USAToday Top 25

[HUCK]

Super 25 girls basketball rankings

 

Analysis by Christopher Lawlor, USA TODAY

Pick six: Six teams enter the Super 25 girls basketball rankings after a busy holiday schedule. No. 14 Stephenson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) forged its ranking by winning the Beach Ball Holiday Invitational in South Carolina. No. 18 Brea (Calif.) Olinda joins after capturing the Tournament of Champions Gray Division, and No. 21 Wichita Heights re-enters on a six-game winning streak.

Player of the week: Forward Maya Moore of No. 1 Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) played like the nation's top-rated player in recent games. Moore, a first-team All-USA selection in 2006, helped Collins rally from a 21-point deficit to post a 60-58 win vs. Mill Creek (Hoschton). Moore scored 13 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter and sank four free throws in the final 27 seconds to rally from a 58-56 deficit. In the finals of the T-Mobile Invitational in Seattle, she tallied a career-high 48 points in defeating then-No. 11 St. Elizabeth (Wilmington, Del) 74-63 on Dec. 28.

 

Game of the week: No. 15 Christ the King (Queens, N.Y.) plays Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET in the Battle on the Boardwalk in Asbury Park, N.J. Red Bank is New Jersey's second-ranked squad and No. 10 in the Super 25's East Region.

 

Must-see event: The 17th McDonald's Shootout tips off Friday for three days at Willowbrook High in Villa Park, Ill., with 16 games featuring Illinois and Indiana teams. Top three games by day are Washington (South Bend, Ind.), No. 10 in Midwest, vs. Whitney Young (Chicago) on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET; No. 2 Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.) vs. No. 9 Bolingbrook (Ill.) on Saturday at 8; and St. Joseph (South Bend, Ind.) vs. Fenwick on Monday at 3:30.

 

Milestones: Coach Larry Pringle of Triton Central (Fairland, Ind.) picked up his 350th victory in a 54-45 win vs. Waldron. Pringle went to 350-145 in 24 seasons. Joe Ryan improved to 200-135 after Engineering and Science (Philadelphia) beat Nueva Esperanza (Philadelphia) 60-23.

 

Closing in: Guard Khadijah Rushdan of No. 12 St. Elizabeth (Wilmington, Del.) needs 16 points to become Delaware's all-time leading scorer. Rushdan, who signed with Rutgers, scored 13 Monday in a 64-34 win vs. Archmere Academy (Wilmington), pushing her career total to 2,116 points. The state leader is Kristin Mills, formerly of Caravel Academy (Bear), with 2,118. Rushdan goes for the record Monday against Woodrow Wilson (Camden, N.J.) in Cherry Hill, N.J. She became the state's second player to surpass 2,000 points Dec. 22.

 

Free throws: Robin Colbert, a 5-6 senior, from Holy Cross (New Kensington, Md.), No. 7 in the East Region, was named most valuable player of the IAABO Holiday Tournament, while junior teammate Shontice Simmons was all-tournament. ... No. 15 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Nevada's 4A reigning champion, is paced by three underclassmen. Freshman guard Aaryn Ellenberg is averaging a team-high 14.9 points. Junior guard Dee Gayner is averaging 13.6 points, 6.7 assists and 4.7 steals. Ashley, a 6-4 junior center, contributes 10 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 blocks. ... Harvard-bound Lisa Harchut of No..24 Upper Dublin (Fort Washington, Pa.) earned MVP honors at the West Chester Christmas Tournament. Harchut, a 6-0 guard, netted 19 points in a 41-36 semifinal-win vs. Villa Maria (Malvern). Harchut has scored almost 1,600 career points. ... Krystal Parnell of No. 5 Murry Bergtraum (Manhattan, N.Y.) capped tournament MVP honors with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 64-45 win vs. St. Michael Academy (Manhattan) at the Blue Star Elite Invitational Tournament in Philadelphia. ... Brittany Johnson of East Richland (Olney, Ill.) became Illinois' all-time scoring leader (boys or girls) with 31 points in a win vs. Camp Point Central. She finished the game with 3,418 points, bettering the previous mark of 3,403, set in 1993 by Angie Sapp-Hartman of Williamsville. Johnson, 5-10, will play for Ohio State in the fall. ... Ebonie Williams, a 5-7 senior who signed with Seton Hall, was the MVP of the Naples (Fla.) Daily News Tournament. In the championship game, she had 15 points, seven steals and seven assists in stopping host Barron Collier 69-52.

