Top 25 California high school girls basketball rankings (1/10/2024): No. 8 Bishop Montgomery keeps climbing; Bishop O'Dowd leaps; St. Anthony debuts
The last week of California high school girls basketball wasn't the most eventful, as most top teams were either recovering from recent tournaments or preparing for out-of-state ones this weekend. But there was still significant movement, and there'll likely be quite a bit more before the week is over.
Here are SBLive's California girls basketball rankings for the week of Jan. 8-14. After each team's name is its record and previous ranking. The rankings will be released every week for the remainder of the season.
SBLIVE TOP 25 CALIFORNIA GIRLS BASKETBALL RANKINGS
1. Archbishop Mitty (12-0 – 1st)
Photo by Darren Yamashita
While Archbishop Mitty being the consensus No. 1 team in America isn't that surprising, it's pretty special that head coach Sue Phillips' historic 800th career win lines up with Mitty reaching No. 1. The Monarchs blew out Presentation and rival Saint Francis (Mountain View) to open WCAL play, and will be heavily favored on Friday against the second-ranked team in the Central Coast Section, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep.
2. Sierra Canyon (16-1 – 2nd)
Photo by Nick Koza
Sierra Canyon has scored at least 90 points in all three Mission League games so far, routs of Harvard-Westlake, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), and Alemany.
3. Etiwanda (14-2 – 3rd)
Photo by Heston Quan
Speaking of blowing out strong league foes, Etiwanda opened Baseline League play by beating Chino Hills 82-36 and Rancho Cucamonga 80-24.
4. Sage Hill (13-2 – 4th)
Photo by Lance Smith
Made a statement to begin Pacific Coast League play, dismantling a solid Irvine team 76-24. Sage Hill has a lot at stake facing national-caliber competition on Saturday and Monday at the St. James MLK Classic in Washington D.C. Currently ranked 20th in the country, Sage Hill will be the favorite in both its matchups, but is taking on national-caliber opponents in Riverdale Baptist (MD) and Hazel Green (AL) – the latter of which lost to the next two teams in the state rankings at Nike TOC, and another team lower in the top 10.
5. Folsom (11-3 – 5th)
Photo by Brian Kimoto
Like Sage Hill hopes to do, Folsom recently took on some elite teams from the South at Nike TOC – and fared very well. Competitive losses against IMG Academy and Bishop McNamara, legitimate national title contenders, raised the Bulldogs' stock if anything. And Folsom took down nationally-relevant St. Francis (GA) and nationally-ranked Hazel Green (AL). The Bulldogs annihilated Granite Bay on Friday to open Sierra Foothill League competition.
6. Ontario Christian (14-3 – 6th)
Photo by Lance Smith
Despite the fact that Village Christian was missing star post Layla Davis, Ontario Christian dismantling the Crusaders 91-50 is downright scary. Superstar freshman Kaleena Smith had 32 points on 12-20 shooting, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals – and other than the blocks total, all of those were below her season averages. The Knights will continue playing great non-league competition for the rest of January, including Rancho Christian, Buena Park, Brentwood, and Fairmont Prep.
7. Mater Dei (15-5 – 7th)
Photo by Nick Koza
Injuries haven't been badly plagued for Mater Dei in recent years, but when they have come up, the Monarchs have proven very resilient. After holding their own down the stretch of December with 5-star guard Addie Deal out and 4-star center Jenessa Cotton continually battling injuries, sharpshooting forward Kaeli Wynn is now out as well. Yet, Mater Dei still beat Orange Lutheran and Rosary Academy to take command of the Trinity League and open the new year 4-0.
8. Bishop Montgomery (13-3 – 11th)
Photo by Lance Smith
After Bishop Montgomery beat Bishop O'Dowd by 24 points on Dec. 20, O'Dowd upsetting St. Mary's is one of the best things that could've happened for the Knights' stock. With their only losses coming competitively against Sage Hill, Desert Vista (AZ), and Bullis (MD), there's hardly any baggage weighing the Knights down. They're now on a four-game winning streak with a stranglehold of the Del Rey League as well after defeating Orange Lutheran, St. Mary's Academy, No. 25 St. Anthony, and St. Paul all by double-digits.
9. Bishop O'Dowd (8-3 – 17th)
The Dragons officially made their move, upsetting St. Mary's 45-42 after surviving a 53-50 scare against Marin Catholic. With Piedmont, Salesian, and Archbishop Mitty on deck, there's no time to take their feet off the pedal.
10. St. Mary's-Stockton (11-5 – 8th)
St. Mary's has dropped three of its last five games after losing by three points to Bishop O'Dowd in its last game. However, it did beat No. 18 Acalanes for the second time this season before that.
