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). We are just two weeks away from the end of the regular season and the start of district play. With no further ado, here are the Feb. 10 power rankings.
- (1) Crane (C2: 23-1) – Crane continues to stay in the groove, extending its winning streak to 11 with wins over Clever, Gainesville and Forsyth. The Forsyth win clinches at least a share of the SWCL title and the win over Gainesville ended the Lady Bulldogs unbeaten start to the season. The Lady Pirates are ranked No. 3 in Missouri and No. 127 nationally. Senior Night is on Thursday against Ash Grove, honoring the careers Lexie Vaught, Emma Lander, Kylee Moore, Justeen Mahan, Shelby Roder and Keren Belin; the group is 114-7 with three state championships.
- (2) Republic (C5: 17-1) – Not to be outdone, Republic's 91-12 record over the last four years is one of the best in the Ozarks as well. The Lady Tigers broke a school-record in 3s in an 86-41 win over Neosho last week. RepMo has now won nine straight games and is ranked No. 2 in Missouri and No. 92 nationally heading into tonight’s game with Bolivar and Thursday’s showdown with rival Nixa.
- (3) Kickapoo (C5: 19-3) – The Lady Chiefs are a perfect 11-0 in 2016 and still haven’t really been tested since the PWLC. Kickapoo blasted SPS rivals Parkview and Glendale this week. With trips to Joplin and Rolla looming, Kickapoo has a chance to clinch at least a share of the Ozark Conference championship, while looking to improve its No. 1 Missouri ranking and No. 65 national spot according to MaxPreps.
- (5) Strafford (C3: 21-3) – Strafford continues to give people the business lately, including state-ranked Spokane in a 79-51 road win on Monday. The Lady Indians have strung together seven straight wins, six of which have come by at least 17 points. A rematch with Class 4 Rogersville will be a nice test before the Mid-Lakes championship game with Fair Grove.
- (4) Gainesville (C2: 19-1) – The Lady Bulldogs had their 19-game winning streak snapped by Crane on Saturday. Certainly not a bad loss and the fact that Gainesville played them tough suggests that maybe Gainesville is the best bet to end Crane’s run. A win over Norwood on Monday can clinch a piece of the Summit title.
- (6) Jasper (C2: 22-1) – Jasper still isn’t ranked, but the Lady Eagles have won 19 straight, the longest streak in the Ozarks, with Sarcoxie and Liberal being the latest victims. With all the talk about the other teams in Class 2, Jasper is certainly worth considering as a threat to Crane. Wins over Pierce City and College Heights would give them another SRVC title.
- (7) Carl Junction (C4: 19-2) – The Lady Bulldogs continue to roll through the Big 8, adding wins over East Newton and Lamar, to give Carl Junction four straight wins. Going to Aurora on Thursday gives CJ another quality game and a shot at clinching a Big 8 title next week.
- (8) Skyline (C2: 19-4) – Five straight wins is impressive, but the teams that Skyline has beaten is even more impressive. That stretch includes wins over Fair Grove and El Dorado Springs last week. Two more tests await with Osage and Ash Grove both coming to town. Osage is state-ranked in Class 4.
- (9) Crocker (C2: 19-2) – It was a light week for Crocker, but the Lady Lions took care of business with a 67-50 win over Eugene on Monday. Crocker is top five in the Class 2 state polls and will have a busy week with trips to Iberia, Tuscumbia and Laquey coming up. Tuscumbia is ranked No. 6 in Class 1 and led by senior guard TaKayla Gunter’s 33.1 PPG. Crocker hasn’t lost to a Class 1 or Class 2 team all year.
- (10) Branson (C5: 17-3) – Branson has bounced back from the loss to Kickapoo with three quality wins over Marshfield, Nixa and Ozark. The Lady Pirates are still unbeaten in COC Large play and will look to continue that unbeaten conference start with trips to Webb City and Neosho this week.
- (12) Walnut Grove (C1: 15-7) – Well, Ash Grove beat Walnut Grove for the third time this season, snapping the Lady Tigers nine-game streak, but the 55-53 margin lets you know how far WG has come since a 54-24 beatdown back in December. Walnut Grove will have the chance to pick up more quality wins this week in the Seymour Tournament.
- (15) Stoutland (C2: 19-2) – Stoutland put together a clean 2-0 week with wins over Licking and Mansfield. Missouri State commit Alexa Willard had 40 points in the win over Licking and that was coming off of a 43-15 game against Climax Springs. A trip to Fordland on Thursday will matchup Willard with Fordland’s all-time leading scorer Ali Sparks and little sister Sophie.
- (NR) Camdenton (C5: 14-5) – The Lady Lakers are back thanks to OC wins over Glendale and Waynesville. This came despite Waynesville’s Kallie Bildner going for 25 points and 24 rebounds. Camdenton travels to Rolla before hosting Lebanon in what could be a district championship preview.
- (13) Fair Grove (C3: 16-6) – Fair Grove dropped its third game against Skyline this year, which is surprising considering how good the Lady Eagles have been this season. FG did bounce back by beating Pleasant Hope and Osceola by a combined 100 points. Marionville at home and Stockton on the road won’t be easy games this week.
- (11) Aurora (C4: 13-4) – Just one week after beating East Newton, the Lady Pats upset Aurora by 14 in the Seneca Tournament championship. Aurora was able to bounce back with a huge comeback win over Mount Vernon on Monday, making Thursday’s game against Carl Junction the pseudo Big 8 championship.
Knockin’ on the door: Salem (17-4), Spokane (17-6), Lebanon (14-6), Houston (15-6), Hartville (18-6), Stockton (15-6), Clever (15-7), West Plains (14-8), Rogersville (13-7), Norwood (18-4)
