News4JAX Super 6 boys basketball: Paxon jumps in rankings as Gateway final four set

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX Super 6 boys high school basketball rankings will be published each Wednesday — except during Christmas week — through the regular season. Records are through Jan. 31.

News4JAX Super 6 boys basketball

Rank, Previous, School, Record, Classification

1. (1) Jackson (19-3, Class 4A)

Notable wins: Camden County, Creekside, Gainesville, Gibbs, Godby, Mainland, Mandarin, Nease, Raines (twice), Ribault (twice), Riverside, Sandalwood, Savannah, Santa Fe Catholic, San Jose Prep.

Glance: The Tigers have won 14 games in a row, including the Gateway Conference title last week with a 57-48 win over Raines. They also beat Ribault (49-46) in a slugfest in the semifinals. They finish their regular season with South Carolina program Gray Collegiate Academy (23-5) on Friday before the District 3-4A tournament.

2. (2) Providence (18-5, Class 3A)

Notable win: Archbishop McCarthy, Episcopal, Impact Christian, Mater Lakes Academy, Lake Highland Prep, Nease, Oakleaf, Paxon, Ponte Vedra, Riverside, Rockledge, Shabach Christian Academy (Maryland), Villages Charter, Windermere.

Glance: The Stallions have won nine consecutive games including a thriller on Tuesday night, 58-56 over Ponte Vedra. Chris Arias knocked down the game-winning shot as the horn sounded for the win. He had 29 points in that game. Providence wraps up its regular season on Thursday at University Christian.

3. (4) Episcopal (20-3, Class 3A)

Notable wins: Bishop Kenny, Bolles, Father Lopez, Fernandina Beach, Fletcher, Gateway, Impact Christian, Lowndes (Ga.), NFEI, South Point (NC), Munroe, Tocoi Creek, Trinity Christian.

Glance: The Eagles are back up to No. 3 after upping their winning streak to four games. They close out the regular season with a clash against Bolles on Saturday. A tough District 3-3A tournament awaits, with a likely collision against No. 2 Providence in the final.

4. (5) Raines (19-6, Class 4A)

Notable wins: Auburn (Virginia), Fernandina Beach, First Coast (twice), Godby, Mandarin, Paxon, Providence, Ribault.

Glance: Raines went 3-1 since our last Super 6, including a thrilling comeback win over Paxon (50-48) in the Gateway Conference semifinals. They wrap up their regular season against Spruce Creek on Saturday.

5. (3) Paxon (17-3, Class 4A)

Notable wins: Beachside, Keenan (SC), Nease, Orange Park, Ponte Vedra, Ribault, Savannah, Stanton, Toombs County (Georgia), Wolfson.

Glance: The Golden Eagles lost to Raines (50-48) in a classic in the Gateway Conference semis. But there’s not much reason to ding Paxon for that. Its only other losses are to No. 1 Jackson and No. 2 Providence.

6. (6) Ribault (17-6, Class 4A)

Notable wins: Bolles, Columbia, First Coast, Jackson, Mandarin, Riverside (twice), San Jose Prep, Southwest

Glance: The Trojans gave No. 1 Jackson everything it could handle in a 49-46 loss in the Gateway semis. They bounced back with an 82-59 win over Spruce Creek. Caleb Williams (23.7 ppg) is the area’s top player at this point of the season and only getting better. I’ve got the Trojans in ahead of Oakleaf. Expect a thrilling District 3-4A tournament.

On the bubble

Bishop Kenny (12-12, Class 4A); Bolles (10-9, Class 4A); Columbia (14-9, Class 5A); Creekside (15-9, Class 7A); Eagle’s View (16-7, Class 2A); Fernandina Beach (15-9, Class 4A); Fleming Island (13-11, Class 6A); First Coast (14-8, Class 6A); Fort White (15-5, Class 1A); Harvest Community (12-12, Class 2A); Hilliard (19-2, Class 1A); Impact Christian (11-10, Class 2A); Mandarin (15-7, Class 7A); Middleburg (17-6, Class 5A); Nease (13-10, Class 6A); Oakleaf (16-5, Class 6A); Orange Park (16-7, Class 6A); Palatka (19-4, Class 4A); Ponte Vedra (16-7, Class 6A); Riverside (14-8, Class 5A); San Jose Prep (11-8, Class 2A); St. Augustine (12-9, Class 5A); St. Johns Country Day (19-3, Class 2A); Stanton (14-9, Class 5A); Tocoi Creek (15-8, Class 7A); Trinity Christian (14-7, Class 3A); University Christian (13-8, Class 2A); Wolfson (11-11, Class 4A).