Top 25 California high school girls basketball rankings: Archbishop Mitty reaches No. 1; Folsom, Bishop Montgomery take leaps

Archbishop Mitty, Folsom, Moreno Valley, and Village Christian are some of the top early risers

The theme of the 2023-24 season so far? Out-of-state madness. With league play mostly just beginning across California, heavyweight interstate clashes have shaped the upper ranks of California high school girls basketball more this season than any other in recent memory. Read on to find out why.

Here are SBLive's California girls basketball rankings for the week of Jan. 1-7. 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 (10-0 – 1st)

Photo by Darren Yamashita

For what is far from the first time and probably won't be the last, Archbishop Mitty is the consensus No. 1 team in America. McKenna Woliczko received MVP honors as the Monarchs downed Miami Country Day (FL), Xavier College Prep (AZ), Crestwood Prep (Canada's top team), and the top-ranked team in the country – Long Island Lutheran (NY) – to win the top division at the Nike Tournament of Champions. And they followed it up by going 3-0 last week against more elite out-of-state competition in Portland at the Nike Holiday Classic.

2. Sierra Canyon (14-1 – 3rd)

Photo by Tarek Fattal

While Juju Watkins is dominating for the USC Trojans, Sierra Canyon is still in national championship contention even without the top-ranked player in the Class of 2023. Since losing by one point to Sidwell Friends on Dec. 9, Sierra Canyon has beaten Paul VI (VA), Whitehaven (TN), Bartlett (TN), Sage Hill, Folsom, and Harvard-Westlake by an average of 34 points per game.

3. Etiwanda (12-2 – 1st)

Photo by Ralph Thompson

Despite getting upset twice by elite Texas competition – including DeSoto, which Sierra Canyon beat – Etiwanda is gaining steam and in good shape to make a push down the stretch. The Eagles head to Boston for the Hoophall Classic in mid-January where they'll face Long Island Lutheran and Sidwell Friends in games with potentially enormous national title ramifications. Will be fully healthy for the first time all season with Shaena Brew soon to return from an injury that's kept her out three weeks.

4. Sage Hill (11-2 – 5th)

Sage Hill came up short in its two biggest tests – Sierra Canyon and pre-injuries Mater Dei – but has passed all its other ones. That includes beating Ontario Christian, Bishop Montgomery, Santiago (Corona), Oakland Tech, South Medford (OR), Leuzinger, and St. Joseph (Santa Maria).

5. Folsom (10-3 – 8th)

The consensus No. 2 team in Northern California, and quickly entering the national ranks. After mostly cruising to 6-0 start facing local competition, Folsom had an excellent showing at the Nike TOC despite starting with a 19-point loss to Bishop McNamara (MD). Folsom responded by defeating St. Francis (GA) and Hazel Green (AL), two of the top teams in south, before ending with a single-digit loss against another national contender IMG Academy (FL). It followed that up with a strong showing at the West Coast Jamboree, where it blew out Rosary Academy, outdueled St. Joseph (Santa Maria), and kept things reasonable in an 11-point loss to Sierra Canyon.

6. Ontario Christian (13-3 – 15th)

Entering the new year, Ontario Christian's stock is quite literally at an all-time high. We believe sixth in the state to be its highest ranking ever, and for the first time, Ontario Christian is listed in a slew of national expert rankings. The Knights opened up the Nike TOC with losses to Long Island Lutheran (NY) and Hazel Green (AL) before upsetting St. Francis (GA) and Mater Dei.

7. Mater Dei (12-5 – 4th)

Unfortunately, 5-star junior Addie Deal suffered what's likely a season-ending injury at the Nike TOC per OC Register's Dan Albano. And the Monarchs have been without 4-star Duke-committed center Jenessa Cotton at times. It's not exactly hard to see how they slid in the rankings, losing to four out-of-state teams and Ontario Christian, but they rebounded to handle Orange Lutheran 66-57 in their Trinity League opener.

8. St. Mary's Stockton (10-4 – 7th)

It's rare that a team stays more or less in the same spot in our rankings after taking a major upset loss. But that's what's happening here. Despite an eye-opening loss to Windward at the West Coast Jamboree, the Rams have such a robust resume – relative to their brutal strength of schedule – that they barely drop for it. That's the result of wins against the likes of Cardinal Newman, San Ramon Valley, Acalanes, Whitney (Rocklin), Mission Hills, Desert Vista (AZ), and Cherokee Trail (CO).