 

Records through Monday

 

1. Collins Hill, Suwanee, Ga. (17-0)

 

Previous rank: 1. Result: Won Tournament of Champions Black Division, beating then-No. 2 Poly (Long Beach) 75-61 in final. Also won T-Mobile Invitational in Seattle, beating then-No. 11 St. Elizabeth (Wilmington, Del.) 74-63 in final.

 

2. Fenwick, Oak Park, Ill. (17-0)

 

Previous: 4. Result: Won Dundee-Crown Christmas Tournament, beating New Trier (Winnetka) 43-29 in final. Beat Nazareth (LaGrange Park) 72-37.

 

3. Poly, Long Beach (13-1)

 

Previous: 2. Result: Won Best of the West Tournament, beating Ayala (Chino Hills) 50-46. Finished second in TOC Black Division, going 3-1.

 

4. Rockwall, Texas (24-0)

 

Previous: 13. Result: Won four games to claim College Station Holiday Tournament, beating Cinco Ranch (Katy). Coach Jill McDill's club has won three tournaments this season.

 

5. Murry Bergtraum, Manhattan, N.Y. (13-0)

 

Previous: 17. Result: Won Blue Star Elite Invitational Tournament, beating St. Michael Academy (Manhattan) 64-45. Also beat New Jersey's top-ranked team, Shabazz (Newark) 62-53.

 

6. Cy-Fair, Houston (25-0)

 

Previous: 16. Result: Beat Jersey Village (Houston) 67-36. Average margin of victory is 20 points.

 

7. Notre Dame Academy, Middleburg, Va. (14-1)

 

Previous: 14. Result: Won Naples (Fla.) Daily News Tournament, beating Barron Collier (Naples) 69-52 in final. Also went 3-1 in TOC Black Division.

 

8. Lexington (Ky.) Catholic (14-1)

 

Previous: 3. Result: Had winning streak halted at 38 games, losing to The Webb School (Knoxville, Tenn.) 67-64 in Greene County Bank Classic final. Beat North Canton (Ohio) Hoover 78-69 in Nissan on Nicholasville Shootout.

 

9. Bolingbrook, Ill. (14-1)

 

Previous: 19. Result: Won State Farm Classic in Bloomington, Ill., beating Morton 58-28 in final.

 

10. Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif. (10-1)

 

Previous: 6. Result: Finished third in TOC Black Division, beating then-No. 12 Christ the King (Queens, N.Y.) 50-37.

 

11. Incarnate Word, St. Louis (12-1)

 

Previous: 20. Result: Won its 11th in a row, beating Cor Jesu (St. Louis) 65-39. Defense allowing 39.5 points a game.

 

12. St. Elizabeth, Wilmington, Del. (10-1)

 

Previous: 11. Result: Beat then-No. 10 Ursuline Academy (Wilmington) 52-45. Finished second in T-Mobile Invitational, losing to No. 1 Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) 74-63.

 

13. Edison, Alexandria, Va. (12-1)

 

Previous: 5. Result: Finished second in Three-Point Play Tournament, losing to Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) 56-50 in final.

 

14. Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Ga. (14-0)

 

Previous: Not ranked. Result: Won Beach Ball Holiday Invitational in Myrtle Beach, S.C., beating North Augusta (S.C.) 55-40 in final.

 

15. Christ the King, Queens, N.Y. (7-3)

 

Previous: 12. Result: Finished fourth in TOC Black Division in Arizona. Beat Mary Louis (Queens) 69-59 after 17-day layoff.

