SBLive Sports’ Florida Boys Basketball Power 25: DME Academy moves up after win over nationally ranked IMG Academy

DME Academy defeated No. 3 ranked IMG Academy; Providence School drops to No. 23 after loss to unranked Barron Collier

The regular season is coming to a close and we’re now heading into district tournament play, which means playoff basketball is nearly upon us. The Sunshine State features a couple of the top teams in the country as Montverde Academy and Columbus remain our No. 1 and No. 2 teams in our rankings. DME Academy makes the biggest jump of any team to No. 15 as they are picked up a recent victory over IMG Academy. A first-time team into the poll is Berkeley Prep at No. 25 this week. Find the complete breakdown of the SBLive Sports Florida Boys Basketball Power 25.

1. Montverde Academy (22-2): The Eagles soared past Umatilla and The Villages in preseason action, but then lost 65-54 to the No. 2 team in the country, AZ Compass Prep (AZ). Montverde bounced back with a 85-42 win over Pleasant Grove (UT) and a blowout victory over IMG Academy. Liam McNeeley now leads the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game.

2. Columbus (20-3): Now that the season has tipped off for the Explorers, they have made their case in being one of the best programs in the Sunshine State. Columbus has wins over Wyatt (TX), DME Academy and Sierra Canyon (CA). Only losses have come to Duncanville (TX), Imhotep Charter (PA) and John Marshall (VA).

3. IMG Academy (19-6): In what was a highly anticipated matchup between the Ascenders and No. 1 Eagles turned into a rout a several weeks ago. This IMG Academy is still one of the most talented teams in the Sunshine State. The Ascenders recent win over Legacy Early College (South Carolina) helped offset a loss to DME Academy. 

4. Mater Lakes Academy (21-3): The only losses of the season for the Bears came up against No. 7 Sagemont and Crossroads (CA). Other than that, this Mater Lakes club has rolled so far through the competition. Recent wins versus Winter Haven and Riviera Prep have been huge.

5. Olympia (23-2): In a tight Kingdom of the Sun championship final back in December against Winter Haven, the Titans lost narrowly 74-69. Jizzle James is still one of the top players around and there’s still plenty of games left to be played. Titans were impressive in a 65-55 win over Leesburg, but then fell to Victory Christian Academy over the weekend.

6. Winter Haven (21-4): An impressive tournament win in the Kevin Brown TOC in Illinois has these Blue Devils off to a strong start. Fringe state title contenders? Winning the 49th annual Kingdom of the Sun championship game against Winter Haven helped prove they belong among the best in the state. Since losing to Mater Lakes Academy, the Blue Devils have won six straight. 

7. Riviera Prep (19-6): The Bulldogs started off the season with an impressive wins over South Dade, Keys Gate and Schoolhouse Prep. Riviera Prep brings back sophomore Dante Allen, who is averaging 22.4 points per game.

8. Lake Worth (19-1): Junior forward Hedrens Barthelus is averaging a team-high 14.3 points per game for a Trojans team that’s won 19 games in a row. Only loss of the season has come up against Doral Academy. A recent big win over Dwyer keeps this Lake Worth team on the up and up. 

9. FSU High (24-1): Right out of the gates, the Seminoles have been one of the Big Bend’s top clubs. The Seminoles have wins over Florida A&M, Oldsmar Christian and Lee (AL). The Seminoles just recently lost 64-62 to Maclay. FSU High went 3-0 at the Sun Bash Tournament in St. Petersburg, FL back in December. 

10. Wekiva (22-3): It’s taken a little bit, but the Mustangs are now in the rankings and there’s plenty of good reasons. Outside of their two losses to Windermere and Marist (IL), Wekiva has played just about everyone in Central Florida. A win over Windermere has moved the Mustangs up the rankings.

11. Oak Ridge (15-8): Now the season has started for the Pioneers and this team is rolling. Wins over Tri-Cities (GA) and Mainland are solid, but the more impressive victories followed against Windermere and The Villages Charter. The Pioneers have won back-to-back games after losing three in a row, but one of those came against national power Duncanville (TX) in a close loss.

12. St. Thomas Aquinas (20-3): The Raiders have catapulted themselves into the Power 25 rankings with a strong start. A win over Clearwater Calvary Christian recently was impressive. Only losses have come against South Gwinnett of Georgia, Riviera Prep and South Plantation. 