9. San Ramon Valley (12-1 – 12th)

At the start of the new year, there's no question to the team to beat in the CIFNCS is. While the margin is thin, San Ramon Valley is the clear top dog at this juncture. SRV's sole loss was by five points to St. Mary's very early in the season, and in the last month, it's beaten SHCP, Bishop Gorman (NV), Lynwood, Bonita Vista, and St. Ignatius all by double-digits.  

10. Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (8-1 – 16th)

Unless you have to face them, it's hard not to feel a little bit good for the Irish, who've picked up where they left off a year ago before injuries ate up the end of their season. With narrow wins over Cardinal Newman and Archbishop Riordan, SHCP has fallen only to San Ramon Valley, and has to like its chances of an Open Division finals run in the Central Coast Section.

11. Bishop Montgomery (11-3 – 21st)

Speaking of teams that are justifying the hype, Bishop Montgomery has already beaten Brentwood, Corona Centennial, Bishop O'Dowd, Hamilton (AZ), Orange Lutheran, Redondo Union, and King/Drew all by double-digits. It's also beaten Lynwood twice in nail-biters, and two of the losses were near-upsets of Sage Hill and Bullis (MD). After two years as the eighth seed in the CIFSS Open Division, Bishop Montgomery is on pace for a significantly higher placement.

12. Cardinal Newman (13-2 – 11th)

Close losses to Sacred Heart Cathedral and St. Mary's are the only things keeping Cardinal Newman from being the top-ranked team in the North Coast Section. The last four wins in their 11-game tear, coming against Corona Centennial, Westview, Acalanes, and Paramount, suggest that this team's best basketball is probably ahead.

13. Moreno Valley (16-4 – Unranked)

Last season was Moreno Valley's best in a while, going 23-9 and making the CIFSS 3-AA semifinals. And the Vikings, led by junior guard Leiayjah Mills, are considerably better in 2023-24. Other than Mater Dei, Ontario Christian, and a team from Canada, MoVal has mowed over just about every one it's faced. Santiago beat the Vikings in November in their first matchup, but Moreno Valley returned the favor by a score of 62-44 on Dec. 8, and La Jolla Country Day is the only team MoVal beat by single digits. All the Vikings' other opponents, including Rialto, San Juan Hills, and Orange Lutheran, fell by at least 10 points.

14. Clovis West (15-2 – 6th)

When the Golden Eagles fell to Santiago in their first week of action, it didn't look like it would drop them much, but Santiago is 9-8 since then. However, that was their only in-state loss, and their other came against a top-10 team in the country in Sidwell Friends (DC). Clovis West has a handful of statement wins, having defeated the likes of Village Christian, Brentwood, 'Iolani (HI), and Desert Vista (AZ) all in convincing fashion.

15. Village Christian (13-2 – Bubble)

With former Chaminade star Alanna Neale joining returning cornerstones Layla Davis, Bryanne Lopez-Wood, Madison Mulligan, and Moriah Mosley, it's no surprise that Village Christian has built on last year's successes. It's safe to call the Crusaders one of the top breakout teams in the state, and they likely have staying power. They'll need the return of Davis (16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds), who has missed the last five games, during which they were upset by Paramount. And they responded by beating Acalanes without her. Other key wins include Rosary Academy, Birmingham, Hart, and Del Norte (San Diego).

16. Mission Hills (7-6 – 13th)

No stranger to playing a tough schedule, Mission Hills has already established itself as the top team in the San Diego Section despite its middling record. Mission Hills defeated usual suspect La Jolla Country Day by 15 points on Dec. 20, and also has marquee double-digit wins against Santiago and Grandview (CO). Additionally, while the team has a handful of losses against world-beaters, it's done a solid job keeping them reasonable competitive.

17. Bishop O'Dowd (6-3 – 17th)

The Dragons are still seeking a consistent rhythm, but they've already notched a handful of good wins in limited opportunities. Those have come against Windward, Riverdale Baptist (MD), Centennial (NV), McClatchy, Heritage (Brentwood), and Oakland Tech. All three of O'Dowd's losses came against top-notch competition too – Southern Section heavyweights Etiwanda and Bishop Montgomery, and arguably Colorado's best team in Cherokee Trail.

