Multiple teams in our Top 10 had close calls last week, so we’ll have some changes for these Dec. 21 power rankings.
Holiday hoops fill next week, so these will serve as our final rankings for the 2015 portion of the 2015-16 season. We’ll pick things back up on Monday, Jan. 4.
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.
BLUE AND GOLD TOURNAMENT: Blue Bracket
BLUE AND GOLD TOURNAMENT: Gold Bracket
Current record, Class and previous ranking are listed in parenthesis.
1. Kickapoo (6-0, C5, PR: 1) – I talked myself in and out of bumping the Chiefs from the No. 1 spot this week, even though they have yet to lose. Kickapoo, all things considered, is fortunate not to be 5-1 right now. Ozark led for 99 percent of that game Friday, and as Chiefs coach Dick Rippee said afterwards, the Tigers were the aggressor. If not for some late heroics by Isaac Johnson, we’d have a new No. 1 this week. But a win’s a win and Kickapoo stays in this top spot over, say, Bolivar, due to a better strength of schedule up to this point and a better showing against Glendale than Nixa had. Kickapoo visits Central on Tuesday night then begins Blue and Gold play on Saturday versus Willard.
2. Bolivar (4-0, C4, PR: 2) – The Liberators pulled away late to post a 20-point win on the road last Thursday against a Lebanon squad that’s much improved from recent seasons. Bolivar’s won all four games by at least 15 points so far, but its schedule will take a steep climb up over the next month. The Liberators are the No. 2 seed in the Gold Division bracket (Nixa’s side) as Nixa seeks its sixth straight Blue and Gold championship. Post Blue and Gold, the schedule doesn’t get any easier with dates against Aurora (Jan. 5), Republic (Jan. 7), Marshfield (Jan. 12) and then the Tournament of Champions (Jan. 14-16).
3. Hartville (5-1, C2, PR: 3) – The Eagles are our first Top 5 team to suffer a loss this season, but it’s hard to drop them for such a competitive showing against a state-ranked Class 4 team. Hartville fell 68-62 last Friday to St. Joseph Lafayette (No. 4 MBCA/MoSports.com Class 4 state poll) in a neutral-site game at the Waynesville Shootout. Hartville trailed 37-25 at halftime, briefly tied it up in the third quarter, then trailed by six going into the fourth quarter. That game should serve as a good preparation for the Eagles heading into the Blue and Gold Tournament. Hartville, the No. 2 seed on the Blue side, will have to beat Camdenton and then likely Conway and Ozark to reach a potential title game matchup with Kickapoo.
4. Nixa (4-0, C5, PR: 4) – Much like Kickapoo’s game against Ozark, Nixa emerged with a win over Glendale despite not playing its best brand of basketball. The Eagles trailed Glendale heading into the fourth quarter of last Tuesday night’s home game, before outscoring the Falcons 26-14 in the final eight minutes. Nixa, utilizing its size advantage, went inside early and often and saw junior Christian Bundy contribute 17 points and eight rebounds. But as coach Jay Osborne put bluntly afterwards, there is still a lot of room for the Eagles to improve. To Nixa’s credit, they’re finally (as in, deservedly) ranked in the Top 10 in the state poll, coming in at No. 7 in Class 5 last week. While it’s a 1 seed on the Gold Side, Nixa doesn’t catch much of a break with its opening-round game Saturday against Rogersville, which is probably the best team among the unseeded field. That’s the luck of the draw sometimes when you pull the unseeded teams out of a hat matchup by matchup.
5. Walnut Grove (7-0, C1, PR: 5) – Walnut Grove had a tougher time in its Marionville Tournament title game rematch vs. Lockwood, but held on for a 53-46 home victory last Tuesday. The Tigers are hosting their own holiday tournament, starting today, and face Miller in the opening round. Walnut Grove, the No. 2 seed, would likely face No. 1 seed and Class 2 5th-ranked Iberia if it can reach the finals.
6. Thayer (7-0, C2, PR: 6) – In a battle of towns separated by about two miles, Thayer defeated Mammoth Spring (Ark.) 55-47 in its only game of last week. The Bobcats are the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Cabool Tournament, which runs Dec. 26 and Dec. 28-30. Thayer opens with Summersville and, should it advance through, would likely face 2-seed Licking or 3-seed Bakersfield in tournament title game on Wednesday night, Dec. 30.
7. Clever (6-1, C3, PR: 7) – The Blue Jays continue to win close games. Last Thursday, it was Clever coming back to win in overtime at home, 67-62, over Class 4 Carthage. The outcome marked the third time this season that Clever has won a game decided by five or fewer points (3-0). Logically, you’d think Clever would be due sooner or later to drop one of these close games, but Blue Jay fans have to be encouraged about a 6-1 start against the schedule Clever has faced so far. Clever, the 3-seed in the Gold Division, faces Mt. Vernon at 9:30 this Saturday. With a win, Clever would likely face SWCL rival and 6-seed Crane in the quarterfinals next Monday.
