Undefeated St. Augustine stays on top of regional rankings but Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) narrows the gap
GAINESVILLE — As the girls basketball regular season comes to an end this week and district tournaments get underway next week, the only undefeated team, St. Augustine, remains at the top of The Prep Zone Power Poll.
But red-hot Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) is right on the Yellow Jackets’ tail.
St. Augustine, which is the number one seed in next week’s District 4-6A tournament, easily won both their games over Terry Parker (Jacksonville) and First Coast (Jacksonville) to improve to 19-0 and receive four of the seven first-place votes in the regional all-classification rankings.
Only a point behind St. Augustine and receiving two votes for first-place is No. 2 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville).
The Crusaders, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A by Max Preps, defeated 4A state-ranked Cocoa, 2A state-ranked University Christian (Jacksonville) and won at No. 15 Bolles (Jacksonville).
Bishop Kenny (18-4) has won 10 games in a row and 15 of 16 after a 3-3 start. The Crusaders will host the District 3-4A tournament.
Nease (Ponte Vedra) remains 3rd.
The Panthers (19-3) have not lost since 2022 began, winning eight in a row, including wins over No. 8 Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) and No. 13 Ponte Vedra.
Spruce Creek (Port Orange) remains 4th and picks up the final first-place vote.
The Hawks (14-6), ranked 8th in 7A by Max Preps, have lost only two games since the New Year, to 3A state-ranked Carrollwood Day (Tampa) and 4A No. 1 Lake Highland Prep (Orlando).
Wildwood, the top-ranked team in 1A, moves up a spot this week to round out the top five.
The Wildcats (13-4) have only dropped one game since the holidays, losing to Brooks-DeBartolo (Tampa), which is ranked No. 13 overall statewide by Max Preps.
Orange Park is a big mover this week, up six spots to a tie for 6th with Hawthorne. The Raiders (18-5) have won seven in a row and nine of 10 since January 1, with the only setback, 56-53, to No. 1 St. Augustine.
The Hornets (12-3), ranked No. 3 in 1A, picked up wins over 6A Gainesville, 2A state-ranked North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville), RV Columbia (Lake City) and #14 Trinity Catholic (Ocala).
Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) also made a big move this week, up six spots to 8th.
The Tigers (13-8) had a six-game winning streak snapped with a two point loss at Nease, but they won the Gateway Conference Tournament the previous week and beat then-#5 Mandarin (Jacksonville) to move into the top 10 for the first time this season.
Mainland (Daytona Beach), which is ninth, and 10th-ranked Mandarin round out the top 10.
Mandarin dropped its first two games of the season to Jackson and Bolles and dropped five spots, but the Mustangs (15-2) stay in the top 10 for another week.
Eustis is the only team to make their debut this week, tied for 19th with Ribault (Jacksonville).
Madison County and Columbia dropped out from the previous poll.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, girls volleyball, girls basketball, boys basketball, softball & baseball 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 – 2021-22 GIRLS BASKETBALL POLL #4
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 1/24, total voting points)
1. St. Augustine (6A) (4) (19-0) – 135
2. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (2) (18-4) – 134
3. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (6A) (19-3) – 125
4. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (1) (14-6) – 122
5. Wildwood (1A) (13-4) – 102
6T. Hawthorne (1A) (12-3) – 94
6T. Orange Park (5A) (18-5) – 94
8. Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) (4A) (13-8) – 81
9. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (5A) (10-7) – 79
10. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (7A) (15-2) – 67
11. St. John’s Country Day (Orange Park) (2A) (18-3) – 62
12. Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (14-4) – 60
13. Ponte Vedra (6A) (13-7) – 55
14. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (3A) (18-4) – 54
15. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (14-7) – 42
16. Dunnellon (4A) (21-2) – 38
17. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (7A) (7-10) – 30
18. Keystone Heights (4A) (15-4) – 18
19T. Eustis (4A) (11-9) – 14
19T. Ribault (Jacksonville) (5A) (10-8) – 14
Also receiving votes: Fleming Island (Orange Park) (6A) (15-6) – 9; North Marion (Citra) (4A) (12-7) – 6; Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (15-3) – 4; Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (6-11) – 3; Ridgeview (Orange Park) (5A) (14-8) – 2; Belleview (5A) (13-5) – 1; Gainesville (6A) (11-6) – 1.