 

16. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (15-0)

 

Previous: Not ranked. Result: Won three games to capture the TOC White Division in Chandler, Ariz. Averages 67 points a game, with an average margin of victory of 28 points.

 

17. Wayne County, Waynesboro, Miss. (18-0)

 

Previous: Not ranked. Result: Beat Petal 58-27. Stifling defense allows 31 points a game while holding seven opponents to less than 30.

 

18. Brea (Calif.) Olinda (14-0)

 

Previous: Not ranked. Result: Won TOC Gray Division and West Coast Jamboree tournament titles. Defense allows 32 points a game.

 

19. Shelbyville (Tenn.) Central (17-2)

 

Previous: 22. Result: Finished third in Greeneville (Tenn.) County Bank Ladies Classic, beating Maryville 69-57.

 

20. Cleveland, Tenn. (16-2)

 

Previous: 8. Result: Went 2-2 in TOC Black Division in Arizona. Coach Rachel Powell-Moore's squad is No. 2 in Class 3A, Tennessee's largest classification.

 

21. Wichita Heights (7-1)

 

Previous: Not ranked. Result: Beat Dodge City 58-40 for sixth consecutive victory. Average margin of victory is 30 points, while defense surrenders only 35 points a game.

 

22. Bishop McGuinness, Kernersville, N.C. (14-1)

 

Previous: 25. Result: Beat Mount Airy 64-38. North Carolina's Class A reigning champions have won 45 of last 46 games.

 

23. Martin Luther King, Detroit (23-1)

 

Previous: 23. Result: Won Class A state championship. Season complete.

 

24. Upper Dublin, Fort Washington, Pa. (13-0)

 

Previous: Not ranked. Result: Won West Chester Christmas Tournament, beating Villa Maria Academy (Malvern) 41-36 in semifinals and Conestoga (Berwyn) 41-35 in final.

 

25. Ursuline Academy, Wilmington, Del. (7-3)

 

Previous: 10. Result: Split four games in TOC Black Division. Lost to then-No. 11 St. Elizabeth (Wilmington) 52-45. Won Diamond State Classic's Grotto Pizza Cup title.

 

Dropped out: No. 7 Providence Day (Charlotte), No. 9 Lynwood (Calif.), No. 15 Winter Haven, Fla., No. 18 Chief Sealth (Seattle), No. 21 Towson (Md.) Catholic, No. 24 The First Academy (Orlando).

 

*— Michigan plays basketball in the fall

 

About the ranking: USA TODAY's Super 25 rankings are compiled by Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of high school sportswriters, analysts and coaches. Among the criteria are a school's strength of schedule, the quality of competition in its state or league and the quality of its players. The next girls' ranking will be Jan. 10, 2007.

[FlatCreekJim]

Love the ranking,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, hate the bullseye!

 

Go SCHS Eaglettes!

[LouWho]

Love the ranking,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, hate the bullseye!

 

Go SCHS Eaglettes!

 

 

I wonder how they remain in the top 25 with the recent loses?

[fish5]

I wonder how they remain in the top 25 with the recent loses?

Probably 4 factors:

1.

 

I wonder how they remain in the top 25 with the recent loses?

Probably 4 factors:

1. They lost to Lexington (KY) in the national Top 10

2.

[fish5]

Probably 4 factors:

1.

Probably 4 factors:

1. They lost to Lexington (KY) in the national Top 10

2.

Probably 4 factors:

1. They lost to Lexington (KY) in the national Top 10

2. They lost to a strong WC at WC

3. They have a win over Webb, which defeated Lexington (KY)

4. They are ranked #1 statewide in a very good girl's basketball state

 

Similar reasons for why Cleveland remained in the national Top 25 from losses to two out-of-state powerhouses.

[Postman]

Congratulations to #19 Shelbyville and #20 Cleveland on being ranked in the USA Today Super 25 girls basketball rankings. Keep up the good work ladies.