One pretty big change in this week’s PennLive girls’ basketball Class 3A state rankings, with the addition of a new team into the top 10.
Say hello to Danville out of the Heartland Athletic Conference in District 4. We simply couldn’t ignore the Ironmen’s 17-0 mark as the season hits the stretch drive. And here are two names to know: Danville’s Amber Renz was an all-state pick last winter, and point guard Paige Harris makes the Ironmen tick.
So undefeated Danville is in, and we slipped 3-loss Berks Catholic, which fell to Easton last Sunday in the AFBE Shootout, to the honorable mention list. But that’s not a bad thing; there are several 1-loss and 2-loss clubs on the HM stack, and if the Saints make a Berks County and District 3 run — as expected — they’re definitely candidates to be back up quickly.
One other Class 3A tweak: South Park, which fell to Obama Academy in the Pittsburgh Classic last week, dropped a couple of slots, while District 3 heavyweights Greencastle-Antrim and Lancaster Catholic bumped up a few spots.
And yes, we kept Trinity at No. 4 despite a loss; the Hillers fell to No. 3 South Fayette 43-40 on Thursday, which was hardly a ‘bad’ loss, so Trinity stayed put.
The top three remained unchanged: Archbishop Wood, riding a 7-game winning streak; undefeated Villa Maria (Erie); and South Fayette are locked in at 1-2-3, respectively.
This is not an exact science, and Class 3A is pretty solid across the state. So hang with us as we continue to tweak with the postseason right around the corner.
Here is PennLive’s Class AAA top 10 through Jan. 24, plus honorable mention selections, with home district in parenthesis and overall record …
1. Archbishop Wood (12) 11-6 — previously: 1
2. Villa Maria (10) 17-0 — previously: 2
3. South Fayette (7) 13-2 — previously: 3
4. Trinity (7) 13-3 — previously: 4
5. Hickory (10) 15-0 — previously: 5
6. Blackhawk (7) 13-4 — previously: 6
7. Greencastle-Antrim (3) 14-1 — previously: 9
8. Lancaster Catholic (3) 16-1 — previously: 10
9. South Park (7) 13-2 — previously: 8
10. Danville (4) 17-0 — previously: HM
HONORABLE MENTION
Ambridge (7) 14-3, Athens (4) 12-4, Berks Catholic (3) 11-3, Blue Mountain (11) 14-2, Boiling Springs (3) 16-1, Brownsville (7) 16-2, Fleetwood (3) 13-3, Forest Hills (6) 14-2, Girard (10) 12-3, Gwynedd Mercy (1) 13-3, Hampton (7) 13-2, Juniata (6) 13-4, Mercyhurst Prep (10) 12-4, Mifflinburg (4) 12-4, Nanticoke (2) 13-2, Northern Lebanon (3) 18-1, Southern Lehigh (11) 17-1, Susquehannock (3) 17-2, Susquenita (13-3), St. Marys (9) 12-4, York Suburban (3) 15-3.
