Hosted by Oakleaf High School, Feb. 1-5

Creekside 19-4, 7-1 (Runnerup district 4-6A, lost to Wolfson in region quarters, Four region berths back to 2010)

Bartram Trail 11-10, 5-3 (Champion district 4-6A, lost to Ed White in region quarters, Five regions 2003, 2012-15)

Oakleaf 10-7, 4-3 (runnerup district 2-6A, lost to Pensacola in region opener, Two region berths 2014, 2015)

Buchholz 9-9, 3-4 (Region berths back to 1983, most recent 2015 Class 8A, lost in 4A Final Four 1989)

Fleming Island 6-18, 0-8

Knights searching for four

quarters of solid play

The Oakleaf High Knights boys basketball team entered the 2015-16 season with plenty of potential firepower at both ends of the court led by scorers Nassir Little and Jonathan Bryant, but coach Jason Price had a gap in the 3-4-5 players and that has been the Achilles Heel thus far.

Recently, with Price stacking his guys up against some strong 8As and even within the dangerous 4-7A district, the Knights erratic play has been costly with late district losses to Creekside and Bartram Trail pushing the Knights to the three spot.

Against 8A-Sandalwood and 8A-Spruce Creek, strong paint play from Dominique Mitchell has proved fruitful with the 6-2, 220 pound football tight end giving Oakleaf some inside muscle.

Mitchell is not a prolific scorer, but with the other two guys cashing in on the net, Price needs rebounds. Brandon Aponte has added some good energy off the bench and may emerge as an unsung hero.

In the backcourt, sophomore guard Deonte Sherwood is getting comfortable as one of the point guys with Andrew Harper.

Oakleaf needs mental tenacity for four quarters to stay in the mix, plain and simple.

Fleming Island has a rough record with nine straight losses ending the season, but the Golden Eagles are always dangerous if they keep a lid on their emotions. Senior guard Max Benoit can score quickly and leads the Golden Eagles at 19.5 points per game. Eric Collins backs up Benoit with 12.3 points per game.

Raiders need perfect

game to topple Wolfson

District 4-5A

Hosted by Baker County High School, Feb. 1-5

Wolfson 32-1, 12-0 (6A-Final Four 2015, lost to state runnerup Gainesville, Regions back to 1986, 5A runnerup 1999, Final Four 2012, Region finals 1998, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2015)

Orange Park 13-8, 6-2 (Nine region berths back to 1971, Last region 2011, Region finals 1995, 2008)

Westside 5-14, 3-5

Baker County 7-15, 3-6 (Lost in 5A region final 2015, region berths back to 1964, Final Fours 1966-B champs, 1967-B runnerups)

Ridgeview 8-19, 0-11 (Six regions berths back to 2002, Last region 2013-6A Finals loss to Pine Forest)

Raiders' quest to regions is gauntlet of 5A biggies

Wolfson High, at 32-1 (Jan. 23 loss to 3-5A Ribault 72-68), is on the state rolls at number six in Class 5A and does not look to be slowing and Orange Park High's Raiders will live and die by the swords of sharpshooters Ty McBride, Blake Partin and Darrell Vann. Though coach Derek Kurnitsky's high-pace attack does not allow for one player to dominate scoring, the frenetic attack has its merits if not to frustrate the more imposing lineup of the Wolfpack. That being said, the Raiders row to hoe is stacked with two of the top teams in Class 5A; Bishop Kenny in district 3-5A and Wolfson. Should Orange Park make the district final and not upset Wolfson, a region playoff berth (likely against Bishop Kenny (21-2) or Ribault in 3-5A, would ensue and a region semifinal shot at Wolfson would follow less than a week later. That's a gauntlet.

"I push the kids to think one game at a time," said Kurnitsky, who nearly knocked off Gainesville in the district 3-6A semifinals last year. "Baker County and Westside are as dangerous as any team. If we get to the final, anything can happen."

Wolfson has been averaging near 72 points per game with Orange Park set at about 55 points per game. The Raiders have twice held Wolfson under 70 points though with losses the final verdict. Bishop Kenny should take the 3-5A title and thus host Orange Park if Wolfson should win 4-5A.

