JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4Jax boys basketball Super 6 poll will be published each Friday through the end of the regular season. The poll includes only teams in the Florida High School Athletic Association. Records are through Jan. 16 games.
Rank, School, Record, Classification
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1. (1) Jackson (14-1), Class 3A
Notable wins: Fleming Island, Lee, Mainland, Potter’s House, Providence, Ribault (twice), White.
The Tigers have won five in a row, including a 28-27 defensive struggle against Ribault on Thursday night. That’s two tough wins over Trojans by a combined three points. Say what you will about tight, ugly games, but the Tigers are winning those. They’ve been money in those types of games, beating Providence by 3 in OT, Paxon by a couple and Lee by 4 over the last seven games.
2. (3) Lee (15-2), Class 5A
Notable wins: Calvary Christian, Impact Christian, Orange Park, Palatka, St. Andrew’s Stanton, White.
Three straight wins for the Generals, who topped Parker (67-26), Ridgeview (68-42) and a solid Orange Park (72-53) since our last Super 6. Major challenge on Saturday in the MLK Showcase at Raines against 17-2 Forest Hill. Lee’s two losses are high quality defeats, a four-point game to Jackson and a 12-point loss to Paxon.
3. (4) Paxon (15-4), Class 4A
Notable wins: Episcopal, Florida State University High, Fort Myers, Lee, Miller Grove (Ga.), Seminole, Sparkman (Ala.), West Nassau, White.
Paxon has won three straight since a 46-44 loss to No. 1 Jackson on Jan. 7, and two of those very high quality wins. The Golden Eagles beat Florida High, 65-60, on Jan. 10, and followed that with a 70-31 blowout of West Nassau the next day. The win over West Nassau atoned for a loss to the Warriors in the Fortegra 9:12 High School Invitational on Dec. 13. Great stretch for Paxon. Two big ones loom in the Duel in Duval on Jan. 24-25, a 16-1 Santa Fe Catholic squad first and then a 12-3 Central Florida Christian the following day.
4. (2) Impact Christian (11-3), Class 2A
Notable wins: Bishop Kenny, Cornerstone Christian, Freedom Christian (NC), Paxon, Ribault, Seacoast Christian, Tampa Catholic, Westside.
The Lions bounced back from a tough OT loss to Providence with a 69-53 win over a solid Seacoast Christian team on Thursday night. Impact has a tough, tough closing stretch, beginning Friday at White. There are no off days remaining for Impact. The Lions have faced just three teams who currently have losing record; a 7-8 Ponte Vedra and First Academy, and a 4-12 Atlantic Coast. The worst team, recordwise, left for the Lions, is a 6-8 West Nassau. And the Warriors are a very, very good team.
5. (T-6) Bishop Kenny (13-3, Class 4A)
Notable wins: Bishop Snyder, Godby, Lake Nona, St. Augustine.
The Crusaders have won six in a row since a loss to Martin County on Dec. 30, including victories over Godby and Lake Nona, teams who are a combined 24-6. Three easy wins since our last Super 6, victories over Atlantic Coast (62-45), Wolfson (57-39) and Menendez (75-43). Big one on tap Friday at home against an always tough Bolles team, the first of two against the Bulldogs in what is always a tight and tough matchup.
(tie) 6. (5) North Florida Educational (13-3), Class 2A
Notable wins: Bingham (Utah), Cornerstone Christian, First Coast, Foothill (Nev.), Grandview (Colo.), Westside.
Five straight wins for the Eagles, who edged Bishop Snyder 46-44 in their lone game since our last Super 6. A game against 12-4 Park Vista on Friday, a 15-1 Hawthorne on Jan. 20 and a Jan. 22 game against Ribault are the big ones in this next wave for NFEI.
(tie) 6. (T-6) Providence (13-6), Class 3A
Notable wins: Bolles, Episcopal, First Coast, Fleming Island, Impact Christian, North Florida Educational, West Nassau, Windermere Prep.
The Stallions remain a tough team to figure out. They fended off previous No. 2 Impact, 47-44, in OT last week, and then dropped a 59-55 game to Bishop Snyder the next day. There’s a good shot at a 5-1 finish over the final six games. Games against Central Florida Christian Academy on Jan. 24 and Lake Highland Prep on Feb. 1 are their biggest remaining challenges.
Others: Baker County (11-4, Class 4A), Bishop Snyder (8-8, Class 3A), Bolles (10-4, Class 4A), Bradford (8-3, Class 4A), Columbia (15-2, Class 6A), Creekside (8-6, Class 6A), First Coast (10-6, Class 6A), Fleming Island (10-7, Class 6A), Hilliard (13-1, Class 1A), Nease (10-6, Class 7A), Orange Park (11-5, Class 5A), Palatka (12-4, Class 4A), Ribault (6-7, Class 4A), St. Augustine (9-3, Class 5A), Westside (8-6, Class 5A), West Nassau (6-8, Class 4A), White (9-6, Class 4A).