SBLive Arkansas Top 25 girls basketball rankings: Top teams gunning for title-game berths
By Kyle Sutherland I Photo by Glenn Parrish/Booneville Schools Communications Director
There are 16 movements this week as we have reached the best part of the season- state tournament week. Though it did not come without at least one more round of postponements, we are hoping to get through the final weeks of the season without any major issues. The top nine stayed the same before the shuffle begins, with one team making a debut and another returning.
Here are the girls Top 25 rankings for February 28-March 7:
1. Conway (28-1)
Conway closed out an undefeated regular season against in-state competition defeating three ranked teams and are the heavy favorite heading into the state tournament.
2. North Little Rock (24-4)
The Lady Charging Wildcats fought hard against top-ranked Conway going into halftime with a lead and down just four with less than two minutes, but the Lady Wampus Cats were able to escape. North Little Rock gets the winner of Rogers Heritage/Cabot in the second round of the state tournament.
3. Melbourne (30-0)
The Lady Bearkatz have now won 61 games in a row and there is no reason to believe they will not be state champions for the fourth straight season.
4. Greenwood (23-4)
The Lady Bulldogs tore through the 5A-West and now look to do the same in Sheridan at the 5A state tournament. Mady Cartwright and Anna Trusty put up 26 and 22 points per game, respectively, against Greenbrier in the regular season finale. Trusty scored 22 in both games last week.
5. Farmington (32-1)
The Lady Cardinals defeated area rival Prairie Grove for the fourth time this season to since the North regional title and take some heavy momentum into state.
6. Lake Hamilton (25-2)
This Lady Wolves seniors have dominated together going 42-0 in conference play over the past three years and hope to win the big one in a couple of weeks.
7. Har-Ber (21-4)
The Lady Wildcats came into the season with high hopes, and they have lived up to the expectations after winning the 6A-West title going undefeated in conference play.
8. Nashville (30-2)
The Lady Scrappers may not get the exposure that some other great teams do, but they check just about every box and are looking scary in Class 4A.
9. Bentonville (19-7)
Bentonville finished the regular season as winners of 11 of their past 12 games. They now await the winner of the Fort Smith Northside/Bentonville West first-round game.
10. Bergman (38-0)
A very good Valley Springs team hung tough with Bergman in the regional final, but the Lady Panthers seem like they could be, or already have, separating themselves from the rest of Class 3A.
11. Vilonia (21-5)
Senior leaders Madeleine Tipton and Addi Bonema lead a very young, but talented, Lady Eagles squad into Sheridan facing off first against a stout Benton team.
12. Jacksonville (21-5)
Jacksonville has won its last 10 games and should match up well in a first-round state tournament game against Russellville.
13. Jonesboro (19-6)
Jonesboro squeaked past rival Marion on Friday to win its 12th straight, and they are one of the hottest teams in Class 5A right now.
14. Northside (21-6)
The Lady Bears are coming off of an upset loss to Central and do not have much experience going into the postseason like they are used to but have been more than battle tested in the 6A-Central.
15. Little Rock Christian (22-4)
Ashton Elley led the Lady Warriors on senior night to a victory over Benton and they will face Siloam Springs next.
16. Central (18-9)
Central closed out the regular season with a big win over previously No. 10 Fort Smith Northside and head into the state tournament feeling confident. They will face Fayetteville in the first round on Wednesday.
17. West Memphis (15-6)
As the East’s No. 2 seed, West Memphis is matched up against a gritty El Dorado squad in the first round. If they get past the Lady Wildcats, it continues to get tougher as they will likely play No 4 Greenwood in the second round.
18. Siloam Springs (17-9)
The Lady Panthers dropped their final two regular season games pushing them back to the a No. 3 seed in the state tournament and will face Little Rock Christian in the first round.
19. Bryant (16-8)
The Lady Hornets dropped their final regular season game against top-ranked Conway but are feeling confident going into postseason play having been heavily tested this year.
20. Centerpoint (28-2)
The Lady Knights clinched the 3A Region 4 tournament and though some have forgotten they were just a few points from a state title last year, they are major contenders once again.
21. Cabot (15-12)
Anything that happens from here for the Lady Panthers is icing on the cake. You must tip your hat with what this team has accomplished against a brutal schedule and many underclassmen.
22. Rogers Heritage (18-9)
Heritage dropped one last week to an improving Fayetteville team before taking down inner-city rival Rogers in the regular season finale, but due to losses from teams ahead of them and the overall body of work they move up to No 22.
23. Lakeside (18-7)
The Lady Rams crack the Top 25 after finishing second in the 5A-South, their only two conference losses coming to Lake Hamilton. They are riding a five-game win streak heading into the state tournament.
24. Booneville (28-1)
The Lady Bearcats suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of Valley Springs but bounced back in the 3A-Region 1 final against Danville led by Joleigh Tate’s 14 points and 18 rebounds.
25. Benton (19-8)
The Lady Panthers are back in the Top 25 and has been one of those teams that opponents must show up to play against. With many talented underclassmen, this group has played very tough all year.
