By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
This week’s Girls Basketball Power Rankings are here. See the Top 15 below.
NOTE: THESE RANKINGS ARE BASED OFF OF DOMINANCE WITHIN EACH TEAM’S CLASS, NOT STRICTLY HEAD-TO-HEAD.
1. (1) Strafford (C3: 22-0)
I had someone e-mail after the previous power rankings were released, alluding to the fact that we talk about Strafford too much. We here at the O-Zone always welcome feedback, but the truth is we might not talk about the Lady Indians enough. They’ve won 71 consecutive games with few signs of slowing down. Junior Mizzou commit Hayley Frank had a Russell Westbrook-like span of three straight triple-doubles and also recently scored her 2,000th point. She’s good. The Lady Indians are good. The streak is epic and that greatness is why they stay at No. 1. The Feb. 5 showdown at home against Clever may be the game of the year in the Ozarks.
2. (3) Walnut Grove (C1: 18-2)
Pound-for-pound, the Lady Tigers are a top-5 team in Missouri and the proof is in the pudding. Their two losses have come to undefeated and historically good Strafford and previously undefeated Class 4 St. Joseph Benton. Other than that, Walnut Grove has given people the business and picking up wins over Class 5 Lebanon and Class 4 St. Charles is nothing short of impressive. They’ll finish the season in Polk County League play, except for a Feb. 5 heavyweight slugfest with Class 2 No. 1 Skyline.
3. (2) Skyline (C2: 18-2)
Crazy Stat of the Day: Skyline had won 40 consecutive games against teams not named Strafford before Clever upset the Lady Tigers on Monday, 60-40. But, is it really an upset? The Class 3 Lady Jays are loaded. Honestly, this loss means very little to me from Skyline’s standpoint. The margin was a little wide, but this is still a team that knocked off Nixa in a true road game less than a week ago. Skyline’s schedule coming up is nothing short of brutal with Fair Grove, Class 3 Boonville, Walnut Grove and Osage all on the docket.
4. (4) Thayer (C2: 16-0)
Only Strafford has a longer winning streak in the area and right now this is the best/most mysterious team in the Ozarks. They’re coming off of wins over Willow Springs, Poplar Bluff, Gainesville and Cabool. Three of those wins came by at least 25 points. SCA rivals Mountain Grove and MV-BT/Liberty are up next, followed by a conference break for Alton, Eminence and Licking.
5. (5) Mount Vernon (C3: 19-2)
Just like last year, Mount Vernon is going on another ridiculous run. And, unlike last year, it’s being led by defense and not offense. The Lady ‘Neers have won 11 straight games, which includes wins over Clever and Webb City in the last 10 days. During that stretch just one team has scored more than 40 points. They’re the favorite to win the Big 8 but take on Frontenac (Kan.) and Springfield Catholic before hopping back into conference action.
6. (8) Carl Junction (C4: 15-2)
Carl Junction is back on track after a “rough” patch, winning four straight games including a win over state-ranked Class 5 program North Kansas City. Sophomore Katie Scott had 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in that game. A pivotal stretch awaits them with Willard, Nixa and Ozark all upcoming. Should CJ win out, they’ll claim a COC title.
7. (12) Clever (C3: 15-5)
Recency is huge when evaluating Clever. The Lady Jays have won three straight, beating Fair Grove, Spokane and Skyline over a seven-day stretch. The crazy part is all five of their losses came by single digits and three of them were by four points or fewer. Things get no easier with Crane and Strafford back-to-back and Blue Eye looming as well.
8. (6) Kickapoo (C5: 18-3)
Jim Pendergrass is playing several young kids, which is bad news for everyone else because Kickapoo just keeps getting better. The neutral floor loss to Ozark is overshadowed by wins over Camdenton, West Plains and beating Ozark in the rematch. Senior Hannah Collins has been playing at a high clip all season and her 35 points against Camdenton is the latest example of that.
9. (9) Blue Eye (C2: 17-4)
The loss to Fair Grove is to be expected, but the Lady Bulldogs bounced back with wins over Galena, School of the Ozarks and state-ranked South Iron in dominant fashion. All that stands between them and the SWCL crown are a pair of February home dates with Crane and Clever.
10. (13) Waynesville (C5: 16-2)
We’re at 14 and counting for Waynesville and at this point they’re just toying with people. All but one of those wins came by double figures and the outlier was a road trip to previously ranked Jefferson City. Senior guard ReShawna Stone is averaging nearly 23 points per game this season and is quickly jumping up recruiting boards.
11. (10) Fair Grove (C3: 16-4)
Their recent schedule has been brutal with state-ranked Skyline, state-ranked Blue Eye and two really solid Class 3 teams in Clever and Springfield Catholic. The losses to Skyline and Clever came by a combined five points and the rout of Blue Eye is more than impressive. On Feb. 1 they’ll complete the trilogy with Skyline and on Feb. 9 they’ll have a sneaky tough road game at Cassville. Harley Maxwell (6-foot-2) vs. Madi Stokes (6-foot-3) should be more than fun.
12. (11) Licking (C3: 17-2)
Licking has quietly won seven straight games after back-to-back losses to Ozark Conference schools, that stretch includes wins over Class 4 rival Salem and Mansfield. They’re undefeated in Frisco League play thus far, but the big game on their schedule is a trip to Thayer on Feb. 10.
13. (14) Fordland (C2: 16-4)
Fordland was extremely competitive in the Rogersville Tournament, upsetting a Glendale team that has wins over Springfield Catholic and Wheaton, before losing to Strafford and Class 4 Marshfield. The Lady Eagles then bounced back with three consecutive blowout wins. Now comes the tricky part with back-to-back games against Hartville and Gainesville that will likely decide the Summit.
14. (NR) Hartville (C2: 16-3)
The Lady Eagles have won six straight games, with their last loss coming to Bay (Ark.) in the championship of the MV-BT/Liberty Tournament. They’re coming off of wins over Gainesville and Norwood, which was a classic trap before a titanic tilt with Fordland on Feb.1.
15. (NR) Hermitage (C1: 18-2)
The Lady Hornets have dropped two games all season by a combined six points, both coming to solid teams. They just beat state-ranked Leeton and have a four-game-in-10-day stretch, capped by a date with Walnut Grove. Three players are averaging in double figures, led by Sadi Hostettler’s 19.1 points.
Knockin’ on the Door: Lockwood (C2: 15-3), Nixa (C5: 15-6), Camdenton (C5: 13-5), Sarcoxie (C2: 13-3), Pierce City (C2: 15-4), Bradleyville (C1: 15-4), Cassville (C4: 16-3), Rogersville (C4: 13-7), Wheatland (C1: 13-4), MV-BT/Liberty (C3: 14-7), Willard (C5: 13-6), Parkview (C5: 11-7)
