By Stacker
From the farm-fueled towns of the heartland to the bustling concrete canyons on the coast, high school girls basketball is a cultural touchstone.
Basketball engages nearly 400,000 girls to join high school teams per year, according to 2021-22 data from the National Federation of State High School Associations. With almost 18,000 high schools maintaining girls teams, basketball is the most widely offered girls high school sport, beating out track and field and volleyball. Such data paints a clear picture of the sport’s cultural impact.
And girls basketball dates back over a century. Iowa, for instance, traces its girls state championship history to 1920. That timeline doesn’t lag far behind boys’ basketball: Illinois’ boys state championship began just 13 years before Iowa’s girls event. However, girls across the country weren’t given equal representation and support in the sport until the passage of the gender equality act known as Title IX in 1972. Since the arrival of that legislation, girls participation in basketball—and sports as a whole—exploded. Now, girls play basketball in high school gyms across all 50 states.
To dig into competition data behind the ever-growing sport of high school girls basketball, Stacker compiled statewide rankings in North Carolina using MaxPreps. MaxPreps’ rankings factor in win-loss record, win quality, and strength of schedule. Keep reading to find out which schools top the girls basketball charts in North Carolina in the 2021-22 season.
Class 1A East
1. Wilson Prep (Wilson): 27-7 (15-1 in 1A Conference 9), 18.9 rating, 9 straight wins
2. Bertie (Windsor): 26-5 (15-1 in 1A Conference 2), 15.9 rating
3. Washington County (Plymouth): 23-3 (14-1 in 1A Conference 2), 14.6 rating
4. Northampton County (Gaston): 19-7 (13-3 in 1A Conference 9), 11.4 rating
5. Chatham Charter (Siler City): 34-1 (10-0 in 1A Conference 13), 10.3 rating
Class 2A East
1. Farmville Central (Farmville): 30-1 (13-0 in 2A Conference 4), 29.8 rating, 20 straight wins
2. Goldsboro: 28-3 (10-0 in 2A Conference 8), 22.0 rating
3. Hertford County (Ahoskie): 24-5 (12-2 in 2A/3A Conference 15), 21.2 rating
4. South Granville (Creedmoor): 23-8 (11-2 in 2A/3A Conference 18), 16.4 rating
5. Kinston: 21-6 (11-2 in 2A Conference 6), 15.7 rating
6. Greene Central (Snow Hill): 23-7 (11-3 in 2A Conference 4), 15.7 rating
7. Northeastern (Elizabeth City): 16-10 (11-4 in 2A/3A Conference 15), 13.3 rating
8. Manteo: 17-8 (9-5 in 2A/3A Conference 15), 12.1 rating
9. Heide Trask (Rocky Point): 24-5 (12-0 in 1A/2A Conference 5), 11.3 rating
10. Princeton: 21-4 (8-2 in 2A Conference 8), 8.4 rating, 2 straight losses
Class 3A East
1. Northwood (Pittsboro): 28-3 (12-0 in 3A Conference 25), 27.4 rating
2. E.E. Smith (Fayetteville): 26-4 (15-1 in 3A/4A Conference 23), 21.8 rating
3. Northern Nash (Rocky Mount): 28-3 (13-1 in 2A/3A Conference 17), 20.5 rating
4. Franklinton: 25-5 (11-3 in 2A/3A Conference 17), 19.0 rating
5. Southern Durham (Durham): 22-7 (12-0 in 2A/3A Conference 18), 18.5 rating
6. Seventy-First (Fayetteville): 26-3 (15-0 in 3A/4A Conference 22), 18.3 rating
7. Rocky Mount: 21-4 (12-2 in 2A/3A Conference 17), 17.8 rating
8. First Flight (Kill Devil Hills): 18-10 (12-3 in 2A/3A Conference 15), 16.9 rating
9. White Oak (Jacksonville): 21-6 (9-1 in 3A Conference 16), 16.2 rating
10. Westover (Fayetteville): 21-9 (12-5 in 3A/4A Conference 23), 14.9 rating
Class 4A East
1. Richmond (Rockingham): 28-3 (14-0 in 3A/4A Conference 24), 24.4 rating
2. Millbrook (Raleigh): 21-8 (9-1 in 4A Conference 27), 23.3 rating
3. Holly Springs: 26-6 (13-1 in 4A Conference 29), 23.1 rating
4. New Hanover (Wilmington): 26-3 (15-0 in 3A/4A Conference 20), 22.4 rating
5. Garner: 25-4 (13-1 in 4A Conference 26), 20.5 rating
