Just one change in this week’s PennLive girls’ basketball Class 3A state rankings, and it’s kind of a significant move.
For the first time in three years, Blackhawk, the back-to-back reigning PIAA champ, has fallen out of the top 10.
We had to bump the Cougars to the honorable mention list this week after Blackhawk suffered its sixth loss. And the team that beat the Cougars, WPIAL rival Ambridge, slid into the top 10 after the Bridgers improved to 19-3.
We also decided to keep South Park on the 9-line despite a loss; the Eagles fell to Class 2A No. 8 Bishop Canevin 45-44 on Wednesday, and we simply couldn’t dock them for that setback.
So the top nine remained status quo, with Archbishop Wood occupying the No. 1 slot yet again; the Vikings have been there since the preseason, and they’ll take a 12-game winning streak into the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs.
This week begins with a pair of 1-loss squads — Northern Lebanon from District 3 and Southern Lehigh from District 11 — lurking in the honorable mention pile. But Ambridge got the bump this week after knocking off Blackhawk head-to-head.
Here is PennLive’s Class AAA top 10 through Feb. 7, plus honorable mention selections, with home district in parenthesis and overall record …
1. Archbishop Wood (12) 16-6 — previously: 1
2. Villa Maria (10) 21-0 — previously: 2
3. South Fayette (7) 17-3 — previously: 3
4. Greencastle-Antrim (3) 20-1 — previously: 4
5. Lancaster Catholic (3) 21-1 — previously: 5
6. Danville (4) 21-0 — previously: 6
7. Trinity (7) 17-3 — previously: 7
8. Hickory (10) 18-1 — previously: 8
9. South Park (7) 17-4 — previously: 9
10. Ambridge (7) 19-3 — previously: HM
HONORABLE MENTION
Abington Heights (2) 15-5, Beaver Area (7) 14-6, Berks Catholic (3) 17-4, Bishop McDevitt (3) 17-5, Blackhawk (7) 15-6, Blue Mountain (11) 20-3, Boiling Springs (3) 18-3, Brownsville (7) 19-3, Dallas (2) 14-5, Fleetwood (3) 15-6, Forest Hills (6) 16-5, Girard (10) 16-5, Gwynedd Mercy (1) 18-4, Hampton (7) 16-5, Juniata (6) 16-6, Mars (7) 16-5, Mercyhurst Prep (6) 14-6, Mifflinburg (4) 15-6, Nanticoke (2) 18-2, Northern Lebanon (3) 21-1, Slippery Rock (10) 14-6, Southern Lehigh (11) 21-1, Susquehannock (3) 21-2, Susquenita (3) 19-3, West Scranton (2) 14-6, York Suburban (3) 17-5.
