California CIF-Southern Section Girls Basketball Top 25 Rankings - Nov. 28, 2025

Reigning Open Division champion Ontario Christian starts on top led by returning stars Kaleena Smith, Tati Griffin, and Dani Robinson.

Ontario Christian's Kaleena Smith is the No. 1-ranked recruit in the country in the class of 2027. She will play in the Dallas area after Thanksgiving. / Dennis Lee

High school basketball is back in California, which means it's time to unveil High School On SI's preseason Top 25 girls basketball rankings for the 2025-26 season.

Any regular season games that have already been played were not factored into the preseason rankings. Updated rankings will be released every week throughout the season starting on Monday.

1. ONTARIO CHRISTIAN

Ontario Christian (CA) Kaleena Smith named MVP of the team’s victory over Christ the King (NY) at 2025 Hoophall Classic. / Tarek Fattal

Not only are the Knights the reigning Open Division section champions, but they also possess the top returning trio in all of high school basketball:

• 5-star PG Kaleena Smith
• 5-star G/F Tati Griffin
• 4-star G Dani Robinson

Despite Sydney Douglas transferring to Corona Centennial, Ontario Crhsitian has size and talent in the front-court too with 6-foot-0 PF Skylah Archer coming in from Shadow Hills and 6-foot-3 C Layia King over from St. Mary's Academy. Lack of depth appeared to hurt the star-studded Knights down the stretch of the Nike TOC last season, but this year they have at least one serious bench weapon in G Chloe Jenkins, one of the more highly-touted incoming freshmen in the nation.

2. SIERRA CANYON

Sierra Canyon incoming junior Jerzy Robinson (left) averaged 22.5 points and 10.8 rebounds last season for the 31-3 Trailblazers / Photo: Andy Holzman

Not including a loss to an Australian opponent, Sierra Canyon lost just twice last season, and both were competitive playoff losses against Ontario Christian. The Trailblazers appeared to be just a few buckets away from a national title, and this year's group should be a few buckets better than last year's.

Alongisde the multipositional 5-star G/F Jerzy Robinson, Sierra Canyon also returns 4-star senior P Emilia Krstevski (Oregon), senior PF Payton Montgomery, and 4-star sophomore PF Rosie Oladokun. With Krstevski up to 6-5 and the rest of the group all well above six feet, not one team in high school basketball returns so much of both size and talent up front. And the Trailblazers have two monumental additions to complement them in the backcourt – Delaney White (UC Irvine) from Oak Park and Zaire "Cherri" Hatter from Desert Vista, the same Arizona powerhouse that Robinson transferred from.

3. ETIWANDA

Etiwanda coach Stan Delus holds up the trophy following his team's victory in the California (CIF) State Open Division championship game. / Photo by Ralph Thompson

Coming off back-to-back disputed national titles, the top-ranked public school team in high school hoops projects to take something of a step back after graduating three McDonald's All-Americans in two years. And even then, Etiwanda would be on a shortlist of the best teams in the country – and still a threat to reclaim the CIF-SS Open Division throne.

Top returners and 4-star GsArynn Finley(Florida) andChasity Ricelead the way along with Chino transferTess Oldenburg. Oldenburg emerged as one of California's premier sophomores last season and helps the Eagles replenish size at upwards of 6-2 with mobility and versatility on both ends. And the Eagles picked up two more game-changing junior transfers in 6-foot-2 PJaylee Moore, who helped Caruthers win a state title as a freshman, and 5-foot-11 SGSydney Roberson, who made First Team All-Mission League last season at Chaminade. The talent doesn't stop there as 6-foot-2 PFAliyah Phillipsand fellow juniorAndrea Alamo, a six-foot wing, return ready for big junior campaigns. Etiwanda's backcourt might not be as deep as it has been in recent years, but that could change right away if promising freshman GsHailey HendersonandCassidy Morganare ready for big minutes from day one.

4. CORONA CENTENNIAL

Centennial returns one of California's premier talents, 4-star C and 6-foot-4 Kansas signee Cydnee Bryant. But besides that, the Huskies are a totally new-look outfit in 2025-26. Matt Tumambing, who built Ontario Christian into a national contender, is now at the helm, and the roster has three huge additions. One of them is 6-foot-7 PF Sydney Douglas, who was the second-ranked freshman in the country last season at Ontario Christian. The acquisitions of junior G Armanyie Reed from Bishop Montgomery and sophomore W Talithakoum Poialii-Hunkin from Santiago (Corona) bolster them on the perimeter to give this team national-caliber upside.

