GAINESVILLE – Providence (Jacksonville) continues be a unanimous selection as the top-ranked team in the boys’ basketball all-classification Prep Zone Power Poll.
The Class 3A Stallions (22-0) went 3-0 last week and collected all seven first-place votes.
Father Lopez (Daytona Beach), winners of nine in a row, remained second. But the 3A Green Wave (20-2) narrowly finished ahead of #3 Leesburg, which defeated previous #19 Gainesville on the road, 80-63, en route to a 3-0 week. The Yellow Jackets (19-3) have won 16 in a row.
While the top three remained the same, the rest of the top 10 changed completely.
Wolfson (Jacksonville) dropped out of the top five following a loss to #12 Raines (Jacksonville), 71-68. It was only the second loss of the season for the Wolfpack (20-2), who dropped from fourth to sixth.
Following their ninth win in a row, Hawthorne (23-1) moved up to fourth, while North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) (18-6) moved up two spots to fifth.
Nature Coast (Brooksville) (17-3), Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (18-5), Ed White (Jacksonville) (17-4) and New Smyrna Beach (19-4) all round out the top 10 from seventh through 10th, respectively.
Gainesville (14-8) and First Coast (Jacksonville) (13-7) fell out of the top 20, while Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (17-5), Suwannee (Live Oak) (15-5) and Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (16-4) are newcomers to this week’s poll.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball and baseball teams (regardless of classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters.
PREP ZONE POWER POLL – BOYS BASKETBALL POLL #5 (Records through 1/27)
(School, followed by first-place votes, classification, overall record and total voting points)
1. Providence (Jacksonville) (7) (3A) (22-0) – 140
2. Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) (3A) (20-2) – 129
3. Leesburg (6A) (19-3) – 128
4. Hawthorne (1A) (23-1) – 120
5. North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) (2A) (18-4) – 105
6. Wolfson (Jacksonville) (6A) (20-2) – 104
7. Nature Coast (Brooksville) (5A) (17-3) – 97
8. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (18-5) – 94
9. Ed White (Jacksonville) (7A) (17-4) – 87
10. New Smyrna Beach (7A) (19-4) – 72
11. Palatka (5A) (18-4) – 69
12. Raines (Jacksonville) (4A) (16-5) – 51
13. Mount Dora Bible (3A) (17-5) – 50
14. Ridgeview (Orange Park) (6A) (16-7) – 46
15. Forest (Ocala) (7A) (17-5) – 37
16. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (17-5) – 30
17. Fort White (4A) (13-2) – 20
18. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (5A) (18-5) – 17
19. Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (15-5) – 13
20T Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (16-4) – 12
20T Terry Parker (Jacksonville) (5A) (12-6) – 12
Also receiving votes – First Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (13-7) – 10; Williston (4A) (15-7) – 9; Bradford (Starke) (4A) (14-8) – 8; West Port (Ocala) (6A) (14-4) – 4; Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (10-6) – 4; Gainesville (6A) (14-8) – 2.
