Holiday tournaments answered several questions when it comes to rankings and teams now have enough of a resume to evaluate. Keep in mind, the rankings are still based on DOMINANCE within class, as well as strength of schedule and hotness (what you’ve done recently). With no further ado, here are the first power rankings of 2016!
(1) Crane (C2: 13-1) – The question as to who the top team in the Ozarks is was answered with Crane’s 56-54 overtime win over Republic, doing so without Emma Lander. The Lady Pirates had their 25-game winning streak snapped by an insanely good North Little Rock team, but got 2016 off to a good start with a SWCL win over Spokane. Lexie Vaught had 27 points against Republic. MaxPreps has Crane in the top 100 nationally and No. 1 in Missouri. They’re off for the next week.
(2) Republic (C5: 9-1) – Republic bounced back from a loss to Crane by beating West Plains 53-42. There isn’t a better team in Class 5 than the Lady Tigers and they still aren’t completely healthy, which should change with Logan Flood and Jade Sawyer suiting up in the Pink and White. Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit West come to town this weekend, before RepMo travels to Carthage to open COC Large play.
(4) Strafford (C3: 10-2) – All Strafford did over the break is reaffirm the belief that they are the best Class 3 team in the area, beating Class 5 Branson in overtime and losing to Kickapoo, also in overtime, despite having a double-digit lead. The Lady Indians did rebound to beat Pickerington Central for third place and added a win over Stockton on Monday. Strafford’s two losses have come to Kickapoo and Crane and considering how much inexperience is on this roster there is still a ton of room for growth.
(3) Gainesville (C2: 9-0) – Gainesville continues to pound whoever is on the schedule. The Lady Bulldogs won the Mountain Grove Holiday Tournament and still haven’t had an opponent stay within single digits of them. Madison Strong is doing Madison Strong things (22.5 PPG) but 5-foot-11 sophomore Annie Noah leads the team in rebounds (8.1 RPG) and assists (3.8 APG) and averaged a double-double in the semifinals and championship at Grove. A trip to Dora is on the schedule this week.
(5) Skyline (C2: 11-2) – Skyline made the most of its trip to Springfield, going 3-1 with the one loss coming to North Little Rock. More impressively, the Lady Tigers turbo-clocked Class 4 Bolivar and beat Class 3 Fair Grove as well. The Mid-Lakes championship will be decided on Thursday when Skyline visits Strafford.
(6) Carl Junction (C4: 7-1) – While everyone else was throwing haymakers in a bar brawl known as the Pink and White Lady Classic, Carl Junction was sittin’ back and watching everyone else take losses. The Lady Bulldogs beat Joplin 53-18 on Monday and host Webb City on Thursday, before opening Big 8 play at Monett.
(7) Kickapoo (C5: 8-3) – It seemed like Kickapoo was dead in the water in the semifinals against Strafford before mounting a comeback and shocking the Lady Indians. Poo lost to Fort Smith Northside in the championship of the PWLC. Kickapoo opens Ozark Conference play with a trip to Lebanon on Thursday, followed by a matchup with Hillcrest.
(11) West Plains (C4: 9-3) – The Lady Zizzers are still really good. Beating Stockton and Bolivar before losing to North Little Rock and Republic in the PWLC was nice, so too was the win over Rogersville on Monday. West Plains has a case for being the best Class 4 team in the Ozarks, playing Branson and Camdenton this week could help prove it.
(8) Branson (C5: 8-2) – Branson followed a loss to Strafford with wins over Marshfield, Camdenton and Glendale. The Lady Pirates two losses have come by a combined eight points and against state-ranked teams. A trip to West Plains on Friday will be another measuring stick game and a matchup of two of the area’s top junior guards in Amanda Kearney and Peyton Richards.
(NR) Crocker (C2: 8-1) – Since a season-opening loss to Cuba, Crocker has won eight straight, including winning the Frisco League Tournament and blasting state-ranked Hartville on Monday. Plato is the only team to not get beat by double digits. Dixon, Steelville and Macks Creek are up this week.
(9) Fair Grove (C3: 8-3) – The Lady Eagles hung 60 points on Republic, the most any team has scored against the Lady Tigers all season. Fair Grove went 2-2, beating Parkview and Rogersville but losing to Republic and Skyline. FG followed up that up with a 65-52 road win over Ash Grove. This weekend’s Skyline Tournament will likely provide another shot at Skyline.
(10) Aurora (C4: 6-2) – It was a bit of a mixed bag for the Lady Dawgs after a soft preconference schedule. Aurora survived an upset bid from Buffalo before losing to Fort Smith Northside and Camdenton in the Pink Division. Neither of those are bad losses at all. Aurora doesn’t play again until Jan. 14.
(NR) Jasper (C2: 9-1) – Can’t ignore what Jasper has done. The Lady Eagles lone loss came to Carl Junction on the road and their resume includes wins over Carthage, Marionville and Pittsburg Colgan. Traveling to Purdy this week will provide a comparison on where Jasper stands in a loaded Class 2 pecking order in the area.
(14) Camdenton (C5: 7-3) – Camdenton had a run in the PWLC that suggests the Lady Lakers could be a darkhorse for a Final Four run. Camdenton nearly knocked off No. 2 Pickerington Central in the quarterfinals and followed that up with a 41-38 win over Aurora, before falling to Branson in the fifth place game. A win over Helias Catholic to start 2016 has Camdenton building on that moment. They’ll need it hosting West Plains on Monday.
(NR) Fordland (C2: 11-1) – Fordland has won six straight, including wins over Hartville and Ash Grove on its way to the Walnut Grove Tournament championship. The Lady Eagles lone loss came to Gainesville in what was the Lady Bulldogs most competitive game of the season. Mountain Grove and Mansfield are up this week.
Knockin’ on the door: Norwood (9-1), Houston (9-4), Spokane (10-3), Hermitage (9-2), Carthage (9-3), Rogersville (7-4), Morrisville (11-1), Ash Grove (8-5), Stockton (6-4), Salem (9-3), Hartville (10-3)
