The New Hope basketball team had one final chance to make its case for GEICO Nationals last Friday, and the team did not disappoint.

Coach Sam Caldwell’s team crushed Virginia Academy, 81-46, in the National Association of Christian Athletes Division I championship game and placed three players on the All-Tournament team: Jalyn Brown (Louisville commit), Kennedy Fauntleroy (Georgetown commit) and Alphonsia Eleko.

Whether or not New Hope’s season continues is out of its control, but there’s no doubt the team has made one final push, and that’s why it moved up one spot in this week’s high school basketball rankings. If New Hope does make it to Nationals, it might very well have to play No. 1 Sidwell Friends, which has led our rankings all five weeks.

1. Sidwell Friends (D.C.), 25-0

The Quakers thrashed Maret, 70-36, to claim their first ISL conference championship in more than 15 years.

2. Hopkins (Minn.), 19-1

The Royals crushed Buffalo, 74-31, in their regular season finale.

3. DeSoto (Tex.), 31-2

The Eagles beat Tomball Memorial and then Duncanville to advance to the 6A state semifinals.

4. Etiwanda (Calif.), 27-0

The Eagles overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to down Sierra Canyon, 69-57, in the CIF Southern Section title game.

5. La Jolla Country Day (Calif.), 24-2

The Torreys bested Mission Hills, 68-53, and won the CIF San Diego Section championship.

6. Classen SAS (Okla.), 19-1

The Comets kicked off the 4A Area 3 postseason bracket with a 63-18 win over Byng on Tuesday.

7. St. John Vianney (N.J.), 26-1

The Lancers enter the state playoffs with momentum after rolling through the Shore Conference tournament.

8. New Hope (Md.), 27-2

New Hope beat its three opponents in the National Association of Christian Athletes tournament by an average of 57.7 points.

9. Sierra Canyon (Calif.), 26-2

The Trailblazers’ loss to Etiwanda was disheartening, but the team has the tools to make a run in the SoCal Open Open Division tournament.

10. Conway (Ark.). 28-1

The Wampus Cats received a first-round bye in the 6A playoffs.

11. Montverde (Fla.), 18-3

The Eagles are hanging tight in hopes of receiving a bid to GEICO Nationals.

12. Cedar Park (Tex.), 34-0

The Timberwolves rolled past Liberty Hill, 50-37, and into the 5A state semifinals.

13. Incarnate Word (Mo.), 25-0

The Red Knights put their undefeated record on the line Friday against Howell Central in the district finals game.

Huge THANK YOU to @PHEEsespieces for stopping by todays practice to talk to the squad. So grateful for such a great role model for our program and an ambassador for women’s basketball! @minnesotalynx #ALUM pic.twitter.com/TTDU4x2TtR

— Incarnate Basketball (@iwa_hoops) March 3, 2022

14. Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), 23-4

The Highlanders won the 4A state championship with a 75-57 win over Calvary Christian.

15. Fremont (Utah), 23-2

A win over Westlake on Thursday would set the Timberwolves up for a state championship matchup against unbeaten Lone Peak.

16. Hazel Green (Ala.), 32-0

Fresh off a 74-54 win over Park Crossing on Wednesday, the Trojans will challenge Oxford in the 6A championship game this weekend.

17. Johnston (Iowa), 24-0

The unbeaten Dragons meet Pleasant Valley on Thursday in the 5A semifinals.

18. Woodward Academy (Ga.), 26-2

The War Dragons play Warner Robbins on Saturday in the AAAAA semifinals.

19. DME (Fla.), 21-3

DME is in practice mode, waiting for a potential bid to GEICO Nationals.

20. IMG (Fla.), 11-4

Like Montverde and DME, the Ascenders have shut things down in hopes of earning a spot at GEICO Nationals.

21. Noblesville (Ind.), 25-4

The Millers beat Franklin Community, 76-52, to claim the 4A state title, the program’s second state crown and first since 1987.

22. South Bend Washington (Ind.), 27-3

The Panthers annihilated Silver Creek, 93-35, in the 3A state championship game on Saturday.

23. Rock Bridge (Mo.), 23-1

The Bruins play Blue Springs South on Thursday in the district championship game.

24. St. John’s (D.C.), 19-4

The Cadets knocked off Bishop McNamara, 68-50, in the WCAC conference championship game.

25. Mount Notre Dame (Ohio), 27-0

The team is one win away from qualifying for the Division I semifinals.

Josh Needelman is the High School Sports Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JoshNeedelman.

The 2026 LPGA Tour officially teed off on Thursday, when 39 top-ranked golfers began competing for a piece of this year's $2.1 million HGV Tournament of Champions purse.

Following Thursday's first round, No. 17 Nasa Hataoka (Japan) led the field with a 6-under 66 performance, with world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand), No. 11 Lottie Woad (England), No. 24 Linn Grant (Sweden), and No. 53 Chanettee Wannasaen (Thailand) chasing her just one shot behind.

