High school girls basketball rankings: No. 5 Sidwell Friends wins MaxPreps Top 25 showdown with No. 6 Sierra Canyon in Hawaii

No. 1 Long Island Lutheran showing why it earned preseason top billing with hot 4-0 start.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Aaron Williams
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Dec 12, 2023, 11:00am
Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) is showing why it is No. 1 four games into the 2023-24 high school girls basketball season.

The Crusaders (4-0) opened the season with a pair of blowouts before grabbing two wins over ranked teams this weekend at the Capital Invitational and She Got Game Classic, beating No. 20 St. John's (Washington, D.C.) and No. 16 Duncanville (Texas).

Head coach Christina Raiti returned everyone from a squad that finished No. 2 last season, led by MaxPreps All-Americans Kate Koval, Kayleigh Heckel and Savannah Swords along with Shy Hawkins, Syla Swords and Lauryn Swann.

Long Island Lutheran will test itself with with trips to the Bahamas and Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona over the next few weeks.

The Nike TOC event should be a benchmark for programs hoping to separate themselves in the national picture as nine teams in the MaxPreps Top 25 are participating, including Long Island Lutheran, No. 2 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 3 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), No. 7 Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.), No. 8 Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), No. 12 Hebron Christian (Dacula, Ga.),  No. 13 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and No. 19 Hazel Green (Ala.).

Elsewhere, Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) climbed back to No. 5 after a 49-48 win over No. 6 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) in the final of the 'Iolani Classic. UCLA commit Zania Socka notched the game-winner for Sidwell at the buzzer, earning tournament MVP honors.
UConn commit Morgan Cheli has helped No. 3 Archbishop Mitty to a 3-0 start as the Monarchs prepare for the Nike TOC in Phoenix from Dec. 18-21. (Photo: David Steutel)
UConn commit Morgan Cheli has helped No. 3 Archbishop Mitty to a 3-0 start as the Monarchs prepare for the Nike TOC in Phoenix from Dec. 18-21. (Photo: David Steutel)
MaxPreps Top 25 girls basketball rankings

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 1
Kate Koval led five players in double figures in the 30-point win over No. 16 Duncanville. The Notre Dame commit had 16 points, 14 boards and four blocks. The Crusaders head to the Hoopfest in Paradise in the Bahamas this weekend for games with formerly-ranked DeSoto (Texas) and No. 17 Lake Highland Prep.

2. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 2
Jaloni Cambridge had 14 points, Chloe Sotell added 12 and Holland Harris chipped in 11 in a 60-48 win over Central Pointe Christian Academy National (Kissimmee).

3. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)
Record: 3-0 | Last week: 3
Sophomore McKenna Woliczko paced the Monarchs in a pair of blowout wins with 24 and 23 points, respectively. Mitty next heads to the Nike TOC.

4. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 8-0 | Last week: 4
The Ascenders kept rolling with wins over No. 8 Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), 60-54, and Westtown (West Chester, Pa.) 63-46.

5. Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 4-1 | Last week: 9
Tournament MVP Zania Socka had 17 points and 10 boards to help the Quakers to the ‘Iolani Prep Classic title win over Sierra Canyon.

6. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 5
The trio of Mackenly Randolph, Izela Arenas and Jerzy Robinson have been tremendous for head coach Alicia Komaki. Sierra Canyon battles Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) on Saturday at the Chosen 1s Invitational.

7. Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.)
Record: 6-0 | Last week: 7
Angelina Pelayo had 20 points and led four players in double figures Sunday in a 70-50 win over Assumption (Louisville). ZaKiyah Johnson scored 18, Reagan Bender added 14 and freshman Amirah Jordan chipped in 11.

8. Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.)
Record: 2-1 | Last week: 6
The Mustangs got 17 points, five boards and seven assists from Madisen McDaniel in the 66-61 win over Duncanville at the Capital Invitational. Vanessa Harris added 12 points and 10 boards while Princess Moody added 12 points.

9. Etiwanda (Calif.)
Record: 8-1 | Last week: 8
Earned wins over Oakland Tech (Oakland) and Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) in the SoCal vs. NorCal Showcase. The Eagles are off to Hoopfest in Paradise in the Bahamas this weekend against No. 17 Lake Highland Prep and DeSoto.

10. DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Record: 10-0 | Last week: 10
Rolled over Hagerty (Oviedo) 69-46 on Friday. Up next are games against Example Academy (Frankfort, Ill.), Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) and Life Prep (Park City, Kan.) this weekend.

11. Morris Catholic (Denville, N.J.)
Record: 0-0 | Last week: 11
The Crusaders get their season rolling Thursday against Morristown-Beard.

12. Hebron Christian (Dacula, Ga.)
Record: 7-0 | Last week: 12
Aubrey Beckham dropped 21 points to lead five players in double figures in an 82-43 win over Norcross. Mia James had 19 points while Amiya Porter added 15.

13. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Record: 8-0 | Last week: 13
Jenessa Cotton was the MVP of the Troy Classic after dropping 22 points in a 90-50 win over Moreno Valley in the final. Addison Deal (20 points) and Kaeli Wynn (20 points) each nabbed all-tournament honors.

14. Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas)
Record: 16-1 | Last week: 15
Kamryn Wilson and Chrishawn Coleman each scored 13 and Emilee Jones added 12 in a 70-14 win last week over Midlothian.

15. Clark (San Antonio)
Record: 16-1 | Last week: 16
Duke commit Arianna Roberson is leading the Cougars early on this season.

16. Duncanville (Texas)
Record: 10-3 | Last week: 14
Closed their out-of-state schedule with losses to Long Island Lutheran and Bishop McNamara. They battle DeSoto on Tuesday.

17. Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.)
Record: 7-1 | Last week: 17
Lexi Blue had 18 points and Camila Depool added 14 as the Highlanders beat Lake Mary 75-30, rebounding from their loss to No. 2 Montverde Academy.

18. Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.)
Record: 6-1 | Last week: 18
Knocked off Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota) 75-59 last week.

19. Hazel Green (Ala.)
Record: 12-0 | Last week: 19
The Trojans have won 107 of their last 108 games, including six straight state titles.

20. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 4-1 | Last week: 20
Kyndal Walker had 26, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range, in the loss to No. 1 Long Island Lutheran as sophomore Morgan Stewart added 15.

21. Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis)
Record: 3-0 | Last week: 21
The win streak reached 103 games with a pair of victories over Centennial (Las Vegas) and Lehi (Utah) at the Holiday Hoopfest in Utah.

22. Johnston (Iowa)
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 22
Jenica Lewis has 14 points, Ari Phillips chipped in 12 and Aili Tanke added 11 points and 10 rebounds in an 86-27 win over Urbandale.

23. Putnam City West (Oklahoma City)
Record: 4-0 | Last week: 23
The Patriots more than doubled up Yukon on Wednesday to remain perfect. Next up is Lawton on the road Tuesday.

24. Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio)
Record: 5-0 | Last week: 24
Berry Wallace had 16 points, Rylee Bess added 11 and Kennady Gordon scored 10 in a 57-54 win over Magnificat (Rocky River).

25. Bradley Central (Cleveland, Tenn.)
Record: 8-0 | Last week: 25
Sophomore Kimora Fields is averaging 24.3 points per game for the Bearettes, who beat Cleveland 67-42 and Chattanooga Christian (Chattanooga) 100-64 last week.

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