strong SoCal power Alemany, a team that's been on the fringes of the Xcellent 25 almost every season. And there'd be nothing like a win over Long Beach Poly to make it difficult to leave Alemany out.

10. (10) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.), 17-1
A rare in-state challenge will come from one-loss Hopewell Thursday, and perhaps another from Butler on Saturday. Still, it would be a shock if Myers Park lost either game.

11. (13) Desert Vista (Phoenix), 18-3
Desert Vista hasn't blinked since the Nike TOC, and it will take a major upset in Arizona to knock the Phoenix school out of the Xcellent 25.

12. (15) Lawrence North (Indianapolis), 18-0
Heritage Christian has been knocking on the door of the Xcellent 25 all season, and Saturday will be its chance to kick it down, as Lawrence North will risk its unbeaten record in Heritage Christian's home gym.

13. (17) Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 23-1
With Miami Country Day beating Potter's House Christian, and Dillard owning a win over MCD, Dillard rises to No. 13. Florida's postseason starts Feb. 5, and until then, Dillard can enjoy this top 15 ranking.

14. (19) Miami Country Day, 23-2
The one-point home win against previous No. 7 Potter's House Christian wasn't exactly a powerful statement of superiority, but a win's a win. Now, MCD sits back and waits for Florida's playoffs to begin.

15. (7) Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.), 27-3
Potter's House plays anyone, anywhere, and this time, the road was one point too tough. No. 14 Miami Country Day got the win at home, so this Saturday, do the Lions take it easy? No, they travel to the Bronx to play Connecticut power Capital Prep.

16. (16) New Hope Christian Academy (Thomasville, N.C.), 23-2
New Hope will hit the road to New York for the Mecca Challenge this weekend, and draws a solid Upper Room Christian (N.Y.) team and one of Massachusetts' best, Archbishop William.

17. (8) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 19-2
The loss to Cosby of Virginia knocks Paul VI out of the top 10, but Paul VI can redeem itself with a strong finish against the tough DMV competition.

18. (20) St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.), 13-1
We'll find out if St. John-Vianney belongs in the Xcellent 25 next Tuesday when the Lancers travel to once-ranked Manasquan for what should be somewhat more than just another league game.

19. (25) Holy Innocents Episcopal (Atlanta), 21-0
Wesleyan is a quality program and the game Tuesday -- at Holy Innocents -- will be a test. But as an AA school, the postseason won't feature games much tougher than that one.

20. (21) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 16-1
Next Tuesday's matchup against Centennial will be the next challenge for Hopkins, but the Royals can be excused if they're looking ahead to a postseason rubber match with Eastview.

21. (22) Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), 16-0
No team left on the regular season schedule has a winning record, so Gonzaga Prep's next chance to prove itself will be in the Washington playoffs.

22. (23) Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.), 17-0
Two relatively unchallenging league games await this week, but the 5A postseason competition will provide a rougher ride.

23. (24) Braintree (Mass.), 10-0
Braintree is sailing through Massachusetts at this point, but there is some quality that will appear in the playoff brackets.

24. (NR) St. Rose (Belmar, N.J.), 16-0
St. Rose came from 12 down in the third quarter against previous No. 18 Long Island Lutheran to remain unbeaten and claim a spot in the Xcellent 25. And even though Mater Dei is on the schedule, it's not the California version.

25. (NR) Konawaena (Kealakekua, Hawaii), 24-1
Konawaena's one-week absence from the Xcellent 25 is over, and the best in Hawaii is very likely back for good.

Dropped out: No. 14 Rock Bridge, No. 18 Long Island Lutheran