8. Crane (6-0, C2, PR: 9) – The Pirates just keep rolling along, beating opponents by double digits. Crane’s last victim was fellow Stone County school and Class 4 Reeds Spring, whom the Pirates defeated 63-48 last Monday. Crane travels to a 5-3 Purdy team tonight. The Pirates, seeded No. 6 on the Gold Side of the Blue and Gold Tournament, face Lebanon in the opening round at 8 p.m. Saturday.
9. Glendale (4-3, C4, PR: 8) – The Falcons have faced the toughest schedule of any team in the Top 10. Glendale’s losses have come to Class 5 Nixa and Kickapoo, and 59-58 to Booker T. Washington (Okla.). Glendale led Nixa heading into the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s eventual road loss. Two days later, the Falcons earned a hard-fought 65-56 road win against a Rogersville team that was likely highly motivated over not receiving a Blue and Gold seed.
10. Rolla (7-1, C4, PR: 12) – The Bulldogs can light up the scoreboard with the best of them. Rolla’s scored 75 or more points in six of its eight games so far. Last week, Rolla posted convincing victories over Salem (87-69) and Central (81-50). Rolla had 53 points at halftime against Central, with all-state guard Kobe Wands finishing with 28 points and earning high praise from Central coach Armando Johnson. Rolla hosts its own holiday tournament beginning next Monday.
11. Mountain Grove (5-0, C3, PR: 11) – I had the Panthers pegged for a 6-seed in my Blue and Gold seeding projections, but the committee evidently really liked what they saw on Mountain Grove’s resume, slotting them as a No. 4 seed in the Gold Division. Mountain Grove hammered a decent Mansfield team (5-2 overall) 77-47 in its only game last week. Mountain Grove draws Reeds Spring in the opening round of the Blue and Gold on Saturday. With a victory, the Panthers would take on old SCA rival West Plains in the quarterfinals.
12. Fair Grove (6-2, C3, PR: 10) – The Eagles posted 107 points in a road win last Tuesday at Hollister, then came crashing back to earth with a 67-49 road loss at Aurora on Friday night. Fair Grove may say it wasn’t at its best for that game, but I think the outcome says more about how good a team like Aurora can be when clicking on all cylinders. The win over Hollister saw Fair Grove guard Garrett Kesterson score a team-high 40 and surpass 1,000 career points. Kyle Cavanaugh scored 38. Fair Grove will have a week to regroup from the Aurora loss, before the Eagles enter Blue and Gold play on Saturday vs. Mansfield in the opening round.
13. Ozark (5-2, C5, PR: 13) – The Tigers, as mentioned earlier, led Kickapoo for 99 percent (98.75 percent, officially) of the game last Friday night. But Ozark couldn’t seal the deal and ultimately suffered its second loss of the season. Ozark rebounded less than 24 hours later, beating a good Harrison (Ark.) team 67-61 on the road. Ozark may not have that clear-cut, No. 1 scorer like a lot of other teams on this list, but the Tigers can score from all five positions and have multiple scorers coming off the bench. That’s why they’ve been able to beat the likes of Rolla and play Kickapoo within two points. Ozark faces Parkview in its home opener on Tuesday night then takes on Ava for its Blue and Gold opener this Saturday.
14. Weaubleau (8-0, C1, PR: 14) – Don’t look now but we may be seeing another contender emerge alongside Hermitage and Walnut Grove in the Polk County League. Weaubleau, which beat Hermitage in the Humansville Tournament finals two weeks ago, has added four more victories since then. Last week, Weaubleau won 53-50 at home over Lakeland and 70-45 over Climax Springs. Weaubleau is one of the rare teams that won’t be playing in a holiday tournament. With as good as they’re playing right now, the Tigers would probably prefer not to take any breaks. But, instead, they’ll return to action Jan. 4 at home versus Appleton City.
15. Aurora (4-1, C4, PR: 14) – The Houn’ Dawgs enter the Top 15 on the strength of an impressive 67-49 home win over Fair Grove last Friday night. Aurora has bounced back nicely from that Strafford Tournament semifinals loss to Strafford, beating Marshfield, Reeds Spring and Fair Grove since then. Keep in mind, Aurora led for a good amount of that loss to Strafford, so the Houn Dawgs’ aren’t far off from being 5-0. Aurora is the No. 7 seed for the Blue and Gold (Gold Division) and faces Greenwood in the opening round this Saturday.
Knocking on the door: Licking (7-1, C3), Conway (4-3, C3), Strafford (4-3, C3), Bakersfield (6-0, C2), Waynesville (3-3, C5), Hermitage (7-1, C1), Stockton (8-0, C3)
