Grace Christian Tops 2026 Girls Basketball Rankings in Sanford

Grace Christian of Sanford Maintains Top Spot in HighSchoolOT Girls Basketball Rankings for Third Consecutive Year

For the third year in a row, Grace Christian of Sanford has claimed the No. 1 position in the HighSchoolOT girls basketball statewide rankings. This achievement highlights their consistent dominance and success over the past three seasons.

The statewide top 25 rankings, which have been in place for six years, reflect the competitive landscape of North Carolina girls basketball. Grace Christian has been at the top for half of that time, showcasing their unwavering performance. This season, they achieved an impressive record of 23-1 and did not suffer a loss to an in-state team for the third consecutive year.

State Champions Dominate the Top 25

Behind Grace Christian, several state champions filled out the top five spots. These include:

Cherokee (2A champion)
Cannon School (NCISAA 4A champion)
North Mecklenburg (7A champion)
Mallard Creek (8A champion)

In total, 10 state champions finished the year within the top 25 rankings. These teams include:

Maiden (4A champion) at eighth
North Lincoln (5A champion) at ninth
Northern Guilford (6A champion) at 15th
Wilson Prep (1A champion) at 19th
Goldsboro (3A champion) at 24th

Several other state champions were also ranked in their respective area code top 15 rankings. The No. 1 teams in their area codes included:

Wilson Prep (252)
Grace Christian of Sanford (919)
Hoggard (910)
Southeast Alamance (336)
Cannon School (704)
Cherokee (828)

Understanding the HighSchoolOT Rankings

The HighSchoolOT top 25 is the state’s premier set of rankings, featuring teams from all classifications across the four major associations. It includes schools that are members of the NCHSAA, NCISAA, NCCSA, and NCHEAC.

The rankings are divided into three sets:

A statewide Top 25
Top 15s for each of North Carolina’s six area codes
NCHSAA classification power rankings for HSOT Insiders

Final Rankings for 2026

Here are the final rankings for 2026:

Grace Christian of Sanford (23-1) — NCISAA 3A champion
Cherokee (29-1) — 2A champion
Cannon School (25-6) — NCISAA 4A champion
North Mecklenburg (29-2) — 7A champion
Mallard Creek (24-6) — 8A champion
Lake Norman (24-2)
Hoggard (28-2)
Maiden (29-0) — 4A champion
North Lincoln (9-21) — 5A champion
Southeast Alamance (29-1)
Marvin Ridge (23-5)
Providence Day (24-6)
Ardrey Kell (25-4)
South Mecklenburg (23-5)
Northern Guilford (27-4) — 6A champion
Concord Academy (25-8)
Terry Sanford (22-7)
Willow Spring (26-2)
Wilson Prep (26-3) — 1A champion
Southern Durham (27-4)
South Garner (23-7)
Fairmont (27-3)
Southeast Raleigh (20-7)
Goldsboro (28-2) — 3A champion
T.W. Andrews (21-5)

Note: North Lincoln forfeited 17 wins before the playoffs began. Its on-court record is 26-4, while Maiden’s is 28-1.

Historical Rankings

Throughout the season, the rankings saw fluctuations, with Grace Christian consistently leading the pack. Here are some key points from the end-of-season and weekly rankings:

End-of-Regular-Season Rankings (Feb. 22)

Grace Christian of Sanford (21-1)
Cherokee (24-1)
Lake Norman (21-1)
Southeast Alamance (25-0)
Cannon School (23-6)
Hoggard (25-1)
North Mecklenburg (24-2)
Terry Sanford (18-6)
Mallard Creek (20-6)
Providence Day (23-5)

End of Week 15 (Feb. 15)

Grace Christian of Sanford (20-1)
Cherokee (22-1)
Lake Norman (17-1)
Southeast Alamance (23-0)
Cannon School (22-6)
Hoggard (23-1)
North Mecklenburg (22-2)
Terry Sanford (16-6)
Mallard Creek (19-5)
Marvin Ridge (21-3)

End of Week 14 (Feb. 8)

Grace Christian of Sanford (20-1)
Cherokee (20-1)
Lake Norman (14-1)
Southeast Alamance (19-0)
Cannon School (20-6)
Hoggard (20-1)
North Mecklenburg (19-2)
Terry Sanford (13-6)
Mallard Creek (16-5)
Marvin Ridge (18-3)

End of Week 13 (Feb. 1)

Grace Christian of Sanford (19-1)
Cherokee (17-1)
Lake Norman (13-1)
Southeast Alamance (18-0)
Cannon School (18-6)
Hoggard (19-1)
North Mecklenburg (18-2)
Terry Sanford (11-6)
Mallard Creek (15-5)
Marvin Ridge (17-3)

End of Week 12 (Jan. 25)

