Upsets ravage prep top ten

Though the number one and number two teams in the country are both in California, and both will play at Arco Arena on Saturday, they won’t play each other.

Number one Sacred Heart Cathedral is classified as a Division III school (roughly meaning 1,000 to 1,500 students), while number two Long Beach Poly is a Division I school (more than 2,000, though in case closer to 4,000). So Sacred Heart will play Magnolia, which has lost six games and didn’t even win its Section title (more than one team per Section can move on to the Regionals). Long Beach Poly will play Berkeley, a very good team that hasn’t been close to the national rankings all season.

A few years ago, California would have allowed SHC to move up to Division I, but put in a rule forcing teams to stay in their enrollment-based divisions. The idea was to prevent small private schools from recruiting as much as they had been by denying them the opportunity to play against the bigger schools in postseason. (Ironically, the state seems poised to make a 180-degree turn in the near future, and assign teams to divisions by perceived ability rather than enrollment.).

It’s expected that the Irish, despite the loss of starter Lauren Bell to an ACL two weeks ago, will take care of Magnolia, and that Poly will dispose of Berkeley, as it has the past two seasons at Arco. Of course, the Jackrabbits did play Sacred Heart once already this season, and lost by 16, so some say the issue has already been decided.

Still, it would certainly cap a wonderful season of California girls’ basketball if the state championship not only decided the national championship – but rules are rules, and the two teams will only be able to watch each other rather than play each other.

1. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco CA) 35-0 (1): The Irish needed a late basket from Tierra Rogers, who had suffered a hip pointer in Thursday’s win, to slip past St. Mary’s of Stockton in the NorCal Division III championship. Sacred Heart was down 11 early in the fourth quarter, but held on to the top spot by eking out a 47-46 win.

2. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach CA) 30-2 (3): The Jackrabbits also escaped, slipping past Narbonne in overtime in the Southern California Division I title game. Their depth is unmatched in California, or the country, and that will tell the tale again Saturday.

3. Notre Dame Academy (Middleburg VA) 28-2 (3): The Dragons finished their season on a high note, rolling through the prestigious Bishop Walsh Invitational in Maryland. They beat both Seton Keough (ranked at one point during the season) and traditional D.C. power Bishop McNamara to cap another outstanding season.

4. Murry Bergtraum (New York NY) 21-0 (4): The Blazers pummeled Francis Lewis, winning by 50, and now move on to face Kennedy, a team they’ve beaten twice. After that, Jefferson seems like the likely opponent, and the Orange Wave has already lost to Francis Lewis.

5. Cy-Fair (Cypress TX) 39-2 (6): The Bobcats slip into the top five, but it will be tough to much higher. Their season, after all, is over, and they never played an out-of-state opponent.

6. Highlands Ranch (Highlands Ranch CO) 23-3 (7): The Falcons struggled with Denver East in the quarterfinals – for a half. They then outscored the Angels 43-19 in the last 16 minutes and moved to the semis, where they’ll face ThunderRidge Wednesday.

7. Gentry (Indianola MS) 38-0 (12): The Rams have the longest winning streak in the country (78 games) after knocking off Yazoo County 52-44 for the 5A title. Now it’s off to Tupelo for the Mississippi Grand Slam tournament and most likely, a shot at Murrah.

8. Lower Richland (Hopkins SC) 26-0 (16): Dorman’s Fanchon Sortar was fouled on a three-point attempt as the clock expired – but only made one, and the Hornets held on for a 47-45 win, and their third straight title.

9. St. Mary’s (Stockton CA) 33-1 (5): Sacred Heart Cathedral was there for the taking, but the Rams blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead, missing the front end of a one-on-one late, and watched the last gasp shot roll over the rim. Still, if a one-point loss to the number one team in all the land is the only blemish, it’s a pretty good year.

