By Matt Turer — mturer@ky3.com
@MattTurer

Two-time defending state champs from Texas, Kentucky’s No. 2 team and a nationally ranked program from Arkansas join the area’s top teams this Tuesday, Dec. 27 as the 2016 Pink & White Tournament tips off in Springfield.

State-ranked Kickapoo, Ozark, West Plains, Rogersville, Strafford, Spokane and Skyline are amongst those participating in the tournament’s 32-team field. Each team participating in the tournament is analyzed below using their opening-round matchups. Key names, stats and links are highlighted in pink to make your reading experience a little easier!

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CLICK FOR PINK & WHITE TOURNAMENT BRACKETS, SCHEDULE, LOCATIONS

PINK BRACKET

8 Spokane (8-0) vs Glendale (2-7)

Spokane is 8-0 for the second consecutive season. No surprise, really. The Lady Owls returned eight members from last season’s 23-win team that fell to Crane in its district championship. Spokane has already beat three teams twice (Blue Eye, Hollister, Hurley), so seeing some new colors should be a nice bonus. Casey Wallace surpassed the 1,000-point mark for Spokane on Dec. 19. Glendale and Spokane share one mutual opponents in Buffalo. Spokane beat the Bison 75-26 while Glendale did so 63-48. Judging by that, advantage Lady Owls. Where Glendale does have an advantage is height. The Lady Falcons have three girls at 5’10” or taller, headlined by 6-foot junior forward Katie Williams.

1 Argyle (17-1) vs Marshfield (2-6)

The two-time defending Texas 4A state champs are ranked No. 12 in the espnW 25, are 52-2 over their last 54 games and bring FOUR 6-footers (at a minimum height!) north to Springfield. Two of those four are Div. 1-bound with Jocellyn Pierce heading to Texas A&M and Gabby Standifer to Fresno State. The most talented Argyle Eagle may be Vivian Gray—who’s also an exceptional goat wrestler (seriously!) and is ranked as the No. 26 overall prospect (and No. 7 forward) this year by ESPN. Gray (22.1 PPG, 7.6 RPG in 2015-16) turned down offers from Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas and Kansas State to play with her sister at and old teammate at Fort Lewis Community College in Durango, Colo. Argyle’s fourth 6-footer, Madison Ralston, has committed to Div. II Emporia State. Marshfield looks like it may be headed towards its first losing season since 2008-09 (12-13), so this shapes up to be one heck of a learning experience for the young Bluejays in a rebuilding year after losing five seniors to graduation.

5 Republic (5-3) vs Bolivar (3-5)

Republic worked its way to a No. 9 ranking in Class 5 last week (but since dropped out) on the heels of a 5-2 start and a 3-0 record in the Kickapoo Tournament’s Gold Division, but a 67-46 loss to Kickapoo earlier this week showed that the Tigers still have some work to do after graduating seven seniors last season. Bolivar has been competitive in losses to Branson, Lebanon and Willard. They’ve leaned on 5’10” junior Michelle Gabani (18.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 4.5 APG, 4.1 SPG, 2.4 BPG), who already has FOUR double-doubles this season (and three in a row). The Tigers can’t sleep on them.

4 Mercer County (3-2) vs Miller (5-2)

Making the trip from just east of Lexington, Kentucky, Mercer County entered the season as the No. 2 ranked program in the Bluegrass State. Keep an eye on junior point guard Seygan Robins (19.8 PPG, 5.8 APG), a Louisville commit currently ranked 41st in the 2018 graduating class by ESPN. Beyond Robins, the Titans have three other starters averaging double-digits. Karli Bell—a sports reporter and friend of mine out of KYMT in Hazard, Ky.—said Mercer is a team that runs a fast-paced full-court offense and loves the transition game. This will be a good challenge for a Miller team that is off to a good start this year, including a third-place finish in the Ash Grove tournament. Miller’s only losses are to Class 1 No. 1 Walnut Grove and Class 2 No. 8 Purdy. They’re led by seniors Abby Gann (19.4 PPG) and Dalyn Hadlock (13.6 PPG). They’re among the best unseeded teams in this tournament.

7 West Plains (4-3) vs Buffalo (3-6)

West Plains is a sort of sleeper in this tournament with a 7-seed attached to its name. The Zizzers opened the season in the Top 5 of the Class 4 state rankings but have slipped to No. 10 after a trio of early season losses to Rogersville, Pacific and Ozark. The 44-40 loss to Rogersville was questionable at the time, but the Wildcats have since jumped to No. 9 in Class 4. The Zizzers followed that loss with a pair of good wins over Clever and Salem before losing to C4 No. 7 Pacific (10-0) by five points and Class 5 Ozark (5-2) by seven points. West Plains has one of the best guards in the area in Payton Richards (16.0 PPG) and has only allowed one opponent to score 50+ points (Ozark, 61). Buffalo has played a tough early schedule but has really struggled with it, losing by an average of 34. 8 points to opponents above .500. The young Bison (there’s only one senior on this roster) do have a good win over Springfield Catholic (4-3) and are looking at a bright future with an offense headlined by two talented sophomore guards in Courtney Austin (17.4 PPG) and Emily Rice (11.8 PPG).