18. Acalanes (11-3 – 19th)

While it only has a few signature wins per se, Acalanes is once again untouchable against teams outside the top tier. It's lost only to Village Christian, St. Mary's, and Cardinal Newman, with two of those coming down to the wire. Acalanes' last two wins are two of its best on paper, coming by 16 points each against Westview and Corona Centennial.

19. Santiago-Corona (10-8 – 9th)

So far, Santiago's M.O. in 2023-24 is the same as it was last season – a pattern of brilliant wins and head-scratching losses through non-league play. But the Sharks found their consistency in the playoffs on their way to winning a Division 1 regional title. Last week, they opened the SoCal Holiday Prep Classic with an upset loss to Rancho Christian, and responded with impressive wins against Christian Brothers, Salpointe Catholic (AZ), and Oak Ridge.

20. Brentwood School (9-5 – 22nd)

Fresh off a four-game trip in Duncanville, Brentwood School held its on against high-level competition from the South. It defeated Vilonia (AR) and Brewer (TX) and fell to La Vega (TX) and McEachern (GA) in four games that were all competitive. Prior to that, Brentwood had picked up two more of its best wins of the season against La Jolla Country Day and Hamilton (Los Angeles).

21. La Jolla Country Day (7-3 – 10th)

The Torreys nearly pulled off the upset of the year on Dec. 2, falling 65-58 to Etiwanda after leading at halftime. If that lead had held, these rankings would look quite a bit different. But LJCD still has a slew of big-time wins, such as Corona Centennial, Buena Park, Valley Vista (AZ), and Willamette (OR). San Diego State commit Naomi Paganiban has lit up defenses for 23.4 points and 3.8 assists per game.

22. Windward (11-4 – Bubble)

Windward cracks the top 25 following one of the biggest upsets of the regular season to cap an underdog run to the Nike TOC finals. After defeating Oregon heavyweight Willamette 58-47 and Riverdale Baptist (MD) 70-61, Windward shocked St. Mary's (Stockton) 65-62 before falling to another Maryland powerhouse, Bullis, in the title game. Early losses to North (Torrance) and Orangewood Academy still hurt Windward's stock, but its only other loss came narrowly to Bishop O'Dowd, and it already had big wins before the TOC such as Leuzinger, Oakland Tech, and Buena Park.

23. Rancho Christian (4-1 – Unranked)

The young Eagles opened the season with a bang, upsetting Santiago at the Holiday Prep Classic where they also fell narrowly to Salpointe Catholic (AZ) and defeated Christian Brothers, Bishop Gorman (NV), and San Domenico. It seems that no matter how much production it graduates, Rancho Christian manages to get better every year.

24. Carondelet (11-1 – Bubble)

11-1 overall and 9-0 against California foes, Carondelet looks to be on its way back up the totem pole. Its only loss was a single-digit game against Bob Jones, perhaps the top team in Alabama, and a 56-47 win against Corona Centennial on Dec. 19 might be its best on paper. For all its tremendous consistency, Carondelet is due for some signature wins rankings-wise, and with LJCD and Pinewood on deck, it'll have two great chances.

25. Buena Park (9-7 – Unranked)

While Buena Park's winning percentage doesn't jump off the page, five of the team's losses came against very good or great out-of-state competition. Its only in-state losses occurred over a month ago against Windward and La Jolla Country Day, and it possesses wins over four top-25 teams in the Southern Section – Glendora, St. Anthony, San Juan Hills, and mostly recently, 36-point rout of Los Alamitos. And don't be surprised to see the Coyotes take another sharp jump – former St. Paul star Gloria Barrera had 29 points and 10 rebounds in her program debut, a blowout of Mayfair.

ON THE BUBBLE:

St. Joseph (Santa Maria), St. Anthony, Fairmont Prep, Glendora, Lynwood, Corona Centennial, Esperanza, Pinewood, M.L. King, Rialto, South Pasadena, Paramount, Orange Lutheran, Archbishop Riordan, La Salle

– Lance Smith | lance@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveca