Subscribe to SI
Give the Gift of SI
Extra MustardSI On CampusFantasyPhoto GalleriesSwimsuitVideoFanNationSI KidsTNT

Girls Basketball Rankings

Maya Moore and unbeaten Collins Hill debut at No. 1

Posted: Thursday January 11, 2007 5:19PM; Updated: Friday January 12, 2007 2:29PM
Print ThisE-mail ThisFree E-mail AlertsSave ThisMost PopularRSS Aggregators

By Clay Kallam, Special to SI.com, Full Court Press

The high school girls' basketball rankings will appear weekly on SI.com. This is the first regular-season edition.

Top-ranked Collins Hill returned to Georgia after winning the prestigious Nike TOC in Arizona, beating two nationally ranked opponents in Seattle, and then nearly got knocked off by neighboring Mill Creek.

'We took them for granted,' said coach Tracey Tipton, whose teams was down 21 at the half. But then Maya Moore took over and Collins hill won. That's part of the reason why the Eagles are No. 1.

High School Basketball Power Rankings
Rank LW School
1 -
Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) (16-0)
The Eagles put together a dramatic fourth-quarter rally to knock off Notre Dame Academy of Virginia in the Nike TOC in Phoenix, hammered Long Beach Poly in the final, and then went to Seattle, where they outlasted Winter Haven of Florida (Maya Moore had a steal and layup at the end of regulation to win it) and handled St. Elizabeth's of Delaware. Such schedules, and wins, are the stuff of national champions.
2 -
Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) (12-1)
The Jackrabbits aren't the smoothest team. They don't shoot the ball real well, and they can look completely disorganized at times -- but even though a lot of opponents walk off the floor muttering shoulda, coulda, woulda, at the final horn, Poly is almost always on the winning end. Except against Collins Hill, which jumped out early and never let up in the Nike TOC championship game.
3 -
Notre Dame Academy (Middleburg, Va.) (14-1)
The Dragons almost knocked off Collins Hill, but let a double-digit, fourth-quarter lead slip away. But their trip to Phoenix was not without its triumphs, as NDA beat Southern California power Lynwood and Florida's best, The First Academy. Now it's back to the D.C. area, where talented teams and individuals seem to lurk in every town.
4 -
St. Elizabeth's (Wilmington, Del.) (9-1)
The Vikings knocked off Ursuline and Elena Delle Donne last Saturday as Khadijah Rushdan scored 31 points. St. Elizabeth's spotted its in-state rival a 9-0 lead and then led by as many as 14 en route to a 52-45 win. But the teams will play at least once more, and probably twice, so this intra-city argument is far from settled. The Vikings' lone loss? To Collins Hill, of course.
5 -
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) (10-1)
The Monarchs move into the top five after going 3-1 at the Nike TOC, including a convincing win over Christ the King of New York. Danielle Robinson leads the way, but Mitty has size, depth and outstanding coaching.
6 -
Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.) (17-0)
The Friars are rolling, but their 17-game winning streak will be challenged on Saturday against Bolingbrook. In their first-ever meeting, the teams will face off on a neutral court.
7 -
Murry Bergtraum (Manhattan, N.Y.) (12-0)
There was a lot of talk about how good St. Michael's was going to be, but the Blazers handled that challenge with ease -- and then knocked off New Jersey's best, unbeaten Shabazz, on Sunday.
8 -
Stephenson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) (14-0)
The Jaguars weren't supposed to be this good, but after stopping Winter Haven of Florida and beating another solid Georgia team, Avondale, twice, they're looking like the team with the best chance to challenge Collins Hill.
9 -
Rockwall (Rockwall, Texas) (24-0)
Texas is always tough to sort out, but Rockwall beat DeSoto, along with 23 other victims, and has played a tougher schedule than unbeaten Cy-Fair. The two won't meet until postseason, assuming they both stay on track.
10 -
The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.) (17-2)
The Royals can be excused for losing to No. 3 Notre Dame Academy, and the loss to still-potent Christ the King isn't a bad one. Thanks to the win over Ursuline, TFA gets in the top 10 -- but Florida power Winter Haven awaits on Saturday.
11 -
Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.) (14-1)
One thing about playing tournament championship games against in-state teams is home cooking. The Knights didn't exactly get the best of the calls against Webb of Tennessee in the Greene County Bank Ladies' Classic, but they're still an elite team despite that defeat.
12 -
Cy-Fair (Houston, Texas) (25-0)
The Bobcats haven't played the toughest schedule, but 25-0 is impressive nonetheless. Add in the amazing Nnemka Ogwumike and a couple other D-1 recruits, and you've got a top-flight team.

CLICK BELOW FOR 13-25

Continue

1 of 2
Search