Knoxville area girls basketball TSSAA high school rankings: Oak Ridge in top 3, CAK debuts

Knoxville News Sentinel

After the Division I district tournaments and Division II region tournaments, here are the top 10 Knoxville area girls high school basketball teams as ranked by PrepXtra.

1. Bearden (29-3): The Bulldogs cruised to the District 4-4A championship and beat Farragut for the third time this season. Last week: Ranked No. 1.

2. Farragut (23-7): In most other districts, Farragut would be the clear champion, but in District 4, there was no beating Bearden. Still, the Admirals have high potential in the region bracket. Last week: Ranked No. 2.

3. Oak Ridge (19-9): Oak Ridge has won 14 of its last 15 games and pulled out a second victory of the season over Powell to win the District 3-4A championship. Last week: Ranked No. 5.

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4. Knoxville Catholic (20-9): Catholic has had some bizarre struggles late in the season, losing to unranked Alcoa and being dominated by Bradley Central, which it previously beat. The Division II-AA state quarterfinal Friday will give the Irish a chance to reset. Last week: Ranked No. 3.

5. Heritage (23-8): Heritage has not lost to an unranked team and rebounded from a seven-point loss to Farragut in the district semifinal with a decisive 46-31 win over William Blount in the consolation game. Last week: Ranked No. 4

6. Powell (24-5): Despite 34 points from Western Carolina signee Reagan Trumm, the rest of Powell's roster couldn't keep up with Oak Ridge in the district championship. The Panthers face a big test in Heritage in the first round of the Region 2 tournament. Last week: Ranked No. 4

7. McMinn Central (24-4): Despite a slow start in the District 3-2A championship, the Chargers mounted a successful comeback to win the title over Tellico Plains. Molly Masingale remains a star, scoring 30 in the championship game. Last week: Ranked No. 8.

8. Grainger (24-7): After beating Greeneville twice in the regular season, the Grizzlies lost to the Greene Devils by 19 in the District 2-3A championship. While Grainger has been more consistent overall, the loss raises questions about its ability to perform in big moments. Last week: Ranked No. 7.

9. Greeneville (24-7): Lauren Bailey was spectacular with 31 points against Grainger in the district championship. The win was a much-needed upswing for Greeneville after ending the regular season with losses to Grainger and Cocke County. Last week: Not ranked.

10. CAK (20-11): CAK has won 20 of its last 21 games and redeemed its lone loss to Lakeway Christian with a win over the Lions in the Division II-A East region championship. Keira Leffew has been a standout, averaging a double-double. Last week: Not ranked.