Grace Christian of Sanford (19-1)
Cherokee (15-1)
Lake Norman (13-1)
Southeast Alamance (18-0)
Cannon School (15-6)
Mallard Creek (14-4)
North Mecklenburg (16-2)
Hoggard (17-1)
Terry Sanford (10-6)
Marvin Ridge (16-3)

End of Week 11 (Jan. 18)

Grace Christian of Sanford (18-1)
Cherokee (14-0)
Lake Norman (11-1)
Southeast Alamance (16-0)
Cannon School (14-5)
Mallard Creek (12-4)
North Mecklenburg (13-2)
Hoggard (15-1)
Terry Sanford (7-6)
Marvin Ridge (14-3)

End of Week 10 (Jan. 11)

Grace Christian of Sanford (15-1)
Cherokee (12-0)
Lake Norman (10-1)
Southeast Alamance (15-0)
Cannon School (12-5)
Mallard Creek (12-4)
North Mecklenburg (12-2)
Terry Sanford (6-5)
Hoggard (14-1)
Marvin Ridge (12-3)

End of Week 9 (Jan. 4)

Grace Christian of Sanford (15-1)
Cherokee (9-0)
Lake Norman (8-1)
North Mecklenburg (11-1)
Southeast Alamance (13-0)
Cannon School (12-5)
Terry Sanford (6-5)
Mallard Creek (10-4)
Hoggard (11-1)
Marvin Ridge (10-3)

End of Week 8 (Dec. 28)

Grace Christian of Sanford (14-0)
Cherokee (8-0)
Lake Norman (8-1)
North Mecklenburg (11-1)
Southeast Alamance (11-0)
Cannon School (10-5)
Terry Sanford (4-4)
Mallard Creek (10-2)
Southeast Raleigh (9-2)
Hoggard (9-1)

End of Week 7 (Dec. 21)

Grace Christian of Sanford (12-0)
Cherokee (6-0)
Lake Norman (7-0)
North Mecklenburg (11-0)
Southeast Alamance (10-0)
Cannon School (8-4)
Terry Sanford (4-3)
Mallard Creek (9-2)
South Garner (6-3)
Southeast Raleigh (8-2

End of Week 6 (Dec. 14)

Grace Christian of Sanford (10-0)
Cherokee (4-0)
Lake Norman (6-0)
Mallard Creek (8-1)
Hoggard (7-0)
North Mecklenburg (8-0)
Southeast Alamance (5-0)
Cannon School (8-3)
Terry Sanford (1-3)
South Garner (5-2

End of Week 5 (Dec. 7)

Grace Christian of Sanford (8-0)
Cherokee (2-0)
Lake Norman (4-0)
Mallard Creek (6-0)
Hoggard (5-0)
North Mecklenburg (5-0)
Southeast Alamance (5-0)
Gaston Christian (8-0)
Cannon School (7-2)
Terry Sanford (1-2

End of Week 4 (Nov. 30)

Grace Christian of Sanford (7-0)
Cherokee (0-0)
Lake Norman (4-0)
Mallard Creek (5-0)
Hoggard (3-0)
North Mecklenburg (4-0)
Southeast Alamance (4-0)
Gaston Christian (6-0)
Cannon School (6-2)
Terry Sanford (1-2

End of Week 3 (Nov. 23)

Grace Christian of Sanford (5-0)
Southeast Alamance (2-0)
Cherokee (0-0)
Lake Norman (2-0)
Mallard Creek (3-0)
Hoggard (2-0)
North Mecklenburg (2-0)
Queen’s Grant (5-0)
Gaston Christian (6-0)
Terry Sanford (0-1

End of Week 2 (Nov. 16)

Grace Christian of Sanford (3-0)
Southeast Alamance (0-0)
Cherokee (0-0)
Lake Norman (0-0)
Mallard Creek (1-0)
Hoggard (0-0)
North Mecklenburg (0-0)
Terry Sanford (0-0)
Queen’s Grant (4-0)
Gaston Christian (3-0

End of Week 1 (Nov. 9)

Grace Christian of Sanford (0-0)
Southeast Alamance (0-0)
Cherokee (0-0)
Lake Norman (0-0)
Mallard Creek (0-0)
Hoggard (0-0)
North Mecklenburg (0-0)
Terry Sanford (0-0)
Concord Academy (1-0)
Queen’s Grant (2-0

Preseason Rankings

Before the season started, the preseason rankings featured teams like:

Grace Christian of Sanford (22-4)
Southeast Alamance (29-3)
Cherokee (28-2)
Lake Norman (30-1)
Mallard Creek (25-4)
Cannon School (26-7)
Hoggard (30-2)
North Mecklenburg (25-4)
Terry Sanford (27-4)
Concord Academy (26-7)

Notable Achievements

Grace Christian of Sanford has maintained its dominance in the rankings, securing the No. 1 spot for the 2025-26 season. Their consistency and performance have made them a powerhouse in North Carolina girls basketball.