5. MATER DEI

Year one of Jody Wynn succeeding Kevin Kiernan at head coach was a tremendous success. And the Monarchs had a real shot to make a run section, state, and national titles if not for an untimely injury to 5-star F Kaeli Wynn. Although McDonald's All-American Addie Deal is off to Iowa, Wynn is back and ready for a massive senior year to anchor a roster without any other huge-name stars but with a slew of talented contributors.

The other clear-cut top contributors to watch are 6-foot senior F Noelle Mulvanny (UCSD), junior G Harmony Golightly, and 6-foot-2 junior F Stella Hoss. Mater Dei's upside will be determined in large part by its slew of X-factors: senior F Ava Kanaly, senior G Amiah Lewis, 6-foot-2 F and Ontario Christian transfer Marissa Bishop, and freshman Gs Legend Tyler and Nelly Strong.

6. FAIRMONT PREP

Despite graduating Maria Mejia (UC Riverside), Fairmont Prep should be even better in 2025-26 following a CIF-SS Open Division selection. While depth could be an issue, the Huskies have one of the most complete and daunting projected starting fives in the section and far beyond.

SG Adyra Rajan (Harvard) is one of California's premier perimeter scorers and PF Sarah Aldeguer marks another returning OC Register First Team All-County pick. PG Lesina Afu makes a third returning senior who averaged double-figures last season. The new additions are huge too: 4-star SF and Westlake transfer Mathis Dritz and blue chip freshman P Aaliyah Mack. With Aldeguer, Mack, and Dritz averaging 6-2 to 6-3 in the frontcourt, this team has the size to hang with anyone in addition to the general talent level.

7. SAGE HILL

Amalia Holguin and company are ready to run it back after coming a few points a way from a Division I state title. The Lightning return almost their entire rotation with lots of talent and balance to complement the 4-star Texas signee.

Sage Hill's second and third-leading scorers are back after making OC Register all-county honors as just a sophomore and freshman, respectively, in Ws Kamdyn Klamberg and Addison Uphoff. 6-foot-3 F/C Eve Fowler was among the state's premier freshman posts last season and is likely to build on it. And senior F Alyssa Cuff and sophomore PG Leah O'Toner are two more key contributors who are back.

8. OAK PARK

Oak Park is an anomaly in that one of the best players in the program's history, Delaney White, transferred out and there's a new head coach but the team is still widely expected to improve.

The new head coach is former WNBA Dallas Wings coach April McDivitt Schilling, and the team's new biggest-name player is 4-star G Karisma Lewis (UCSB). There are at least two more big-name transfers in tow in PG Maya Urteaga, who averaged 26 PPG as a freshman at Moorpark, and 6-foot-4 P Diana Sorrondo (Southern Utah) from Arroyo Grande. They form a lethal core with W Maya Deshautelle, who was the leading scorer and rebounder last season for the reigning CIF-SS 2AA champion. To top it off, there's serious depth between F Joely Chadwick and Gs Ava Roberson, Khali Mitchell, and freshman Marley Berkow, who already has D-1 offers entering high school. This team might have top-five potential.

9. WINDWARD

The Wildcats are in an interesting spot with Amel Cook, the sixth-ranked sophomore in the country, out for the season but no shortage of talent at hand.

With Cook, they'd be a surefire Open Division team and threat to position themselves among the very top group of contenders. Their upside is unclear with her sidelined, but they will still be a force thanks mostly to other underclassmen, starting with 4-star junior SG Charis Rainey and junior PG Angelina Habis, a Princeton commit and transfer from Chaminade. Even without Cook, Windward has one of California's top sophomore classes led by PG Alexie Wehrle and F Shiloh Johnson.

