Northern California Girls Basketball Rankings
(Includes results for games through February 28 with some March 3 results included)
(Previous ranking in parenthesis)
By 3 p.m. on Tuesday when the NorCal Boys Rankings were posted it was in sufficient time to beat the various tip-offs in the CIF Central Coast and Sac-Joaquin Section games involving teams in the rankings. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the girls. Marissa Holbert of Passthaball was already Tweeting updates from the CIFSJS semifinals at University of Pacific, and CIFCCS Open Division games were ready to start, so rather than post without the Tuesday results, a decision was made to hold them and release prior to the rest of the semifinals, including the entire CIF North Coast Section action on Thursday. The end result is the Open Division semifinal results in the CIFCCS have things tangled going into the NorCals next week. No teams were dropped because of Tuesday's results but that is certainly going to change for next week.
1. (1) St. Mary’s-Stockton 29-1
In talking to a lot of coaches statewide of both ranked and un-ranked teams a consensus is unless the Rams suffer some catastrophic injuries there really isn’t a team in Northern California that can stay with the young, talented and deep squad. They’re not getting much of a workout in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs after averaging 110 points a game in their first two victories. The schedule says their semifinal game against Davis was at a neutral site but for Davis it was bad enough they had to play St. Mary’s, but on top of it University of Pacific is not exactly a neutral site being almost shouting distance from the school. The end result was another easy St. Mary’s win in an 86-46 final. The Rams now face McClatchy in the title game before moving on to the Northern Regional Open Division. Tip-off is 7:30 Saturday night at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento.
2. (2) St. Ignatius-San Francisco 21-5
The Wildcats came up short in a 53-50 CIF Central Coast Section Open Division semifinal loss to WCAL cross-town arch rival Sacred Heart Cathedral, so there are going to be some changes next week for sure in these and the state rankings. What’s ironic is SI will still get bumped up to the Open Division for the NorCals. Before that they’ll have to play well in a consolation title game against a hungry Eastside Prep or it could be an even bigger slide in next week’s rankings.
3. (3) Miramonte-Orinda 26-2
The Matadors just keep cruising along after two running clock victories in the CIF North Coast Section Division III playoffs, 80-33 over Crescent City Del Norte and 89-36 over arch rival Campolindo of Moraga. The top-seeded Mats and State Junior of the Year hot candidate Sabrina Ionescu should roll in the semifinals on Wednesday against No. 4 seed Moreau Catholic of Hayward, but things could get dicey in a title game match-up with Bishop O’Dowd this weekend.
4. (4) Pinewood-Los Altos Hills 24-2
The No. 2 seeded Panthers didn’t have much trouble in a 71-43 CIFCCS Open Division opening round win over San Jose Valley Christian of the WCAL, but then they got their namesakes by the tail and Eastside Prep was brimming with confidence after its win over Archbishop Mitty. Unlike its fellow Division V enrollment league arch rival, the Panthers led by 2014 State Coach of the Year Doc Scheppler are pretty deep, and it’s that depth that allowed them to hang on for a 47-45 semifinal victory. UC San Diego-bound Marissa Hing hit the winning free-throws. In the last meeting, a 68-62 OT win, Eastside finished the game with three players on the court. This time they had five. Now Scheppler and his girls get an interesting match-up with Sacred Heart Cathedral in the title game on Friday at 6 p.m. with Santa Clara University the setting.
5. (5) Carondelet-Concord 26-2
First year head coach Elgin Leslie and his girls only have two losses, to Pinewood and previously state-ranked Redondo Union-Redondo Beach) in a close and low scoring affair. They have a win over CIFSDS Open No. 2 seeded semifinalist Mission Hills, blew out Sacramento and Berkeley, and have barely broke a sweat in two running clock CIFNCS Division II routs. Things could change come the NorCal Open Regionals. First comes a semifinal with upstart No. 13 seed Novato, a 48-42 winner over Pinole Valley-Pinole.
6. (7) Vanden-Fairfield 27-3
The Vikings girls pick up a spot that next week could be even more after three easy wins has propelled them into the CIFSJS Division III title game. In the Tuesday semifinal Vanden overwhelmed Patterson in an 85-46 victory. The Vikings won their games by margins of 45, 34 and 39 points and it might not be a blowout in the title game with No. 3 seed Rio Linda, its likely the 7:30 Friday night game at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento will be a title-game victory for head coach Allison Johnson and her girls.
7. (8) Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 20-8
The No.2 seeded Dragons breezed in their two CIFNCS Division III wins over Albany and Hercules. They now face No. 3 seed Acalanes-Lafayette in the semis but the game everyone is really interested in is a final this weekend against Miramonte.
8. (9) Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco 15-10
The Irish girls continue to roll and now followed up the win over a fading Mitty with a CIFCCS Open Division first round victory over Scotts Valley, and then a huge 53-50 win in the semifinals over St. Ignatius to not only get to 2-1 over their arch rivals this season but it propels them into the title game against Pinewood. Could the Irish be bumped up to the NorCal Open Division if they win? Win or lose this team will be moving up next week and if they don’t get bumped up could make some big noise in the NorCals.
