Jan. 11 Boys Basketball Power Rankings

018a8475-3

Each week, the O-Zone staff will rank the top 15 area boys’ basketball teams based on dominance by Class, aka how they stack up pound-for-pound with the other schools in their respective Class.

Strength of schedule and recent success are also factored into the rankings.

Overall record, Class and previous ranking are listed in parenthesis.

1. Hartville (13-2, Class 2, PR: 1) – Hartville dropped down to No. 2 in the Class 2 state rankings last week, but the Eagles have had a vise grip (or claw hold, in this case) on the top spot in our power rankings for a while now. Hartville hasn’t done anything over the past nine days to change that, winning at Class 3 No. 2-ranked Licking (58-54) on Jan. 3, followed by convincing home wins over Willow Springs (68-40 on Jan. 6) and Mansfield (75-45 on Jan. 10). The Mansfield game is notable because Hartville did the same thing to the Lions in the regular season last year (a 44-point win), but the rematch in sectionals was much closer (a 47-37 win for Hartville). Hartville and Mansfield are now in the same district (Class 2, District 4) and figure to receive the top two seeds for that district tournament next month.

Upcoming games: Jan. 13 vs. Morrisville, Jan. 17 @ Nixa, Jan. 20 @ Mtn. Grove

2. Walnut Grove (15-1, Class 1, PR: 2) – Walnut Grove’s conference winning streak – now at 25 games – nearly came to an end last Friday night in Hickory County. The Tigers prevailed over Hermitage, 66-64, in a game where neither team scored a point in the final two minutes. It was perhaps Walnut Grove’s closest Polk County League game since the Tigers defeated Wheatland in double-overtime (96-91) way back on Dec. 19, 2013. Walnut Grove beat Fordland 74-63 at home on Tuesday and hosts Ash Grove on Thursday, in a non-conference game that was moved up from Friday.

Upcoming games: Jan. 12 vs. Ash Grove, Jan. 17 @ Humansville, Jan. 20 @ Weaubleau

3. Mountain Grove (12-2, Class 3, PR: 3) – It took triple overtime, but Mountain Grove handed Licking its second loss of the season last night, 83-82. The Panthers also cruised to the Seymour Tournament championship last week, handily beating Lighthouse Christian (78-57), School of the Ozarks (86-41) and Mansfield (74-51). Mtn. Grove figures to take a jump in the statewide coaches’ poll and become our highest ranked local Class 3 team when new rankings are released. Mtn. Grove faces rival Cabool this Friday. The Bulldogs feature senior sharpshooter Jon Smith, who’s had single-game 3-point totals of 13 (vs. Plato) and 14 (vs. Seymour) this season.

Upcoming games: Jan. 13 @ Cabool, Jan. 20 vs. Hartville

4. Kickapoo (10-2, Class 5, PR: 4) – The Chiefs picked up a pair of victories in their road trip to Kansas City last weekend, beating Blue Springs South 64-63 in overtime on Friday behind a game-winning 3-pointer from Cam Davis with four seconds remaining. The following afternoon, Kickapoo trounced Lee’s Summit 67-43 in a rematch from last season’s state semifinals when the Chiefs handed Lee’s Summit its first loss; the Tigers (3-8 overall) have obviously suffered some graduation losses since then. Kickapoo’s Cam Davis and Jared Ridder received All-American nominations earlier this week and will test their prowess against the best of the best at this weekend’s Tournament of Champions in Springfield.

Upcoming games: Jan. 12-14 Tournament of Champions, Jan. 20 @ Nixa

5. Bolivar (13-2, Class 4, PR: 5) – The cream is starting to rise to the top in our power rankings. How’s this for some Class balance? The Liberators give us teams from five different Classes in our top five. Bolivar’s certainly earned it, with wins over defending Blue and Gold champ Republic (40-35) and an underrated Marshfield team (54-37) since last Wednesday. The Liberators’ two losses came in overtime. Bolivar travels to Willard next Friday, a rematch of last month’s Blue and Gold thriller won by Willard thanks to a game-tying 3-pointer by Sam Bird at the end of regulation. . The Liberators beat Willard by 50 in the regular season last year. The over-under point total for next Friday’s rematch, assuming it doesn’t go to overtime, is probably around 84.5.

Upcoming games: Jan. 13 vs. Hollister, Jan. 17 vs. Camdenton, Jan. 20 @ Willard

6. Licking (13-2, Class 3, PR: 5) – The Wildcats suffered their second home loss in three games on Tuesday night, falling short in a wild triple-overtime contest against Mtn. Grove (83-82). The Wildcats are a shot or two away from being 15-0 and owning wins over Mtn. Grove and Hartville. Perhaps a good sign for the Wildcats: they showed they can keep up in a high-tempo game with a guard-oriented team like Mtn. Grove. Licking’s 82 points – albeit in a triple-overtime game – were the second-most in any game this season and only the second time it’s surpassed the 70-point barrier. Licking could get a rematch against Mtn. Grove when it matters most – in the Class 3 District 10 tournament finals, held at Cabool High School.

Upcoming games: Jan. 13 @ Iberia, Jan. 16-20 @ St. James Tournament

7. Nixa (12-1, Class 5, PR: 7) – Three solid wins for the Eagles since a disappointing showing at the Blue and Gold. Nixa defeated Blue Springs South (76-68) and Lee’s Summit (63-49) last weekend. The win over Blue Springs South shows how good Nixa can be when at its peak, considering Kickapoo needed overtime – and a last-second 3-pointer by Cam Davis – to beat the Jaguars. Nixa opened COC-Large play on Tuesday night with a victory at Willard, a game that was a defensive struggle and had Eagles coach Jay Osborne afterwards arguing in favor of a shot clock for high school basketball in Missouri.

