MaxPreps Top 25 National Girls Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

Video: Miracle buzzer-beater to win girls state championship
See Tianna Lohse drain a clutch, buzzer-beating trey to give Kansas' Hanover its first-ever basketball title.

So what happened here? Monacan finished the season unbeaten, won its state title and then dropped four spots to No. 6?

1) Monacan's signature win was over Norcross, by a point, but when Norcross lost to McEachern and dropped to No. 22, it shifted the perspective on Monacan's season.

2) A one-point win in the state final against an unheralded team was more a whimper than a bang.

In the end, the judgement is that the teams that played tougher schedules did a little bit more -- and even though Monacan did a lot, the decision was to drop the Virginia champ behind five teams, four of which played in the Nike TOC in Arizona.

A rise to the fifth spot is possible, of course, as California's playoffs have two more weeks to go and neither Archbishop Mitty nor Clovis West is a lock to win the Open Division title. And No. 6 in the nation (out of about 13,000 schools) is pretty good, too.

1. (last week 1) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 34-0
Though only one other Tennessee team is in the Xcellent 25 (No. 11 Hamilton Heights, which Riverdale did not play), the Volunteer State has plenty of quality teams. Riverdale's path to the state title was not an easy one, and the championship further validates the top ranking.

2. (3) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 30-2
It's only fitting that in a complicated year, St. John's jumps a spot after ending its season. One loss was to No. 3 Paul VI, but St. John's beat its league rival twice. The other was to No. 7 Clovis West, but St. John's beat No. 5 Archbishop Mitty, which beat Clovis West.

3. (4) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 32-2
Two losses to the same team told the tale here -- maybe a trip to a more challenging preseason tournament might have supplied some reason for a higher ranking, or even better, wins over some more top teams.

4. (5) Centennial (Las Vegas, Nev.), 30-2
Centennial played everyone it could, and the defining defeat came after a cross country trip to play Paul VI. The other loss was to Clovis West, which it later avenged in California.

5. (6) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 27-2
Perennial power St. Mary's of Stockton, finally fully healthy, took a shot at Mitty but ran out of gas down the stretch, and the No. 5 team in the nation coasted into the NorCal Open finals.

6. (2) Monacan (Richmond, Va.), 30-0
Megan Walker scored the last 16 points for Monacan in the 60-59 win over King's Fork, including the game winner with 15 seconds left. Monacan had trailed by 11, and was outscored 18-3 in the third quarter, but took over down the stretch to complete the perfect season.

7. (7) Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.), 32-2
The expected matchup with No. 14 Long Beach Poly in Saturday's Southern California Regional Open finals is not only an enticing one but will also produce the opponent for, most likely, No. 5 Archbishop Mitty in the state championship March 25.

8. (8) Miami Country Day (Miami), 29-1
It seems all but certain that Miami Country Day will put this ranking on the line at the Dick's National High School Championships March 31 and April 1 in New York City. A slight bump is possible, but so is a larger decline.

9. (9) Grandview (Aurora, Colo.), 27-1
If there was any doubt as to the best team in Colorado, Grandview won the 4A semifinal by 33 and the final by 29. The only loss was in overtime to No. 8 Miami Country Day at the Nike TOC.

10. (12) St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.), 30-0
Rumor has it that St. Frances will get a chance to add to an illustrious season by playing in the Dick's National High School Championships, and maybe get a shot at No. 8 Miami Country Day.

11. (11) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 28-1
Rumor also has it that Hamilton Heights will get a chance to add to an illustrious season by playing in the Dick's National High School Championships, and maybe get a shot at No. 8 Miami Country Day and No. 10 St. Frances.

12. (13) Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.), 31-1
Rutgers Prep will earn this ranking by surviving the very tough New Jersey Tournament of Champions. Manasquan, a consistent regional power, is the No. 2 seed, but the only team to beat Rutgers Prep, Franklin, is still alive. So, too, is Red Bank, which Rutgers Prep beat only by two.

13. (18) Fayetteville (Ark.), 30-2
Fayetteville jumps to No. 13 after avenging one of its losses (to Central), winning the Arkansas 7A title, and having wins over No. 15 Duncanville and Georgia champion McEachern on its resume. The other loss was to Rock Bridge, which is the Missouri Class 5 semifinals.

14. (15) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 27-3
Long Beach Poly has been chasing No. 7 Clovis West and No. 5 Archbishop Mitty in the rankings all season, but now has a chance to reel them in. First up is Clovis West on Saturday, and a win there puts Poly in the state Open Division championship game.

15. (16) Duncanville (Texas), 39-2
Duncanville doesn't lose very often, but this year, there were two home losses on the schedule -- to Mansfield Timberview (later avenged) and to No. 13 Fayetteville. But Duncanville is clearly, once again, the best in Texas.

16. (19) Ursuline Academy (Wilmington, Del.), 22-1
Ursuline lost a little luster when the only team that it lost to -- King of Wisconsin -- got knocked off in the state finals, but a cluster of quality wins puts Delaware's top team firmly in the top 20.

17. (21) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 29-0
Though Eastview has five losses, one of them was in overtime to Hopkins -- the toughest game this year for the No. 17 team. And Eastview is the opponent in Thursday's AAAA semis. Lakeville North, which beat Eastview twice, is on the other side of the bracket.

18. (25) Newark (Ohio), 28-0
Newark is two games away from an undefeated season and a Division I title. Berea-Midpark is first, on Friday, and then the winner of McKinley-Mount Notre Dame.

19. (24) Seton Catholic (Chandler, Ariz.), 29-3
Seton Catholic jumps into the top 20 thanks to a couple casualties and an impressive resume that includes wins over Arizona power Mesquite and No. 14 Long Beach Poly, among others.

20. (20) Destrehan (La.), 35-0
Clearly Louisiana's best, Destrehan wasn't really tested so it's hard to know how impressive that 35-0 record really is.

21. (23) Canyon (Texas), 31-3
In a different division from Duncanville, Canyon has to settle for No. 21 in the nation and second in the Lone Star State.

22. (10) Norcross (Ga.), 29-3
Norcross couldn't get it done in the AAAAAAA finals against McEachern, a team it beat in the first game of the year. The other two losses were to No. 1 Riverdale and No. 6 Monacan, so Norcross stays in the Xcellent 25.

23. (NR) Homestead (Fort Wayne, Ind.), 28-2
No one doubts the quality of Indiana basketball, and as Homestead is the 4A champion, even with a loss to Carmel, a team it later beat, and Wayne of Ohio, it's a deserving member of the Xcellent 25.

24. (NR) Appleton North (Wis.), 28-0
Appleton North hammered previous No. 17, and previously unbeaten, King 75-52, to win its first Wisconsin Division 1 title, complete a perfect season and jump into the Xcellent 25.

25. (NR) Northwest Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.), 30-2
After beating previously unbeaten Mallard Creek by one in the semis, Northwest Guilford survived a last-second shot to beat Southeast Raleigh by two to win its first 4A title.

Dropped out: No. 14 Southeast Raleigh, No. 17 King, No. 22 Butler