Defending Tournament of Champions winner No. 27 A Lim Kim (South Korea) enters Friday's second round three strokes back.

Leading a US contingent that includes No. 13 Angel Yin, No. 25 Lauren Coughlin, and No. 49 Lilia Vu is 2025 Tournament of Champions runner-up No. 2 Nelly Korda, who capped Thursday trailing Hataoka by two shots.

"Overall, I'm happy with my round. [It's only] Thursday, so hopefully, I can continue building momentum going into the next three days," said the 27-year-old US star. "But [I] can't complain."

Featuring 16 of the Top 25 golfers, including 2024 champion No. 6 Lydia Ko (New Zealand) and 2023 winner No. 23 Brooke Henderson (Canada), the 2026 LPGA season-opening tournament pairs pros with amateur celebrities including USWNT legend Brandi Chastain and golf icon Annika Sörenstam.

How to watch the 2026 HGV Tournament of Champions

Live coverage of the 2026 HGV Tournament of Champions airs at 11:30 AM ET on Friday and 3 PM ET on Saturday on the Golf Channel, before NBC broadcasts the LPGA season opener's final round at 2 PM ET on Sunday.

Aryna Sabalenka is one match away from her third Australian Open title after the world No. 1 tennis star took down Ukraine's No. 12 Elina Svitolina in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) in the 2026 tournament's semifinals on Thursday.

Entering her fourth straight Australian Open final, the 27-year-old Belarusian initially won the Melbourne Grand Slam in 2023 and 2024 before dropping the 2025 final to US star No. 9 Madison Keys.

"The job is not done yet," Sabalenka said following her Thursday semifinal win.

Now hunting a fifth career Grand Slam victory after claiming a second consecutive US Open title last September, Sabalenka will face Kazakhstan's No. 5 Elena Rybakina in Saturday's final, after the 2022 Wimbledon champ downed No. 6 Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6(7) in Thursday's first match.

"It got very tight. I stayed there," the 26-year-old said after defeating the last-standing US star. "I was fighting for each point."

Notably, Saturday's final will also be a rematch of the 2023 Australian Open championship clash in which Sabalenka staged a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory.

Even more, though Sabalenka holds the all-time edge with an 8-6 career record against Rybakina, the Kazakhstani star has won six of the pair's last 10 meetings — including a dominant 6-3, 7-6(0) upset victory to take the 2025 WTA Finals title in November.

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open final

The 2026 Australian Open final between No. 1 Sabalenka and No. 5 Rybakina kicks off at 3:30 AM ET on Saturday, airing live on ESPN.

Unrivaled 3×3 is taking over Philadelphia on Friday, when the Miami-based league brings pro women's basketball back to the City of Brotherly Love the first time since 1998.

As the league's its first-ever tour stop, Friday's one-off doubleheader — dubbed "Philly is Unrivaled" — is already shaping up to be a success, with Unrivaled selling out the 21,000-seat Xfinity Mobile Arena with tickets averaging $165 each on the secondary market — nearly double the price to see the NBA's Sixers at the same venue.

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"I'm just excited for the love from the city. People can really see this as a basketball city. One of the best cities in the world," said Philadelphia product and Rose BC star Kahleah Copper, as her hometown gears up to launch its own WNBA expansion team in 2030.

Friday's Unrivaled event promises a star-studded bill, with Paige Bueckers's Breeze BC first taking on Philly's own Natasha Cloud and the Phantom before Copper and the Rose square off against Marina Mabrey's Lunar Owls.

How to watch the "Philly is Unrivaled" doubleheader

Unrivaled tips off from Philadelphia on Friday when Breeze BC takes on Phantom BC at 7:30 PM ET, before Rose BC faces the Lunar Owls at 8:45 PM ET.

Both "Philly is Unrivaled" clashes will air live on TNT.

Riding high near the top of the SEC standings, No. 15 Tennessee will face an age-old rival on Sunday, when the Lady Vols visit the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season's last-standing undefeated Division I team, No. 1 UConn.

Tennessee previously led the SEC title race with a 6-0 conference record until a 77-62 upset loss to unranked Mississippi State on Thursday sent the Vols' tumbling to third on the conference table.

While claiming nearly double the rebounds as Tennessee, the Bulldog defense kept Tennessee's field goal rate under 32%, paving the way for senior forward Kharyssa Richardson to lead the charge to the Mississippi State victory with 21 points on the night.

"They outworked us, they out-toughed us, start to finish," Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell said postgame.

For Big East basketball leaders UConn, Sunday's matchup against Tennessee likely stands as the Huskies' final ranked test before kicking off the postseason — and their national title defense.

However, UConn is currently managing a lengthy injury report, with six players sidelined from their dominant Wednesday win over unranked Xavier.

Even so, the Huskies' depth never wavered, as sophomore guard Allie Ziebell sunk a program record-tying 10 three-pointers to secure the 97-39 victory on a career-high 34 points.

How to watch Tennessee vs. UConn this weekend

The top-ranked Huskies will host the No. 15 Vols at 12 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on FOX.