By Matt Turer — mturer@ky3.com
@MattTurer
Each week, OzarksSportsZone.com will release local girls basketball power rankings. Like our other power rankings, these rankings will be based on dominance by Class, not head-to-head matchups.
Recent success and strength of schedule are also factored into the rankings. These rankings are through games played on Jan. 24.
Overall record, Class and last week’s ranking are listed in parenthesis.
JAN. 18 POWER RANKINGS
JAN. 11 POWER RANKINGS
JAN. 4 POWER RANKINGS
DEC. 21 POWER RANKINGS
DEC. 14 POWER RANKINGS
DEC. 7 POWER RANKINGS
NOV. 28 POWER RANKINGS
1. Strafford (19-0, C3, LW: 1)
Strafford’s 18-point win over Rogersville in the Rogersville Tournament championship last Friday was its closest final since that one-point win over Mercer County back in the Pink & White. Thankfully for all of our sakes, the Indians got back on track with a 42-point win over Willow Springs on Monday. Best stat of the week though? Hayley Frank put up a 32-point, 21-rebound double-double last Wednesday in a 23-point win over Class 5 Willard. The Indians get three Class 3 opponents this week at .500 or better, including 13-3 Southern Boone.
This week: 1/26 Ash Grove (C3, 9-9), 1/28 Southern Boone (C3, 13-3), 1/30 East Newton (C3, 8-8)
2. Skyline (17-2, C2, LW: 2)
Goodness, did Skyline had a good week. (Is something I feel like I write every week). They played Fair Grove last week. Like, Fair Grove has been a pretty good Class 3 team. Some might think, ‘Hey, even if Skyline probably wins, maybe it’ll be close!’ NO. NOPE. Not close. Skyline won that game and its own tournament championship, 57-26. Then, they beat C3 El Dorado Springs by 58. Then, a good Class 2 Hartville team, 69-39. THEN, Hermitage—which was once a Top 10 Class 1 team—comes around, and Skyline wins 73-17. This is all to say, be afraid. I’m scared just writing this. I’ve slowly slunk down under my desk and turned every light in the O-Zone on for fear the vengeance the Tigers have released since losing to Strafford rains down upon my life.
This week: 1/26 Stockton (C3, 5-13), 1/30 California (C3, 8-3)
3. Walnut Grove (15-2, C1, LW: 3)
Much like Skyline, Walnut Grove has been on a TEAR since it last lost, winning seven straight by an average differential of 31.3 points. That run continued this week (as it should have) against C1 Weaubleau (7-6) and C3 Buffalo (5-12), winning those games 59-26 and 61-39, respectively. C3 Springfield Catholic should provide a tougher test this week.
This week: 1/26 Chadwick (C1, 9-6), 1/28 Springfield Catholic (C3, 10-7), 1/31 Dadeville (C1, 6-7)
4. Gainesville (17-0, C2, LW: 5)
Nice win this week over C2 Hartville. The Eagles are a 14-win team that has spent time in the MBCA C2 Top 10. Hartville doesn’t really have a statement win, but seeing Gainesville go into their gym and win by 11 is a good sign. In Gainesville’s other game this week, the Bulldogs topped Mansfield, 69-41. Now, though, the GAME OF THE WEEK. Gainesville visits C2 Thayer (17-1) on Thursday. Combined record: 34-1. What a dream late-season matchup. Seriously, this doesn’t happen too often. We do have a few mutual opponents here in Koshkonong, Bakersfield, Salem, Hartville and Houston. The Koshkonong and Bakersfield results we’re going to ignore, as both are having down years, making the point-differential sort of meaningless (seeing as Gainesville and Thayer’s starters played limited minutes in those games). That leaves C4 Salem (10-4), C2 Hartville (14-7) and C3 Houston (9-7). Gainesville beat those three by a combined 31 points (10.3 PPG). Thayer beat those three by a combined 34 points (11.3 PPG). OK, that doesn’t help much. One point per game is nothing. Both beat Houston by double-digits (here’s Gainesville’s recap vs. Houston). Where things get more convoluted is that Gainesville beat Salem by seven and Hartville by 11, while Thayer beat Salem by 12 and Hartville by six. This is all to say, signs point to a tight game between two seemingly evenly matched teams. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Gainesville’s other matchup this week, C2 Spokane (16-3). The Owls just had a big win over C3 Clever and will be tough.
This week: 1/26 Thayer (C2, 17-1), 1/30 Spokane (C2, 16-3)
5. Thayer (17-1, C2, LW: 6)
Just one game for Thayer last week, that being a win over C3 Houston (9-7) in the Thayer Tournament championship, 63-47. Good win for Thayer, but the talk now shifts to this week’s titanic Class 2 matchup with undefeated Gainesville (17-0). For the sake of this week’s word count, Thayer fans, head to the Gainesville section (above) for some quick analysis on Thursday’s matchup.