2 Strafford (7-0) vs Hillcrest (0-9)

This is the only time all season you’re going to see a No. 2 attached to Strafford. The defending Class 3 state champs are off to one of the best starts in program history. The opened things up with a 24-point win over Class 5 Lebanon (5-1) and have posted wins of 40 points over Class 1 No. 1 Walnut Grove (8-1), 19 points over C3 Clever (5-3) and eight points over Class 4 No. 9 Rogersville (7-2). The Lady Indians may have the best player in the area in Hayley Frank and the best three-point stroke in the area in Abby Oliver, who hit at least five threes in each of her first five games. The dream matchup in this tournament? Strafford vs. Argyle. For Hillcrest, this will be a good learning experience in a season with a first-year head coach and four new starters. The Hornets are still searching for their first win after back-to-back district titles and a trip to the Final 4 in 2015.

6 Rogersville (7-2) vs Clever (5-3)

Maybe the most intriguing opening matchup in the tournament is this one. Rogersville is doing everything right early on this season after winning just 11 games last year. The Wildcats are a well-coached team that has managed to control the tempo in all nine of their games this season using a slow-paced, mistake-free half-court offense. Rogersville topped Class 3 Fair Grove (6-2) and upset Class 4 No. 10 West Plains (4-3) to get to the Fair Grove Tournament championship, falling to Class 5 Lebanon, 50-43. Since then, Class 4 No. 9 Rogersville has an excellent 51-29 win over Class 2 Hartville (8-3) and played Class 3 No. 1 Strafford (7-0) to its closest final of the season, losing 65-57. (Strafford’s second-closest final is a 16-point win over Springfield Catholic). To top it off, Denny McHenry’s girls have done all of this without injured forward/center Sarah Jordan, who may be their top threat (and is expected to return soon). Clever (which constantly makes me relive this scene from Jurassic Park. AND I LOVE THEM FOR IT!) is a prime unseeded sleeper. The Lady Jays have one of the most talented young trios in the area in sophomore Harper Little (12.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 4.1 SPG), freshman Allie Clevenger (10.9 PPG) and sophomore Abi Menzies (9.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG), as well as senior leadership in Hannah Maples (10.9 PPG). Just like Rogersville’s two losses, Clever’s three have all been close and all to good teams, losing by six to Lebanon, one to West Plains and 19 to Strafford. (All three are mutual opponents. So speculate away). Either one of these teams could make a little run in this tournament.

3 Ozark (5-2) vs Camdenton (6-2)

Ozark has faced five Arkansas program in its first seven games, going 3-2 in those including a Rogers (Ark.) Tournament championship to open the season. Ozark’s best in-state win came over Class 4 No. 10 West Plains, 61-54. This is a good Class 5 team led by Mikayla Putt, Madi Braden and Morgan Doyle that should be a tough out. Camdenton is still looking for its first win against a team with a winning record but should have confidence going into this game on the heels of its 6-2 start. The Lakers have faced a trio of Arkansas-based teams, going 2-1 in those games. Camdenton won 18 games last season but graduated four starters. (Three of which combined for 3,500 career points).

WHITE BRACKET

8 Nixa (4-3) vs. Springfield Catholic (4-3)

Nixa is a young and athletic team with good size. The Lady Eagles are lead by sophomores Kelsey Biro and Taylor Arnold along with senior Paige Wells. Junior forwards Bissett Michaelson and Halley Wiggins both measure 6-feet and can cause problems in the paint. Nixa’s wins have come over opponents with a combined 5-19 record. Just like the boys, Catholic’s girls don’t have a single senior on their roster. And maybe that’s a good thing. The young Irish are off to a 4-3 start behind talented sophomore Madison Chittenden and a good defense. Only three opponents have reached 50+ points against the Irish (they held Strafford to a season-low 56) and none have scored more than 57. Catholic has pretty good wins over Ash Grove (5-4) and Mount Vernon (4-2), and while their Strafford and Clever losses don’t look bad, a 57-54 loss to another young team in Buffalo showed that they still have some maturing to do.

1 North Little Rock (9-1) vs. Parkview (1-6)

Last year’s White Bracket champion and Arkansas 7A state champion North Little Rock is headed back to Springfield. The Charging Wildcats have an extremely awesome mascot and were the only team to put a blemish on Crane’s record last season, winning 81-52 over the Lady Pirates in this tournament. They’re ranked 24th in the nation in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 computer rankings and four North Little Rock starters are likely Div. 1 bound with Yo’Myris Morris likely the best of the bunch. ESPN says she has a “feathery touch” in the paint. No word combination could ever sound smoother than FEATHERY TOUCH. Let’s brainstorm a few others that won’t be as good. 1) Plush finish. 2) Tender release. 3) Satiny…touch. (Sorry, ran out of appropriate verbs for No. 3). Parkview has faced a tough schedule so far and held its own in losses of two to Nixa, three to Lee’s Summit and 10 to Springfield Catholic. The Vikings are led by sophomore standout Paiton Acord (16.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG) but has struggled to find points elsewhere, averaging just 40 per game.

