SBLive Sports’ Florida Boys Basketball Power 25: Columbus drops to No. 3 after loss in district title game to Miami Palmetto

Miami Palmetto enters the rankings at No. 23 and Tampa Catholic returns after defeating Berkley Prep for the Class 3A, District 9 championship

We are now in the playoff portion of the boys basketball season and the district playoffs did provide us some surprises. The upset win maybe of the year was last week when unranked Miami Palmetto defeated Columbus 66-64 for the Class 7A, District 16 championship. No one saw that coming, but now it shakes up this week’s rankings as region quarterfinal postseason play starts up. Find the complete breakdown of the SBLive Sports Florida Boys Basketball Power 25.

1. Montverde Academy (23-2): The Eagles needed a come-from-behind victory to defeat IMG Academy on the road last week. Nonetheless, the Eagles have remained solid at the top spot all year long. Liam McNeeley now leads the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game.

2. IMG Academy (17-7): In what was a highly anticipated rematch between the Ascenders and No. 1 Eagles, IMG held a lead for some of this contest before falling 62-52. 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.

3. Columbus (21-4): Shock of the season came last week when the Explorers fell to an unranked Miami Palmetto team. Columbus does have wins over strong programs like Wyatt (TX), DME Academy and Sierra Canyon (CA). Only losses have come to Duncanville (TX), Imhotep Charter (PA), John Marshall (VA) and now Miami Palmetto. 

4. Mater Lakes Academy (23-3): The only losses of the season for the Bears came up against No. 7 Sagemont, Crossroads (CA) and Columbus. 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 (25-2): Jizzle James has been one of the top players around and remains a strong contender in Class 7A. Titans were impressive in a 71-66 win over Oak Ridge for the Class 7A, District 5 championship. Olympia start off the playoffs against Lake Nona. 

6. Winter Haven (23-4): An impressive tournament win in the Kevin Brown TOC in Illinois was a strong start to the season. The Blue Devils will be a contender for the Class 7A state championship come March. 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 eight straight.

7. Riviera Prep (22-6): 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 22.1 points per game for the Bulldogs. 

8. Lake Worth (22-1): Senior point guard Calvin Sirmans is averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game for a Trojans team that’s won 21 straight 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. St. Thomas Aquinas (22-3): 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.

10. Orlando Christian Prep (21-3): The season started with a win for the Warriors as they edged out Edgewater 56-49 in a tightly contested matchup. Losses have come against Olympia and Tampa Catholic in overtime. The Warriors also lost in overtime to Winter Haven recently, but bounced back with wins over Cocoa, Lakeland and Central Florida Christian. 

11. Oak Ridge (16-9): 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 were on a roll going into the Class 7A, District 5 championship game before falling to Olympia 71-66. 

12. Sagemont (24-4): After winning 25 games in the 2021-2022 season, Sagemont raced out to start the season with 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.

13. DME Academy (24-5): This DME Academy team has played a very tough schedule through 29 games. The Daytona Beach-based team has wins over nationally ranked IMG Academy, The Rock, Williston and Edgewater.

14. Westminster Academy (19-7): 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.

15. Belen Jesuit (23-4): 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. 4 in these rankings.

16. Southridge (20-6): The Spartans are another South Florida club that we couldn’t wait to have slowly climb up the Power 25. A recent 73-60 win over North Miami earned Southridge the Class 6A, District 16 crown. 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.

17. Dwyer (24-1): 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 14.0 points per game.

18. FSU High (25-2): 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 76-68 to Maclay in the Class 3A, District 1 championship. FSU High went 3-0 at the Sun Bash Tournament in St. Petersburg, FL back in December.

19. 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.

20. Windermere (19-7): 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.

21. Wekiva (23-4): The Mustangs won six games in a row before that streak was snapped in a 59-45 loss to Edgewater in the Class 6A, District 6 championship game. Despite the loss, the Mustangs remain one of the top teams in the state and Central Florida. 

22. Providence School (25-2): The Stallions have been scoring the basketball just about as good as anyone, averaging around 65.6 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.

23. Miami Palmetto (24-4): The Panthers played Columbus two other times during the season and both were losses by 20-plus points. When it came down to winning a district championship, Miami Palmetto put the pedal to the metal and defeated the then No. 2 team in the state Columbus. 

24. Tampa Catholic (16-10): A team that’s been somewhat up and down this season because of a tough regular season schedule is Tampa Catholic. Stellar play from star forward Karter Knox and guard Eddrin Bronson has this team rolling heading into the playoffs. The Crusaders defeated Berkeley Prep 60-50 for the Class 3A, District 9 championship. 

25. Miami Country Day (17-11): The Spartans have been a very up and down club throughout the season, but recent victories over NSU University and Sagemont surges Miami Country Day into the Power 25 rankings. Sami Elkamel averages a team-high 15.0 points a game.

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, NSU University, 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.