It’s time to close the books on the 2015-16 boys’ basketball season.
*Insert Sad Face*
We’ll piece together our final power rankings for the season, but fair warning: With only 15 spots, some district champions and deserving teams did not make the cut.
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. Hartville (28-4, C2, PR: 1) – Well, the Eagles sure made that look easy. Hartville steam-rolled its way to its first state championship, beating Wellington-Napoleon by 30 in the semifinals then Iberia by 27 in the Class 2 title game. The Eagles graduate two of their top three scorers in Ryan Ward and Grant Dedmon, but they should be a strong contender in local Class 2 again next year.
2. Kickapoo (29-3, C5, PR: 2) – That was a great Class 5 title game on Saturday against Chaminade and the Chiefs have nothing to be ashamed of. Having said that, it’s only natural to think about a few what-ifs: What if Jared Ridder’s at full health, what if the Chiefs shoot better than 33 percent from the field, what if they only miss three or four free throws instead of eight? Kickapoo went toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s best teams and a future NBA lottery pick and had a legitimate chance to win. Seniors Isaac Johnson and Niekie Thomas-Fontleroy had breakout senior seasons and will be tough to replace, but the Chiefs return arguably the two best players in the area next season in Ridder and Cam Davis.
3. Walnut Grove (30-3, C1, PR: 3) – It was a rough night for any Tiger not named Dallas Meinders in the Class 1 finals vs. Stanberry. Meinders scored a game-high 35 in his final career game, but the rest of Walnut Grove’s team accounted for just 14 points as Walnut Grove lost 69-49. Meinders graduates, but Walnut Grove returns everyone else and should be the preseason favorite again in local Class 1 come 2016-17.
4. Mtn. Grove (28-5, C3, PR: 11) – The Panthers are your Class 3 “Public School” champs for 2016. It was an admirable showing at state for Mountain Grove, who went toe-to-toe with Barstow for a half then beat a good Whitfield team to finish in 3rd place in Class 3. The scoring will be more balanced next year with the departure of SCA Player of the Year D.J. McNew, but the Panthers return many good pieces in sophomore Cade Coffman (10.6 ppg), Brock Coffman (11.8 ppg), Treye Collins and Carter Otwell.
5. Bolivar (24-5, C4, PR: 4) – A disappointing finish for the Liberators, who fell by seven to Raytown South in the Class 4 sectional round. It was Bolivar’s first loss since falling to Kickapoo in the Tournament of Champions 7th place game. Bolivar’s backcourt will look a bit different next season with the graduation of Johnny Scott, Bryce Krueger and John Michael Cates.
6. Rolla (24-3, C4, PR: 5) – Much like Bolivar, Rolla’s season ended sooner than many expected. The Bulldogs couldn’t overcome a 12-point fourth quarter deficit in falling to Helias 74-60 in the Class 4 District 10 championship game. With the loss, the Bulldogs graduate one of the winningest senior classes in school history, including likely two-time all-state guard Kobe Wands.
7. Fair Grove (26-5, C3, PR: 8) – No postseason loss is easy to take, but the Eagles’ Class 3 quarterfinal loss to Mtn. Grove had to be especially hard to swallow considering how well Fair Grove had played in the first half. Leading by eight at halftime, an early controversial foul-out on senior Kyle Cavanaugh doomed Fair Grove on its way to an eventual 66-61 loss. Still, 2015-16 will go down as one of the best seasons in program history for Fair Grove.
8. School of the Ozarks (25-4, C1, PR: 9) – School of the Ozark won its second straight district championship before losing by nine to Gideon in the quarterfinals, one win shy of state. The Patriots’ 2016 seniors set the bar high for the program. S of O will have to re-tool a bit next season with five players in its normal eight-man rotation graduating, including its top two scorers in Keaton Tillack and Cade Martin.
9. Glendale (19-10, C4, PR: 13) – The Falcons led by nine midway through the third quarter against Helias Catholic in the Class 4 quarterfinals, before running out of gas and ultimately losing 73-63. It was still a memorable season for the Falcons, who won their first district title in 10 years and 16th overall. A Class 5 move-up next season will make things much tougher, but the Falcons return one of the area’s best tandems in juniors Jordan Walton and Monty Johal.
10. Thayer (25-5, C2, PR: 10) – Speaking of tough losses, the Bobcats may have the most heartbreaking loss of any of our local teams. Thayer fell 54-52 to Bloomfield, on a last-second shot, in the Class 2 sectional round. Bloomfield won its next game by 22 and played Iberia to an overtime loss in the semifinals. We were this close to getting a Hartville-Thayer state finals…The senior-led Bobcats graduate five of their top six scorers, including Ayden Henry (20 ppg) and Zach Horton (15 ppg).
11. Nixa (23-6, C5, PR: 15) – Going 23-6 and winning your fourth district title in five seasons is a good season by any standard. Nixa just had the misfortunate of being in the same region as the second-best team in Class 5 this season, Kickapoo. Chase Allen and Garrett Bacon will be tough to replace underneath, but Nixa should be strong again next year with a nucleus that includes Christian Bundy, Seth Vierbrock and promising freshman Braeden Combs.
12. Conway (19-9, C3, PR: 12) – The Bears came this close to up-ending Fair Grove on the Eagles’ home floor and perhaps making a run to state themselves. Instead, Conway’s season ended with a 53-50 loss to Fair Grove in the Class 3 District 11 title game. A few bounces here or there, and Conway would’ve ended the season with close to 25 wins. Conway graduates three seniors that all contributed in Austin Chastain, Chris Vavruska and leading scorer Andrew Huckaby.
13. Mansfield (21-7, C2, PR: Unranked) – The Lions gave Hartville its toughest game during the state playoffs, a 47-37 outcome in the sectional round. We haven’t heard the last from Mansfield as they’ll return everyone but lone senior Justin Campbell and will have a strong chance to un-seat Hartville and become our Class 2 representative at state next season. With an offseason of hard work, rising sophomore Dylan Caruso is only going to get better after posting a 12-and-8 line as a freshman.
14. Strafford (20-7, C3, PR: 6) – Another 20-win season for Strafford, even more impressive considering what they graduated from their 2015 senior class. Graduation will gut the Indians again, but the absence of seven seniors means plenty of playing time is for grabs next winter as coach Mike Wilson works his magic.
15. Webb City (21-7, C4, PR: Unranked) – The Cardinals ended a seven-year district title drought before falling to Glendale in the Class 4 sectional round. Graduation will have a big impact on the roster as the Cardinals graduate a six-player class that includes 6’4” Tatum Smith, 6’7” Zach Davidson and 6’8” Preston Ellis.
Knocking on the door: Weaubleau (22-7, C1), Purdy (19-9, C2), Crane (20-8, C2), Marionville (19-11, C2), Clever (22-6, C3), Aurora (19-10, C4), Ozark (19-9, C5), Republic (21-7, C5)
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(Way too early) 2016-17 Power Poll Projection
1. Kickapoo
2. Walnut Grove
3. Fair Grove
4. Nixa
5. Mtn. Grove
6. Clever
7. Glendale
8. Hartville
9. Mansfield
10. Bolivar
