FCP Top 25 - Feb. 21

Cast out of the rankings three weeks ago, Ursuline Academy returns after Elena DelleDonne leads a win over arch-rival St. Elizabeth's.

PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

It's been a quiet year in the top 25 - there haven't been that many upsets, and the national powers, for the most part, have taken care of business.

But now almost every team is moving into the postseason, and though the first rounds usually aren't much of a challenge, every week gets tougher and tougher. Expect a couple upsets to shake things up by next week, and even more as the pressure builds and the competition gets more heated.

This week, though, the only new entrant is Ursuline of Delaware, which knocked off in-state rival St. Elizabeth's. That makes the series 1-1, but the two most likely will meet again, for the state championship - and a spot in the final top 25.

1. (1) Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) 26-0: Taylor Dalrymple was reinstated to the team after quitting, but had to sit out the last two games. The Eagles are three wins away from a state title and a national championship.

2. (2) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 27-1: Poly bounced back from that close Wilson win to thump Thousand Oaks 65-22 in the first round of the Southern Section 1-AA playoffs. Traditional SoCal power Buena (22-5) awaits Saturday.

3. (3) Notre Dame Academy (Middleburg, Va.) 25-1: The Dragons lost one game to bad weather, and a week's practice - but they still should roll into the prestigious Bishop Walsh Invitational March 8-10 with just one loss.

4. (4) Murry Bergtraum (Manhattan, N.Y.) 23-0: The Blazers opened the playoffs with a 77-30 pummelling of Frederick Douglass, but don't play again until March 3.

5. (5) Stephenson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) 25-0: The Jaguars play Groves this weekend, but the real action won't start until March 9 at Gwinnett Arena - that's when Stephenson, Collins Hill and South Gwinnett finally will square off.

FCP Top 25

1. (1) Collins Hill
2. (2) Long Beach Poly
3. (3) Notre Dame Academy
4. (4) Murry Bergtraum
5. (5) Stephenson
6. (6) Bolingbrook
7. (7) Brea-Olinda
8. (8) Rockwall
9. (9) Cy-Fair
10. (10) Incarnate Word
11. (11) Edison
12. (12) Lee’s Summit
13. (13) Winter Haven
14. (14) Kentwood
15. (15) Sacred Heart Cathedral
16. (16) Christ the King
17. (17) The First Academy
18. (18) Washington
19. (19) Germantown Academy
20. (nr) Ursuline
21. (21) Sequoyah
22. (22) St. Paul Central
23. (23) North Little Rock
24. (24) Bishop McGuinness
25. (25) Mandan

Dropped out:
No. 20 St. Elizabeth

6. (6) Bolingbrook (Bolingbrook, Ill.) 28-1: Michigan State-bound Britteny Thomas had double-doubles in the last two wins - three more mean a state title.

7. (7) Brea-Olinda (Brea, Calif.) 27-0: Brea has a likely date with Ventura (22-5) and 6-4 center Kali Bennett on Saturday. A loss could be the end of the season, though the California state championship game isn't until March 23.

8. (8) Rockwall (Rockwall, Texas) 35-0: Haley Day has 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for her career - and the Jackets are off to Waco for the regionals this weekend.

9. (9) Cy-Fair (Houston, Texas) 35-0: Bellaire was ranked ahead of Cy-Fair in preseason. Not any more: Cy-Fair 52, Bellaire 32.

10. (10) Incarnate Word (St. Louis, Mo.) 24-1: Bad weather limited the Red Knights to just one game (a win, naturally). District playoffs begin next week.

11. (11) Edison (Alexandria, Va.) 24-1: After disposing of Mount Vernon 100-42 and Yorktown 87-45, the Eagles move on to the regionals. Maybe they'll get a good game there.

12. (12) Lee’s Summit (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) 24-0: Little to say about the two easy wins to wind up the regular season. The playoffs, mercifully, begin.

13. (13) Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.) 27-3: Baron Collier, the team that knocked off the Blue Devils last year, is next. Revenge should be sweet.

14. (14) Kentwood (Covington, Wash.) 23-0: Courtney Vandersloot continues to lead the Conquerors, who have already qualified for the state tournament. But if they win two more games, they'll get a significant seeding advantage.

15. (15) Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 25-2: Removing all doubt, the Fighting Irish beat Archbishop Mitty, ranked in the top 10 nationally during the preseason, for the third straight time. Central Coast Section playoffs will present few problems.

16. (16) Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 18-3: Sky Lindsay scored her 1,000th point as the Royals won their 12th straight. New Jersey's St. John Vianney is up Monday (the game was postponed due to nasty weather).

17. (17) The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 27-3: The Royals are two wins away from another 2A state title. Ponce de Leon Thursday is the first obstacle.

18. (18) Washington (South Bend, Ind.) 21-1: The Panthers played two games on Saturday, and Skylar Diggins had 60 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and four steals. That's a month for a lot of players.

19. (19) Germantown Academy (25-3): The season's over for the Patriots, who don't participate in Pennsylvania's fragmented postseason.

20. (nr) Ursuline (Wilmington, Del.) 19-4: Elena DelleDonne had 13 points in the last six minutes of a 45-41 win over St. Elizabeth that put the Raiders back in the rankings. Delle Donne finished with 28; St. Elizabeth's Khadijah Rushdan had nine.

21. (21) Sequoyah (Tahlequah, Okla.) 21-0: In Oklahloma, the state champs get a Gold Ball. The Indians are looking for their third straight spheroid after winning two playoff games by more than 30 points.

22. (22) St. Paul Central (St. Paul, Minn.) 23-0: The Minutemen should finally get a challenge on Saturday, most likely from Minneapolis South. It might be hard for them to handle a close game: The smallest margin of victory since New Year's is 40 points.

23. (23) North Little Rock (Little Rock, Ark.) 24-1: Six-one junior Malaya Leggs twisted her ankle, and will most likely miss this week's big game against Conway - but the Charging Wildcats are at home.

24. (24) Bishop McGuinness (Kernersville, N.C.) 26-1: Katheryn Lyons, who will go to Maryland, was the conference tournament MVP. The state playoffs are next.

25. (25) Mandan (Mandan, N.D.) (17-1): The Braves had what looked like a big one against number two Bismarck. Final score: 81-49.

Dropped out: No. 20 St. Elizabeth (Wilmington, Del.)

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PREVIOUS RANKINGS

February 14
February 7
January 31
January 24
January 17
January 10
Preseason

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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.