Nease (Ponte Vedra) moves into #1 spot in regional all-classification rankings after 6-0 mark over holiday break
GAINESVILLE — There’s a new #1 team in The Prep Zone Power Poll for girls basketball as we head into 2021.
Nease (Ponte Vedra) was 6-0 over the holiday break. They have won 10 in a row since suffering their only loss in late November to a team from Tennessee.
Because of that the Panthers (13-1) move up three spots and are the #1 team in the first all-classification regional rankings of the new year.
Nease defeated Lake Mary, Oak Ridge (Orlando) and Gateway (Kissimmee) at the Florida Prospects Christmas Tournament in Orlando the week after Christmas.
The Panthers also easily defeated DeLand, Menendez (St. Augustine), and Providence (Jacksonville) before Christmas as well. Included in their 10-game winning streak are wins over #6 St. Augustine, #12 Columbia (Lake City), and #19T Ponte Vedra.
Nease received seven of the nine first-place votes this week to take over the top spot.
Making a huge lead up six spots in this poll to 2nd is the only undefeated team remaining in the top 10, Oakleaf (Orange Park).
The Knights (11-0) won the Clay Holiday Tournament in Green Cove Springs, easily defeating Clay and Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) before trouncing Ponte Vedra 80-52 in the championship game.
Oakleaf also defeated then-#1 Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) 61-41 on the road earlier in December and trounced Orange Park 67-25.
Spruce Creek (Port Orange) is 3rd.
The Hawks (9-2) move up from #5 after as they were 5-1 over the holidays with their only loss coming to Southeast (Bradenton) at the Tampa Bay Christmas Tournament. Spruce Creek also won at #5 Raines (Jacksonville) and RV Bartram Trail (St. Johns) before Christmas as well.
Ribault (Jacksonville) actually fell one spot to 4th but did receive the other two first-place votes this week.
The Trojans (9-3) knocked off Bishop Kenny earlier this week 51-50 in overtime and defeated Colonial (Orlando) and Dr. Phillips (Orlando) at the Florida Prospects Invitational as well and dropped a 57-54 contest to Wekiva (Apopka).
Ribault also defeated RV Terry Parker (Jacksonville) but lost 62-49 to rival Raines.
Speaking of Raines, the Vikings (9-4) move up two spots and round out the top five.
They also defeated Bishop Kenny and #15 Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) over the holidays with their only loss coming to Spruce Creek.
St. Augustine (13-1) starts off the second five at number six.
The Yellow Jackets have won eight in a row since their only loss, which came in overtime to #1 Nease. They easily defeated Palatka and West Port (Ocala) and then edged RV Bartram Trail (St. Johns) to win the Jarvis Williams Holiday Classic in Palatka.
Nease also picked up wins in December over #11 Flagler Palm Coast and RV Mandarin (Jacksonville).
The rest of the top 10 consists of #7 Hawthorne, 8th-ranked Wildwood, Bishop Kenny, which fell from the #1 spot in the first two polls to 9th in this poll after losing five of their last six games, and #10 Mainland (Daytona Beach).
Hawthorne (7-2), which was 2nd previously, drops five slots despite winning the Battle on the Island Championship before Christmas, beating host RV Fleming Island (Orange Park) 55-31 in the tourney championship game.
The Hornets dropped their first two games of the season at the Florida Prospects Invitational in Orlando to 7A West Orange (Winter Garden) and 7A Timber Creek (Orlando).
Two more undefeated teams, 11-0 Fletcher (Neptune Beach) and 10-0 St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) both move into the poll this week at #14 and #18T respectively.
Also new to the rankings are Eustis (7-2) and Ponte Vedra (8-4) who both are tied for 19th.
Falling out from the previous poll are Father Lopez (Daytona Beach), Terry Parker, and Bartram Trail.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, volleyball, girls basketball, boys 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 – 2020-21 GIRLS BASKETBALL POLL #3
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, and total voting points)
1. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (7A) (7) (13-1) – 170
2. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (7A) (11-0) – 159
3. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (9-2) – 150
4. Ribault (Jacksonville) (4A) (2) (9-3) – 149
5. Raines (Jacksonville) (4A) (9-4) – 144
6. St. Augustine (5A) (13-1) – 138
7. Hawthorne (1A) (7-2) – 137
8. Wildwood (1A) (8-1) – 115
9. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (8-6) – 109
10. Mainland (Daytona Beach) (6A) (8-1) – 99
11. Flagler Palm Coast (7A) (7-2) – 94
12. Columbia (Lake City) (6A) (6-2) – 77
13, Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) (3A) (8-1) – 75
14. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (11-0) (6A) – 56
15. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (6-0) – 43
16. Trenton (1A) (10-1) – 34
17. P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (3A) (2-1) – 32
18T. Crystal River (4A) (8-2) – 18
18T. St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) (3A) (10-0)
19T. Eustis (4A) (7-2) – 15
19T. Ponte Vedra (5A) (8-4) – 15
Also receiving votes: Episcopal (Jacksonville) (3A) (6-4) – 12; Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (3A) (10-3) – 6; Fleming Island (Orange Park) (6A) (6-3) – 6; North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) (2A) (5-0) – 6; Terry Parker (Jacksonville) (5A) (5-5) – 6; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (St. Johns) (7A) (7-6) – 3; Williston (1A) (6-1) – 2; Mandarin (Jacksonville) (7A) (6-5) – 1; North Marion (Citra) (4A) (7-3) – 1.
