For the first time this season, we have a new No. 1 in our power rankings as Class 1 Walnut Grove moves up to the top spot.
As with all of our power rankings in each team sport, these are based on dominance by Class, not head-to-head. It’s the “pound-for-pound” best teams in the Ozarks.
Recent success and strength of schedule are also a factor in the rankings.
Current record, Class and previous ranking are listed in parenthesis.
1. Walnut Grove (15-0, C1, PR: 2) – Right now, the Tigers are better in their Class than any Class 2-through-5 school is in theirs. In the past three weeks, Walnut Grove has beaten a Class 2 Top-5 team (Iberia) and blew out perhaps the second-best Class 1 team in the area, Hermitage. The Tigers are dominating their fellow Class 1 competition. In five games against Class 1 teams thus far, Walnut Grove is 5-0 with an average margin of victory of 34 points. The Tigers face a pair of good tests this week with home games against Fordland (10-4) and Weaubleau (11-1).
2. Kickapoo (14-2, C5, PR: 1) – The Chiefs took a pair of disappointing losses in the Tournament of Champions, falling by 22 to Sierra Canyon and 12 to Christ the King before rebounding and defeating Bolivar for 7th place on the final day. Jared Ridder made a case that he can play high-level college basketball by playing well over the three days and earning a spot on the all-tournament team. After seeing the size and talent of Chaminade, though… the Chiefs have a long ways to go to be considered state title contenders. The good news for Kickapoo is that they wouldn’t see the Red Devils until the Class 5 finals. Kickapoo only has one game this week, but it’s one of the most anticipated local games of the season: Friday night at home vs. Nixa.
3. Bolivar (10-4, C4, PR: 3) – The Liberators are a really good Class 4 team who will have a strong chance to win it all, but they were simply out-classed the first two days of the Tournament of Champions against Oak Hill and Bishop Gorman. But give the Liberators credit for showing up to play on Saturday and giving Kickapoo a tough game, one in which Bolivar led going into the fourth quarter. Watching them play Oak Hill and Bishop Gorman, I didn’t feel like the Liberators played “bad” or were intimated; their competition was just that talented (and big). The Liberators, whose four losses this season have come in their last five games, have a good chance to close the regular season on a lengthy winning streak. Bolivar travels to Camdenton on Tuesday then hosts Willard this Friday.
4. Hartville (10-4, C2, PR: 5) – Teams like Hartville are why you rarely see Class 4s and 5s go on the road to face good small-school teams. Hartville lost a thriller to Nixa at home last week, as Nixa’s Seth Viebrock hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds to give the Red and Silver Eagles the 40-37 road victory. Hartville went against its normal up-tempo style, playing a slow-down pace to shorten the game and limit Nixa’s shots. Despite the loss, it’s a really good sign for Class 2 Hartville that they can play a state-ranked Class 5 team that close. Hartville has bounced back well since it’s so-so showing at the Blue and Gold, blowing out Licking, Willow Springs and Norwood thus far in January. Hartville plays at Mansfield on Tuesday then hosts Mountain Grove on Friday night.
5. Nixa (11-1, C5, PR: 4) – Nixa dodged an upset on the road last week, getting a last-second 3-pointer to beat Hartville. With Hartville dialing down its offense, Nixa was forced to play at a methodical pace but still showed it can win in those style of games. Nixa led 23-21 going into the fourth quarter, where the offense finally picked up and it outscored Hartville 17-16 to win by three points. Give the Eagles credit for taking that game against Hartville, on the road no less. Coach Jay Osborne's Eagles continue to show that they'll play anyone, anywhere. The highly anticipated Nixa vs. Kickapoo game comes this Friday. From there begins a busy stretch for Nixa. After playing just one game between Jan. 10 and Jan. 21, the Eagles will play four games over seven days (Jan. 22-28).
6. Thayer (14-1, C2, PR: 6) – The Bobcats collected a pair of double-digit wins last week, beating Eminence 70-50 and Ava 60-46. Ayden Henry scored 32 in the win over Ava. Thayer competes in the MV-BT/Liberty Tournament this week, where should the seeds hold, they’d play Liberty in the finals. That would be the two schools’ 3,458th meeting since 2010, and I’m only slightly exaggerating.
7. Rolla (14-1, C4, PR: 7) – In what could be a district finals preview, Rolla defeated Helias Catholic 65-63 on the road last Friday. The Bulldogs cooled off after a hot shooting start from the field but still managed to hang on for the victory, as all-state guard Kobe Wands scored 21 and Sam Marshall added 19 points. Earlier in the week, Rolla hit 10 3-pointers in a 35-point win at Hillcrest. Rolla is the top seed for the 71st annual St. James Tournament this week, with the Bulldogs playing No. 8 Cuba tonight.
