PNJ Basketball Power Poll: Gulf Breeze boys bump Pine Forest, Navarre girls still No. 1
Another week of high school hoops is in the books, and there have been some shakeups in the PNJ's Power Poll.
For boys basketball, Gulf Breeze has claimed the top spot following six straight wins. The Dolphins boast the area's best win-loss record at 15-3. Although the team lost second-leading scorer Dominic Jackson to a torn anterior cruciate ligament over the holiday break, Gulf Breeze continues to find ways to win.
Jay climbs up the poll as well with First Team All-PNJ forward Tristan Watson back in action. Another guy who had a torn ACL, Watson's return to the court has rejuvenated the Royals.
Since returning, the versatile junior has averaged 17.5 points per game to go along with 14.8 rebounds per game. This must come as a big relief to sophomore guard Ethan McDonald, who was holding the Royals up all season long in the absence of Watson. He's had scoring outputs of 39, 37, 34, 33 and 30 points.
On the girls side, Navarre continues to be slotted at No. 1, but things haven't been as easy for them recently. The Raiders edged by Milton and Baldwin County before losing to Fort Walton Beach in their latest outing.
Meanwhile, Pine Forest remains with just one loss versus Florida competition. Though the Eagles do have another loss since the last rankings, it came to McGill-Toolen (Ala.). They walloped Pensacola and West Florida during that same timeframe.
Here is a look at the full power poll:
Boys Basketball
1) Gulf Breeze (15-3)
Things have been good for the Dolphins lately, as their boys soccer team cracked the top 10 national rankings, and now their boys basketball team is the area's No. 1 squad.
From Jan. 6 to Jan. 18, the Dolphins have posted a 6-0 record. And while a few of those wins were lopsided, some of them displayed the grit and grind that makes Gulf Breeze so good in winning time.
During their Jan. 18 win over Jay, senior guard Reece Bloomberg poured in a game-high 28 points, with 14 of those coming in the fourth quarter.
Related: High School Basketball: Bloomberg outduels Watson, Gulf Breeze pulls away from Jay
2) Pine Forest (15-5)
The Eagles remain one of the top teams in the area, tied with Gulf Breeze for the highest win total. However, they also have a few more setbacks on their record, which is why they fall to No. 2.
Over the past week, they picked up three wins, beating Fort Walton Beach, Pensacola and West Florida. Their lone loss came on the road to Choctaw.
In that loss, junior guard Joshua Whitehurst tossed in 33 points. The Eagles have lots of guys who you have to account for in the game plan, with three players averaging double-digit point totals.
Related: High school basketball: Pine Forest rides strong second half to another win over BTW
3) Booker T. Washington (14-5)
The Wildcats took their talents to Jacksonville during the weekend leading up to MLK Day, playing in a showcase tournament. Against some stout competition, they dropped their first two games.
But the sign of a good team, they rebounded and finished their week with two wins. On MLK Day, they knocked off Jacksonville Westside, and their most recent game was a three-point victory over West Florida.
While they've shown some inconsistencies from the field, the Wildcats typically have enough to get the job done. They remain in the driver's seat in District 1-6A competition at 4-0.
Related: Boys Basketball: BTW 'brotherhood' keeps rolling, Wildcats move to 6-0 after stifling Tate
4) Jay (10-5)
Since the last power poll, Jay has gone 4-1, with their sole loss coming to the top team, Gulf Breeze.
And while the final score in that contest was 75-60 in favor of the Dolphins, the final score didn't do the game justice. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Royals trailed by just four points.
With one of the area's best duos, they'll have a chance in every game they play. Junior forward Tristan Watson and sophomore guard Ethan McDonald account for 40.5 points per night, which is 80% of Jay's nightly average.
5) Pensacola (12-8)
The Tigers fall a few spots in this week's ranking following a tough two-game stretch. It started on Jan. 12 when Pensacola hosted Bay in a District 1-4A battle.
Pensacola lost on its home court, suffering its first district loss of the season. Two days later, in a highly-anticipated matchup versus Pine Forest, the Tigers lost by 22 points, once again in their own gym.
