Providence (Jacksonville) remains No. 1, but the Stallions lose a first-place vote
GAINESVILLE – Following a week off since The Prep Zone Power Poll was last released, the top-ranked team remained the same but there was a slight change.
Class 4A Providence (Jacksonville) hasn’t played a game in a week but they maintained their No. 1 ranking in the regional hoops’ all-classification rankings.
However, the Stallions (15-5) were not a unanimous selection as the top overall team this week as they lost one of their eight first-place votes to No. 3 Creekside (St. Johns).
Providence, which defeated Creekside, 51-43, on Dec. 22, has won six in a row since a 49-48 loss to Christ the King (Middle Village, NY) at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach (SC) on New Year’s Eve. In fact, their last loss to a Florida team was on Dec. 17 when they lost to Florida Prep, 53-45.
Gainesville is ranked No. 2. The Class 7A Purple Hurricanes (17-2) won their ninth straight game with a 61-24 blowout of rival Eastside (Gainesville).
The Class 8A Knights (19-2) moved up one spot to third following a 2-0 week, including a 50-48 win against previous #9 Bishop Kenny. One of Creekside’s two losses was on a neutral floor to the second-ranked ‘Canes.
Unbeaten Nature Coast (Brooksville) actually dropped one spot to fourth despite a 70-57 win against Central (Brooksville). The Class 6A Sharks improved to 20-0 with the win.
Rounding out the top five is 7A Atlantic (Port Orange). The Sharks (16-3) from Volusia County held steady following a 56-43 win against Deltona.
The Villages moved up one spot to sixth. The Buffalo (20-1) went 2-0 with wins against Citrus (Inverness), 55-36, at the Wildwood Winter Jam on Saturday, and they won at South Sumter (Bushnell), 66-64, on Friday.
Meanwhile, Vanguard (Ocala), which lost starting point guard Philip Ortiz for the season and has also been playing without its back-up PG, lost a mid-week game to 8A Buchholz (Gainesville), 61-50, but the Knights (14-5) closed the week strong with victories against Forest (Ocala) and Dunnellon by an average of 21 points.
Hawthorne, 6A Terry Parker (Jacksonville) (16-2) and Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (17-5) round out the top 10. The Class 1A Hornets (18-3) have won 10 in a row, while the 6A Crusaders had their 10-game winning streak snapped by Creekside.
Class 6A Ponte Vedra (12-7) dropped out of the rankings following an 0-2 week.
Raines (Jacksonville) enters the poll at No. 20. The Class 5A Vikings advanced to the championship game of Gateway Conference Tournament, including a win against previous No. 13 Jackson (Jacksonville), 57-52, in the semifinals, before falling to current No. 12 Ribault (Jacksonville), 71-56, in the final.
The Trojans (16-6) moved up three spots from No. 15 following the Gateway Conference title.
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 – 2016-17 BOYS BASKETBALL POLL #6
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 1/21, and total voting points)
1. Providence (Jacksonville) (4A) (7) (15-5) – 158
2. Gainesville (7A) (17-2) – 148
3. Creekside (St. Johns) (8A) (1) (19-2) – 146
4. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (6A) (20-0) – 138
5. Atlantic (Port Orange) (7A) (16-3) – 127
6. The Villages (5A) (20-1) – 113
7. Vanguard (Ocala) (7A) (14-5) – 101
8. Hawthorne (1A) (18-3) – 100
9. Terry Parker (Jacksonville) (6A) (16-2) – 98
10. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (6A) (17-5) – 88
11. Fernandina Beach (5A) (19-3) – 86
12. Ribault (Jacksonville) (6A) (16-6) – 82
13. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (9A) (14-6) – 48
14. First Coast (Jacksonville) (8A) (18-5) – 43
15. Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) (5A) (14-7) – 39
16. Wildwood (1A) (19-0) – 37
17. New Smyrna Beach (7A) (14-4) – 36
18. Madison County (1A) (17-2) – 32
19. Bell (1A) (19-1) – 19
20. Raines (Jacksonville) (5A) (14-8) – 14
Also receiving votes: Trinity Christian (Deltona) (3A) (16-6) – 8; Mount Dora Christian Academy (3A) (16-5) – 5; North Florida Educational Institute (2A) (14-4) – 5; Palatka (6A) (12-6) – 3; DeLand (9A) (15-7) – 2; Leesburg (6A) (15-6) – 2; P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (4A) (13-7) – 1; Santa Fe (Alachua) (6A) (13-7) – 1.