5 Branson (6-0) vs. Lamar (4-1)

Branson won 22 games a year ago and is on a similar early track this season after only graduating one starter from last year’s team. Senior Amanda Kearney (5’11”) is one of the best players in this tournament and holds the school record for points in a game (42). Kearney got close to that this year with a 37-point game against Harrison and has been over the 20-point mark on at least three other occasions. This tournament will tell us a lot more about Branson as the Pirates only have one win this season over a team with a winning record (Harrison, Ark.). Lamar has been doing what a good team should early on, beat the bad teams handily (+19.7 win differential vs. teams under .500) and stay competitive against the good ones. The Lady Tigers lost 59-56 in overtime to a 6-2 Pierce City team that’s currently in the Walnut Grove Tournament semifinals and has posted a two-point win over Liberal (6-3).

4 Rock Bridge (6-1) vs. Aurora (2-6)

The No. 5 team in Class 5, Rock Bridge gets the 4-seed in the White Bracket. The Bruins will trot out future Duke Blue Devil Madison Treece. Scout gush about Treece’s physicality in the post and she was ranked 10th at her position by ESPN. Rock Bridge has played an area team already this season, beating Waynesville, 74-51, up in Columbia. Aurora has shown it can compete with pretty good teams, splitting two games with Nixa and topping Reeds Spring. They’re without their star, Emily Parker, who is out with a torn ACL.

7 Fair Grove (6-2) vs. Carthage (5-2)

There’s a reason why we named Fair Grove sophomore Alana Findley our Breakout Player of the Year. The sophomore is off to one of the best statistical starts in the state, safely averaging a double-double with 23.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and 4.8 steals per game. Findley averaged 12.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game as a freshman and has seen significant increases in each of those categories. Beyond Findley, there’s a significant drop-off in production, with only one other Lady Eagle averaging over six points per game (Lorin Weaver—8.3 PPG). Fair Grove has quality wins over Class 2 Hartville and Class 4 Webb City (5-3). Their two losses came to Class 4 No. 9 Rogersville, 55-53, and to Class 3 Mount Vernon, 75-60. This matchup with Fair Grove will be the toughest challenge Carthage has had so far this season. The Lady Tigers—who made the jump from Class 4 to Class 5 this season—have played a relatively forgiving early schedule with only one win coming against a team above .500 (Class 2 Liberal). Keep an eye on Kenya Medlock and Kensey Sageser.

2 Kickapoo (7-2) vs. Mount Vernon (4-2)

Kickapoo is rolling right now after a pair of early season losses to Class 5 No. 4 Jefferson City, 51-45, and Class 5 No. 3 Washington, 63-56. Most recently, the Chiefs put up a 27-point win over Class 5 Nixa (4-3) and a 21-point win over C5 Republic (5-3). Of course Jordan Sanders and Jordan Wersinger and rolling, but more importantly, the Chiefs have proven to themselves that they can get big-time production from more unsung members of their roster. That type of help will be key if Kickapoo wants to make a run at Rockbridge and North Little Rock later in this tournament. Mount Vernon is another team with an exceedingly talented young sophomore, their’s being Cameron Call, who averaged 17 points per game as a freshman. The Mountaineers likely don’t have enough to get past Kickapoo, but as far as unseeded teams go in this tournament, they might be one of the top groups. They beat 7-seed Fair Grove by 15 and have a win differential of +25.5. Their one area loss came by a point to Springfield Catholic.

6 Lebanon (5-1) vs. Willard (5-2)

Lebanon is playing great basketball since it got blown off its home court in a season-opening 83-59 loss to C3 No. 1 Strafford. The Yellowjackets haven’t lost since, including claiming a Fair Grove Tournament championship with quality wins over C3 Clever and C4 No. 9 Rogersville. Mizzou commit Kelsey Winfrey is averaging 25.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 steals per game for Lebanon and is shooting a ridiculous 70 percent from the field. Willard has already surpassed last season’s win total (4-19), and while there’s not necessarily a stand-out win on their schedule so far, that kind of early success is important. The Lady Tigers dress five seniors and are led at the point by Aurora import and 1,000-point scorer Larissa Pyle. Joran Stout-Mitchell will also be a threat for Willard.

3 Skyline (7-0) vs. Springfield Central (1-6)

Class 2’s No. 1 team, Skyline is just wrecking its opponents right now. The Lady Tigers are winning by an average of 47.4 points per game, and while only two of their seven wins are against teams above .500 (Class 4 Webb City, Class 3 Butler), that’s still an absolutely MIND-BLOWING stat. Skyline is a deep team, but if you’re going to focus your eyes somewhere, focus them on Kaylee DaMitz and McKinsey Mountain. Central is struggling so far this season against a challenging schedule that includes losses to Branson, Mountain Grove (twice), Norwood, Willard and Carthage, teams that combine for an .816 win percentage. Unfortunately, none of those losses have been all too competitive, but the experience should pay off for a team that fields just three seniors.