MaxPreps Top 25 national high school girls basketball rankings

After the big holiday tournaments, the rankings are sorting themselves out — except at the top.

No. 1 Mater Dei has a one-point loss to a solid Southern California team, but at this point, an unranked one. Then again, like No. 3 Potter's House Christian, it has a win over No. 4 Blackman — but Mater Dei also has more quality wins than Potter's House.

And No. 2 Neumann-Goretti is clearly one of the elite teams, given its talent-laden roster, but its schedule is by far the weakest of the three.

But after the first six weeks of the season, it looks like the national champion will emerge from that trio, and the reason Mater Dei gets the nod right now is that the Monarchs will play the toughest schedule the rest of the way. If Mater Dei wins out, that early loss to Chaminade will be counterbalanced by a host of quality wins.

And injuries, of course, could change everything. Two of the nation's best power forwards — Jess Shepard of Fremont (Neb.) and Caliya Robinson of former No. 1 McEachern — went down with ACL injuries. And it was no surprise that McEachern went down as well, losing in Texas.


1. (2 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 11-1
With Chaminade's loss to unranked St. Ignatius, that defeat looks worse — but the win over No. 4 Blackman still looks really good. Mater Dei doesn't duck anyone, and will head to Northern California for a big event over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

2. (3) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 7-0
So the next game for this national power is against Little Flower Catholic for Girls, which has already lost a game by 54. Cover the eyes of the little ones ...

3. (5) Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.), 20-1
Winning a bracket in the Title IX Invitational is another gold star for Potter's House — and the win over New Hope (next in for this week's Xcellent 25) in the semis was the key game.

4. (7) Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 10-2
It's tough in Tennessee. The first league game for Blackman is Smyrna, which lost by one to No. 3 Potter's House Christian, and then comes crosstown rival, one-loss Riverdale.

5. (8) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 9-1
The anticipated matchup against previous No. 4 Chaminade was derailed in the semifinals of the West Coast Jamboree, but St. Mary's then handled previously unbeaten St. Ignatius 60-51 to help cement this ranking.

6. (NR) Archbishop Molloy (Queens, N.Y.), 7-0
Archbishop Molloy has emerged as New York's best with wins over Naples Holiday Shootout winner Long Island Lutheran and a victory at Ossining.

7. (12) Bedford North Lawrence (Bedford, Ind.), 12-0
The best in Indiana — though maybe not by much — continues to roll on. The matchups with Lawrence North and Columbus North are way down the road.

8. (NR) Whitney Young (Chicago), 10-1
The Dolphins leap back into the rankings after winning their bracket at the Title IX Invitational in D.C. Only an early-season loss to a strong Montini team mars the record.

9. (15) Northside (Fort Smith, Ark.), 12-0
Northside is the strongest team so far in Arkansas — and strong performances by Conway and North Little Rock in out-of-state tournaments make Northside look even better.

10. (NR) Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), 4-2
It's hard to ignore the results of the Naples Holiday Shootout, which Long Island Lutheran won over a glittering field, but it's also hard to ignore the loss to Ursuline of Delaware, which lost to a Pennsylvania team.

11. (13) Miami Country Day, 16-1
A three-point loss in the finals of the Naples Holiday Shootout to No. 10 Long Island Lutheran is the only blemish on the record, which includes wins over ranked opponents Elizabethtown and Long Beach Poly, plus in-state power Ribault.

12. (11) Elizabethtown (Ky.), 13-2
A first-round loss to No. 11 Miami Country Day by one point drops Elizabethtown — one point or 20 points, a loss is a loss.

13. (16) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 11-1
One of many big games in D.C. is Jan. 9 when Paul VI takes on Bishop McNamara — but the rest of the Washington Catholic Athletic League schedule will be a challenge as well.

14. (10) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 9-2
A 13-point win over previous No. 6 Rock Bridge isn't enough to offset a 20-point loss to No. 11 Miami Country Day, which then lost to No. 10 Long Island Lutheran in the Naples Holiday Shootout title game.

15. (6) Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.), 7-2
It wasn't that fun in Florida for Rock Bridge, which lost to No. 10 Long Island Lutheran and No. 13 Long Beach Poly. And next up? No. 20 Leavenworth Saturday.

16. (14) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.), 10-1
Myers Park is sticking to North Carolina the rest of the way, which should be good for the record, but may not prove much to outsiders.

17. (1) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 10-1
Playing at 9 a.m. Wednesday after playing two games the day before, McEachern couldn't get past Liberty of Frisco, losing 45-43 in the semifinals of the Sandra Meadows Classic. McEachern now returns to Georgia to chase the AAAAAA title.

18. (17) Lawrence North (Indianapolis), 14-0
Lawrence North is taking on an out-of-state team Saturday, which is good news, but unfortunately Naperville Central, alma mater of Candace Parker, isn't one of Illinois' best this year.

19. (19) Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.), 8-0
Spokane is traditionally tough in girls basketball, but this year, not so much. Expect Gonzaga Prep to keep on rolling.

20. (20) Leavenworth (Kan.), 4-0
After taking a break since Dec. 20, Leavenworth will play the most crucial game of the season — at least as far as national rankings go — when it travels to No. 15 Rock Bridge Saturday.

21. (21) Konawaena (Kealakekua, Hawaii), 17-1
Somewhere down the road, Konawaena will likely face Maryknoll, its toughest competitor in the islands. Until then, though, it should be smooth sailing in the Pacific.

22. (NR) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 11-1
Hopkins avenged its only loss by beating previous No. 22 Eastview 68-55, but Minnesota is tough this year — and Eastview will appear on the schedule again come playoff time, most likely.

23. (23) Braintree (Mass.), 4-0
A decisive win over Christ the King didn't prove as much as Braintree had hoped, as the one-time New York power has slipped a bit this year. The rest of the season will be played in Massachusetts, which has not been known for elite girls basketball teams in the past.

24. (24) Cypress Woods (Cypress, Texas), 17-1
North Shore does have a win over Cypress Woods, but Cypress Woods not only won the rematch, but also beat Barbers' Hill, which knocked off North Shore earlier in the year.

25. (25) Desert Vista (Phoenix), 10-3
Having lost to Long Beach Poly, that means Desert Vista's ranking is dependent, to some degree, on how the Southern California team does — and the Jackrabbits got thumped by No. 11 Miami Country Day.

Dropped out: No. 4, Chaminade, No. 9 Bishop McNamara, No. 18 Sierra Canyon, No. 22 Eastview