10. Whitney Young (Chicago IL) 29-3 (14): The Dolphins claimed the 4A title by beating Bolingbrook (which had upset Buffalo Grove) for the second time this season. Whitney Young dominated the boards to take over in the second half and, behind Ashlee Anderson’s 14 points, rolled to its first state title.

11. Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati OH) 26-2 (NR): The Cougars won their third straight Ohio title by avenging one of their two losses (Lakota West) in the championship game. The other loss is to Lexington Catholic, and Mount Notre Dame has intersectional wins over Bishop McGuiness of North Carolina and Butler of Kentucky, so the Cougars jump into the rankings.

12. Heritage Christian (Indianapolis IN) 27-1 (17): A tough schedule, a good record and a state title earns the Golden Eagles the number 11 slot.

13. Murrah (Jackson MS) 31-1 (NR): The Mustangs won their eighth state title, knocking off Greenville-Weston 57-50 behind LaSondra Barrett’s double-double. The only loss is to Brookhaven, but that will be forgotten if Murrah ends Gentry’s winning streak this weekend and avenges last year’s 63-58 defeat.

14. DeSoto (DeSoto TX) 37-2 (15): The Eagles had the best record of any team, boys or girls, in school history, but just didn’t have enough juice to get by Cy-Fair and the Ogwumike sisters in the finals.

15. St. Michael Academy (New York NY) 25-1 (20): The Eagles’ biggest test since beating Shabazz is Wednesday against St. John the Baptist. The winner will draw Archbishop Molloy, which shocked Christ the King on the other side of the bracket.

16. Lewis & Clark (Spokane WA) 29-0 (NR): The Tigers won their third straight Washington 4A crown by knocking off Moses Lake, 42-37. Lewis & Clark has been pinned in Eastern Washington because of league commitments and thus didn’t play anyone outside its region until the state tournament – when the Tigers showed just how good they really are.

17. Southridge (Beaverton OR) 24-4 (19): The Skyhawks made it four straight Oregon 6A titles by jumping on Oregon City early and holding on for a 49-44 win. Michelle Jenkins had 15 in a game that wouldn’t have been that close if Southridge had made more than 13 of 27 free throws.

18. Cardinal O’Hara (Springfield PA) 25-2 (21): The season’s over, but the Lions could move up if there are more upsets.

19. Bob Jones (Madison AL) 35-2 (22): Though being ranked 19th in the nation is a wonderful thing, even more wonderful is winning a school’s first-ever state title.

20. Carmel (Carmel IN) 23-4 (24): The Greyhounds are still glowing after their upset of Washington of South Bend – and they’re still rising in the rankings.

21. Union (Tulsa OK) 27-0 (NR): Six of Lindsay Palmer’s 20 points were free throws in the final 30 seconds as the Redskins capped an unbeaten season with a dramatic 49-48 win over previously number-six Sapulpa. This is Union’s first-ever state championship.

22. Auburn Riverside (Auburn WA) 25-3 (NR): The Ravens claimed the Washington 3A state title, and their only three losses came at the Nike TOC in Phoenix. Katie Grad was the tourney MVP.

23. Sapulpa (Sapulpa OK) 27-2 (8): The Chieftains couldn’t make it two straight state titles, falling to unbeaten Union. Alyssia Brewer had another fine game with 22 points and 19 rebounds, and her 40-foot three-pointer as time expired cut the final margin to one.

24. Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook IL) 29-4 (NR): The Raiders played a tough schedule, losing to Heritage Christian, Whitney Young (twice) and Incarnate Word, which lost in the Missouri state championship game. Throw in wins over Nevada champion Bishop Gorman, Hinsdale Central and Fenwick, and you’ve got a top 25 team.

25. Lakota West (West Chester OH) 26-2 (10): This one had to hurt: The Firebirds lost by two on a shot that shouldn’t have counted. Replays clearly showed that Kathryn Reynolds’ shot left her hand after time had expired, but the ref ruled the basket good – and replay evidence is not admissible in high school basketball. So Lakota West lost 69-67 to Mount Notre Dame in the state championship game.