It's about that time in the season where I find it prudent to review my Top Five Pre-Season Picks and see how things are shaking out.  Here are the teams in the order that I picked them:

1. Ursuline:  Without Elena, they are still not a team to take lightly, but they are beatable (as their 5 - 6 record shows).  I agree with the News Journal's demotion of the Lady Raiders to the #2 position.  Record aside, though, I can't imagine them not playing in the State Finals.

2. St. Mark's:  At 10 - 0 (or possibly 11 - 0, as I write this), picking the Spartans 2nd may have been underestimating them.  The weird thing with this team is their lack of any obvious superstar.  It's just a bunch of really good players.  If you want to see the definition of "teamwork", go to one of their games.

3. St. Elizabeth's:  This is a tough team to figure out.  Like Ursuline (with whom they have a 1 - 1 record in head-to-head play), this is a beatable team if 1, their opponents are all having career nights, and 2, they're having an off night.  Some weeks, they look like sure locks for the #1 ranking.  Other weeks, the lower reaches of the Top Five.

4. Padua Academy:  At 4 - 5, Padua is my underachieving pick.  Thus far, Padua has barely played well enough, consistently enough, to even deserve a slot from #6 through #10.  But I'm not giving up on the Pandas.  They came on late in the season last year, so, who knows?

5. Caravel Academy:  The talent is there.  The problem has been in finding the right combination of players to nail down and close out games.  Once the coaching staff finds the recipe, and once the established players find that all-elusive consistency, Caravel will be there.  It should also be noted that at 8 - 6, the Lady Bucs have played significantly more games than most Delaware teams.  Moreover, they have loaded their schedule with tough out-of-state and downstate opponents.  Their strength of schedule must be factored in.

There are other teams that are scratching at the door.  Hodgson is a strong 9 - 3 and impressing everyone who sees or plays them.  Middletown, though playing just .500 ball (5 - 5), is a team that can be explosive on any given night and is capable of putting a lot of points on the board.  A couple of downstate teams that are cobbling together some nice records are Dover at 9 - 1, Laurel at 7 - 1, Seaford at 6 - 1, and the always pesky Caesar Rodney at 6 - 4 (5 - 1 in conference).  A couple of sleeper teams not to be counted out are Brandywine at 10 - 2 in Flight B Blue Hen Conference, and Archmere, 8 - 1 in the new Diamond State Conference.  I whinced when I first heard of Archmere pulling out of the Catholic Conference in order to face lighter competition.  My feeling has always been that if you want to be the best (and Coach Sheila DiNardo has been to that mountaintop before), you have to beat the best.  The decision to "play down" may haunt this team in future years.  I could envision a scenario where they get really good and wish they were back in a tougher division. 

Who knows where all this will be in March?  I certainly don't!  But it's fun trying to predict it anyway.

Random Notes

Caravel's Megan Brown and St. Mark's Annie Rivituso.

Padua's Kelsey Panella is the picture of concentration as she lines up her free-throw.

There ain't nobody who boxes out with more oomph! than St. Mark's point guard, Monica Celli.