Despite that, the Tigers roster some of the area's best talent. The senior guard duo of Caleb Young and Jason Peoples averages 14.2 and 13.8 points per game, respectively. Junior post player James Robinson pulls down 10 rebounds a night.
Related: Pensacola basketball got small taste of success, realized potential and found its groove
6) Milton (10-8)
The Panthers continue their up-and-down season, splitting their two games since the last power poll. They picked up a 10-point win over Pace, and added a five-point loss to Choctaw.
Part of the team's game-to-game deviation comes due to their turnover struggles. They had a combined 27 turnovers through this two-game stretch, often leaving the outcome in the hands of the competition. If the opponents can make something of the turnovers, they put themselves in a position to win.
In games where they limit their turnovers, the Panthers are hard to beat. They've only played two games with less than 10 giveaways, but are 2-0 in those contests.
7) Navarre (9-9)
The Raiders are placed in the exact same spot as the last time around, because their performance has been replicated week in and week out: streaky, middle of the road.
In four games played over a little more than a week, Navarre is 2-2. They beat West Florida and Fort Walton Beach, but lost to Tate and Crestview. Still, the Raiders have yet to beat a team with a winning record.
This may make the remainder of their schedule difficult, as three of their final five games come against teams with 10 or more wins.
8) Tate (7-9)
The Aggies are always battling, but too often find themselves on the losing end of close games. Over the last nine days, the Aggies have gone 1-3, losing two games in overtime and another game by just three points.
In its two overtime losses, Tate allowed the extra period by being outscored in the fourth quarter. Fortunately for the Aggies, they have four District 1-6A games remaining where they can right these wrongs and put themselves towards the top of the standings.
9) Pensacola Catholic (7-10)
The Crusaders have had a rough go at it lately, losing multiple winnable games in the past week.
They lost to a 4-17 West Florida team, as well as Lighthouse Private Christian Academy. Their lone win since the last power poll came over Northview, who is 2-8.
10) Escambia (4-8)
The Gators continue to play better than they did at the season's inception, at the very least making themselves a tough opponent every night.
They lost to Choctaw by just eight, a team that competed with some of the Pensacola area's best, beating Pine Forest and Milton, while losing to Gulf Breeze by just two.
They then went on the road to Tate, winning 64-61 in a tightly-contested battle. A true test of their progression comes Friday when they host Pine Forest.
Related: Escambia boys basketball: Gators growing through the struggle as they go through it
11) West Florida (4-17)
The Jaguars have had their work cut out for them over the past week and a half, playing four of the area's best teams: Jay, Gulf Breeze, Washington and Pine Forest.
While they lost them all, they were able to pick up a victory versus Pensacola Catholic. And against the Wildcats, they pushed lost by just three on the road. Scoring has been fine for West Florida, but it's defense where their issue lays.
Versus the four aforementioned teams, they allowed 72.8 points per game.
12) Northview (2-8)
Shortly after last week's rankings released, the Chiefs picked up a rare win versus Blacksher (AL). It was an all-around performance, winning by double-digits.
However, they lost their next game by 29 points to Pensacola Catholic.
13) Pace (4-14)
The Patriots haven't won a game since the last power poll.
They are 0-3 during that period, but have lost their last six in a row.
Girls Basketball
1) Navarre (18-3)
Things haven't been as easy for one of the state's top girls teams. The Raiders were in close games versus Milton and Baldwin County, but as they often do, walked away with wins in both.
Per usual, its been senior guard Rachel Leggett leading the way, particularly in crunch time. Against Baldwin County, she finished with just 10 points but got the game-clinching steal and hit two free throws to officially put it on ice.
However, the team did suffer a rare loss in their last game, their second of the season to Fort Walton Beach.
Related: From newcomer to notable, Navarre's Leggett sprinted to top of girls basketball world
2) Pine Forest (11-6)
The Eagles still have just one loss to a team from Florida, and that team wasn't from the Pensacola area. In terms of city competition, Pine Forest has been completely dominant.
Their closest game against a local opponent was a 25-point win versus Booker T. Washington. In the past week, they beat Pensacola 57-13 and West Florida 68-32.
