By Clay Kallam, Special to SI.com, Full Court Press The season's barely begun and already there's chaos. Preseason No. 2 Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) got knocked off by San Francisco's Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Nike Northwest Invitational, and the early upsets in Kentucky and Tennessee has knocked off the early favorites in those states. With the Nike TOC in Phoenix on tap next week (Dec. 19-22), expect more of the same. Nine top-25 teams will be there, including top-ranked Notre Dame Academy.
| Girls Basketball Power Rankings |
| 1 |
-- |
Notre Dame Academy (Middleburg, Va.) (3-0) The Dragons, who return four starters, showcased their experience in beating No. 6 Regis Jesuit of Colorado, 55-35, on a neutral floor last weekend. That's just the first of many tough tests for NDA, though -- next up is the Nike TOC in Phoenix. |
| 2 |
-- |
Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) (5-0) The Irish, who have no starters taller than 5-foot-10, proved their endurance in Oregon, beating the defending large school champions from Colorado (Highlands Ranch), Oregon (host Southridge) and California (Long Beach Poly) on successive nights. |
| 3 |
-- |
Sapulpa (Okla.) (4-0) The Chieftains already won a strong tournament in Oklahoma, and now head off to the Nike TOC. That's how teams get ranked. |
| 4 |
-- |
Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) (2-1) The loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral proved the Jackrabbits aren't the best in California, but this deep, athletic team is still one of the best in the country. Poly, too, will be at the Nike TOC.
|
| 5 |
-- |
Whitney Young (Chicago) (7-0) The Dolphins beat Bolingbrook (Ill.), and Bolingbrook beat highly regarded Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), so Whitney Young starts at No. 5.
|
| 6 |
-- |
Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) (2-0) The Raiders haven't been on the national scene, but their first road trip to New York was an eye-opener. Unfortunately so was the 20-point trip to the woodshed administered by top-ranked Notre Dame Academy. |
| 7 |
-- |
DeSoto (Texas) (14-0) Larry Goad has been coaching for 23 years, and this year's team is his best: All four senior starters have D-I scholarships, and sophomore point guard Kelli Willingham might be the best of the bunch. Unfortunately, the Eagles don't have the resources to travel out of state, so they won't be tested nationally.
|
| 8 |
-- |
Woodson (Washington, D.C.) (4-0) There was some talk that St. Michael's out of New York was going to be a power. The Warriors took care of that rumor, and now will take on some other teams with bigger reputations at the Nike TOC.
|
| 9 |
-- |
Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) (2-0) All five starters are back and they are now playing in the winter rather than the fall. After 10 years of legal maneuvering, Michigan's girls' basketball teams join the rest of the country in the winter, which means the Yellowjackets will finally get to play some out-of-state teams.
|
| 10 |
-- |
Ben Davis (Indianpolis) (5-0) The Giants are very good, but they are not, however, giants. They only have one six-footer, who happens to be a guard. The major intersectional matchup will be against Detroit Country Day on Dec. 22.
|
| 11 |
-- |
Murry Bergtraum (New York) (5-0) The Blazers don't have the firepower they've had in the past, but they're still very good. And until one of the challengers in New York proves it on the court, Bergtraum will stay in the top 15. |
| 12 |
-- |
Washington (South Bend, Ind.) (8-0) Only two starters return from last year's 31-1 team that won the state title, but one of them is the lightening-quick Skylar Diggins, a 5-6 junior who is bound for the big time. Emily Phillips is two inches shorter, but the senior will play for Penn State next year. |
|
CLICK BELOW FOR 13-20 
1 of 2
|
|
