It’s a sad day in the Ozarks; there are just six days separating us from the start of district basketball for classes 1-3. While that means the end of the regular season is upon us, it also gives us two weeks of extremely compelling basketball.
I think we could see as many as 15 teams make it to Columbia, which would be a record for the Ozarks, and crowning eight state champions is a very real possibility. But, before all of that happens, we have to finish up conference championship races. Here’s exactly what you should know about the next two weeks and how they pertain to conference titles.
Ozark Conference
On the girls side this one is basically over. Kickapoo has been rolling through the OC and the Lady Chiefs are currently the only unbeaten in the league and hold turbo-clock wins over one loss Camdenton and Lebanon. Should Rolla or Waynesville pull of an upset on Monday (Feb. 15) or Thursday (Feb. 18) that could potentially force a three-way tie, but that probably won’t happen. Kickapoo hasn’t lost a game in 2016… The guys’ race will be decided this week with three titanic games. Kickapoo and Rolla have been the class of the conference and when they meet on Tuesday at Kickapoo the winner will likely be the OC champ. Keep in mind last year Rolla shocked Kickapoo 81-65 to force a split of the title. Kickapoo hasn’t lost a game to an in-state opponent all year and Rolla’s only loss came in early December to Ozark. Oh, these two teams have combined to score 80 or more 15 times (Rolla-8; Kickapoo-7). Kobe Wands is one of the best point guards in Missouri and is surrounded by a roster full of guys that shoot the garbage out of the basketball. We’ve talked about Kickapoo all season long but the Chiefs are the best team in Missouri not named Chaminade and the Big Four of Ice Johnson, Niekie Thomas-Fontleroy, Jared Ridder and Cam Davis is the best Kickapoo has had since that 2003 team. Basically, if you miss this game on Tuesday then you’re not doing it right. Here’s the kicker though, Kickapoo still has to play Waynesville and Rolla still has to play Glendale, with both of those games coming on the road. Waynesville and Glendale can shoot it well enough on a given night to beat anyone, so those two games are far from a given. This will be the most exciting race down the stretch.
COC Large
I’m not sure anyone outside of Trevyor Fisher’s locker room saw this one coming, but Republic is the only unbeaten team in conference play with three games remaining. Friday’s win against Nixa, Republic’s first in 11 meetings, sent a loud message to the rest of the conference; the Tigers are for real. But, with Ozark and Branson still on the schedule, things are far from decided. Republic hosts Willard on Tuesday (Feb. 16), goes to Ozark on Friday (Feb. 19) and to one-loss Branson on Feb. 23. Branson has Neosho and Carthage on Tuesday and Friday, before that showdown with Republic, and Nixa is still in the picture with one loss and four games to play. The darkhorse in all of this is Ozark. The Tigers have a pair of two-point losses to Webb City and Branson, but Ozark still has dates with Nixa on Tuesday and Republic on Friday before closing the conference slate with Carthage. They need Republic to stumble once to make things truly interesting, but if Ozark wins out then things could get messy… On the girls side it things are a little simpler. Republic and Branson have been ranked all year and are a combined 38-4. They play on Feb. 22 in Branson and that will be for the conference title. Because Ozark has one loss and hasn’t played Republic yet (that game happens on Thursday, Feb. 18), the Lady Tigers could still force a three-way tie by winning out and having Republic beat Branson.
COC-Small
Rogersville and Bolivar are both undefeated in conference play and fortunately they play on Friday to decide the conference championship. Bolivar won it last year, but the Cats have won four straight after starting the season 4-12… The girls’ race is essentially over with Rogersville being the only unbeaten teams with trips to Hollister and Reeds Spring remaining. The Lady Cats haven’t won a conference championship since 1984. Only three of the O-Zone’s 11-person staffers were alive back then. Denny McHenry might be the coach of the year in the Ozarks for what he has done in his short time with the program.
Mid-Lakes
Strafford has won seven straight Mid-Lakes Conference championships and the Indians will be in position to win No. 8 should they beat Marionville on Tuesday, setting up an epic showdown with Class 3 No. 3 Fair Grove on Friday. The Eagles won the first meeting this season, beating Strafford 68-60 for third place in the Blue and Gold Tournament. And, if that’s not enough to spice up the rivalry, these two are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in Class 3 – District 11 and are poised to meet again within a week of Friday’s game… On the girls’ side it should also come down to a Strafford vs. Fair Grove game. The Lady Indians are the lone unbeaten team in the conference, including a win over Skyline, which beat Fair Grove. Here’s where things get tricky. If Fair Grove was to beat Stockton on Monday and Strafford on Thursday, coupled with a Skyline win over Ash Grove, the conference will have a three-way tie for the title. Strafford won the 2015 championship, but 2014 was a three-way tie between Ash Grove, Marionville and Skyline.