13. Orlando Christian Prep (19-3): The season started with a win for the Warriors as they edged out Edgewater 56-49 in a tightly contested matchup. Lone loss has come against Olympia in overtime. The Warriors lost in overtime to Winter Haven recently, but bounced back with wins over Cocoa and Lakeland. 

14. Sagemont (21-4): After winning 25 games in the 2021-2022 season, Sagemont has raced out to an undefeated start with wins over Somerset Academy, Boyd Anderson and Riviera Prep early on. Only losses have come to North Oldham (KY), Alexander (GA), Lake Worth and Miami Country Day. 

15. DME Academy (22-5): This DME Academy team has played a very tough schedule through 27 games. The Daytona Beach-based team has wins over nationally ranked IMG Academy, The Rock, Williston and Edgewater.

16. Westminster Academy (17-7): A loss to Mater Lakes drops the Lions down in our Power 25, but this Westminster Academy club is still a contender in Class 3A. A big win over North Broward Prep was a nice notch to the belt, but then lost to IMG Academy Blue a few days later. At the MAIT Invitational, Westminster lost to Montverde, Durango (NV) and Riviera Prep. 

17. Belen Jesuit (21-4): The Wolverines debuted into our Power 25 rankings and recent wins over Doral Academy and Archbishop McCarthy brought them in. Not to mention their only four losses have come to Riviera Prep, Archbishop Moeller (OH), Miami Palmetto and Mater Lakes Academy, who are ranked No. 5 in these rankings.

18. Southridge (18-6): The Spartans are another South Florida club that we couldn’t wait to have slowly climb up the Power 25. A recent 54-50 win over Norland proved to be the game that moved Southridge into the rankings. Southridge’s only losses are to No. 10 Mater Lakes, Grant County (KY), Berkeley Prep, Belen Jesuit, No. 10 St. Thomas Aquinas and No. 2 Columbus. 

19. Dwyer (22-1): The Panthers are no longer an undefeated team after losing to No. 8 Lake Worth. Dwyer has played in just four games that have ended in single digits. Senior Mason Brown leads the Panthers in scoring at 14.5 points per game.

20. NSU University (16-5): The Sharks are off to a strong start and though they narrowly lost to Sagemont, that’s not a bad thing. Leading the way scoring wise for NSU University is sophomore Kohl Rosario at 16.1 points a contest. A three-game losing streak has dropped the Sharks into the bottom five of the rankings. 

21. Norland (17-7): A little bit of a surprise to start the season off has been Norland, who owns quality wins over Miami Country Day and Bartow. The Vikings have a tough regular season slate that includes Leesburg and Gulliver Prep. Norland recently lost 72-60 to No. 10 Mater Lakes Academy and Palmetto, which drops them in these recent rankings.

22. Windermere (18-6): The Wolverines are playing some of their best basketball as of late and they have the wins to prove it. Amongst the impressive wins have come against Mills University Studies (AR), Edgewater, Tampa Catholic and Apopka. A recent loss against Ocoee is only their fifth of the season.

23. Providence School (23-2): The Stallions have been scoring the basketball just about as good as anyone, averaging around 64.9 points per game. This team has shown they are for real in the early going. Can they keep it up? A loss against unranked Barron Collier has sent Providence School tumbling down our rankings. 

24. Miami Country Day (15-10): The Spartans have been a very up and down club throughout the season, but recent victories NSU University and Sagemont surges Miami Country Day into the Power 25 rankings. Sami Elkamel averages a team-high 15.0 points a game.

25. Berkeley Prep (21-2): A team we’ve been sleeping on this season is Berkeley Prep. Stellar play from guard George Kimble and forward Donnie Morris has this team rolling heading into districts. The Buccaneers defeated Tamp Catholic a couple weeks ago, making this Berkeley Prep club one to watch for in Class 3A. 

Teams on the bubble: Barron Collier, Clearwater Calvary Christian, Gibbs, Andrew Jackson, Evans, Lake Highland Prep, Pine Forest, Jones, Berkeley Prep, Bradford, Wharton, North Florida Educational Institute, Leesburg, Pembroke Pines Charter, Maclay, The Rock, Doral Academy, Suncoast, Suwannee, The Villages.

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.