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 (6-0, Class 2, PR: 2) – The Eagles continue to crush fellow Class 2 competition. Hartville whipped Fordland 67-35 last Friday night. Fordland entered that game 5-0 overall. On Tuesday, Hartville handled Seymour 72-46. Seymour entered that game 6-1 overall. Dating back to districts last season, Hartville owns an average margin of victory of 30.1 points in its past 10 games versus Class 2 opponents. Some of the names are different – Class 2 Player of the Year Ryan Ward and all-conference guard Grant Dedmon are gone – but the Eagles have quickly shown they’re going to be a major force again in Class 2 this season.
Upcoming games: Dec. 16 vs. Hazelwood Central (@ Waynesville HS as part of Route 66 Shootout, Dec. 20 @ Norwood
2. Walnut Grove (7-0, Class 1, PR: 3) – “The Grove” got its toughest test of the season but emerged victorious in a non-conference tilt with Crane last Friday night, prevailing 54-45 and handing the Pirates just their fourth home loss dating back to the 2012-13 season. Both Walnut Grove (Jaron Dishman) and Crane (Dalton Hayes) were missing key pieces, but the Tigers were able to rally back from a five-point halftime deficit. Walnut Grove followed that up with a 60-31 trouncing of Lockwood last night and hosts Wheatland this Thursday for its Polk County League opener.
Upcoming games: Dec. 15 vs. Wheatland, Dec. 21-30 Walnut Grove Holiday Tournament
3. Mountain Grove (4-0, Class 3, PR: 3) – It’s been a team effort in the post-D.J. McNew era and results have been encouraging thus far for Mountain Grove. The Panthers won 64-44 at Mansfield last night in a matchup of undefeated teams. Mountain Grove fields a guard-heavy lineup and has multiple guys on the floor at all times that can create offense and shooting opportunities between starters Treye Collins, Carter Otwell, Cade Coffman, Brock Coffman and Conner McNew. It’s a formula conducive to winning a lot of games in modern basketball. Not having a premier go-to guy like D.J. McNew changes Mountain Grove’s outlook a bit, but four-to-six guys could lead the team in scoring on a given night. Most teams are taking next week off completely or scheduling a light tune-up for the Blue and Gold. Not Mountain Grove. After playing at Gainesville on Tuesday, the Panthers host Fair Grove on Thursday in what looks to be the only non-tournament game in the area that night. It’s a rematch of last season’s Class 3 state quarterfinals.
Upcoming games: Dec. 20 @ Gainesville, Dec. 22 vs. Fair Grove
4. Kickapoo (5-2, Class 5, PR: 1) – Branson was the unfortunate team to be standing in the way of Jared Ridder and the Chiefs in Kickapoo’s home opener last night. Ridder poured in 32 points, 18 in the first half, as Kickapoo rolled Branson 102-57 (VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS). The Chiefs were also tournament runner-ups, again, in Arkansas last weekend. Kickapoo fell 54-48 to Class 5 No. 8-ranked Lee’s Summit West in the title game of the Fayetteville Classic. Jared Ridder was held to eight points as the Titans outscored the Chiefs by four in the second half. Ridder, thanks to a 33-point effort against Harrison (Ark.) and 26-point effort versus Springdale (Ark.), still made the all-tournament team along with teammate Cam Davis. Ridder reached 1,000 career points in the win over Harrison, a day after the Chiefs beat Springdale 54-48 in overtime. He’s averaging 25.5 points per game through seven games.
Upcoming games: Dec. 16 @ Ozark, Dec. 20 @ Central
5. Licking (6-0, Class 3, PR: 5) – Another week, another highlight-worthy dunk from the Licking duo of Nathan Wilson and Brady Smith.The Wildcats had a close call at MV-BT/Liberty last Friday night, but made their free throws down the stretch to grab a 57-48 victory. Wilson scored 29 against Liberty and Smith added 12 points. Licking followed that up with a 87-56 road win at Crocker Monday night, highlighted by the Smith dunk shown above. Licking is all but assured the No. 1 seed – and will be a heavy favorite – for the upcoming Cabool Holiday Tournament.