8. Glendale (8-5, C4, PR: 8) – It was a true team win for the Falcons on Saturday, as Glendale outscored Waynesville by nine in overtime to win 72-63 at home in an Ozark Conference matchup. The Falcons had four players score in double figures, led by Monty Johal’s 20 points and Jordan Walton’s 18 points. With Johal and Walton only being sophomores, the Falcons are a strong candidate to be a local representative in the Tournament of Champions at least one of the next two years. Glendale hosts Lebanon on Tuesday night, then heads to Coffeyville, Kan. for the Harold Thomas Classic Jan. 21-23.
9. Clever (11-3, C3, PR: 9) – The Blue Jays trounced Galena 56-23 in their only game of last week. Clever faces a Blue and Gold rematch, as well as a pivotal SWCL game, on Tuesday night when Crane comes to town. The winner will have the inside track on a league title. Clever then travels to Mt. Vernon on Friday night in what could be a classic “trap” game with a neutral-site game 24 hours later vs. Gainesville to follow.
10. Mountain Grove (11-2, C3, PR: 10) – Here we have our run of Class 3 teams that could all beat any other on a given night. The Panthers certainly fall in that category, with close losses to Clever and Nixa, but wins over Licking, Conway and West Plains. Mountain Grove travels to Norwood on Tuesday night then Hartville this Friday for what will be, on paper, one of the best games of the week.
11. Crane (12-3, C2, PR: 10) – Not too many teams have rolled into Stone County and posted a 24-point victory on the Pirates in recent years, but that’s what happened last week when Strafford won 68-44 on Crane’s home court. The final score may be an outlier for a Crane team that was competitive in its other two losses: 56-53 vs. Class 3 Clever and 63-53 vs. Class 4 Aurora. The Strafford loss was surprising, yes, but the Pirates – who were ranked No. 2 in last week’s Class 2 coaches’ poll – are still hands down the best team in their district and would have a favorable matchup should they reach the sectional round. Crane travels to Clever on Tuesday night then faces Mansfield in a neutral-site game at Ozark this Saturday.
12. Fair Grove (13-3, C3, PR: 12) – The Eagles needed a big fourth quarter to put away upset-minded Ash Grove at home last week. Ash Grove’s Ben Weinreis (25) and Fair Grove’s Garrett Kesterson (28) combined for 53 points in the 69-59 Eagles’ victory. When the Eagles are at their peak, they may have the highest ceiling of any of these Class 3 teams. But when they’re not playing up to their standards, Fair Grove lets some teams hang around that it probably shouldn’t. Fair Grove hosts Warsaw on Tuesday night in its only game for this week, then competes in the Sparta Tournament next week.
13. Strafford (9-5, C3, PR: 13) – The Indians had the most impressive win of any local team last week, dominating a state-ranked (Class 2 No. 2) Crane team 68-44 on the road. Add in double-digit wins over MV-BT/Liberty and Marshfield, both teams with at least seven wins, and it’s been a good January thus far for the Indians. This week, Strafford has home games versus Mt. Vernon (Jan. 21) and Ash Grove (Jan. 22).
14. Ozark (12-5, C5, PR: 14) – Another surprising outcome last week came in Webb City, as Ozark fell 65-63 in overtime on a buzzer-beating dunk by 6’8” Webb City center Preston Ellis. In defense of Ozark, Webb City (8-3 overall) looks to be improved from its 11-16 record last season. Ozark rebounded from the loss though by going into a raucous environment at Logan-Rogersville on Friday night and posting a 62-48 victory. Five players scored at least seven points for Ozark, led by Collin Bottoms’ 17 points. Ozark faces Poplar Bluff at home this Saturday.
15. Bakersfield (11-3, C2, PR: Unranked) – It came down to Bakersfield and Morrisville for this last spot, and I went with the Lions this week because they have a better strength of schedule and better wins on the resume right now. Last week, Bakersfield beat Class 3 MV-BT/Liberty on the road, then Class 3 Forsyth (7-4 overall) at home. Bakersfield plays at Mammoth Spring (Ark.) this Friday.
Knocking on the door: Morrisville (14-3, C2), Hermitage (11-4, C1), School of the Ozarks (10-3, C1), Licking (10-3, C3), Republic (11-3, C5), McDonald County (11-3, C4), Weaubleau (11-1, C1), Fordland (10-4, C2)
