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. 23.

News4JAX Super 6 boys basketball

Rank, Previous, School, Record, Classification

1. (1) Jackson (17-3, Class 4A)

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

Glance: The Tigers have won 12 straight and settled into their second half form that’s been common under coach James Collins. They routed Mandarin (62-38) in the Gateway Conference opener and face Ribault, a team it has split with, in Thursday’s semifinal round.

2. (2) Providence (16-5, Class 3A)

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

Glance: The Stallions stretched their winning streak to seven with wins over NFEI (47-33), Archbishop McCarthy (47-33) and Nease (49-26) since our last Super 6. They’ve got a red-hot Impact Christian up next on Friday.

3. (5) Paxon (17-2, Class 4A)

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

Glance: The Golden Eagles added wins over Harvest (62-50) and then Wolfson in the Gateway (49-42) since our last update. Next up is Raines on Thursday in the Gateway semis.

4. (3) Episcopal (16-3, Class 3A)

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

Glance: A 2-1 mark since our last Super 6, with wins over Yulee (67-48) and Bishop Kenny (59-47) and a surprising loss to University Christian (56-49). That moves the Eagles down out of the top three for the first time this season.

5. (4) Raines (16-5, Class 4A)

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

Glance: Just one game since our last Super 6, a 59-55 win over White in the Gateway tournament. The Vikings face No. 5 Paxon on Thursday in the conference semis, with the winner getting a shot at No. 1 Jackson or No. 6 Ribault in Friday’s final.

6. (6) Ribault (16-5, Class 4A)

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

Glance: The Trojans have won five in a row, including a 67-58 win over Riverside on Tuesday night in the Gateway tournament. That sets Ribault up with a clash against No. 1 Jackson in Thursday night’s semifinals. Caleb Williams (23 ppg) is thundering toward best player in the area status for the Trojans.

Dropped out

Oakleaf (12-5, Class 6A).

On the bubble

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