Upcoming games: Dec. 15 vs. Salem, Dec. 16 vs. Laquey
6. Nixa (4-0, Class 5, PR: 7) – I’ve seen a lot of Jay Osborne’s Eagles during my time at the O-Zone, and when Nixa truly locks in and comes to play, his teams just seem to be playing on a different level than the opposition. That was the case last night as Nixa used a dominant first quarter en route to an 84-67 road win at Glendale, behind 33 points and 10 rebounds from Christian Bundy. An undersized Glendale team simply had no answer for Bundy, who scored at will any time he got the ball near the paint. On the other end, Nixa was very active in its trademark 2-3 zone defense and forced the Falcons to take a lot of contested jump shots from the perimeter. Still a long way to go, but Nixa could be 10-0 heading into early January road games at Lee’s Summit (Jan. 6) and Blue Springs South (Jan. 7). Nixa played BSS in the state quarterfinals two seasons ago.
Upcoming games: Dec. 16 vs. Central, Dec. 20 vs. Harrison (Ark.) Â
7. Bolivar (5-0, Class 4, PR: 9) – Bolivar’s imaginary RPI benefited with Hillcrest’s impressive road win (54-40) at Willard last night. Bolivar dominated Hillcrest from start to finish in a home win last week. The Liberators followed that up with a 53-39 road win at Aurora on Friday night. We’ll get a good gauge on Bolivar’s postseason chances this Friday night when the Liberators visit Class 4 No. 3-ranked Helias Catholic. The teams could meet again in the Class 4 state quarterfinals.
Upcoming games: Dec. 16 @ Helias Catholic, Dec. 20 vs. Strafford
8. Clever (5-1, Class 3, PR: 8) – The Blue Jays rebounded well from a close loss to Hartville in the finals of the Clever Tournament with victories over Strafford (54-40) and Ellington (61-50) last week. Ellington was ranked No. 7 in last week’s Class 2 state poll. Clever’s best asset so far has been its defense. The Blue Jays have held opponents to 47.8 points per game; Hartville’s been the only team to score 60 or more against the Blue Jays. Of course, Clever can still put points on the board – reigning SWCL Player of the Year Jakob Partee is averaging over 22 points per game while Matt Christoffer, Caleb Peck, Mark Christoffer, Jared Sopok, Derek Sopok and Devan Hampton all average around 5-9 points per game. With two winnable games ahead, Jakob Partee and company could be 7-1 heading into the Blue and Gold, primed to spring some upsets.
Upcoming games: Dec. 15 @ Carthage, Dec. 20 vs. Hollister
9. Mansfield (6-1, Class 2, PR: 6) – The Lions are undefeated no more, after a 64-44 home loss to Mountain Grove last night. Mountain Grove doubled down on 6’9” Mansfield post Dylan Caruso early and often, and the Lions were unable to find a suitable counter. Fortunately for the Lions, they won’t run into many Class 2 teams – outside of Hartville – that can match MG’s athleticism and guard depth. Senior guard Mason Roy currently leads Mansfield with 17 points per game, with Caruso chipping in 13.7 points and 9 rebounds. Jonah Williamson (11.8 ppg) and Payton Watterson (9.5 ppg) round out Mansfield’s main scorers.
Upcoming games: Dec. 16 @ Springfield Catholic
10. Fair Grove (6-1, Class 3, PR: 11) – The close, season-opening win at Forsyth threw me off a bit, but the Eagles have been rolling ever since, with the lone loss coming in overtime against defending Class 2 state champion Hartville. Fair Grove’s won decisively in its four games since the loss to Hartville, beating McAuley Catholic (70-42), Mt. Vernon (75-53), Buffalo (78-44) and Hollister (71-33). Many already knew about the likes of Garrett Kesterson (19.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg), Evan Fullerton (16.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Steven Huskey (11.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg), but the addition of freshman Cole Gilpin (13.8 ppg) has helped the Eagles remain close to their 2016 form. The Eagles’ rotation only goes about seven deep, and two of those seven are freshmen in Gilpin and David Oplotnik.