Center Jamarcus Richardson and power forward Shannon Glanton must stay the course against the Wolfson front three and not get sucked into foul trouble for the Raiders to have a shot.

Ridgeview has two recent non-district wins (Middleburg and Keystone Heights) on the marks and may be an upset in the making at season's end.

District 5-5A

Hosted by Ponte Vedra High School, Feb. 2-5

Ponte Vedra 12-10, 5-1 (Regions 2012-2014)

Clay 7-15, 4-3 (Regions back to 1939, Last 2006, Final Fours 1939-B runnerups, 1971, 1990 1995)

Palatka 11-10, 3-4 (19 regions berths back to 1927, Final Fours 1927, 1928, 1932 1938, 2011, 2013, Last region 2015)

Menendez 4-16, 1-6 (Two region berths 2002, 2015)

Blue Devils aura of late runs may aid hoopsters

Clay High School has a history of turning around seasons and getting into region playoffs with inspired play at the right part of the season. Clay High basketball may just do that as well with footballer Colin Wilson and some of his teammates making second half contributions to the Blue Devils attack. Ponte Vedra's only district loss was a December 11 game to Palatka 62-55 with the Sharks taking on the non-district likes of Providence, Bishop Kenny and Creekside in January.

District 3-6A

Hosted by Nease High School, Feb. 1-5

St. Augustine 15-7, 7-1 (11 regions back to 1924, Last region 2009, Region final 2008)

Ed White 8-8, 4-1 (Six region berths back to 1974, 2012-2015, Final Four 2014)

Nease 9-11, 5-4 (Ten region berths back to 1992, 3A champs 2002, Final Four 1992, last region 2014)

Englewood 7-16, 2-7 (Region berths back to 1961, Four Final Fours 1961, 1971, 1997 1999, Last region 2008)

Middleburg 5-18, 1-6 (One region appearance 2011)

Broncos, on paper, can get to district final

Middleburg High coach Mike Harrison has pretty good size; 6-5 Dean Harrison (118 rebounds, 41 3-pointers) and 6-6 Andrew Austin (30 blocked shots); quick and agile guards in Orlando Wimberly (12.8 points per game, 37 3-pointers), Jalen Oliver (16.5 points per game) and Terron Allen and have the tools for a district upset-laden run.

"The key for us is we must play as a team," said Harrison. "If we share the ball and make extra passes we are competitive."

The district is not overwhelmingly strong with St. Augustine a clear top seed though without many blowout wins in district play with everyone else within a point or two of being two or three instead of four or five.

District 4-4A

Hosted by Keystone Heights, Feb. 2-5

Interlachen 6-15, 4-0 (Six region berths since 1979, Last region 2008)

Bradford 10-12, 2-2 (Regions 1927-2012, Final Fours 1927, 1949, 1974, Region finals 1974, 2000, 2001, 2011)

Keystone Heights 5-17, 0-4

Indians get one shot to district final

Keystone Heights High boys basketball has senior Earl Hall as the top scorer at just over 10 points per game with Damon Keeler just a point off the same mark. Both players can shoot on a whim and the Indians can get to the number two (of three) to move into regions with a semifinal win over Bradford on February 2.

District 2-3A

Hosted by Providence, Feb. 1-5

Providence 16-6, 4-0 (Ranked No. 4 in 3A, 2015 3A state champs, 2013 3A state champs, 2010 2A state champs, Final Fours 2010-2015)

Bishop Snyder 12-9, 4-2 (38th in 3A, One region berth 2010)

University Christian 17-5, 3-2 (Region berths back to 1973, Region finals 1994, 2000, 2004, Last region 2014)

Trinity Christian 12-8, 3-3 (Regions back to 1974, Final Four 1992, Last region 2014)

St. Johns Country Day School 2-17, 0-7 (Five region berths back to 1986, Last region 2000)

Assume the battle is for the number two spot with Providence up top. Period. St. Johns has a handful of seniors led by 6-5 Josh Sherrill, but youth prevails the roster. The Spartans have 10 players listed above six foot which, in itself, should make for a basketball roster.