PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON
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"It was everything you wanted to see in a high school basketball game," Brea-Olinda coach Jeff Sink said after his unbeaten and tenth-ranked Brea-Olinda Wildcats outlasted Troy 56-55 in overtime Monday.
Brea was down five with 22 seconds to go in regulation to Troy, which now has lost just three games in three years, when Stephanie Servin hit a three and Stanford-bound Jeanne Pohlen fired a 60-foot pass for the tying layup 20 seconds later. Down one as OT wound down, Pohlen caught a fullcourt pass over her shoulder and laid it in just before the buzzer for the Brea win.
More than 300 people were turned away at the door, but the 1,840 who crammed into the hot, sweaty gym saw a game they'll never forget.
1. Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) 16-0: Another easy win for the Eagles, but they're not playing at the level they did over the Christmas break, when they traveled all over the country playing elite teams. Of course, they don't need to play at that level to win league games in Georgia. Last week: 1.
2. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 12-1: West Coast basketball doesn't get a lot of respect nationally (thanks, Pac-10), but there are a horde of good girls' high school teams in Southern California - and the Jackrabbits will face a pair of solid intracity rivals this week. Still, they're No. 2 in the nation for a reason. Last week: 2.
3. Notre Dame Academy (Middleburg, Va.) 14-1: Ebonie Williams scored her 1,000th point as the Dragons moved to 14-1, but two fairly tough games are set for this weekend: Oak Hill Academy and Heritage. Last week: 3.
4. St. Elizabeth's (Wilmington, Del.) 11-1: Khadijah Rushdan set the state's all-time scoring record, for boys or girls, by notching her 2,146th point. The Vikings won't be tested again until they play Pennsylvania power Germantown Academy Jan. 27. Last week: 4.
5. Stephenson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) 16-0: Sometimes it's not what you do, it's what others do. The Jaguars' biggest win is over Winter Haven, which rose up and upset previously No. 10The First Academy - which not only boosted Winter Haven into the rankings, but jumped Stephenson three spots as well. Last week: 8.
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1. Collins Hill
2. Long Beach Poly
3. Notre Dame Academy
4. St. Elizabeth's
5. Stephenson
6. Murry Bergtraum
7. Bolingbrook
8. Rockwall
9. Lexington Catholic
10. Brea-Olinda
11. Cy-Fair
12. Fenwick
13. Incarnate Word
14. St. Thomas Aquinas
15. Edison
16. Archbishop MItty
17. Christ the King
18. Winter Haven
19. Washington
20. The First Academy
21. St. Paul Central
22. Lewis and Clark
23. North Little Rock
24. Bishop McGuinness
25. Shelbyville Central
Dropped out:
15. Bishop Gorman
23. Webb
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6. Murry Bergtraum (Manhattan, N.Y.) 14-0: The Blazers are New York City's best, and that's saying something. This Sunday, they play one of Philadelphia's top teams, the awkwardly monikered Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti, in another test for their unbeaten record. Last week: 7.
7. Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook, Ill.) 16-1: The Raiders vault into the top ten on the strength of a 54-48 win over previously unbeaten, and previously number six, Fenwick at the 17th annual McDonald's Shootout at Willowbrook High School. More than 2,500 fans watched Bolingbrook take the lead in the first quarter and never give it back. Last week: 13.
8. Rockwall (Rockwall, Texas) 26-0): The Jackets roll on, and move up a spot because of upsets above them. If they win out, who knows how far they'll rise? Last week: 9.
9. Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Kent.) 17-1: Akron-bound Keyla Snowden scored 32 points as the Knights outlasted Lexington Christian Academy 81-75. A lot of times players put up those big numbers in routs, but Snowden delivered when Lexington Catholic needed it most. Last week: 11.
10. Brea-Olinda (Brea, Calif.) 17-0: Brea has won more state championships than any other California school, and after that 56-55 overtime win, the Wildcats may be in line for another one this year. Last week: 17.
11. Cy-Fair (Houston, Texas) 27-0: Cypress Falls was Cy-Fair's toughest regional rival,. but Nneka Ogwumike had 27 points and 16 rebounds in a 47-33 Bobcat win. Like Rockwall, Cy-Fair should keep cruising through Texas. Last week: 12.
12. Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.) 17-1: The Friars lost the first round to Bolingbrook, but if form holds, the two will meet again in the state playoffs - and that will be the one that really counts. Last week: 6.
13. Incarnate Word (St. Louis, Mo.) 15-1: Bolingbrook's win pulls Incarnate Word up a notch - along with wins over league rivals St. Joseph's and Nerinx Hall. This week's competition looks a little weaker, so expect the Red Knights to add two more wins. Last week: 14.
14. St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park, Kan.) 6-0: The Saints don't play very often, but they play well. They'll have to again this week when they take on unbeaten Lee's Summit out of Missouri.Last week: 18.
15. Edison (Alexandria, Va.) 14-1: Two easy wins coming up for the Eagles, but some claim Princess Anne should get this spot and not Edison. The only way they'll meet is in the state playoffs, and then there'll be no doubt. Last week: 16.
16. Archbishop MItty (San Jose, Calif.) 12-2: There's always talk of this league or that league being really tough, but the San Francisco Bay Area's West Catholic Athletic League has to be right up there. Mitty lost to Sacred Heart Cathedral and then had to turn around the next night and play another tough team (with a 6-5 Oregon-bound center), and won easily. The Monarchs will also get a another shot at Sacred Heart Cathedral in league play. Last week: 5.
17. Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 9-3: The Royals outlasted in-state rival Rush-Henrietta 51-49, thanks to a call that could have gone either way and the missed front end of a one-on-one. But it's not about how, it's about whether ... Last week: 10
18. Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) 18-3: The Blue Devils came from 10 down in the fourth quarter to knock off previously number 10 The First Academy. Tiffany Hayes had a couple big three-pointers and Ashley Martin knocked down two free throws to seal the win -- and the jump into the top 25. Last week: NR.
19. Washington (South Bend, Ind.) 18-1: The Panthers made a statement in the third quarter against Chicago's best, Whitney Young. Washington put 27 on the board in eight minutes, and that sparked a 74-68 road win- and moved the Panthers into the top 20. Last week: 24.
20. The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 18-3: A couple turnovers late cost the Royals against Winter Haven, but they've played a schedule that should prepare them to defend their 2A state title. Up next week is another large school power, Bishop Moore. Last week: 10.
21. St. Paul Central (St. Paul, Minn.) 13-0: The Minutemen rolled to two more wins in their league, and had to battle to stay under 100 points (the powers that be don't like triple digits). That's going to be another struggle against winless Harding, but Humboldt and Minneapolis South should supply a bit more competition. Last week: 20.
22. Lewis and Clark (Spokane, Wash.) 13-0: The Tigers have already beaten University (with Angie Bjorklund) twice and don't face their other tough league rival until season's end. Look for the wins to keep piling up. Last week: 21.
23. North Little Rock (Little Rock, Ark.) 14-1: Why the Charging Wildcats (who won their only game last week)? Because when two schools merged -- one the Chargers and one the Wildcats - neither wanted to give up their mascot. Last week: 22.
24. Bishop McGuinness (Kernersville, N.C.) 17-1: The Villains schemed their way to three more wins, thanks in part to Katheryn Lyons. who set a new school record with 1,501 points. Last week: 23.
25. Shelbyville Central (Shelbyville, Tenn.) 19-2: The Golden Eagles move into the top 25 after Webb drops out - but that may not last long, as one of those pesky league rivals (Lincoln County) is up next. Shelbyville only beat the Falcons by one the first time around, and this time, the Golden Eagles will be on the road. Last week: NR.
Dropped out: No. 15 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), No. 23 Webb (Knoxville, Tenn.).
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Clay Kallam is the publisher of Full Court Press (www.Fullcourt.com), an online magazine devoted to women’s basketball. The author of the book “Girls Basketball: Building a Winning Program (Wish Publishing, 2002), Kallam has written about the women’s game for several national publications and is a voter for the McDonald’s All-American team, the Parade All-American team, the All-WNBA team and the Wooden Award. He is the coach of The Bentley School girls’ varsity basketball team and formerly wrote for the Contra Costa Times newspaper chain.
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