A little over two weeks into the New Year, the girls basketball landscape is as intriguing and competitive as it's ever been. After two weeks of statement wins and win streaks, the rankings saw plenty of changes.

Team of the Week: Bensalem

Talk about a turnaround. The Owls ended 2023 at 4-4, and currently sit at 8-5. Their most impressive win was a 48-45 victory over CB East, where four players scored in double figures. Amber Howard had three straight 20-point games, in addition to 23 points in a win over CB South, and had another 20-point outing in Wednesday’s close loss to North Penn. Talia DiMichele has been a key factor on both defense and offense for the Owls, and sophomore Grace McShane has come on strong, with three games of 10-plus points in her last five.

Big-School Rankings:

Records include games through Wednesday, Jan. 17

1. Archbishop Wood (10-4)

The last rankings mentioned that it would take something crazy to happen to bump Wood from the top spot. That didn’t happen, but the Vikings did experience an unexpected skid, losing three of their last five games. However, two of those losses were against 13-1 Perkiomen Valley, No. 1 in the District One rankings, and Friends Central, a PAISAA semifinalist. More importantly, the Vikings are 4-0 in the PCL after demolishing Bonner-Prendergast.

2. Central Bucks East (11-2)

The Patriots picked up a big win over Pennsbury last week, playing on the second day of a back-to-back. Sydney Ralph made four free throws in the final seconds to secure the 43-39 win. Anna Barry and Jess Lockwood both had 12 points, with Lockwood reaching double digits in sixth straight games. They have a big game against Abington on Thursday.

3. North Penn (11-2)

The Knights made a big jump after coming in at No. 7 in the previous rankings. Since then, the Knights have gone 4-0 against quality opponents. They defeated 11-2 Haverford 46-45, had another close win against CR South, led by Cameron Crowley’s 14 points, and won a defensive battle against Neshaminy. On Wednesday, the Knights won their seventh straight, with Caleigh Sperling scoring 22 points, including her 1,000th career point, against Bensalem.

4. Neshaminy (10-3)

Neshaminy only played three games in the last two weeks, going 2-1 with wins over Souderton and Pennridge and a loss to North Penn. Alena Cofield had a season-high 17 points against Souderton.

5. Gwynedd Mercy (12-2)

The Monarchs had a busy, and productive, two weeks, winning four games with a lone loss to Penn Charter, a team that recently defeated Archbishop Wood. in addition to a win over AACA opponent Mount St. Joseph, the Monarchs had three non-league wins where they outscored their opponents 171-104. Sophomores Bailey Balkir and Emilia Coleman have been leading the way.

6. Abington (10-2)

The Ghosts are on a six-game winning streak, with recent wins over Cheltenham and Lower Moreland. Mikiaya Durham has scored 12 or more points in her last nine games.

7. Pennsbury (7-4)

The Falcons have played just twice in the new year, falling to CB East and winning against Pennridge, and had games against Souderton and CB West postponed due to weather. On Thursday, Falcons coaching legend Frank Sciolla will have the chance to record his 500th career win.

8. CR South (8-4)

The Golden Hawks won big over CB West, 40-23, and were edged by North Penn 44-42.

9. Upper Moreland (9-5)

The Golden Bears are 2-2 in the new year, with one of those losses against the top team in the SOL Liberty, Upper Dublin, and the other a one-point loss to CB West. Their wins were against Souderton and Quakertown. Junior Mikel Lancit has averaged over 15 points in her last five games, including a 25-point effort against Upper Dublin.

10. Bensalem (8-5)

The Owls break into the top 10 for the first time this season after winning five straight, highlighted by a statement win over CB East. Their streak came to an end on Tuesday, as the Owls came close to pulling off an upset at North Penn (51-46).

Girls hoops stars came to play last week Check out the standouts in the Bucks County area

Small-School Rankings:

1. Lansdale Catholic (11-0)

The Crusaders keep cruising along, picking up PCL wins against Conwell-Egan and Archbishop Ryan, and a non-league victory against Glen Ridge, a 9-2 team from North Jersey.

2. Germantown Academy (13-3)

The Patriots are 4-1 in January, with a five-point loss to Audenried their lone blemish. They are 3-0 in Inter-Ac play, with a huge win against Notre Dame, as first-year Patriots coach Lauren Power faced her former team for the first time.

3. George School (8-7)

The Cougars have faced some tough competition in the new year, going 1-4 with losses to Audenried, Friends’ Central, Abington and Academy of the New Church, teams with a 50-16 combined record. They have another challenging matchup against Pennsbury coming up.

4. New Hope-Solebury (6-5)

The Lions, a 3A team, played all three of their games this month against Class 6A teams, and they performed admirably. They fell to Plymouth Whitemarsh by just two points, and were edged 61-51 by CR North. They defeated Wissahickon 50-31, led by junior Izzy Elizondo, who scored  20-plus points for the third time in her last four games.

5. Faith Christian (9-5)

The Lions secured BAL wins over Christian Academy and Phil-Mont Christian, as well as a non-league victory over Bethlehem Christian. All three wins were by 13 or more points.

6. Conwell-Egan (5-7) 

The Eagles are the only team under .500 in the rankings, and there’s a good reason why: their schedule is ridiculously difficult! The Eagles first PCL matchups were against Lansdale Catholic and Archbishop Wood, both defending state champs. A non-league matchup was against Conestoga – the No.1-ranked team in District One. Their last game was a PCL win against Archbishop Ryan, led by Lily Milewski, who had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals.

Team on the Rise: Villa Joseph Marie

The Jems have won three straight, including a 30-point drubbing of Academy Park, and at 8-5, they sit atop the District One Class 4A standings.

Team to Watch: Morrisville

The Bulldogs are building for the future under first-year head coach Connor Collins. With just one senior, the Bulldogs have a solid 6-6 record, and have won three of their last four. Junior Faith Graham, who missed her sophomore season with a torn ACL, has been an asset on offense, scoring 20 points in last week’s victory against BAL opponent Dock Mennonite. Lone senior Miyonna Lynch, the team’s top defender and rebounder, missed time with a concussion but has recently returned to the lineup.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Girls High School Basketball: rankings have plenty of changes