Here are the first Southwest Florida girls basketball rankings for 2024
The calendar has turned to 2024 so it seems like a good time to look at where Southwest Florida's girls' basketball teams sit.
At the moment, it looks pretty good as 14 area teams would make the playoffs per the FHSAA rankings released on Jan. 2. But there are lots of games to be played this month before the district tournaments begin the week of Feb. 5.
Here are our rankings for Collier and Lee county teams as well as LaBelle for games played through Wednesday.
1. ECS (12-2)
The Sentinels have beat all Southwest Florida comers and just took two of three games at the Tampa Bay Invitational. The Sentinels remain the top squad in our rankings and are No. 1 in Class 2A by the FHSAA and No. 19 overall in the state by MaxPreps.
First Rankings: Southwest Florida girls basketball rankings: Who made the Top 10 in our first 2023-24 poll?
2. St. John Neumann (12-1)
The Celtics suffered their first loss of the season over the holiday break, by one point to Monsignor Pace, the ninth-ranked team in Class 4A. The Celtics sit at No. 2 in the FHSAA Class 2A rankings and 29th in the state by MaxPreps.
3. Gulf Coast (11-4)
The Sharks lost two of three heading into the Christmas break against out-of-area opponents. Their only local loss came to ECS and the Sharks avoided a second in a hard-fought 26-24 win over Aubrey Rogers on Wednesday. The Sharks should still easily take District 6A-12.
4. Seacrest (12-3)
The Stingrays won two of three games at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational with their only loss to 12-0 Wharton, the 11th ranked team in Class 6A, by 10. They came out of the break with a big 59-26 win over Barron Collier Tuesday and eked one out over Lehigh 44-42 Wednesday before facing Naples today.
5. Bishop Verot (10-3)
The Vikings won two out of three games at the Suncoast Classic at Keswick Christian over the break. Verot, ranked 13th in Class 3A, has some tough matchups down the stretch with Gateway Charter, Aubrey Rogers, Lehigh, Barron Collier, and St. John Neumann on the horizon.
6. Aubrey Rogers (9-3)
The first-year program is living up to expectations. Angelina Insana has been leading the way with 12 points, five steals, and four assists per game. Coming off the break the Patriots jumped right back in Wednesday night and almost ousted Gulf Coast in a 26-24 loss. The Patriots have a showdown with Canterbury on Friday.
7. Gateway (7-1)
The Eagles' only loss is to ECS, which is nothing to be ashamed of, and has a win over Lehigh heading into the Lehigh Invitational this week and facing the Lightning again today. Kenyah Moss keeps doing what she does, averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game. Transfer V’Davrielle Johnson has been dropping more than 11 points, six steals, and six rebounds per game.
8. Canterbury (7-1)
The Cougars played their two toughest games before the break, taking a win over Bishop Verot and suffering their only loss by three points to Lehigh. Casey O’Connell is lighting it up with 20 points per game while Kaya Langford and Ellie Miller are adding 15 and 12, respectively.
9. Lehigh (8-3)
The Lightning faced Seacrest coming out of the break Wednesday and fell just short 44-42. They have good wins over Gateway Charter, Canterbury, and Ida Baker and will face Gateway today in their New Year's tournament. As expected, Faith Plummer, Rianne Smith, and Sanaa Geter are leading the way.
10. Barron Collier (10-4)
The Cougars may not have the depth as teams passed but they continue to find ways to win led by the scoring 1-2 punch of Peyton Hefflefinger and Sheila Forbes. The Cougars are ranked 18th in Class 5A and may have to deal with a surging Lely to reclaim the District 5A-12 title.
Next Five
Here are the first five teams out of the Top 10.
Gateway Charter (7-2), Ida Baker (6-2), Lely (6-8), LaBelle (9-4), Cypress Lake (7-2)
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: First SWFL girls basketball rankings of 2024
