Providence looks to go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team.
Gainesville – District champions highlight the top five of the Prep Zone Power Poll heading into regional play.
Providence (Jacksonville), winners of 13 in a row and ranked No. 1 in Class 3A state rankings, was a unanimous selection as the top overall team. The Stallions (26-1) breezed their way to the 4A-District 4 title by outscoring their two district opponents by an average of 45.5 points.
The top-ranked team in Class 6A remained second. Lake Minneola (23-4) survived in overtime against No. 18 Vanguard (Ocala), 87-83, to win the 6A-District 6 title.
Jackson (Jacksonville), ranked 4th in Class 4A, moved up one spot to third following a 50-34 win against Ribault (Jacksonville) in the 4A-District 4 championship game. The Tigers’ (24-3) three losses have been to 8A #7 Oak Ridge (Orlando), #8 Ed White & #1 Providence by a total of nine points.
Gainesville, which lost its regular season finale to 6A Lake Wales, dropped from third to fourth. The Purple Hurricanes (24-3), still ranked 2nd in 6A, won the Class 6A-District 2 championship with a 62-35 win over Oakleaf (Orange Park).
Rounding out the top five is Bolles (Jacksonville). The Bulldogs (24-2) defeated previous #14 Episcopal (Jacksonville), 44-28, in the 4A-District 3 championship.
Deltona (21-4), which had its 14-game winning streak snapped just prior to winning the 6A-District 5 title, is ranked sixth, followed by Wolfson (Jacksonville) (24-3), Ed White (Jacksonville), Hawthorne (25-2), winners of 12 in a row, and Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) in the top 10.
Dunnellon enters the poll for the first time this season at No. 19 following a 75-44 win over Crystal River and an 81-57 win over Citrus (Inverness) to win the 5A-District 6 title. The Tigers (19-8) have won 12 of their last 14.
The first round of the FHSAA Boys Basketball state playoffs begin on Thursday.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball, baseball & softball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters.
PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2014-15 BASKETBALL POLL #8
(School, followed by first-place votes, classification, overall record and results through 2/8)
1. Providence (Jacksonville) (7) (3A) (26-1) – 140
2. Lake Minneola (6A) (23-4) – 131
3. Jackson (Jacksonville) (4A) (24-3) –123
4. Gainesville (6A) (24-3) – 122
5. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (24-2) – 111
6. Deltona (6A) (21-4) – 106
7. Wolfson (Jacksonville) (6A) (24-3) – 100
8. Ed White (Jacksonville) (6A) (16-6) – 82
9. Hawthorne (1A) (25-2) – 80
10. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (19-7) – 79
11. Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (19-6) – 69
12. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (22-5) – 66
13. Eustis (5A) (21-6) – 65
14. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (4A) (23-4) – 36
15T Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (16-8) – 35
15T Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) (6A) (18-6) – 35
17. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (4A) (21-6) – 27
18. Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (19-7) – 19
19. Dunnellon (5A) (19-8) – 10
20. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (17-7) – 9
Also receiving votes: Hamilton County (Jasper) (1A) (20-7) – 8; Nature Coast (Brooksville) (5A) (19-8) – 7; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (18-8) – 4; Lake Weir (Ocala) (5A) (18-9) – 3; P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (4A) (18-9) – 3.
