Central Section 2023-24 girls basketball final high school Top 10 rankings

Clovis West rightfully finishes on top, but No. 3 Caruthers is the last Central squad left standing — and celebrating

That’s a wrap for basketball in the Central Section and two teams in particular had stellar seasons.

The Clovis West girls went wire-to-wire as our No. 1 team, winning their 12th Central Section title in a row, good for the second longest streak in state history.

And how about those Caruthers girls' magical march to a CIF State D3 championship as a No. 14 seed, the lowest seed to win a state championship in history. They rise to No. 3 to close out the year, one place below St. Joseph who lost a close one to Clovis West in the D1 section title game.

Caruthers wins second girls state basketball champion, knocks off Granada Hills Charter: Live update recap

There is a ton of young talent returning next season throughout the Central Section and we are here for it!

Below are the final rankings for the 2023-2024 season.

1. Clovis West (31-3)

Last ranking: 1

It wasn’t easy but the Golden Eagles won their 12th straight Central Section title, beating No. 2 St. Joseph 45-41 behind Riley Walls’ 13 points, 7 rebounds and six steals. Placed in the CIF Open Division as the No. 2 seed, they beat St. Mary’s 69-57 before falling to No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 71-34 in the final. Seniors Athena Tomlinson and Ariyah Smith became the 12th and 13th players in school history to have four straight Central Section rings. They’ll return Walls and Keegan Medeiros for their senior seasons.

Jasmine Martinez (5) goes to the bucket in an 83-45 win over Maria Carrillo at the Sabrina Ionescu Classic on Jan. 20.   / Photo: Sam Stringer

2. St. Joseph (24-7)

Last ranking: 2

Attempting to win the school’s first Central Section title in D1 the Knights fell to Clovis West 45-41 in a tightly contested game that saw superstar senior Avary Cain foul out. They were seeded No. 2 in the SoCal D1 bracket and defeated Buena Park 67-59 before falling at home to Brentwood School 66-59. Cain, a UCLA signee, finished her year averaging 21.5 ppg and 6.5 rebounds.

3. Caruthers (25-8)

Last ranking: 8

Seeded No. 14, the Lady Blue Raiders had one of the greatest runs to a state championship in state history, defeating the No. 3, 2 and 1 seeds in NorCal bracket and winning the D3 state title with a 54-48 win over Granada Hills Charter. It’s the second state title (D5 in 2019) for coach Anna Almeida and her sophomore daughter stole the show with a 21 point, 9 rebound and 7 assist championship game.

Caruthers celebrating its state championship win over Granada Hills Charter.  / Photo: Dennis Lee

4. Buchanan (20-12)

Last ranking: 3

Lost in the Central Section D1 playoffs to St. Mary’s and in the first round of the CIF NorCal D2 playoffs 82-68 at home to Antelope Valley. Senior Aloni Oliver graduates as the school’s all-time leading scorer but talented 6-foot freshman Brinley Anderson returns.

5. Central (20-13)

Last ranking: 5

The defending CIF State D2 champs lost to Clovis West in the Central Section playoffs before bowing out to the eventual D3 champs Caruthers in the state playoffs. And how’s this for parody: they lost two of three with Buchanan and split with Clovis. They return a young core that includes Savannah Chase, Chyna Roland and Leilah Haynes.

6. Bakersfield Christian (28-8)

Last ranking: Not ranked

The Eagles breezed through the Central Section D3 playoffs, beating Morro Bay 70-38 for the title. Awarded the No. 2 seed in the CIF State D3 playoffs they advanced to the SoCal title game where they lost 58-56 to Granada Hills. Senior Sara Shien led the team with a 16.7 ppg average.

7. Monache (31-3)

Last ranking: 9

The young Marauders defeated Tehachapi to capture the Central Section’s D2 title for the first girls basketball title in school history. However, they were elevated to D1 for state playoffs and given the No. 12 seed where they lost to Orangewood 68-44. They’ll return sophomores Milly Rojas, Shelley Andrande, Kyah Bartlet and London Haynes who combined to score 43.1 ppg.

8. Clovis (18-14)

Last ranking: 4

The Cougars had an up-and-down season, losing two of three to Central, splitting two games with Buchanan and falling to Cornerstone Christian by 20 in the D2 NorCal playoffs. However, they had nice wins over SBLive Top Ten Tehachapi and Monache. They return two of their top players in sophomores Sadie Sin and Jazmine Aguliera.

9. San Joaquin Memorial (19-8)

Last ranking: 9

The CMAC champions fell to Buchanan 76-39 in the D1 Central Section playoffs and had an eleven day layoff before beating Manteca 67-37 in the CIF D2 playoffs. They eventually lost to Central 34-32 in the D3 state playoffs but they return their top three scorers next season.

10. Tehachapi (26-4)

Last ranking: 6

The season didn’t end like the Warriors had hoped, losing to Monache 41-37 in the Central Section D2 championship game and in the first round to eventual champion Harvard-Westlake in D2 SoCal bracket. They return talented guard Riley Walden and her 17.3 ppg and 4.0 steals.