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

Video: Xcellent 25 Girls Basketball Rankings presented by The Army National Guard
See who moved up and who moved in to this week's rankings.

As the high school season settles into league play, the turnover in the Xcellent 25 will likely slow, as schools that lack the talent, resources and investment in girls' basketball of the elite programs must try to match up with national powers. The result is predictable, and though there will be some weekend events here and there, expect a little more stability until postseason kicks into gear.

But even this week, after the spate of Martin Luther King Jr. shootouts, the top 12 remained the same, though four teams did drop out of the lower half of the rankings. As always, there are plenty of candidates to fill those slots, including some unbeaten teams that are proving their worth even though they either can't, or won't, travel to play out-of-state opponents.

Still, precedence will go to those teams that challenge themselves as best they can, given the limitations of their state rules, which is why three-loss Riverdale Baptist, to name just one school, is ranked ahead of unbeaten teams such as Central Valley of Washington.

But there's a long way to go — some states don't finish their playoffs until late March — and there's plenty of time for change. Just don't expect too much of that change in the near future.

(Note: Teams that wish to be recognized either locally or nationally should make sure their information — schedule, results, roster, coach, etc. — is up to date on MaxPreps. If you have any issues, please contact coachsupport@maxpreps.com.)


1. (1) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 16-0
Mitty earned this spot at the Nike TOC before Christmas, beating the top three ranked teams at the time. Now they're pointing to postseason, and a likely rematch with now No. 6 St. Mary's.

2. (2) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 14-1
There was a time when Our Lady of Good Counsel was a regular member of the Xcellent 25, but though Good Counsel is still solid, St. John's should be fine, even though Friday's game is on the road.

3. (3) Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), 12-0
Christ the King barely slipped past St. Francis Prep (45-40), and plays its New York rival again this week. This time, though, it's at Christ the King.

4. (4) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 18-1
After thumping Winder-Barrow 81-51 — for reference, No. 3 Christ the King beat the same team by three — Riverdale will take on a pretty good Male team in Kentucky Saturday.

5. (5) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 16-2
Bishop Ireton has only lost twice, and cannot be taken lightly — but Thursday's game is at Paul VI.

6. (6) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 17-2
St. Mary's qualifies for "competitive anomaly" status in California, which means it doesn't have to beat teams in its league by 60 every night to qualify for postseason. St. Mary's is in the playoffs already, despite not being in a league, but at this point in the calendar, struggles to find games to play.

7. (7) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 15-2
Hamilton Heights pulled away from No. 10 Mercer County in the second half for a 51-37 win, and though this weekend's opponents — Miami Country Day and Mercy — are good high school teams, a loss to either would count as a major upset.

8. (8) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 11-3
Riverdale Baptist draws King's Fork on Saturday, and that's not a gimmie, but don't blame the No. 8 team in the country for looking ahead to No. 13 Long Island Lutheran on Jan. 26 and No. 3 Christ the King on Jan. 27.

9. (9) Duncanville (Texas), 29-1
Duncanville slipped past DeSoto by six, but since its two opponents this week are a combined 7-27, don't expect similar drama this week.

10. (10) Mercer County (Harrodsburg, Ky.), 17-2
There's no disgrace in losing to a team higher in the rankings, and no punishment either — Mercer County stays at No. 10 despite the loss to No. 7 Hamilton Heights. Incarnate Word from Missouri and Miami Country Day are this week's challenges.

11. (11) Winter Haven (Fla.), 18-0
Winter Haven hasn't been firing on all cylinders lately, and with14-2 Lakewood and 13-1 Melbourne on tap this weekend, that unbeaten record — and home in the Xcellent 25 — could be in peril.

12. (12) Southeast Raleigh (Raleigh, N.C.), 17-0
Leesville Road has only lost once and is Wednesday's opponent — but the game is at Southeast Raleigh, which should seal the deal.

13. (14) Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), 9-3
Long Island Lutheran jumps up a spot, thanks to a win over one of West Virginia's best, St. Joseph's Central. And though this coming week should be smooth sailing, the waters will get very choppy the week after.

14. (15) Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.), 12-1
Quanitra Hollingsworth, a former WNBA player, is giving back to the game by helping run the StatVA Classic, and the feature game Saturday will be Princess Anne versus local power Lake Taylor.

15. (22) Campbell County (Alexandria, Ky.), 17-1
Campbell County jumps seven spots, as its win over Montini Catholic looks better and better, and its only loss was a close one to No. 10 Mercer County. But Conner could end the dream Wednesday if Campbell County looks too far ahead.

16. (18) Baldwin (N.Y.), 9-1
Baldwin bounced previous No. 25 St. Frances out of the rankings with a 62-46 win, but doesn't have much on its plate for a while. No team in its romantically named 8 AA-2 league has a winning record.

17. (17) Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), 13-2
Losing to No. 5 Paul VI, at Paul VI, is no disgrace, and the Feb. 13 rematch will be at Bishop McNamara. But this week, Catonsville, which has lost only to previous No. 16 Roland Park and No. 20 McDonogh, will be a difficult midterm to pass.

18. (21) Centennial (Las Vegas), 17-3
Centennial traveled to Northern California and was even with No. 6 St. Mary's at halftime on St. Mary's home court, but eventually fell 78-61. Monday's follow-up, though, was a 59-49 win over one of SoCal's best, Harvard-Westlake.

19. (20) St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.), 10-0
New Jersey has a lot of good teams, and right now St. John-Vianney is at the top of the heap — but always tough Red Bank Catholic is on the schedule Saturday.

20. (NR) McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.), 13-1
McDonogh lost its first game of the year, to No. 7 Hamilton Heights, and has won 13 in a row since — including last week's win over previous No. 16 Roland Park. But a visit to St. Frances, which was ranked last week, is set for Friday.

21. (NR) Montini Catholic (Lombard, Ill.), 22-1
Montini Catholic returns to the rankings, as the only loss is to No. 15 Campbell County. There's also a nice win over Rufus King, one of the top teams in Wisconsin.

22. (NR) Central Valley (Spokane Valley, Wash.), 16-0
After disposing of Bellarmine Prep and Kentridge — two of Washington's best — Central Valley returns to the rankings for the first time since February 2017.

23. (23) Westlake (Atlanta), 16-1
The only loss is to No. 10 Mercer County, by four, but it won't be that easy for Westlake to finish the season with just one setback. Georgia may not have great teams, but there are a lot of pretty good ones.

24. (24) Eastview (Apple Valley, Minn.), 14-0
Eastview can be excused for napping until postseason. Its opponents this week are a combined 5-22 this week and unbeaten Wayzata and longtime rival Hopkins won't show up on the schedule until the playoffs begin.

25. (NR) Edwardsville (Ill.), 18-0
After weeks with no Illinois representation, the Prairie State now has two, even though Edwardsville has not played a powerhouse schedule. But 18 up and none down is a pretty good resume.

Dropped out: No. 13 Hoover (Ala.), No. 16 Roland Park, No. 19 Edison Academy (Detroit), No. 25 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)