Providence (Jacksonville), which is ranked No. 1, and Jackson (Jacksonville), which is ranked No. 2, will play in the regular season finale on 1/31
Gainesville – Duval County continues to be a hotbed for boys’ basketball this season with half of the teams in the Prep Zone Power Poll top 10 hailing from Jacksonville.
Top-ranked Providence (Jacksonville) remains a unanimous No. 1 following a 3-0 week that included wins over previous #9 Flagler Palm Coast, 69-50, at the MLK Showcase at Ribault (Jacksonville) this past Monday, and a 73-71 win over traditional power Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville) on Saturday. The Stallions (21-1) received all seven first-place votes.
Jackson (Jacksonville) remained second. The Tigers (19-1) rolled to their 18th straight win last week as they knocked off Fernandina Beach and Raines (Jacksonville). They are a unanimous selection as the No. 2 team.
The battle for the top spot could be settled on Saturday, January 31, when top-ranked Providence meets 2nd-ranked Jackson at the Source Hoops Shootout at Ed White (Jacksonville).
Lake Minneola, the top-ranked team in Class 6A, remained third. The Hawks (17-3) went 3-0 with wins against Lincoln (Tallahassee), Forest (Ocala), and South Lake (Groveland).
Gainesville High, which is ranked second in the 6A state poll, remained fourth. The Purple Hurricanes (17-2) have yet to lose in 2015 and went 2-0 last week against ranked teams. GHS defeated previous #20 Eastside (Gainesville), and previous #15 Columbia (Lake City), both of whom fell out of the poll.
Rounding out the top five is Bolles (Jacksonville). The Bulldogs (17-1) defeated Ribault (Jacksonville) on Monday and previous #13 Sandalwood (Jacksonville) on Saturday.
Deltona moved up one spot to sixth following a win against previous #16 Seabreeze (Daytona Beach). The Wolves (20-2), which secured the top seed for the upcoming 6A-District 5 tournament, are the best team in Volusia County according to the Daytona Beach News Journal.
Suwannee (Live Oak) (14-5), which is seventh, Wolfson (Jacksonville) (18-2), Ed White (Jacksonville) (13-5) and Eustis (17-2) round out the top 10.
Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (15-4) & Mainland (Daytona Beach) (11-8), which had successful seasons on the gridiron, enter the poll for the first time this season at 17th and 19th, respectively.
Vanguard (Ocala) (14-5), which plays at Trinity Catholic this Saturday in the Vince Murray Memorial Challenge, returns to the top 20 at No. 19 after a five-game win streak.
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 #6
(School, followed by first-place votes, classification, overall record and results through 1/19)
1. Providence (Jacksonville) (7) (3A) (21-1) – 140
2. Jackson (Jacksonville) (4A) (19-1) – 133
3. Lake Minneola (6A) (17-3) – 124
4. Gainesville (6A) (17-2) – 120
5. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (17-1) – 113
6. Deltona (6A) (20-2) – 104
7. Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (14-5) – 92
8. Wolfson (Jacksonville) (6A) (18-2) – 90
9. Ed White (Jacksonville) (6A) (13-5) – 86
10. Eustis (5A) (17-2) – 79
11. Hawthorne (1A) (19-2) – 72
12. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (4A) (16-3) – 62
13. Flagler Palm Coast (8A) (15-5) – 49
14. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (13-6) – 46
15. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (8A) (12-5) – 38
16. Hamilton County (Jasper) (1A) (15-6) – 34
17T Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (14-5) – 18
17T Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (4A) (15-4) – 18
19T Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (11-8) – 16
19T Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (14-5) – 16
Also receiving votes: Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) (6A) (13-4) – 13; Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (12-8) – 5; Dunnellon (5A) (15-6) – 2.