Upcoming games: Jan. 17 vs. Hartville, Jan. 20 vs. Kickapoo

018A9481

8. Thayer (13-2, Class 2, PR: 12) – Nothing to “wait and see” about the Bobcats anymore. Coach Matt Pitts’ new-look group is for real and a legitimate contender in Class 2. Since last week’s rankings, the Bobcats thumped Bakersfield (65-25) and Eminence (85-57). Thayer doesn’t go very deep into its bench – the Bobcats normally have a six- or seven-player rotation – but it still manages to be very balanced in terms of scoring. Junior Kobe Meyer is one of four starters averaging between 10-13 points per game. Sophomore Ayden Stone (12.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg) is the team’s leading rebounder and a difference maker in the paint.

Upcoming games: Jan. 13 vs. Salem, Jan. 16-20 Liberty Tournament

9. Clever (9-4, Class 3, PR: 8) – As is the case with many teams who play Willard, Clever’s offense was blanketed and slowed down in a 53-29 home loss to the Tigers last Friday. It was by far Clever’s lowest scoring output of the season, but the Blue Jays won’t see many Class 3 teams going forward that have Willards’ speed, quickness and defensive capabilities. Clever has a couple of conference games coming up in its quest to defend the SWCL crown; the game at Crane next week will weigh heavily on the conference race.

Upcoming games: Jan. 13 @ Galena, Jan. 17 @ Crane, Jan. 20 vs. Mt. Vernon

10. Republic (11-2, Class 5, PR: 9) – The Tigers’ offense went missing in a road trip up to Polk County last Friday night, which resulted in a 40-35 win for Bolivar. Republic was held to 12 points in the first half and its final total of 35 points were its lowest output of the season. On the bright side, Republic’s defense remains superb. The Tigers have still yet to allow any opponent to score more than 51 points in a game this season. After squashing Carl Junction 74-30 at home on Tuesday – a game in which Republic only yielded one second-half field goal – the Tigers will take on the David role as they battle some Goliaths in the upcoming Tournament of Champions.

Upcoming games: Jan. 12-14 Tournament of Champions, Jan. 20 vs. McDonald County

11. Fair Grove (12-4, Class 3, PR: 11) – Those games against the Ozarks, Bolivars and Mountain Groves of the world will start paying off for Fair Grove as the Eagles dive into conference play. Fair Grove hammered Mid-Lakes opponents Ash Grove (76-41) and Stockton (73-33) over the past seven days. Senior Garrett Kesterson is about half way to the state record for career 3-pointers. He’s got 49 treys on the season to go with an average of about 20 points per game for the Eagles.

Upcoming games: Jan. 13 vs. Catholic, Jan. 17 @ Central

12. Hermitage (12-2, Class 1, PR: 13) – The Hornets gave Walnut Grove everything it could handle at home last Friday, falling short in a 66-64 outcome. By my research, a Hermitage win would have given Walnut Grove its first conference loss since Jan. 29, 2013 at Dadeville. The Hornets will try to use the close loss as a confidence booster. They’re still positioned to enter the postseason with 20-plus wins, where they could meet Walnut Grove – for the third time this season – in the Class 1 state quarterfinals.

Upcoming games: Jan. 12-14 @ Lakeland Tournament, Jan. 17 @ Fair Play, Jan. 21 @ Halfway

13. Hillcrest (9-3, Class 4, PR: 14) – The buzz is growing on the north side. Hillcrest has won eight straight since a 1-3 start, the latest two coming in a home win over Waynesville (53-40) last Friday and a double-overtime victory at Rolla (80-72) on Tuesday. A key part of the Waynesville win: the Hornets held together after leading scorer Ty Freeman was saddled with early foul trouble.

Upcoming games: Jan. 17 vs. Marshfield, Jan. 20 @ Central

14. Mansfield (11-5, Class 2, PR: 10) – The Lions have taken a couple of body blows lately, dropping their last two games with losses to Mtn. Grove (74-61) and Hartville (75-45). The Mtn. Grove loss was in the finals of the Seymour Tournament, after Mansfield beat Plato 68-60 in the semifinals a night earlier. Mansfield was throttled by Hartville last night. The schedule eases up a bit for Mansfield over the next month, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them enter districts with around 20 wins.

Upcoming games: Jan. 13 vs. Bradleyville, Jan. 20 vs. Plato

15. Ozark (10-3, Class 5, PR: Unranked) – The Tigers haven’t had much action since winning a Blue and Gold Championship. Ozark won 64-31 at Carthage last night in its first game since Dec. 29. Quinn Nelson poured in 20 points on six 3-pointers, while Payton Nichols (12 points) and Carter Burgess (10 points) also reached double figures.

Upcoming games: Jan. 13 vs. Webb City, Jan. 19 @ Glendale

Knocking on the door: Greenfield (9-3, Class 1), Wheatland (9-2, Class 1), Lincoln (13-1 ,Class 2), Marionville (11-1, Class 2), Greenwood (10-3, Class 2), Lamar (11-2, Class 3), Rogersville (8-7, Class 4), Glendale (10-5, Class 5), Willard (8-6, Class 5)

Related Posts

Loading...