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It was a topsy-turvy month for the ESPN HIGH Elite 25 girls basketball rankings. Several preseason teams were upended, with five dropping out. Six teams in the rankings absorbed losses, with 18 reshuffled.
Top-ranked Notre Dame Academy (Middleburg, Va.) looked sluggish in its season-opening win and will need to put forth a supreme effort next week at the Tournament of Champions Black Division in Arizona, where the Elite 25 team will compete.
No. 4 Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco), a two-time California state champion, sent a message beating previous No. 2 Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) by 16 points in a tournament final in Oregon. No. 24 Brea (Calif.)-Olinda slips 18 spots after losing on its home court to No. 23 Narbonne (Harbor City), which enters after capturing the LadyCat Classic title.
No. 22 Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio) blasted preseason No. 8 Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati) for early season Cincinnati area bragging rights. Texas teams, No. 9 DeSoto and No. 12 Timberview (Mansfield), are both 15-0. No. 6 Buffalo Grove (Ill.) and No. 8 Whitney Young (Chicago) are the top two teams in Illinois and have played challenging schedules. No. 15 University (Newark, N.J.) and No. 17 Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) open their seasons this weekend.
The next girls Elite 25 rankings are Jan. 9, 2008, with the heavy holiday tournament schedule figuring prominently. -- Christopher Lawlor
No. 8 Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati) lost to Lexington (Ky.) Catholic, 81-67, and Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio), 61-55; No. 13 Southridge (Beaverton, Ore.) lost to Sacred Heart-Cathedral (San Francisco), 44-30; No. 16 Frisco (Texas) lost to Rockwall, 58-41, and Frisco Wakeland, 46-35; No. 17 Shelbyville (Tenn.) Central lost to Cookeville, 52-39, and Mount Juliet, 63-42; and No. 18 Lexington (Ky.) Christian lost to then-No. 17 Shelbyville (Tenn.) Central, 76-75.
| ESPN HIGH Elite 25 High School Girls Basketball Rankings |
| RANK |
TEAM |
RECORD |
COMMENT |
| 1 (1) |
Notre Dame Academy, Middleburg, Va. |
4-0 |
Recap: Defeated Holy Cross (Kensington, Md.), 56-48, Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.), 55-35, St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 49-22, and Mary Louis Academy (Queens, N.Y.), 80-49. The Dragons have two instate games before playing four at the Tournament of Champions in Chandler, Ariz. before Christmas and three more at the Bojangles Shootout in Charlotte at the end of the month. |
| 2 (7) |
Murry Bergtraum, Manhattan, N.Y. |
5-0 |
Recap: Recorded its 33rd straight victory, defeating North Babylon (N.Y.), 65-47. Senior PG Krystal Parnell scored 17 points to top three players in double figures. |
| 3 (9) |
Murrah, Jackson, Miss. |
8-0 |
Recap: The defense has dictated the early pace, allowing only 28 points per game, with low scores of 8 and 10 points in last two outings. |
| 4 (NR) |
Sacred Heart Cathedral, San Francisco |
5-0 |
Recap: Won its 28th straight game, defeating then-No. 2 Poly (Long Beach), 74-58, in Northwest Invitational final. Junior Tierra Rogers, the tournament MVP, scored 10 of her game-high 25 points in the decisive third-quarter run. Junior Ki-shawna Moore added 18 points and was named to the all-tournament team. Defeated then-No. 13 Southridge (Beaverton, Ore.), 44-30, in semifinals. |
| 5 (11) |
South Bend (Ind.) Washington |
8-0 |
Recap: Defeated Mishawaka, 87-42, stretching win streak to 36 games. The Panthers are averaging 77 points, winning by nearly 36 per game. |
| 6 (12) |
Buffalo Grove, Ill. |
9-0 |
Recap: A tough early season schedule keeps the Bison busy, with a key win over Wisconsin powerhouse Milwaukee Vincent, 56-42. Defeated Wheeling, 43-34, as Loyola (Ill.)-bound Ellen Ayoub scored 14 points. |
| 7 (2) |
Poly, Long Beach, Calif. |
3-1 |
Recap: Finished second in Northwest Invitational, losing to Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco), 74-58. |
| 8 (15) |
Whitney Young, Chicago |
7-0 |
Recap: Defeated Clark (Chicago), 75-42, for its seventh straight win. The Dolphins host Martin Luther King (Detroit), Michigan's defending Class 4A champions Friday. |
| 9 (NR) |
DeSoto, Texas |
15-0 |
Recap: Has already won two tournament titles. In the DeSoto Tournament final, Keandrea Goodson scored 27 points in a 73-59 victory over defending Class 5A champion Rockwall. |
| 10 (5) |
Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas |
8-1 |
Recap: Lost to Illinois powerhouse Bolingbrook, 57-52, after being outscored, 35-27, in the second half. Three Gaels average double figures, led by 6-4 junior Dannielle Diamant at 13.7 points. Average margin of victory is 25 points. |
| 11 (10) |
Ursuline Academy, Wilmington, Del. |
1-0 |
Recap: The nation's top player, 6-5 Elena Delle Donne, became Delaware's top scorer, netting 33 points in a season-opening 51-28 victory over Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia). She has 2,415 career points. |
| 12 (NR) |
