GAINESVILLE — The Sandalwood girls’ basketball team is the early favorite as the top overall team in the region.
The Lady Saints (8-0) are a unanimous No. 1 in The Prep Zone Power Poll preseason rankings powered by Strive Fitness. They are also the top-ranked team in the Class 9A state rankings according to MaxPreps.
Sandalwood did not make the postseason last year but the Saints were runners-up to 2-time defending 6A state champion Ribault (Jacksonville) in the Gateway Conference.
They already have wins this season against Ribault, which is ranked 12th, and No. 5 Nease (Ponte Vedra), plus they handed 5A region finalists Tampa Catholic its only loss. The Lady Saints received all six first-place votes.Sandalwood Saints
Fleming Island (Orange Park) is ranked second.
The Golden Eagles finished 28-3 last year and made a run all the way to the Class 8A state semifinals before falling to South Broward. They are ranked 6th in 8A by MaxPreps, and off to a 10-1 start, with their only loss coming to unbeaten Lake Howell (Winter Park).
Class 6A Ponte Vedra edged 4A P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) by one vote for the No. 3 spot, while another Ponte Vedra team, Class 7A Nease, rounds out the top five.
Class 7A Gainesville, which lost to Nease in OT in the first round of last year’s 7A state playoffs, is ranked sixth, followed by 1A Wildwood, 9A Spruce Creek (Port Orange), 5A Newberry, and 6A Weeki Wachee, in the top 10.
Due to the holidays, our next all-classification regional ranking won’t be released until January 2018.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 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 Strive Fitness.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2017-2018 GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL #1
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, last season’s final record, current record through 12/16, and total voting points)
1. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (9A) (6) (16-6) (8-0) – 120
2. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (8A) (28-3) (10-1) – 111
3. Ponte Vedra (6A) (22-7) (8-0) – 97
4. P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (4A) (24-3) (6-2) – 96
5. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (7A) (24-5) (7-2) – 93
6. Gainesville (7A) (22-3) (8-4) – 78
7. Wildwood (1A) (24-6) (8-2) – 77
8. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (9A) (21-9) (5-2) – 63
9. Newberry (5A) (14-6) (10-2) – 55
10. Weeki Wachee (6A) (20-8) (9-0) – 47
11. First Coast (Jacksonville) (8A) (15-13) (7-2) – 46
12. Ribault (Jacksonville) (6A) (26-3) (5-5) – 44
13. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (10-15) (6-2) – 43
14. Trenton (1A) (25-4) (7-1) – 39
15. Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (18-9) (6-2) – 38
16. Fernandina Beach (5A) (27-3) (9-2) – 34
17. Crystal River (6A) (21-3) (7-2) – 27
18. Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) (7A) (22-8) (7-2) – 26
19. West Port (Ocala) (8A) (24-5) (6-4) – 25
T-20. Vanguard (Ocala) (7A) (17-7) (4-3) – 23
T-20. Providence (Jacksonville) (4A) (27-1) (4-4) – 23
Also receiving votes: Trinity Christian (Deltona) (3A) (20-4) (5-3) – 12; Aucilla Christian (Monticello) (2A) (23-6) (7-1) – 10; Eastside (Gainesville) (6A) (7-14) (6-3) – 8; Hernando Christian Academy (Brooksville) (2A) (23-3) (7-1) – 7; Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) (8A) (16-11) (6-2) – 5; Flagler Palm Coast (9A) (15-12) (6-2) – 4; St. John Lutheran (Ocala) (2A) (16-11) (5-3) – 4; Williston (1A) (18-7) (7-1) – 2; Forest (Ocala) (7A) (11-11) (8-1) – 2; Springstead (Spring Hill) (7A) (12-10) (5-2) – 1.
