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There could not possibly have been much more drama in the final weeks of the 2024-25 high school girls basketball season.
Since our last rankings post on March 10, the top three teams and multiple other national title contenders all went down. That left the door open for Etiwanda to claim the national championship.
Here are the season-end national high school girls basketball rankings from The Sporting News.
READ: March 10 rankings
*Records with asterisk include appearance at The Throne or Chipotle Nationals.
Top 25 High School Girls Basketball Rankings
1. Etiwanda (CA) (28-5 – 4th)
Nicole Mullen, Arizona Republic/USA TODAY Network/Imagn
With Bishop McNamara, Montverde Academy, and Morris Catholic all going down in the final week, Etiwanda's season-ending wins over Ontario Christian and Archbishop Mitty means it finishes where it started – on top. After a 4-4 start, Etiwanda won 24 of its last 25 games and three-peated as CIF Open Division state title once McDonald's All-American Aliyahna "Puff" Morris finished recovering from a wrist injury and sophomore transfer Chasity Rice became eligible. The only loss after that came against Ontario Christian in the CIF-SS finals and was avenged two weeks later. Etiwanda does not have the cleanest overall season resume, but it closed out the season playing the best basketball of anyone.
2. Ontario Christian (CA) (30-2 – 1st last week)
Nicole Mullen/Arizona Republic / USA Today Network/ Imagn
No team compiled a better season-wide resume than the Knights, who lived up to the hype and won their first CIF-Southern Section title in their first season under Aundre Cummings. They won 10 games against top-50 teams in the country, including two wins against both Etiwanda and Sierra Canyon. Ontario Christian will be tasked with replacing Alanna Neale (Nebraska), but is expected to return its other four starters and has a strong chance to pick up where it left off next season.
3. Bishop McNamara (MD) (30-2* – 2nd)
Bishop McNamara was in line for the No. 1 ranking if it had completed the quest at The Throne. Nonetheless, it was a season for the ages in the Mustangs' debut season under Ron James. Bishop McNamara went 30-2 against the single toughest schedule in the country, sweeping the Washington Catholic and shredding its way to a state championship. Despite losing to Bishop Ireton in The Throne semifinals, Bishop McNamara remains a few spots ahead for finishing 3-1 against the Cardinals.
4. IMG Academy (FL) (19-4* – 12th)
The Ascenders' 17-point comeback victory over rival Montverde Academy in the Chipotle Nationals finals was about as good as it gets. In terms of both level of play and spectator value. Kelis Fisher (23 points, five assists) and tournament MVP Brooklyn Charlo (13 points on 4-5 shooting) led the comeback effort as IMG Academy won 80-78 in overtime. Charlo had a game-high 19 points in the semifinals to beat Westtown.
5. Montverde Academy (FL) (26-2 – 3rd)
Another year, another dominant season for Montverde Academy girls basketball. Despite graduating what's on paper the most stacked senior class in the country, Montverde will be in good hands with top-ranked junior Saniyah Hall and multiple other blue chip prospects expected back next season.
6. Westtown (PA) (27-4* – 10th)
Westtown's season ended with heartbreak in the Chipotle Nationals semifinals, but playing eventual champion IMG Academy down to final buzzer without All-American Jordyn Palmer is actually outstanding. That was the Moose' only loss in the new calendar year, with their previous 17-game winning streak including a 63-52 win over Bishop Ireton.
7. Bishop Ireton (VA) (31-6* – 14th)
One could argue for the Cardinals finishing as high as fourth after their amazing performance at The Throne. They beat Mater Dei 62-57, Bishop McNamara 43-42, and Sidwell Friends 61-44 for the crown. The semifinals victory avenged not one, not two, but three losses to Bishop McNamara in Washington Catholic play.
8. Bradley Central (TN) (31-1* – 8th)
Bradley Central fulfilled its promising, beating every team it faced besides Montverde Academy and rolling to a TSSAA 4A D1 state crown. Its most impressive win was its first one, a 75-46 rout of River Ridge. Springboro and Coffee County Central were the only other teams to give Bradley Central a competitive game.
9. Mater Dei (CA) (29-5* – 5th)
Chad Leistikow/Des Moines Register/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn
The Monarchs' season-end ranking, while still impressive, isn't reflective of how good they were at full-strength for the first two thirds of the season. In their appearance at The Throne, Kaeli Wynn had 14 points in her return from a dislocated knee as they nearly beat eventual champion Bishop Ireton 62-57 without McDonald's All-American Addie Deal. Mater Dei's best win of the year was at Nike TOC against season-end No. 3 Bishop McNamara.
10. Sidwell Friends (DC) (28-4* – 13th)
While Sidwell Friends' season-ending loss to Bishop Ireton at The Throne was surprisingly lopsided, the team did an outstanding job to get there, handing both Princess Anne (68-67) and Morris Catholic (62-48) their first losses of the season. Sidwell Friends will presumably be back in the hunt for a national title next season with not one senior on the 2024-25 roster.
11. Morris Catholic (NJ) (25-1* – 6th)
Morris Catholic couldn't get it going at The Throne, but it dug deep for a double-digit comeback to win late against and Christ the King. Despite having tried its hand in national competition, Morris Catholic still gets the distinction of being an undefeated state champion.
