Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) now a unanimous #1 team in regional all-classification rankings as regular season heads into home stretch
GAINESVILLE — With the holidays in the rearview mirror, the boys high school basketball season is heading into the home stretch with district tournaments a little more than two weeks away.
And after some interesting action around Martin Luther King Day, there is now a unanimous #1 team at the top of The Prep Zone Power Poll.
Despite a loss to 5A #1 Northeast (Oakland Park) at an MLK Classic on Monday, Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) received all eight first-place votes to stay at the top of the rankings.
The Tigers (15-2) had a five-game winning streak snapped with the loss to Northeast, but also claimed wins at #2 Paxon (Jacksonville), 46-44, on January 7, and vs. #4 Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville), 37-33, on January 9.
Paxon (15-4) remains #2 as they went 3-1 since the last poll with the only loss by two points to Andrew Jackson. The Golden Eagles also claimed a 65-61 win over 3A #10 Florida High (Tallahassee) on January 10.
Moving up two spots to 3rd this week is red-hot Columbia (Lake City).
The Tigers (17-2) have won seven in a row since the calendar turned to 2020, including wins over #14 Madison County, RV Eustis, RV Orange Park, and then-#19 Gainesville.
Lee (16-3) drops one spot to 4th after a 5-2 record the last two weeks. The Generals’ only losses were 37-33 at Andrew Jackson and 72-54 to 7A #1 Forest Hill (West Palm Beach) at an MLK Classic on Monday.
Rounding out the top five is the top-ranked team in Class 1A, Wildwood, which proved it could play against the big boys. They moved up two spots from the previous poll.
The Wildcats (16-4) have won six out of seven, including a 90-67 blasting of #8 The Villages and a 67-65 overtime win at #11T Forest (Ocala) in a MLK Classic last weekend. Marcus Niblack scored 35 points in the overtime win, including the buzzer-beater.
Leading off the second five is Impact Christian Academy (Jacksonville).
Impact (13-3) dropped a 47-44 decision at #7 Providence (Jacksonville) but picked up another win over a ranked team by knocking off #11T Palatka, 60-45, this week.
The rest of the second five consists of Providence, The Villages, North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) and Hawthorne.
NFEI (16-3) is the big mover this week, as they move up seven spots and into the top 10. The Eagles have won eight in a row, including a one-point triumph at Hawthorne in a MLK Showcase on Monday.
Mount Dora Christian Academy, which is 13th this week, remains the only undefeated team in the rankings. The Bulldogs improved to 20-0 with a thrilling 58-56 win over RV Eustis on Tuesday.
New to the poll this week is #15 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), which is the hottest team in the poll with nine straight wins. The Crusaders (16-3) rallied to beat then-#10 Bolles (Jacksonville) and RV Orange Park this past weekend to continue the winning streak.
Mainland (Daytona Beach) also moves into the rankings this week at a tie for 19th with Fleming Island (Orange Park).
Dropping out from the previous poll are Gainesville and St. Augustine.
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 and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2019-20 BOYS BASKETBALL POLL #3
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 1/21, and total voting points)
1. Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) (3A) (8) (15-2) – 160
2. Paxon (Jacksonville) (4A) (15-4) – 149
3. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (17-2) – 138
4. Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (5A) (16-3) – 129
5. Wildwood (1A) (16-4) – 123
6. Impact Christian Academy (Jacksonville) (2A) (13-3) – 110
7. Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (14-7) – 103
8. The Villages (4A) (15-4) – 90
9. North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) (2A) (16-3) – 87
10. Hawthorne (1A) (17-2) – 81
11T. Forest (Ocala) (6A) (15-4) – 80
11T. Palatka (4A) (14-5) – 80
13. Mount Dora Christian Academy (2A) (20-0) – 74
14. Madison County (1A) (13-3) – 69
15. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (16-3) – 49
16. Hilliard (1A) (15-1) – 41
17. Leesburg (5A) (11-5) – 38
18. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (10-6) – 35
19T. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (6A) (11-7) – 13
19T. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (11-8) – 13
Also receiving votes: St. Augustine (5A) (10-4) – 5; Eustis (4A) (10-6) – 2; Springstead (Spring Hill) (5A) (14-3) – 2; Orange Park (5A) (12-7) – 1.
