It’s everybody’s favorite day of the week again! 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). Unfortunately, the weather has taken some meaningful games off the schedule. With no further ado, here are the Jan. 27 power rankings.
(1) Crane (C2: 17-1) – Nothing changed… Crane beat Class 3 No. 5 St. James in a game the really wasn’t too competitive, with the Lady Pirates winning 51-35. Crane then followed that up by turbo-clocking Blue Eye, the sixth time this season some has gotten “Craned”. Still No. 1 in Missouri and No. 66 nationally according to MaxPreps, Crane has Billings, Pierce City and Reeds Spring are on the schedule this week.
(2) Republic (C5: 14-1) – Republic had a rare week with no games thanks to “Ice Gate 2016” and the national panic it created. Unfortunately, that robbed us of Republic/Aurora and Republic vs. Camdenton/Branson matchups. No worries, the Lady Tigers are still on that six-game streak and holding steady at No. 2 in Missouri and No. 99 nationally according to MaxPreps. A date with perennial power Rock Bridge is set for Saturday and Republic will have no shortage of motivation considering the Lady Bruins handed Republic two of its four losses last year, including the season-ender in the Class 5 quarterfinals.
(4) Gainesville (C2: 17-0) – Gainesville joins the Walnut Grove boys as the only undefeated teams in the Ozarks. The Lady Bulldogs 45-32 win over Skyline last week is arguably their biggest of the decade. Gainesville then followed that up by doubling up state-ranked Hartville 54-27. I think we have the biggest threat to Crane’s four-peat… Oh, Crane and Gainesville play on Feb. 6 in SBU’s CMH Shootout.
(5) Carl Junction (C4: 14-1) – The Lady Bulldogs won the Border Classic last week, beating a very good Blue Valley Northwest (Kan.) in the semifinals before knocking off West Plains in the championship, 44-43. Carl Junction has won eight straight but has likely added to the amount of gray on Brad Shorter’s head with a third of its games being decided by two possessions or less.
(6) Kickapoo (C5: 14-3) – There isn’t a large class team in the Ozarks with as much momentum as Kickapoo has right now. Kickapoo has won six straight after beating Chanute (Kan.), Webb City and Ozark last week. Of Kickapoo’s 14 wins, 11 have come by 20 or more points. Matchups with Branson and Camdenton offer two more opportunities for marquee wins.
(3) Strafford (C3: 16-3) – Strafford had its six-game winning streak snapped in a 56-53 loss to Marshfield. The Lady Indians did bounce back to beat Rogersville and Willow Springs to end the week. The loss doesn’t change much in terms of season goals, but road games with Ash Grove and Webb City will again challenge Strafford’s mettle this week.
(7) Branson (C5: 14-2) – The Lady Pirates have now won seven straight after beating Parkview last week. Branson’s two losses, Carl Junction and Strafford, came by a combined eight points. Playing Kickapoo on Saturday is not only a litmus test, but a potential district championship preview.
(10) Jasper (C2: 15-1) – The Lady Eagles continue to be the great unknown in the Ozarks. Jasper hasn’t lost since Dec. 5 and spent Saturday evening watching the Gainesville vs. Skyline game. Jasper probably won’t get pushed until the season finale with Lockwood.
(8) Skyline (C2: 14-4) – For the first time in years, Skyline lost to a Class 2 team that wasn’t Crane. The loss doesn’t hurt anything, but certainly shows that a fourth straight Final Four trip won’t be handed to the Lady Tigers. Games with Class 3 Stockton and California will added to what has been one of the area’s toughest schedules.
(9) Crocker (C2: 16-2) – It was a mixed bag for Crocker last week with the Lady Lions losing to Class 3 Osage in the championship of the Osage Invitational. Still, Crocker’s two losses, Cuba and Osage, have come to Class 3 teams and nobody else has given them much of a game. That could change with Stoutland getting a second shot to knock off Crocker.
(11) Camdenton (C5: 11-3) – Like Republic, Camdenton also lost all of last week because of the Bolivar Tournament. So, the Lady Lakers will be well rested entering Thursday’s Ozark Conference game with Parkview after having two full weeks off. Camdenton will also visit Kickapoo on Monday in what is the pseudo Ozark Conference championship game.
(13) Fair Grove (C3: 13-4) – Fair Grove has strung together three consecutive wins after beating Willard and Forsyth. No conference games this week, but a trip to Springfield Catholic will have a major impact on district seeding.
(15) Norwood (C2: 14-2) – The Lady Pirates continue to stack up wins and to this point they’ve given Gainesville its best test of the season. Norwood has Licking up next in the Mansfield Tournament, followed by either Houston or Mansfield, two teams they’ve beaten this year. A trip to Hartville will give Norwood a shot at avenging an earlier loss.
(NR) Stoutland (C2: 16-1) – The Lady Tigers make their first appearance in the poll after a blistering start to the season. Led by Missouri State signee Alexa Willard, Stoutland hasn’t dropped a game since losing to Crocker in the semifinals of the Frisco League Tournament. Stoutland and Crocker will meet on Thursday in what will likely decide the Frisco League title.
(12) Aurora (C4: 9-3) – It was a deceiving week for Aurora. The loss to Washington isn’t bad at all, especially considering the Class 5 Jays are undefeated and ranked No. 4. Aurora did bounce back by beating Seneca and Glendale. The Lady Dawgs are still looking for that marquee win, and beating East Newton at home this will keep them in the Big 8 race with Carl Junction
Knockin’ on the door: Spokane (15-5), Nixa (9-7), (9-3), Salem (13-3) West Plains (13-7), Houston (12-4), Morrisville (14-3) Clever (12-6), Bradleyville (10-2), Fordland (12-4), Bolivar (8-7)