6. Panther Creek (Cary): 20-8 (10-4 in 4A Conference 29), 19.4 rating
7. Jordan (Durham): 21-10 (13-0 in 4A Conference 30), 19.3 rating
8. Sanderson (Raleigh): 19-8 (6-4 in 4A Conference 28), 16.8 rating
9. Laney (Wilmington): 23-5 (12-3 in 3A/4A Conference 20), 15.9 rating
10. Hoggard (Wilmington): 20-9 (12-4 in 3A/4A Conference 20), 15.6 rating
11. Hillside (Durham): 17-10 (8-4 in 4A Conference 30), 15.5 rating
12. Green Level (Cary): 19-9 (11-4 in 4A Conference 29), 14.6 rating, 2 straight losses
13. Wake Forest: 18-11 (5-5 in 4A Conference 27), 14.3 rating
14. Lumberton: 24-6 (14-3 in 3A/4A Conference 22), 14.0 rating
15. Broughton (Raleigh): 16-14 (5-5 in 4A Conference 28), 13.6 rating
Class 1A West
1. Eastern Randolph (Ramseur): 29-3 (11-1 in 1A/2A Conference 31), 17.8 rating
2. South Stokes (Walnut Cove): 25-5 (12-0 in 1A Conference 36), 17.2 rating
3. Mountain Heritage (Burnsville): 26-2 (12-0 in 1A/2A Conference 42), 16.0 rating
4. Bishop McGuinness (Kernersville): 25-6 (12-0 in 1A Conference 32), 13.7 rating
5. Thomasville: 24-6 (12-1 in 1A/2A Conference 33), 12.5 rating
Class 2A West
1. Reidsville: 26-1 (12-0 in 2A Conference 34), 23.4 rating
2. North Surry (Mount Airy): 27-2 (12-0 in 2A Conference 37), 19.9 rating
3. East Gaston (Mt. Holly): 25-3 (12-1 in 1A/2A Conference 40), 18.0 rating
4. West Caldwell (Lenoir): 26-3 (14-0 in 2A Conference 45), 15.8 rating
5. Salisbury: 22-6 (11-1 in 1A/2A Conference 33), 15.8 rating
6. Lincoln Charter (Denver): 25-12 (13-0 in 1A/2A Conference 39), 15.2 rating
7. Hendersonville: 25-4 (11-1 in 2A Conference 41), 14.4 rating
8. Robinson (Concord): 22-7 (13-0 in 1A/2A Conference 35), 14.2 rating
9. T.W. Andrews (High Point): 18-10 (8-4 in 2A Conference 34), 12.6 rating
10. Shelby: 18-8 (10-2 in 1A/2A Conference 40), 12.5 rating
Class 3A West
1. Central Cabarrus (Concord): 32-0 (16-0 in 3A Conference 48), 30.9 rating, 32 straight wins, #15 national rank
2. Ben L. Smith (Greensboro): 27-4 (13-2 in 3A Conference 46), 20.6 rating
3. Hickory: 28-2 (14-0 in 3A Conference 51), 18.6 rating
4. West Charlotte (Charlotte): 15-14 (5-8 in 3A/4A Conference 60), 18.0 rating
5. Southern Guilford (Greensboro): 24-6 (14-1 in 3A Conference 46), 16.2 rating
6. South Point (Belmont): 25-5 (12-4 in 3A Conference 50), 15.9 rating
7. Crest (Shelby): 21-8 (10-4 in 3A Conference 50), 14.9 rating
8. Concord: 19-9 (12-4 in 3A Conference 48), 14.5 rating
9. Dudley (Greensboro): 20-7 (12-4 in 3A Conference 46), 14.5 rating
10. Freedom (Morganton): 20-6 (9-1 in 3A/4A Conference 52), 13.7 rating
Class 4A West
1. Myers Park (Charlotte): 28-4 (12-0 in 4A Conference 49), 33.9 rating, 15 straight wins, #23 national rank
2. North Mecklenburg (Huntersville): 29-3 (12-1 in 3A/4A Conference 60), 31.6 rating
3. Chambers (Charlotte): 23-7 (11-1 in 3A/4A Conference 60), 28.9 rating
4. Olympic (Charlotte): 23-5 (10-3 in 4A Conference 49), 24.3 rating
5. Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem): 26-3 (14-0 in 4A Conference 56), 24.0 rating
6. Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte): 24-6 (12-2 in 4A Conference 59), 23.4 rating
7. Grimsley (Greensboro): 25-5 (13-1 in 4A Conference 55), 21.8 rating
8. East Forsyth (Kernersville): 22-7 (12-4 in 4A Conference 56), 19.5 rating
9. Hopewell (Huntersville): 15-12 (6-7 in 3A/4A Conference 60), 19.3 rating
10. Hough (Cornelius): 17-10 (8-5 in 3A/4A Conference 60), 18.1 rating, 2 straight losses
11. East Mecklenburg (Charlotte): 21-8 (11-4 in 4A Conference 59), 18.0 rating
12. Ardrey Kell (Charlotte): 17-12 (9-3 in 4A Conference 49), 18.0 rating
13. Lake Norman (Mooresville): 19-8 (11-1 in 4A Conference 57), 16.5 rating
14. Butler (Matthews): 17-9 (9-4 in 4A Conference 59), 15.6 rating, 2 straight losses
15. Cox Mill (Concord): 19-9 (10-4 in 4A Conference 57), 15.5 rating