Big 8
The Big 8 has two very different races brewing. The Carl Junction girls knocked off previously unbeaten Aurora last week, grabbing control of the conference race. The Lady Bulldogs have Mount Vernon and McDonald County on the schedule. The game at Mount Vernon could be trouble because of elite freshman Cameron Call and just how quickly the Lady ‘Neers have matured into a very competitive team in Class 3. A loss would keep the door open for Aurora to grab a piece of the conference, but all signs point to CJ leaving the Big 8 with a title… The boys race is one of the best in the Ozarks with Aurora, Lamar and McDonald County all being undefeated. The first domino to fall will be Monday when McDonald County visits Lamar. The Tigers have won 13 of 15 and follow that game up with a trip to Monett, before hosting Aurora for Senior Night on Friday. Lamar can end the conference race this week. Should the Tigers stumble, Aurora at McDonald County on Feb. 23 will be the game to decide the conference. Aurora has won seven of eight with each win coming by double digits. Of course, there is a chance the three unbeaten split head-to-head games, forcing a three-way tie for the Big 8 title.
SWCL
Everyone assumed it would be Clever vs. Crane to decide the SWCL title, but an unblemished run through the conference has Larry Brown and Sparta just one game away from a conference title. Sparta handled Crane 69-55 in a game that really solidified the Trojans in both the conference and Class 2 picture. Sparta will visit Clever on Tuesday (Feb. 16) with the SWCL crown on the line andthe Jakob Partee-Devan Hampton vs. Mike Gimlin-Landon Davis parings matching up two of the best small-school duos… The girls’ race was more of a race for second. Crane is 5-0 with Sparta coming up on Monday (Feb. 15). The Lady Pirates have mercy ruled everyone in the conference except for Clever.
Summit
The Summit conference hasn’t quite been decided, but it is basically over. Hartville has been the No. 1 in Class 2 for much of the year and the Eagles have survived conference tests against Conway and Mansfield to take control of the league. The only game remaining comes against Gainesville, which is currently tied for last in the Summit but playing much better as of late. Hartville’s five conference wins have come by an average of 39 points… On the girls’ side Gainesville has been as equally dominant over the last few years. The Lady Bulldogs haven’t dropped a Summit game since Seymour beat them in December of 2012. Gainesville does have a tougher road with Norwood and Conway remaining. While they’ve already beaten both teams, Norwood gave Gainesville one of its toughest games of the season in a 54-41 Lady Bulldogs win in the championship of the Sparta Tournament.
SCA
The Mountain Grove boys and Salem girls are both undefeated, holding on to a one game lead with two games to play. I would be shocked if either team didn’t win the SCA title, but there could be some fireworks in the final week on the girls’ side. Salem sits at 5-0, with Houston and Thayer close behind at 4-1. The Lady Tigers are the only Class 4 team in the conference and state-ranked. Salem controls its own destiny, but Thayer has games remaining with both Salem and Houston, giving the Lady Bobcats the chance to play spoiler. It is also worth noting that Salem is 11-1 when junior guard Payton Curley scores 20 or more points… Mountain Grove has Ava and Cabool standing between them and back-to-back, undefeated conference championships. Should the Panthers falter, Friday’s Thayer at Salem game would afford the winner a share of the title.
SRVC
The Lockwood boys and Jasper girls seem like they should close out conference titles, but have some potential roadblocks in their way first. Lockwood started 2-5, but has won 14 of its last 16 games, including a perfect 7-0 in conference with games against Liberal and Jasper. Lockwood beat Jasper earlier in the season. Greenfield is lurking at 6-1, but look for Aaron Shockley to get his first conference championship at Lockwood… The girls’ side is in a similar position with Jasper being unbeaten in conference play. The Lady Eagles have dropped just one game all year and that came to Carl Junction on Dec. 5. But, to close out the conference championship Jasper will have to beat Lockwood on the road. The Lady Tigers have just one conference loss all season and sophomore guard Rylee Neill is averaging 21 PPG with back-to-back 30-point games.
Mark Twain
On the boys’ side it was simple, School of the Ozarks is just better than everyone else. The Patriots not only won the conference tournament, beating Hurley 72-48, but are also perfect in conference play. To put in in perspective, S of O’s three losses have come to Class 4 Reeds Spring on a buzzer beater, Class 5 Mountain Home (Ark.) by two and Class 3 Mountain Grove by five. The Pats are really good… The girls’ side is a beautiful mess with Bradleyville, Hurley and School of the Ozarks all sitting at 4-1. Bradleyville lost to Hurley in the regular season, but beat them by 20 in the conference tournament championship. As it stands, all three teams should win their season finale and split the conference championship.
Polk County
I won’t bore you; Walnut Grove still owns this league on both sides. To put it in perspective, Hermitage has been state-ranked and is currently 20-4 with just one loss against fellow Class 1 teams. It came to Walnut Grove, 49-14, in what was ultimately the conference championship. Same holds true for the Walnut Grove guys. Weaubleau and Hermitage are the next two best teams in the conference and the Tigers beat them by 48 and 27 respectively. The black and orange will hang two more PCL banners following this season.
