It only took a few weeks of the 2024-25 high school girls basketball season for multiple upsets to happen and new national powerhouses to emerge.
Here are the national high school girls basketball rankings from The Sporting News for the week of Dec. 9.
(There were no rankings last week, so the previous edition pertains to the week of Nov. 25.)
That didn’t take long. Ontario Christian’s fab five has been at least as good as advertised, with wins coming against nationally-ranked Duncanville, Monterey, Etiwanda, and Mater Dei, plus a 17-point win over another dangerous team in Fairmont Prep. Just nine games into the high school careers of Sydney Douglas and Tatianna Griffin, Kaleena Smith and company are No. 1. And don’t underestimate the impact of transfers Alanna Neale and Dani Robinson either.
Montverde Academy has been sent back to No. 2 with Ontario Christian having played more than twice as many games, but MVA is getting things done. In addition to its season-opening win over Purcell Marian, Montverde has also handed Winston-Salem Christian National its only loss – although both were too close for comfort.
The Lions leapt four spots with a 55-50 win over IMG Academy. But that’s not their only big win in the season’s opening month. They’ve also already beaten Norcross, Woodward Academy, and Palm Bay by a combined 69 points – in case there were any questions about who the best team in Georgia is.
Sticking around despite the close loss to Hebron Christian. IMG hasn’t had a full chance to show all what it can do yet – other than one close loss to another legitimate national title contender – but its passed the other tests. Namely, a two-point win over Legion Prep, a seven-point win over Faith Family, and a 30-point romp of Shining Star Sports Academy.
So far so good for the Moose. Their last win, 73-64 over Shining Star Sports Academy, was a little closer than they’d have liked, but they got it done against a worthy opponent.
Still yet to tip off. The Mustangs won’t have much time to warm up jumping straight in against Bullis, Central Pointe Christian, IMG Academy, St. Mary’s Ryken, Elizabeth Seton, Paul VI (VA), St. John’s, and Bishop Ireton. An unenviable slate, but one that could propel them to national championship glory.
7. Archbishop Mitty (CA) (4-0 – 8th)
McKenna Woliczko and company made it look easy to start the season with a tournament victory at La Jolla Country Day’s invitational. Much harder competition is on deck at the Nike TOC and in January’s non-league slate.
The Crusaders’ season-opening showdown with Bishop Ireton lived up to the hype, and they pulled out a 79-73 victory. Then they rolled over Paul VI (VA) in game two.
Took care of Orange County heavyweights Buena Park and Fairmont Prep to get underway.
Still yet to play a contest, but that will change later this week against in-state foe University. January will be Morris Catholic’s make-or-break month of the regular season.
Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK / Imagn
Lawrence Central’s last downed victim was Mercy, and “mercy” might be on the mind of nearly all the Bears’ opponents this season. They beat Kentucky powerhouse Sacred Heart by 20 the game before that.
The other “Central Bears” in our rankings had a nice week too, steamrolling Knoxville Catholic and Cleveland by a combined 81 points. It might be a while before they are tested – or they might prove too dominant to be tested at all.
Tipping off Thursday against Manasquan. Red Bank Catholic may or may not be tested later this month facing South Shore and Olmstead Falls, which are both coming off amazing seasons fueled largely by seniors who’ve now graduated.
Two games, two close wins over excellent competition. Sidwell Friends beat Christ the King 64-57 and Archbishop Wood 60-51, and might need to be even better this week to stay unbeaten against the likes of Palm Bay and Whitney Young.
Successfully rebounded from a season-opening loss to Montverde Academy with four double-digit wins. Anthony Wayne gave the Cavaliers a good push on Sunday, but Purcell Marian prevailed 70-60.
Incarnate Word is on the board now, and is up to 133 wins in a row. IWA will be the heavy favorite on Thursday against in-state challenger Lutheran, but its foe is probably too good to sleep on.
Outstanding start to the post-Kevin Kiernan era (also known as the Jody Wynn era). Mater Dei posted seven nice wins to start the season, including an IMUA Invitational championship and a 15-point victory against Moreno Valley, before playing No. 1 Ontario Christian to single-digits.
Continuing to take care of business. Pewaukee hasn’t faced any nationally-relevant teams yet, but has taken care of business with its closest win coming by 19 points.
The Dragons’ defense of last season’s undefeated state title run is underway in style. They opened with lopsided wins against Cedar Falls, Southeast Polk, and Waukee.
What a way to start the season for Virginia’s reigning Division 5 state champion. Princess Anne beat Bayside and Kempsville by a combined 177-14 before throttling fellow nationally-ranked Virginia team Thomas Dale 87-40.
Lincoln of Dallas, a team that wasn’t high up on our radar one month ago, has blasted into the rankings with an amazing 19-0 start. It’s already downed the likes Monterey, Guyer, Cypress Springs, and South Grand Prairie. With their front-heavy schedules, Texas teams are always early birds in national rankings, but Lincoln has a great chance to keep moving up.
The Lions have been knocking off the door of national rankings for much of their five years of existence, and this might be their best team yet. They took Montverde Academy to overtime in their only loss, and dazzled with double-digit wins over Central Pointe Christian Academy, PHH Prep, 1 of 1 Academy, Shining Star Sports Academy, and Cardinal Mooney.
Following the team that’s played the most games in our top 25 is one that’s still yet to tip off, but that’s about to change. Clackamas plays in-state heavyweight Willamette (2-0) in its highly-anticipated season opener.
As good as advertised. Whitney Young is off to a brilliant 4-0 start headlined by a 51-34 defeat of Loyola Academy, snapping the Ramblers’ 43-game winning streak. The Dolphins won their previous three games by a whopping combined score of 245-90.
The Eagles have not been a top-25 team through five games. After nice wins against Corona Centennial and Sage Hill, they’ve lost three straight against Ontario Christian, Cypress Springs, and Duncanville, with the latter two games occurring on the East Coast. But with so many ranked teams yet to play one game, it’s a bit too early to drop the national champions out just five games into life without Kennedy Smith (USC). Etiwanda will need to turn up the heat immediately to justify this ranking, let alone to move up, but the Eagles have sufficient talent and a penchant for improving throughout the season.
Teams on the bubble:
American Heritage (FL)
AZ Compass Prep (AZ)
Bishop Ireton (VA)
Blue Valley North (KS)
Boswell (TX)
Centennial (NV)
Central Pointe Christian Academy (FL)
Clovis West (CA)
Cypress Springs (TX)
Duncanville (TX)
Etiwanda (CA)
Grind Prep (OK)
Guyer (TX)
Legion Prep (TX)
Loyola Academy (IL)
Lyons (IL)
Miami Country Day (FL)
Millard West (NE)
Mt. Zion Prep Academy (MD)
Palm Bay (FL)
PHH Prep (AZ)
Putnam City (OK)
Putnam City North (OK)
Shining Star Sports Academy (VA)
South Bend Washington (IN)
St. Francis (GA)
Thomas Dale (VA)
Winter Haven (FL)