11. San Ramon Valley (15-1 – 9th)
Technically the Wolves dropped two spots as a result of Bishop O'Dowd and Bishop Montgomery rising, but their stock is still trending in the right direction. Their league-opening win over Dougherty Valley increased their winning streak to 12 games.
12. Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (9-1 – 10th)
Is there any chance of Sacred Heart Cathedral giving Mitty a run for its money on Friday? Either way, the Irish cleaned up against all non-Mitty WCAL opponents last year, and they look to do the same in 2024.
13. Cardinal Newman (15-2 – 12th)
Continuing their ascent into statewide relevancy, the Cardinals traveled down to Santa Ana for Mater Dei's annual Matt Denning Nike Hoop Classic, and came out with a 64-56 win over Brentwood. You know what would really make waves? An upset win over Folsom on Saturday.
14. Moreno Valley (17-4 – 13th)
If the Vikings only have league play left before the playoffs, then expect them to enter the playoffs on a winning streak. They opened up with an 88-17 demolition of Temescal Canyon.
15. Clovis West (16-2 – 14th)
Will there be any drama in the TRAC this season after a wild 2022-23? Clovis West defeated Central 62-48 to tip off. Its toughest competition will likely come from Buchanan, which opened with an impressive win against reigning co-champion Clovis.
16. Mission Hills (9-6 – 16th)
Mission Hills opened the new year with a bang, defeating Pinewood 71-60 and Esperanza 66-44.
17. Village Christian (14-3 – 15th)
After getting 40-pieced by Ontario Christian in the absence of Layla Davis (16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds), Village Christian bounced back to beat Heritage Christian 77-44 in league play.
18. Acalanes (13-4 – 18th)
The Dons continued their slide with an 11-point loss to St. Mary's – their second competitive loss to St. Mary's on the season – but didn't let it get to them. They bounced back by making quick work of Kimball and Clayton Valley Charter.
19. Brentwood School (12-6 – 20th)
A single-digit loss to No. 13 Cardinal Newman is not a stock-dropper for the Eagles, who opened Gold Coast League play by beating Crossroads, Viewpoint, and Campbell Hall by roughly 30 points apiece.
20. La Jolla Country Day (13-5 – 21st)
Since losing to Mission Hills on Dec. 20 in a potential CIFSDS championship preview, La Jolla Country Day has put together an impressive five-game winning streak. It's beaten Hamilton (AZ), Mountain View (UT), Eastlake (WA), Bishop Ireton (VA), and most recently, Carondelet in a 53-50 comeback win.
21. Windward (12-4 – 22nd)
For the second straight season, Windward enters Gold Coast League play as a slight underdog to Brentwood School. That didn't stop the Wildcats from pulling out the undisputed title last year though, and Windward is peaking at the right time with only one loss in the last month.
22. Carondelet (15-2 – 24th)
The Cougars lost a heartbreaker to La Jolla Country Day for its second loss, but bounced back with a 75-40 rout of Monte Vista. Can they return to Open Division championship contention this season?
23. Buena Park (11-7 – 25th)
Buena Park opened Freeway League in strong fashion, rolling over La Habra and Sonora. It can't afford to fall asleep this week facing Troy or Sunny Hills, but it will be the heavy favorite. Next week, Buena Park takes a shot at upsetting what's likely the strongest in-state opponent it'll face this season, Ontario Christian.
24. Santiago-Corona (11-8 – 19th)
Why the drop after a 60-53 win over St. Anthony? Santiago is still weighed down by a recent loss against Rancho Christian, and Rancho Christian just fell to Santiago's league rival, Corona Centennial. Speaking of Cen10, Santiago's rematch of a 10-point loss on Dec. 2 is on Wednesday, with a Big VIII League title probably on the line.
25. St. Anthony (13-5 – Bubble)
Led by outstanding combo guard Ryann Bennett (15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.4 steals), St. Anthony has taken the leap as a top-25 team in the state. Double-digit wins over St. Joseph (Santa Maria), Fairmont Prep, and Corona Centennial are all proving more valuable as those teams keep rising over time. And in that vein, a close loss to Buena Park in November is now less harmful. The Saints' only other losses were against two dominant out-of-state opponents, Bishop Montgomery, and Santiago. Notably, St. Anthony also handed La Salle its only loss last week, and it came by 20 points.
ON THE BUBBLE:
St. Joseph (Santa Maria), Fairmont Prep, Glendora, Lynwood, Corona Centennial, Esperanza, Pinewood, M.L. King, South Pasadena, Paramount, Orange Lutheran, St. Ignatius, La Salle, Rancho Christian
