We had an exciting start of the season for Girl’s Basketball here in Duval County. This may be one of the most interesting seasons we have had in a long time as the area is loaded with talent. We have already had some great games and Thanksgiving week brought the Inside Exposure Thanksgiving Classic and The Smile 4 Mitch Classic which both featured some of the best teams from the area. This was a preview of what promises to be a very competitive season. Now that we have had a chance to see more teams play, we have expanded our rankings to the top ten teams in the area.
1. Bishop Kenny (4-1)
BK has started off the season very strong. They are well-coached and play a very hard and disciplined brand of basketball. Seniors Jasmine Roberts and Jamia Nesmith have been impressive on both ends of the floor. Junior Maddie Millar has settled in nicely in her new role as point guard and continues to hit the 3-point shot at a high clip. With their only lost so far coming from an out of state team, Winston Salem (NC), they hold their spot at Number 1.
2. Raines (3-2)
Raines defensive pressure is relentless and has led them to a good start. Senior Selah Reddick has transitioned well into her new role as point guard and leads her team well on both ends of the court and fellow senior Ahliah Brown is off to a hot shooting start. They had a setback though as key contributor Jamicia Davis suffered an injury and had their first 2 losses to undefeated DME from Daytona and Colonial from Orlando. Things don’t get easier for them either as they play one of the toughest schedules around. Their bench will have to step up if they are to hold on to their spot at number 2.
3. Ribault (2-1)
Ribault has gotten better with each game they have played. Their one loss came to a very talented Florida High team from Tallahassee. Senior Nigeria Harkless may be the most skilled player in the area as she can score from anywhere on the court. Fellow seniors Samiya Carroll and Kendra Williams are the clear leaders of the team. Carroll is one of the fastest players with or without the ball in her hand and wrecks havoc on the defensive end. Williams may be the most underrated player in Jacksonville as she does all the little things that don’t show up in the stat sheet but are key to winning games. With key contributions from Senior Asia Fleming and Sophomore Asiana Britt (who is one of the best young players in the area), Ribault presents a tough match up for any opponent.
4. Oakleaf (3-0)
They are a good, young team led by nationally ranked sophomore Taliah Scott and fellow sophomore Fantasia James. They start five guards, are very good on the defensive end and come off the bench with size so they present a lot of interesting match ups. They are off to a good start. Let’s see if they keep up the momentum as the season continues.
5. Nease (3-1)
They are off to a good start with their lone loss coming to a tough Lakewood Christian Academy team from Tennessee. Junior Sydney Gomes and Senior Stephanie Manherz leads this well-coached team. They play really hard and will be a tough matchup this season for every team they play. They face a very tough opponent in the Columbia team this week, who enters our rankings this week at number 6.
6. Columbia (3-0)
At number 6 and maybe a bit of surprise to some is Columbia High School from Lake City. They are led by Junior guards Na’Haviya Paxton and Anzarria Jenkins. Paxton has a nice mid-range game and can finish at the basket in traffic well. They have their first major test as they face Nease this week at home.
7. Terry Parker (2-3)
Terry Parker may have the toughest schedule in the area and it shows with 3 early losses against quality opponents (Spruce Creek, DME, and Winston Salem, NC). They also have a lot of new faces and it seems like they are still trying to find chemistry on the court. Watch out though, because when they find it, they could be scary good. They are led by Senior Kennedy Horton, Junior Kiana Wilson and surprise starter, Freshman Terrielle Clark. Look for them to move back up in the rankings soon.
8. Mandarin (2-1)
They are off to a good start with their lone loss coming to Terry Parker by only 2 points. They are led by Freshman Ny’keria Thomas, who has garnered a lot of attention early in the season with her sensational play. They will be tested this week as they face two teams that appear in our rankings, Ribault and Oakleaf.
9. Jackson (4-0)
This team has grown tremendously over the last 3 years of playing together. They have a team full of Juniors and Sophomores, led by Junior Jazmine Jackson and Sophomore Xania Jackson. They will be interesting to watch this season as their schedule gets tougher.
10. Bartram Trail (3-1)
Rounding out our top ten is Bartram Trail. They started the season strong despite missing one of their top players, Junior Dyllan Hanna, for the first 3 games. Senior guards Angel Roman and Moira McCarthy led the team with their good shooting from beyond the arc.
Teams to keep your eye on:
NFEI (3-0)
St. Augustine (3-0)
Fleming Island (hasn’t played any games yet)
