SC Next Top 25: The best high school girls' basketball teams in 2025-26

2027 SC Next 60 No. 1 Kaleena Smith leads Ontario Christian, the No. 1 team in the 2025-26 girls’ high school rankings. Hoopers4Dayz

Shane Laflin

Jan 5, 2026, 05:30 PM ET

The holiday tournaments and showcases delivered fantastic matchups and major insight into the landscape of high school basketball across the country. Bishop McNamara (Md.) in particular left a huge impression, winning the Nike Tournament of Champions by defeating Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) 61-58, avenging an early season loss.

Princess Anne (Va.), led by 2027 ESPN SCNext 60 No. 7 Micah Ojo, ran away from the competition at the John Wall Classic, beating 2027 No. 2 Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka‘s Bullis (Md.) squad in the championship game 70-57.

A couple of New Jersey teams make their SCNext Top 25 debut in the January update: No. 22 Saint John Vianney, featuring Duke signee Taylor Sofilkanich (2026 No. 43) and Georgetown signee Stella Lockhart (four-star); and No. 24 Red Bank Catholic, featuring Indiana signee Addison Nyemchek (2026 No. 28). Westlake (25-0) out of Texas is also a newcomer to the rankings.

Ontario Christian (Calif.) continues to dominate the field, led by 2027 No. 1 Kaleena Smith and 2028 No. 1 Tatianna Griffin. The Lady Knights’ smallest margin of victory this season has been 22 points. However, their schedule toughens up in the middle of January, with contests against No. 4 Archbishop Mitty (Calif.) on Jan. 10, No. 2 Bishop McNamara (Md.) on Jan. 16, No. 22 St. John Vianney (N.J.) on Jan. 17 and No. 3 Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) on Jan. 19.

Speaking of Archbishop Mitty (Calif.): Possibly the biggest development in high school basketball right now is Iowa signee and 2026 No. 6 McKenna Woliczko‘s return to the court. She made her season debut on Jan. 2 after rehabbing an ACL injury suffered a year ago, with a 19-point, 13-rebound game.

January also features the Hoophall Classic — hosted in Springfield, Mass. — with a loaded slate of matchups on Friday, Jan. 16 featuring 11 recruits in the 2026 ESPN SCNext 100:

Christ the King (N.Y.) vs. Mater Dei (N.Y.)
No. 7 St. James Academy (Va.) vs No. 11 IMG Academy (Fla.)
No. 13 Westtown (Pa.) vs No. 10 Bullis (Md.)
No. 3 Long Island Lutheran (N.Y) vs No. 9 Sierra Canyon (Calif.)
No. 2 Bishop McNamara (Md.) vs No. 1 Ontario Christian (Calif.)

Events like The Sophie Cunningham Classic in Missouri, 4 Tha Culture in Atlanta, The Rose Classic in New York and Mecca Showcase in New York round out the rest of the month.

SC Next player rankings:
2026 SC Next 100 | 2027 SC Next 60 | 2028 SC Next 25