SBLive Nebraska Top 25 high school girls basketball rankings (Feb. 6)

By Sam Pimper 

Millard South returns this week to SBLive’s No. 1 spot in Nebraska girls Class A rankings. Riding a nine-game win streak, the Patriots are coming off a dominant win over an excellent Millard North team. South’s strength of schedule and notable wins over high-level competition place them in the rankings’ driver seat heading to the latter part of the season.  

1. Millard South (18-2, 11-0 district)

The Patriots are coming off of arguably their biggest win of the season, dominating crosstown rival Millard North 71-59 last Friday. This squad has won nine straight games, and all four of its remaining regular-season matchups look winnable. The toughest will likely come against Bellevue East on Feb. 18. Up next is Columbus on Friday.

2. Bellevue West (18-2, 11-1 district)

The Thunderbirds have recent quality wins over Omaha Central and Lincoln Pius X, and are the winners of six straight. A crosstown matchup against Bellevue East Friday will be a good barometer of where this team sits. Naomi White, a junior guard, leads Bellevue West in scoring at just over 18 points per game. Ahnica Russel-Brown is adding 13.

3. Skutt Catholic (20-1, 1-0 district)

Less than a week after rolling through Class A competition, Skutt has continued winning in dominating fashion. The Skyhawks beat Bennington this past week by more than 40, and Gross Catholic by more than 60. This is a team that would compete well in Class A week-in and week-out. Up next is 13-6 Norris Tuesday.

4. Millard North (16-2, 13-1 district)

Millard North falls to our No. 4 spot after losing badly to Millard South this past week. It would be unwise to sleep on this team, though, and don’t be surprised if they make a State Tournament push at Pinnacle Bank Arena this spring. The Mustangs’ next three games should tally wins leading up the regular season finale against Bellevue West on Feb. 17.

5. Elkhorn North (18-1, 2-0 district)

Elkhorn North, much like its Class B counterpart Skutt Catholic, has proven that it can play with the best in the state. Since losing a tight game to Skutt the second game of the year, Elkhorn North has rattled off 17 straight wins. It’s last win was a 55-9 walloping of a solid, 16-3 York team. Look for this team to win its last four regular-season matchups.

6. Lincoln High (17-1, 13-0 district)

Lincoln High is the only one-loss team in Class A, but hasn’t had to face consistent challenges from the likes of many Omaha Metro teams. It’s likely the Links will win out their regular season, but Benson and Lincoln Pius X could be interesting matchups. Up next is a Tueday district away game at Papillion-LaVista South.

7. Bellevue East (15-3, 8-2 district)

The Chieftains are coming off of four straight wins and head to Omaha Marian Tuesday for a district matchup. Friday will be a huge test for Bellevue East, as they host Bellevue West at home. Mya Skoff is leading East with just over 16 points per game, and Kara Stricklin and Jayla Wilson are averaging just under 11 and 10 points per game, respectively.

8.Millard West (12-6, 10-5 district)

After a rocky four-loss January, the Wildcats are the winners of five straight and have gotten their season back on track. Next up is a Tuesday home game against an 8-9 Fremont squad that has struggled mightily with consistency. Leading Millard West are twins Norah and Neleigh Gessert, both scoring just over 10 points per game.

9. Lincoln Pius X (15-4, 11-2 district)

Pius X does a good job of winning the games it should; however, tougher matchup have posed problems for the Thunderbolts this year. This squad has won two of its last four games, with losses coming to Class B No. 1 Skutt Catholic and Class A Bellevue West. Pius has a home game Friday against Lincoln East. Leading the Thunderbolts with just over 11 points per game is Adison Markowski.

10. Lincoln East (14-4, 14-3 district)

This East squad had poised itself to finish the season strong and has been hot since the end of December, dropping just one game to Millard North. The winners of seven straight, look for the Spartans to get another W against 6-13 Omaha Westside Tuesday. Leading East in scoring is Regan Barnard, averaging just over 11 points. Kaylee Denker and Shandy Faalii are scoring just under nine per game.

11. Omaha Central (13-7, 9-5 district)

Coming off tough back-to-back losses to Bellevue West and Skutt Catholic, this Eagles team rebounded with wins last week over Papillion-LaVista South and Elkhorn South. The next four games are all winnable, but tests will likely come against Lincoln Northeast and Millard West. Inia Jones leads Central in scoring, averaging 19.5 per game. Taylor Gonzales and Noelle Tcheuhchoua are scoring just over 11 and seven, respectively.

12. Bridgeport (20-0, 4-0 district)

The Bulldogs are the last unbeaten in the State of Nebraska, and have steadily been climbing our rankings. A Class C-1 squad, it’s difficult to say how Bridgeport would stack up against higher competition, but having that perfect zero in your records scores you some points with us. It also doesn’t hurt your rankings when you have two 20-point-per-game scorers in sisters Ruthie and Olivia Loomis-Goltl.