12. Archbishop Mitty (CA) (28-4 – 15th)
Photo courtesy of Aaron Woliczko
In one of the more impressive feats of the year, Mitty was able to roll to a fourth consecutive NorCal regional title and remain well inside the national top 25 despite losing McKenna Woliczko to injury for all but nine games. With nearly all their top players expected to be back, look for the previously top-ranked Monarchs to resume contending for a state and national title if healthy in 2025-26.
13. Sierra Canyon (CA) (28-3 – 7th)
Sierra Canyon ultimately slid six spots after losing in the semifinals of both the sectional and state playoffs, but it showed just how close it is to the teams at the top by giving Ontario Christian everything it could handle in both losses times. If guard/forward Jerzy Robinson, post Emilia Krstevski, and forward Payton Montgomery all return as seniors, Sierra Canyon will be in the running for the top frontcourt in the country.
14. Princess Anne (VA) (28-1* – 11th)
Princess Anne showed it was no fluke at The Throne, nearly taking down Sidwell Friends in a one-point quarterfinals loss. With an easier first round draw, Princess Anne might've had a top-three finish at the event. Look for the Cavaliers to finish even higher next year with their top players returning as juniors and seniors.
15. Johnston (IA) (26-0 – 16th)
After beating Dowling Catholic 49-41 and 64-62 in the regular season, Johnston beat the Maroons 55-44 in the state title game. Only one other game came down to single digits for the Dragons this season.
16. Putnam City North (OK) (29-1 – 17th)
The Panthers made a statement all playoffs long, tearing up Division 6A by a usual margin with each win coming by at least 17 points. Most of the team was comprised of seniors, but junior guard Kiana Gray is expected to return.
17. River Ridge (GA) (31-1 – 19th)
River Ridge was one of the only teams to stay put in the final ranking of the season. With its only loss coming against Bradley Central, Georgia's top dog and 5A champion finished the year on a 28-game tear with wins including Langston Hughes and Holy Innocents' Episcopal.
18. Tualatin (26-2 – Unranked)
© Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
With freshman guard Love Lei Best running the show, Tualatin's season was nothing short of miraculous. The Timberwolves won the final 10 minutes and 32 seconds of the game on a stunning 28-2 run to upset Clackamas 63-58 in the OSAA 6A state finals. They also made a statement in their first four rounds, which included beating South Medford 47-37 in the quarterfinals and Willamette 65-40 in the semifinals. Tualatin nearly beat Clackamas on Jan. 2 in a 55-53 loss, and its only other loss was on Feb. 28 to West Linn, a team it previously crushed 55-30.
19. Clackamas (OR) (32-2 – 9th)
Endings don't get much more painful than the one Clackamas experienced at the hands of Tualatin in the state finals. The Cavaliers led by 19 points late in the third quarter before McDonald's All-American Jazzy Davidson rolled an ankle and Tualatin staged an incredible rally. Davidson and their star-studded senior class will graduate with one state championship — the 2022-23 OSAA 6A title.
20. Clovis West (CA) (33-1 – 18th)
Another year, another top-20 finish for Clovis West. The Golden Eagles will look to keep their reign of CIF-Central Section supremacy and national relevance alive in 2025-26 despite graduating Alexis Swillis (UNLV), Riley Walls, Jordan Ybarra, and Keegan Medeiros.
21. Winston-Salem Christian National (30-4 – 21st)
The Lions went a bit under the radar but had a tremendous year, registering big wins against Bullis, Shining Star Sports Academy, Central Pointe Christian Academy National, DME Academy, and Oak Cliff Faith Family.
22. Bullis (MD) (24-8 – 21st)
The Mustangs ran out of gas a little early but were an absolute force in 2024-25. They graduate Meghan Yarnevich (Georgia) and Sanai Troutman, and look like an X-factor entering next season with some talented up-and-coming pieces in bigger roles around Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka.
23. Providence Academy (MN) (32-0 – 23rd)
After playing three games that came down to the wire in their first four, the Lions only had one single-digit victory in their last 28 games on their way to going 32-0. Most of the MSHSL AA state champions' wins were total blowouts.
24. Boswell (TX) (39-2 – 22nd)
Boswell held opponents below 50 points in 34 of 41 games on the path to a UIL 6A D2 crown. While leading scorers Camille Williams and Haleigh Jackson graduate, the Pioneers are expected to return Sydney Durrah, Seleste Massey, and Salena Carrasco.
25. Ridgeline (UT) (28-0 – 24th)
Whereas some teams just finished their season, Ridgeline has been done for nearly two months. Led by McDonald's All-American Emilee Skinner (Duke), the Riverhawks won 27 of 28 games by double-digits.
25 more:
26. Central Pointe Christian Academy National (FL) (22-7)
27. Braswell (TX) (34-3)
28. Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy (TX) (15-7)
29. Paul VI (NJ) (27-1 – 25th)
30. DME Academy (FL) (27-9)
31. Shining Star Sports Academy (VA) (22-5)
32. PHH Prep National (AZ) (17-7)33. Grandview (CO) (25-3)
34. Lincoln (TX) (39-2)
35. Lancaster (TX) (27-6)
36. Cypress Springs (TX) (30-4)
37. Monterey (TX) (37-5)
38. Legion Prep (TX) (19-10)
39. Belleville (MI) (28-1)
40. St. John's (DC) (26-6)
41. Long Island Lutheran (NY) (18-5)
42. Duncanville (TX) (29-7)
43. Hamilton Southeastern (IN) (27-1)
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