9. (12) Eastside Prep-East Palo Alto 21-4
The Panthers couldn’t quite complete the sweep of Mitty and Pinewood but look for head coach Donovan Blythe’s girls to make some real racket in the NorCal Division V playoffs. Prior to the NorCals they have a very interesting game on Thursday with host St. Ignatius for the third place in the CCS Open Division. A win there would move them up again here, and likely also in the Cal-Hi Sports rankings where the girls snagged the No. 17 spot to make the Top 20 for only the second time in school history, both this season.
10. (6) Archbishop Mitty-San Jose 20-6
After the loss to Eastside Prep the Monarchs moved into the CCS Open Division consolation bracket where they beat WCAL rival Valley Christian-San Jose and now meet Scotts Valley for the consolation title. Like last year Mitty may very well have something to say in the Division II NorCals.
11T. (10T) Salesian-Richmond 26-3
The final Northern California team in the Cal-Hi Sports rankings at No. 19 had a bye in the CIFNCS Division IV playoffs and then beat Lick-Wilmerding-San Francisco last Saturday night. Their road to a CIFNCS D4 title does not involve beating a ranked team but if they pull it off and beat a St. Mary’s team that has a win over Eastside Prep they could be moving up and will definitely be ticketed for the NorCal Open Division. First, the No. 2 seed must dispatch of upstart No. 3 seed Cardinal Newman on Wednesday in the semifinals.
11T. (10T) St. Mary’s-Berkeley 22-7
The CIFNCS D4 top-seeded Panthers moved closer to a third game and potential sweep of Salesian after a blowout of Marin Catholic-Kentfield puts them into a very interesting semifinal with No. 4 seed and very talented Piedmont. Like Salesian the Panthers drop a spot to make room for Eastside Prep despite the fact they have a win over their namesakes from East Palo Alto in the second game of the season. The who-beat-who syndrome including Salesian they’re 2-1 against losing to a Mitty team that Eastside beat and that team’s SI win justifies the drop. Like Salesian the Panthers could get pulled up to the Open Division if they win
13. (13) McClatchy-Sacramento 23-6
The Lady Lions remain as the Sacramento Bee No. 1 ranked team and showed their prowess with two solid wins in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs, 70-54 over Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove and 56-40 in the semifinals against Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills. Next up is St. Mary’s for all the marbles. Win or lose McClatchy could make noise in the D! NorCals.
14. (14) Modesto Christian-Modesto 26-4
The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II top-seeded Crusaders let No. 4 Del Oro-Loomis stay close until the fourth quarter when they turned a two-point lead to start the final stanza into a 63-48 victory. At this point its looking like head coach Robb Spencer and his girls could get bumped up to the Open Division based on qualifying criteria, but Spencer told Prep2Prep last week his main focus for the defending Division III section and CIF State D3 champions is on winning another section title this year in Division II. To do that they’ll have to dispatch of upstart Kimball-Tracy on Saturday afternoon at Sleep Train. "Our goal is to win the section. We cant control anything but how we play," Spencer remarked.
15. (15T) Brookside Christian-Stockton 22-2
The top-seeded Lady Knights are another team that’s in the same boat as far as having qualifications for the NorCal Open Division if they win the CIFSJS Division IV playoffs. In a late report Brookside swarmed Dixon in a 68-42 semifinal victory that wasn't that close. Aarion McDonald led the way with 26 points, six, rebounds, six steals and five assists. Brookside now meets the winner of the other semifinals between Sacramento’s West Campus and Bradshaw Christian. The game is Saturday morning at Sleep Train.
The rest
16. (15T) Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills 25-4
17. (19) Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa 25-5
18. (20) Piedmont 18-10
19. (21) Dublin 24-3
20. (22) James Logan-Union City 24-4
21. (23) Kimball-Tracy 30-0
22. (NR) Davis 26-3
23. (25T) Scotts Valley 24-4
24. (24) Berkeley 19-9
25. (17) Lincoln-Stockton 22-5
Dropped out: Previous No. 18 Antelope, No. 25T Del-Oro-Loomis
On the Bubble
Acalanes-Lafayette 22-6, Antelope 26-2, Arcata 20-10, Bradshaw Christian-Sacramento 21-9, Clayton Valley-Concord 24-6, Enterprise-Redding 22-5, Jesse Bethel-Vallejo 20-8, Moreau Catholic-Hayward 20-8, North Salinas-Salinas 22-2, Oakland 21-5, Oakland Tech (Oakland) 19-8, Palo Alto 22-4, Patterson 26-4, Pittsburg 22-5, Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove 22-7, Pleasant Valley-Chico 21-6, Rio Linda 25-5, Sacramento 18-10, Ponderosa-Shingle Springs 20-9, St. Francis-Sacramento 20-8, St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda 19-11, Shasta-Redding 20-6, University-San Francisco 22-8, Valley Christian-Dublin 26-4, Valley Christian-San Jose 13-13, Whitney-Rocklin 24-5, Woodland Christian-Woodland 25-3