10. RANCHO CHRISTIAN

With Julia Wilson off to Gonzaga, Bella Cosme off to Utah State, and Hailey Whitman off to Oklahoma Christian, some might rule out the reigning Division 1 champion from again contending at a high level. Not so fast. The Eagles return second-leading scorer and senior G Ebony Taylor-Smith along with W Alyson Boyd, who was their third-leading scorer and top rebounder. Fs Legacy Benjamin and Cori Benjamin have transferred in from Heritage (Menifee), W Jayla Brown is in tow after a productive freshman year at Temecula Valley, and Naomi Kemle and Amya Guzman are poised for leaps as returning sophomores. Lastly, keep your eyes out for sophomore posts London Creswell and Ala'Saundra Hudspeth, who stand 6-5 and 6-3, respectively.

11. VENTURA

The Cougars went 28-3 last season before falling to eventual champion Rancho Christian in the Division 1 quarterfinals, and they might've had quite a few more wins in store between section and state playoffs had they not run into Rancho Christian as early as they did. While they don't return a large quantity of players, they return one of the highest-quality duos in the section in senior PG Kailee Staniland and junior F Brinley Anderson. Senior G Kaiya Cook marks one more returning key contributor, and Ventura also expects leaps from rising sophomores Sofia Martinez and Emma Anter.

12. MORENO VALLEY

MoVal graduated a couple key players after making the Division 1 semifinals but returns one-two punches in the section in junior F Alaysha Mills and senior G Bella Medina. Senior G Crystal Serrano could give this team a major boost coming in from Etiwanda, and the other X-factor and breakout candidate is mobile 6-foot-3 senior F Hasina Williams.

13. SAINT JOSEPH (LAKEWOOD)

The Jesters fell narrowly in the first round of the 2AA playoffs last year after an excellent regular season, but between their returning stars and big-name transfers, we see them climbing upward. And if everything falls into place, it won't be a climb upward but a vault.

6-foot-2 PG Bella Harmon has been stuffing the stat sheet for so long at the high school level that it's easy to forget she still has a year left. Saint Joseph also returns 17-PPG scorer Ava Washington, a six-foot junior W, and SGs Olivia Martinez and Olivia Molina. There are more potential stars in the backcourt in highly-touted junior transfers Tailele Wily-Ava from Hawaii champion Kahuku and Mia Minshall from Lab University Christian Academy National. Transferring in to bolster the frontcourt is PF Aniya Johnson from Louisville and F Ella Mims from Gahr, who is listed at 6-4.

14. BISHOP MONTGOMERY

After it graduated one of the best senior classes in program history including Jordin Blackmon (Rice) and lost Armanyie Reed to Corona Centennial, Bishop Montgomery is most likely headed for a step backward in 2025-26. But one of the state's most consistent programs and 2024 Division I state champion could take a step back and still compete at a very high level.

One thing that's for sure is that seniors Sophia Dignadice and G'Layah Salazar form one of the top backcourts in the Southland. In the frontcourt is a huge breakout candidate with lots of upside, 6-foot-1 junior F/C Helen Long.

15. BRENTWOOD

With decorated guard Lev Feiman (UCSD) and Payton Sugar (CMS) off to college, Brentwood has graduated pretty much whole core of its dynasty over the last three summers. And there are still five important pieces back in 2025-26 for a program that seems unlikely to fall too far. 6-foot-1 PF/C Logan Scott is the team's lone big-name senior and is one of the top returning interior anchors in California on defense and the glass. As usual, the rest of the squad consists of talented guards who are 5-foot-9 and below, namely Reena White, Jessica Liu, Kelsey Sugar, and Lei Tomatsu.

16. VALENCIA (VALENCIA)

Valencia has its core four back after taking a major leap last season to make the Division 1 playoffs, and there's reason to believe the Vikings are just getting started.

Senior Cara McKell and sophomore Kamilla Basyrova form one of the top wing pairings in the section, if not the state, after both averaging above 18 PPG last season. And F/Cs Keira McLaughlin and Alexis Epie are back too. All four of them stand upwards of 5-10, and Basyrova and McLaughlin are still tapping into their considerable upside. The icing on the cake is PG Sophia Sarkar, one of the more highly-touted incoming freshmen in SoCal and a true lead guard that this unit previously lacked.

