By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Here are the final area girls basketball power rankings for the 2017-18 season.
THESE RANKINGS ARE BASED ON DOMINANCE BY CLASS, NOT STRICTLY HEAD TO HEAD RESULTS.
1. Strafford (Class 3; 33-0)
The win streak is up 82 games and the legacy just continues to grow into something more historic on a national level. Strafford won the Class 3 state championship with a 41-point win over California. Everyone knows they’ve won three straight, but the question is what’s next. Losing Zoey Mullings (Drury) and Alissa Collett hurts, but Strafford brings back everything else, led by Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year Hayley Frank. Kayley Frank, Madison Chittenden and Kyndall Compton also return, along with sophomores Mica Chadwell, Logan Jones and Taylor Treat. Steve Frank also brings in a loaded eighth grade class.
Of their 33 wins, 32 came by double digits and 26 ended with a turbo clock. On 13 different occasions the Lady Indians scored at least 85 points. Entering next year, they’re just 20 wins away from tying Marshfield’s state record 102-game winning streak and 26 wins away from moving into the top-10 nationally. Should Strafford duplicate this season’s win total, the streak would grow to 115 games, which would be the eighth highest total in girls basketball history and 10th longest for any high school program, regardless of gender.
Speaking of records, Frank is on the verge of becoming the first player in Missouri history, male or female, to score 3,000 points and grab 1,500 rebounds.
2. Skyline (Class 2; 30-3)
The Lady Tigers capped of their sixth straight Final Four run with a third-place finish and many look at the semifinal loss to Neelyville as an upset. The Lady Tigers shot just 30 percent from the field or they’d likely be looking at back-to-back Class 2 state championships. Still, Kevin Cheek and company again won 30 games, which includes a Pink and White Lady Classic and seven wins over Class 4-5 programs. Seniors Kaylee DaMitz and Savannah Owen helped lead the program to 117 wins over the last four seasons.
3. Kickapoo (Class 5: 28-4)
Starting the year without Jordan Squared (Sanders and Wersinger) wasn’t enough to make Kickapoo skip a beat. The Lady Chiefs reloaded with one of the biggest, most athletic rosters in Missouri. They won 15 straight games from mid-January until the Class 5 state championship loss to Kirkwood. Still, two Final Fours in the last three seasons with two almost completely different rosters is impressive. They haven’t dropped an OC game since 2015. Jim Pendergrass and staff have a lineup capable of going to several more Final Fours.
4. Bradleyville (Class 1; 26-6)
The best season in program history saw Autumn Thomas and the Lady Eagles go unbeaten in the Mark Twain Conference, also winning the conference tournament, and finish the season with a Class 1 runner-up finish. Bradleyville hadn’t lost a game to a Class 1 team until the state championship game. They were a perfect 12-0 at home at senior guard Kourtney Shipley ended her career with 2,158 points.
5. Carl Junction (Class 4; 26-4)
Each of the last two seasons saw Carl Junction advance to the Final Four and each time the Lady Bulldogs ran into Missouri power Incarnate Word. Megan Scott leaves as one of the best players to ever wear a Carl Junction uniform, winning 99 games over the last four years, which includes a 42-3 record at home. CJ hasn’t lost a game to a Class 4 team outside of the Final Four since 2015.
6. Walnut Grove (Class 1; 26-4)
The best team doesn’t always win the championship in a one-game format, which we’re seeing in the NCAA Tournament yet again. Walnut Grove had the best Class 1 resume in Missouri. This is a team that beat Ozark, Lebanon, Rogersville and Class 2 runner-up Mid-Buchanan. Their three pre-Class 1 tournament losses came to Strafford, Skyline and Class 4 Benton. The loss to Wheatland snapped a streak of six consecutive Final Four runs.
7. Wheatland (Class 1; 25-6)
The theme of Wheatland’s season was redemption. They finished third in the Polk County League, falling to both Walnut Grove and Hermitage in lopsided games. Ever resilient, they bounced back by beating both programs when it mattered most, helping the Lady Mules advance to the Final Four. Wheatland also benefitted from a brutal schedule, which also saw them beat Class 5 Parkview in the Pink and White Lady Classic.
8. Mount Vernon (Class 3; 27-3)
You can’t help but to be impressed by the run Mount Vernon had. Another Big 8 championship and 19-game winning streak before falling to Strafford in Sectionals. Strafford accounted for two of Mount Vernon’s three losses this season. Mount Vernon did beat Kickapoo, Clever, West Plains and Webb City. And, Dusty Killingsworth returns nearly his entire roster.
9. Clever (Class 3; 22-7)
Clever had one of the strongest finishes to the season, beating Class 2 powers Skyline and Blue Eye during a 10-game winning streak (if you ignore two losses to Strafford). The Lady Jays picked up wins over Branson, Bolivar and Memphis White Station in the Pink and White Lady Classic and navigated the SWCL slate unbeaten. Dan Jones will return his entire roster next year.
10. Fair Grove (Class 3; 20-7)
The Lady Eagles are another program that would’ve made a Final Four run if they were in a different class. Fair Grove beat district champs Rogersville, Mount Vernon, Camdenton and Blue Eye. It was the program’s second 20-win season in the last three years and, like almost everyone else in Class 3, the Lady Eagles welcome back most of the roster.
11. Hartville (Class 2; 25-4)
Hartville ended the season with a 14-game winning streak before falling to eventual Class 2 state champion Neelyville in Sectionals. The Lady Eagles won the Summit title, going undefeated in conference play. They were also great defensively, holding 14 opponents to 40 points or fewer.
12. Licking (Class 3; 26-3)
The Lady Wildcats and Steven Rissler finally got over the Sectional hump, advancing to the Elite Eight before running into Strafford. To get there, they knocked off previously unbeaten South Calloway. Licking won the Frisco League Tournament and went unbeaten in regular season conference play. It was the program’s fifth 20-win seasons in six years under Rissler.
13. Blue Eye (Class 2; 24-6)
Blue Eye made it to the Elite Eight for the second time under Ken Elfrink, capping what was one of the best seasons in program history. They finished as the runner-up to Class 3 power Clever in the SWCL. The Lady Bulldogs had one of the most stifling pressure defenses in the area, holding 13 opponents to 35 or fewer points. They also return nearly everyone.
14. Rogersville (Class 4; 20-9)
The early schedule was brutal, but Rogersville persevered, and it resulted in the COC Small championship and district title. Coach McHenry and company gave Strafford one of its toughest games of the season. The Lady Cats also upset 6A Arkansas state champion Jonesboro in the Pink and White Lady Classic.
15. Thayer (Class 2; 25-1)
The Lady Bobcats owned a 25-game winning streak before running into eventual state champion Neelyville in the district championship. Still, Thayer again ran through the SCA and every other regular season game they played. The last time they lost a regular season game to a Missouri school was February of 2016.
