Christmas Break and the new year brought a lot of ups and downs for the teams in Northeast Florida. We have had cancellations, postponements, rescheduling, upsets, injuries and players missing games with the major culprit being Covid-19. Let’s take a look at how it’s affected our girls basketball rankings in mid-January.
1. Oakleaf (16-1)
Remaining in our Number 1 spot is Oakleaf. They are still undefeated and have been playing well this season. They continue to be led by their sensational sophomores Fantasia James, Taliah Scott and Kaylah Turner. They have a great supporting cast who play great defense and hit big shots when needed. Upcoming games: NFEI, Middleburg, Orange Park and Nease. (Previous Rank – 1)
2. Raines (16-4)
Back at Number 2 is Raines. They went 5-1 since our last rankings with the lone loss coming against a really good Spruce Creek team by 2 points. They picked up a quality win against Rival Ribault during this span. They now head into the Gateway Conference Tournament as the number one seed and look to defend their title as Champions. They have a first-round bye and will play the winner out of Baldwin and Stanton on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Previous Rank – 3)
3. Ribault (14-4)
Moving back up to our Number 3 spot is Ribault. This team has faced a lot of adversity this year. They have had to cancel and reschedule several games. Not to mention the lack of practice time due to Covid-19 protocols. They won’t use that as an excuse as the team has taken on the personality of their leader, Coach Shante Stevens. They just keep playing hard no matter what the circumstances. This was even more evident when they beat Bishop Kenny 51-50 in overtime. They had to play the game without one of their best players, Asiana Britt. They also lost two other starters to foul trouble in the 4th quarter. They now look to carry this same energy into the Gateway Conference Tournament. They have a first-round bye and will face the winner out of Lee and Fletcher on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Previous Rank – 5)
4. Nease (15-4)
Moving down to our Number 4 spot is Nease. They suffered two losses in a row to Bishop Kenny and Spruce Creek snapping their 10-game winning streak. They look to bounce back against Menendez on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Previous Rank – 2)
5. St. Augustine (16-1)
St. Augustine continues to climb in our rankings and moves up to the Number 5 spot. They continued to play well with their lone loss came against rival Nease in overtime, 50-53. They are led by Senior Kyra Stauble and Junior Janiyah Jackson. They look to continue their strong play against Menendez on Friday, January 15, 2021. (Previous Rank – 8)
6. Jackson (10-4)
Remaining in the Number 6 spot is Jackson. They didn’t play over the Christmas break and it shows as they went 1-2 last week losing to Oakleaf and University Christian. They look to shake off the rust this week in the Gateway Conference Tournament. They also have a first-round bye as the number 3 seed and will face the winner out of Sandalwood and Atlantic Coast on January 12, 2021. (Previous Rank -6)
7. Columbia (11-3)
Remaining in the Number 7 spot is Columbia. Like Jackson, they didn’t play over the Christmas break. They picked up wins against Creekside and Sante Fe last week to begin the new year. Na’haviya Paxton continues to fill up the stat sheet recording a quadruple-double in the Sante Fe game and currently leads the state in scoring with 27.4 points per game according to Max Preps. Don’t want to leave out her backcourt mate, Anzarria Jenkins, who also fills the stat sheet in several categories and is averaging double-figures in scoring. Upcoming games: Vanguard, Gainesville, and Oak Hall (Previous Rank – 7)
8. Bishop Kenny (12-8)
Bishop Kenny continues to fall in our rankings as they come in at the Number 8 spot. Like Ribault, this team has faced a lot of adversity this year. They also have had to cancel and reschedule several games due to Covid-19 protocols. To compound things, they went through maybe the toughest stretch in a schedule that I have ever seen and it showed as they dropped 6 games in a row. They bounced back with a quality win against Nease to break the losing streak. They look to build some momentum this week against Mainland, Bolles and Potters House. (Previous Rank – 4)
9. Bartram Trail (12-6)
Moving back into the rankings at Number 9 is Bartram Trail. They have gone 5-1 since our last rankings, including a huge win against Bishop Kenny. The lone loss was against St. Augustine 36-30. Upcoming games: Orange Park and Creekside (Previous Rank – NR)
10. Mandarin (12-6)
Rounding out the top ten and remaining in their same spot is Mandarin. They have come out of Christmas break strong, picking up wins against Trinity, First Coast and Middleburg. They look to build on this momentum heading into the Gateway Conference Tournament as they face First Coast in the first round on Monday, January 11, 2021. If they win, they would face an undermanned Terry Parker team that hasn’t played a game in over 2 weeks on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. (Previous Rank -10)
Others in consideration: Records as of 1/15/21
Episcopal (8-4)
Fleming Island (6-3)
Fletcher (14-0)
Lee (7-9)
NFEI (6-0)
Ponte Vedra (9-5)
St. Joseph’s Academy (13-0)
Terry Parker (5-6)