17. ESPERANZA

Underclassmen led the way last year as the Aztecs made the CIF-SS D1 quarterfinals, which makes the team a can't-miss top-20 selection entering 2025-26 despite a glaring lack of size. Esperanza is spearheaded by dangerous perimeter scorer and senior SG Charlotte Muller, whose twin sister Alexa Muller was second on the team in scoring and rebounding and first in assists, steals, and blocks per game. The Aztecs also return their No. 3, 4, and 6 scorers – G Avery Kame, W Kylie Chen, and F Ellie Frazier.

18. SAN CLEMENTE

A big year is in store for a reigning Division 1 quarterfinalist that returns pretty much everyone, including some serious talent well-balanced across positions. The Tritons are stacked at forward with all-county selections Izzy Sims and Kiley Husbands back as juniors in addition to senior Reese Tremper, all three of whom are upwards of six feet tall. Senior G Quinsey Bryan is a D-1 prospect who might be ready for an explosive senior year and comprises a deep backcourt with Ellie Anderson, Rachel Riewerts, and Mya Rex .

19. JSERRA

Now coached by former Crean Lutheran coach Rachael Ziemann, JSerra is sure to continue its steady rise towards the top of the Southern Section ranks. They tout one of the best junior duos around in F Vivian Grenald and W Kayla Rice, both of whom stand 6-foot-2. Those two are accompanied by two more Lions who were named All-Trinity League as sophomore, Rosie Santos and Shae Talleur.

20. VILLA PARK

Despite the team's glaring lack of size, it's hard to bet against a team that went 28-5, made the Southern Section D1 playoffs, and has its whole rotation back, mostly as seniors. Villa Park did all that and only lost one in-state game, to Corona Centennial in the playoffs, with its tallest players standing 5-10 and 5-9 and leading scorers averaging just 8.7 and 7.8 PPG. Those are the same pairs of players, Bailey Roczey and Olivia Sturdivant, respectively, and they'll again be surrounded by Madelyn Martinez, Sabina Patel, and Lauren Wolfe, each of whom scored between seven and eight PPG. Suriah Auerswald and Tatum White provide crucial depth.

21. LA SALLE

Almost always seemingly bringing back most of its top players, and almost always a lock to stay relevant at the section-wide if not statewide level. 2025-26 will be no different for La Salle. All but one of the Lancers' top players return, starting with the productive forward pairing of 6-foot-1 senior Casey Higgins and 5-foot-11 sophomore Aislin Tamez Torres. They're flanked by F Riley Higgins and Gs Julianne Tan, Maddy Chiang, and Emily Fong.

22. SANTA MARGARITA

Few teams anywhere have a better sophomore core than Santa Margarita. The Eagles went 18-11 with a D1 playoff victory despite primarily consisting of freshmen. That includes OC Register all-county honorees Madi Lam and Elle Palmer and at least two more standouts in Katie Wang and Gwen Julianel.

23. NOTRE DAME (SHERMAN OAKS)

The Knights are battle-tested and have reloaded after going 12-16 last against the difficult schedule one would expect from a Mission League team. Hamiley Arenas lived up to or exceeded expectations as a freshman and all indications are that she's going to build on it, especially with so much accompanying frontcourt talent this year. She's joined by key transfers MaZiya Randolph from Sierra Canyon, Ava Seeger from Thousand Oaks, and Mila Spencer from Fairfax. Notre Dame also expects jumps from returning underclassmen Zi Kennybrew and Siena Ostick.

24. HARVARD-WESTLAKE

Despite facing a reloading year after graduating Deana Thompson (Buffalo) and Bella Spencer, Harvard-Westlake seems likely to stick around in the top 25. G Hollen Vann and F Oyinkansola Iriafen are back after strong sophomore campaigns, and the Wolverines have strong 2028 and 2029 classes that are sure to produce some new standouts, including 6-foot-3 freshman F Lucia Khamenia, sister of Nikolas Khamenia.

25. FLINTRIDGE PREP

Flintridge Prep has a hole up front to fill where C Olivia Childs was before graduating, but besides that, the entire core from its 19-2 team is back. Starting with Yale-bound senior Maddie Smith, who's on a shortlist of the most dynamic guards/wings in SoCal. Returning alongside her are Megan Quoch, Akemi Fu, Addison Lee, Pressley Huie, and Hailey Louie.