13. Lincoln North Star (11-7, 8-5 district)

After a shaky, back-and-forth start to the season, the Navigators have found their footing. Winning eight of their last 10 games, look for this team to close strong and win at least two of their final four games heading into district tournament play. Sarah Gatwech’s nearly 15 points per game lead North Star, and Ani Leu and Jay Buettner are scoring just over 12 and nine points per game, respectively.

14. Kearney (11-9, 8-5 district)

Kearney is coming off a 54-48 win over Lincoln Northeast, and has a Friday district matchup on the road against Lincoln Southeast. Kearney’s schedule hasn’t been easy down the stretch, but look for them to win at least two of their final four games (Lincoln Southeast, Columbus, Fremont and Lincoln Southwest). Tatum Rusher leads Kearney with just over 11 points per game, and Kiara Dutenhoffer is scoring eight.

15. Lincoln Southwest (10-8, 10-7 district)

Southwest is the winner of four straight and climbed five spots in this week’s rankings. It’s a rough road to close the year, though, with games against Millard South, Millard North and Kearney. Look for Southwest to pick up a win Friday at Norfolk. Leading Southwest is Brinly Christensen, averaging just under 14 points per game. Aniya Seymore is averaging just over seven.

16. Benson (10-7, 7-5 district)

The Bunnies are coming off three straight losses. Playing with an undermanned squad undoubtedly is wearing on Benson at this stage in the season. Three of their final four regular season games are winnable, but look for them to lose to Lincoln High. Omaha Marian is next up on Thursday. Leading Benson in scoring is Ahmani Klabunde at more than 18 per game. Zakiyyah Muhammad continues being a force on the glass, pulling down more than 19 rebounds per game.

17.Lincoln Northeast (11-9, 6-7 district)

Doneelah Washington has been a steady scorer for the Rockets all season, averaging 17 points per outing. Jaeden Webb and Khadijah Phillips are scoring six and five points per game, respectively. After losing Saturday to Kearney, Northeast has a home game Thursday against Omaha Central. This could be a tough one, but look for wins against Omaha North and Fremont down the stretch.

18. Papillion LaVista (10-9, 9-8 district)

Sophomore guard Rease Murtaugh leads the Monarchs in scoring at just under 14 per game. Brooklyn Holloway and Mia Slizinski are scoring around nine per game each. Losing two of their last three, Papillion has a winnable game Tuesday against Gretna, and should beat both Westview and Columbus to wrap up the regular season.

19.Sidney (19-1, 4-0 district)

Sidney’s lone blemish of the year came during a late December loss to Gordon-Rushville. Since, the Red Raiders are the winners of 12 straight and likely will win out the rest of their regular season. This is an improved team from last year, and already has amassed the same amount of wins. We will learn a lot more when this team heads to Lincoln for the State Tournament.

20. York (16-3, 0-0 district)

Coming off an abysmal showing, getting blown out by more than 40 points to Elkhorn North, York got back on track with a 38-27 win over Columbus Lakeview. Friday’s game against Seward is winnable, as is an away game at Hastings to wrap up the regular season. Leading York is Kiersten Portwine, scoring just under 10 points per game. Chloe Koch is adding nine.

21. Beatrice (14-3, 1-1 district)

Beatrice dropped a rough one to Norris to end January, but bounced back Saturday by beating Class C-1’s Wahoo 40-35. The Orangemen wrap up the regular season with games against Grand Island Northwest and Waverly. Look for them to beat Northwest, but the matchup with Waverly could be interesting.

22. North Bend Central (20-1, 3-1 district)

This is a solid, talented group, but they haven’t had to play the best C-1 competition yet. This, of course, is where the state tournament will separate the contenders from the pretenders. Winners of three straight titles, this team is 100 percent a contender, but a few questions still need to be answered. Don’t be surprised if this squad answers them loudly.

23. Adams Central (20-1, 2-1 district)

Since losing a one-point game in late January to Grand Island Central Catholic, C-1 Adams Central has rattled off six straight wins. Look for them to pick up another when they head to 0-19 Lexington Thursday. Though you can never sleep on a lesser foe late in the year, it seems incredibly unlikely Lexington has the firepower to handle Adams Central.

24. Omaha Marian (9-10, 7-8 district)

Leading Marian is Maggie Tynan, scoring 14.5 points per game. Junior McKenna Stover and Zoe Wiegert are adding 10 and seven, respectively. Coming off a 53-50 win over Lincoln Southeast, the Crusaders have a tough matchup Tuesday against 15-3 Bellevue East. This final four game stretch is likely to be a brutal one for Marian.

25. Lincoln Southeast (9-10, 7-9 district)

Southeast is coming off a close loss to Omaha Marian, and plays Kearney at home Friday in a district matchup. Look for this to be a competitive game. The final three-game stretch for Southeast is Bellevue West, Columbus and Lincoln North Star. The Knights wont beat Bellevue West, but should beat Columbus to make for an interesting game against North Star to finish the regular season.