Upcoming games: Dec. 16 vs. Aurora, Dec. 22 @ Mountain Grove
11. Republic (4-1, Class 5, PR: 11) – Republic’s the rare case of moving up despite a recent loss, which came to Cardinal Ritter – the No. 1 ranked team in Class 3 – last Saturday at the Ozark Mountain Shootout. Republic led 10-3 after the first quarter, and by two points entering the fourth quarter, but Cardinal Ritter made a late push down the stretch to claim the win. Republic had some uncharacteristic turnovers issues in the game, which could be attributed to Ritter’s quickness and athleticism. Republic bounced back from that loss with a sound 68-50 home win over Parkview last night, a game it led by 20 points at halftime. Treydon Rackley led Republic with 22 points. He’s averaging a team-high 18.6 points per game.
Upcoming games: Dec. 21 @ Waynesville
12. Glendale (2-2, Class 5, PR: 10) – Simply put, Nixa’s not an ideal matchup for the Falcons. Glendale lacks a true post presence – and seemingly has for years now – and Nixa exploited that mismatch time and time again last night by feeding Christian Bundy to the tune of 33 points on just 13 field goal attempts. Glendale didn’t help itself with a slow start and found itself down 23-7 after the first quarter. Afterwards, coach Brian McTague said the Falcons must overcome their lack of size by “being the baddest sucker on the block” and taking the fight to the other team. Glendale will win a lot of games with its perimeter shooting and guard play, but the Falcons must develop an aggressive and feisty attitude on the defensive end if they’re to compete with the big boys – Kickapoo, Nixa, Republic – in the area.
Upcoming games: Dec. 17-19 Kreul Classic @ Coral Springs (Fla.)
13. Lincoln (7-0, Class 2, PR: 13) – The Cardinals made a rare trip down south to the Ozarks area Monday night and collected a 59-42 win at Skyline. Entering last night’s game at La Monte, the Cardinals had won all six of their games by double figures, by an average margin of 21.5 points. The Cardinals are deep, balanced and close to getting their basketball legs beneath them following a long football season. Lincoln faces perhaps its toughest game yet this Friday when it hosts Sedalia Sacred Heart.
Upcoming games: Dec. 16 vs. Sacred Heart, Dec. 27 vs. Concordia @ Sedalia
14. Hermitage (4-0, Class 1, PR: 14) – The Hornets cruised to an easy win in their conference opener last night, beating Humansville 71-38 at home. Hermitage will look to go 2-0 in the PCL when it travels to Dadeville this Friday for its final game before the Walnut Grove Holiday Tournament. Dillon Meyer’s posting solid all-around numbers with 19.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game on 57 percent shooting from the field. He’s added muscle to help serve as Hermitage’s default “big” inside.
Upcoming games: Dec. 16 @ Dadeville
15. McAuley Catholic (5-2, Class 2, PR: 15) – The Warriors collected lopsided wins versus Sarcoxie (71-47) and Exeter (76-20) over the past seven days and face rival College Heights Christian this Friday. Junior Jack Doyle (16.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg) is averaging close to a double-double for the Warriors.
Upcoming games: Dec. 16 vs. College Heights Christian, Dec. 17 vs. Mt. Vernon @ Webb City High School, Dec. 19 @ Golden City
Knocking on the door: Wheatland (5-1, Class 1), Greenfield (6-2, Class 1), Thayer (6-1, Class 2), Crane (5-2, Class 2), Lamar (7-1, Class 3), Rogersville (3-4, Class 4), Webb City (3-2, Class 4), Hillcrest (2-3, Class 4), Ozark (4-2, Class 5)