3) Gulf Breeze (9-8)
The lady Dolphins have been on a tear, winning their last five games in a row. Ahead of that streak, they were well under the .500 marker.
While two of those wins were against winless teams, their upcoming schedule should provide them much more of a challenge.
Heading into playoff time, they could be a dangerous team as they hit their stride. They'll have two more ideal tune-ups before then, playing against Navarre and West Florida Baptist Academy. These games will prepare them for playoff-type competition.
4) Milton (12-7)
Recently, the Panthers' methodical style of basketball has made it hard for them to stick around with some of the Panhandle's best teams like Crestview and Navarre.
On Jan. 11 and Jan. 14, they dropped back-to-back games versus these teams, but were in them until the bitter end. Ultimately, they lost to the Bulldogs by just three and Navarre by five.
They could end the season with momentum, though, as their final four games are against teams with losing records.
Related: Milton girls basketball: Panthers' unique style slows down Escambia, 44-24
5) Pace (10-8)
On the heels of a five-straight wins, Pace ran into the buzzsaws that are Milton and Crestview and had their streak snapped.
However, the Patriots were on the brink of powering through, with a chance to win both games. In the end, they lost each contest by five points.
Sophomore guard Aisley Shields has separated herself from the pack, emerging as the team's go-to option. She's the only Patriot averaging double-digits at 12.3 points per contest.
6) West Florida (9-13)
The Jaguars have gone 3-2 since the last power poll, playing a much better brand of basketball with the playoffs drawing near.
They bested a well-coached Booker T. Washington squad twice, while routing Escambia by 40 points. Their loss came to Gulf Shores (AL).
If senior Amari Franklin, who leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals gets some help from her younger counterparts, the Jags could be a tough out in district play.
Related: Monday Roundup: Four area teams participate at MLK Showcase at West Florida High School
7) Escambia (7-9)
The Gators finally snapped a five-game losing streak on Wednesday, beating a winless Tate team by two points. It was one of the lowest scoring affairs of the season, 28-26.
Trending in the wrong direction, Escambia has been on the wrong end of some blowout games. They lost to Navarre 70-4 and followed that up with a 63-21 loss against West Florida.
8) Jay (6-10)
The Royals have taken some recent lumps, getting blown out by Central and Paxton, yet the last week of their season will make or break their standing in District 1-1A competition.
Currently in second place, they host first-place Northview on Jan. 27 to give themselves a chance at taking the throne. Their 43-21 win over Laurel Hill on Monday proved that they are one of the better teams in the District.
9) Northview (4-5)
The Chiefs were just 1-5 last time the rankings were released, but three wins in a row has them just shy of .500. More importantly, two of their four wins are against district competitors, putting them in first place.
10) Booker T. Washington (3-11)
The Wildcats keep fighting, but the wins just have not been coming. Losers of six straight, BTW lost twice to West Florida and once to Choctaw in the past week.
One bright spot for them has been senior Jasmine Mayes. She has earned herself some recognition as their featured player, averaging 16.4 points per game and 3.9 steals per game.
11) Pensacola Catholic (2-14)
The Crusaders continue to stumble towards the finish line, losing their last five games. Their most noticeable roadblock down the stretch has been their lack of offensive firepower.
In three of their last four games, they'll failed to crack the 25-point threshold.
12) Pensacola (2-11)
The Tigers' only two wins this season came against Tate, who hasn't won a game in two years. One of those contests was this past week, easing the pain of a previous eight-game losing streak.
13) Tate (0-10)
The Aggies have now reached 24 straight losses, and had their hearts crushed on Wednesday with a chance to put an end to that bad statistic. They lost a two-point game to Escambia.
They'll have two more chances to get a win this season versus Pace and Pensacola Catholic, otherwise it'll be two winless seasons in a row.
Lucas Semb can be reached at Lsemb@pensacol.gannett.com or 850-281-7414. Follow him on Twitter at @Lucas_Semb for stories and various Pensacola area score updates.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Basketball power poll for Pensacola area high school teams