Timberview, Mansfield, Texas |
15-0 |
Recap: Texas' second-ranked Class 5A club is building a solid early season resume winning two tournaments at Colleyville Heritage and the Capital City Classic. |
| 13 (22) |
Ben Davis, Indianapolis |
8-0 |
Recap: Alex Bentley banked in a 50-foot shot as time expired, giving the Giants a 47-44 victory over Decatur Central (Indianapolis) in the Marion County Tournament final. It was the Giants' record-tying seventh county title. |
| 14 (21) |
Auburn (Wash.) Riverside |
1-0 |
Recap: Defeated White River, 89-53. Washington State-bound Katie Grad (20 points) and Kathleen Cooper (15) topped four players in double figures. A real test will occur later this month at the Tournament of Champions in Arizona. |
| 15 (14) |
University, Newark, N.J. |
0-0 |
Recap: New Jersey's defending Tournament of Champions winner opens Friday against Science (Newark), but the first test is Dec. 16 vs. St. Elizabeth (Wilmington, Del.), Delaware's defending state champion, at Hoop Group Tip-Off Classic in Union, N.J. |
| 16 (25) |
Lower Richland, Hopkins, S.C. |
4-0 |
Recap: A sticky defense surrenders only 30 points per game, with the opponent's high only 37 points. |
| 17 (19) |
Eleanor Roosevelt, Greenbelt, Md. |
0-0 |
Recap: Opens Friday at Oxon Hill. Coach Rod Hairston's squad goes for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Class 4A crown. |
| 18 (4) |
Winter Haven, Fla. |
11-1 |
Recap: Won its eighth game, defeating Lake Region (Eagle Lake), 104-12, as Connecticut-bound Tiffany Hayes and Kiara Francisco each scored 21 points. Already owns two wins against local heavyweight Lake Gibson. |
| 19 (24) |
Wichita (Kan.) Heights |
3-0 |
Recap: After opening with a 55-48 win over Wichita South, Kip Pulliam's squad defeated Wichita East, 88-25, and Wichita North, 69-29. In the last two games, freshman Mary Sims totaled 28 points and 11 assists. |
| 20 (20) |
Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. |
2-0 |
Recap: Defeated Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.), 43-41, and Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 70-38. |
| 21 (3) |
Cy-Fair, Cypress, Texas. |
13-2 |
Recap: The Bobcats lost twice at the Texas Invitational in November, the same weekend the Ogwumike sisters, Nneka and Chiney, played in the state volleyball tournament. Since then they are 11-0 and rolling. |
| 22 (NR) |
Lakota West, West Chester, Ohio |
4-0 |
Recap: Defeated then-No. 8 Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati), 61-55, in opener. The club is averaging 67.8 points in four victories. |
| 23 (NR) |
Narbonne, Harbor City, Calif. |
4-0 |
Recap: Won in LadyCat Classic, defeating host and previous No. 6 Brea-Olinda, 57-56, in final. |
| 24 (6) |
Brea (Calif.)-Olinda |
3-1 |
Recap: Finished second in LadyCat Classic, losing to Narbonne (Harbor City), 57-56, in final. |
| 25 (23) |
Iota, La. |
14-1 |
Recap: The Lady Dogs already have won three tournaments this season, most recently at St. Thomas More (Lafayette), where McNeese State-bound Caitlyn Baggett was named MVP. Lone loss was against St. Thomas More, 65-58. |
Dropped out:
Regional rankings
East
1. Murry Bergtraum, Manhattan, N.Y. (5-0) 2. Ursuline Academy, Wilmington, Del. (1-0) 3. University, Newark, N.J. (0-0) 4. Eleanor Roosevelt, Greenbelt, Md. (0-0) 5. Bishop McNamara, Forestville, Md. (2-0) 6. St. John the Baptist, West Islip, N.Y. (5-0) 7. Harrisburg, Pa. (3-0) 8. Cardinal O'Hara, Springfield, Pa. (1-0) 9. Archbishop Wood, Warminster, Pa. (3-0) 10. H.D. Woodson, Washington, D.C. (4-1)
Midwest
1. South Bend (Ind.) Washington (8-0) 2. Buffalo Grove, Ill. (9-0) 3. Whitney Young, Chicago (7-0) 4. Ben Davis, Indianapolis (8-0) 5. Wichita (Kan.) Heights (3-0) 6. Lakota West, West Chester, Ohio (4-0) 7. Incarnate Word, St. Louis (7-0) 8. Centennial, Circle Pines, Minn. (4-0) 9. Wawasee, Syracuse, Ind. (6-0) 10. Sequoyah, Tahlequah, Okla. (3-1)
Southland
1. Notre Dame Academy, Middleburg, Va. (4-0) 2. Murrah, Jackson, Miss. (8-0) 3. DeSoto (Texas) Central (15-0) 4. Timberview, Mansfield, Texas (15-0) 5. Lower Richland, Hopkins, S.C. (4-0) 6. Winter Haven, Fla. (11-1) 7. Cy-Fair, Cypress, Texas (13-2) 8. Iota, La. (14-1) 9. Hampton, Va. (2-0) 10. Marietta, Ga. (6-0)
West
1. Sacred Heart-Cathedral, San Francisco (5-0) 2. Poly, Long Beach, Calif. (3-1) 3. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (8-1) 4. Auburn (Wash.) Riverside (1-0) 5. Narbonne, Harbor City, Calif. (4-0) 6. Brea (Calif.)-Olinda (3-1) 7. Lewis and Clark, Spokane, Wash. (4-0) 8. Broomfield, Colo. (2-0) 9. St. Mary's, Stockton, Calif. (5-0) 10. Highlands Ranch, Colo. (4-1)
Records through Dec. 9.
About the rankings: The ESPN HIGH Elite 25 preseason high school girls basketball rankings are compiled by Christopher Lawlor of ESPN.com, who consults with a national network of sportswriters, Scouts Inc. analysts and high school coaches. Criteria considered are a team's strength of schedule with an emphasis on national games; the superiority of competition in its state, district or league; the program's history and tradition; and the quality of its personnel.
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