This week: 1/26 Gainesville (C2, 17-0), 1/30 Cabool (C3, 6-9)
6. Purdy (16-1, C2, LW: 7)
After beating C2 Spokane (16-3) by 16 in Saturday’s Marionville Tournament championship, Layne Skiles said Purdy’s No. 2 seeding in the tournament was viewed as a “slap in the face.” The Eagles felt they had something to prove, and they certainly showed that by how they handled top-seed Spokane and the tournament as a whole (winning three games by an average of 18.3 PPG). Purdy has now won 12 straight games after beating C3 East Newton (8-8), 55-38, and C2 Thomas Jefferson, 67-17, last week as well.
This week: 1/26 Southwest (C2, 1-11)
7. Kickapoo (16-4, C5, LW: 4)
Ozark’s 62-58 upset of Kickapoo was the third single-digit loss to fellow Class 5 opponents this year for the Chiefs, with all but one (Jeff City) coming on the road. This was a good win for Ozark (10-6), and while not a terrible loss for Kickapoo, it’s not one that can be overlooked. Earlier last week, the Chiefs went 3-0 in the Webb City Tournament, beating C4 Webb City, Chanute (Kan.) and C5 Battle by a combined 128 points. Part of you has to wonder whether the lack of competition in those three games hurt Kickapoo against Ozark, but that’s not an excuse, just a thought; Ozark is on the rise.
This week: 1/30 Camdenton (C5, 8-7)
8. Rogersville (13-6, C4, LW: 8)
Rogersville lost to Strafford this week for the third time this season, dropping this one by the largest margin yet, 58-40. As is my rule that I decided weeks ago but am just now telling everyone, I punish no team for losing to Strafford. (Which essentially means you should view Rogersville’s Strafford-adjust record as 13-3. That looks good, Wildcats!). Rogersville beat C3 Springfield Catholic 49-26 on Jan. 18 and C5 Springfield Central 58-21 on Jan. 23. (It’s also worth noting that Rogersville’s win over Ozark in the Pink & White looks a heck of a lot better now after Ozark’s upset of C5 No. 8 Kickapoo). Bolivar on the road this week will be a good C4 test.
This week: 1/30 Bolivar (C4, 10-8)
9. Carl Junction (10-2, C4, LW: 9)
It’s hard to judge out-of-state opponents, so Carl Junction’s 47-44 loss to Oklahoma’s East Central Tulsa (15-3) in the Pittsburg Tournament semifinals is going to be ignored in the rankings. East Central is a Top 2 team in Oklahoma’s Class 5A, so it’s no surprise they were able to figure out CJ’s defense to an extent. (The 47 points allowed is the most CJ has given up all season). The fact that Carl Junction nearly pulled off the win says a lot. The Bulldogs responded with a 36-19 win over Pittsburg, Kan. (7-5) in the third-place game. Carl Junction heads east this week for the Lebanon Tournament.
This week: 1/26 Belton (C5, 4-7), 1/30 Webb City (C4, 9-6)
10. Wheatland (15-1, C1, LW: 10)
Two wins this week over Class 2 teams sitting on records of .500 or better. That looks good for Wheatland. The Mules won a tough game in Richland (8-8), 50-45, and beat Fair Play (8-7), 67-53. Wheatland also beat C1 Sheldon, 74-28. The Mules have now won seven straight since losing to C1 No. 1 Walnut Grove.
This week: 1/27 Dadeville (C1, 7-8), 1/31 Halfway (C1, 8-7)
11. Lebanon (11-4, C5, LW: 15)
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Lebanon lost two double-digit games to Kickapoo. Right now, those losses truly seem parsecs and parsecs away (if you’re going to read these power rankings, accept that I’m a NERD and will reference Star Wars sometimes), because Lebanon is one of the hottest teams in the state. The Yellowjackets proved last week that their win over C5 No. 1 Jefferson City (15-1) was no fluke, knocking off previously ranked C5 Waynesville (9-5), 73-30, at home. Lebanon kept the gas on against Aurora on Saturday, winning that one by 39. Brendan Kelley thinks this team isn’t even near its potential yet, which should be scary for a suddenly shaky and convoluted Class 5 field. They host the Lebanon Tournament this week.
This week: 1/26 Lee’s Summit West (C5, 7-5)
12. Norwood (16-1, C2, LW: 12)
Wins this week over C1 Dora (6-8), 42-30, and C3 Conway (4-11), 89-28, put Norwood’s win streak at four since falling by 15 to Gainesville. The Pirates have a sparkling record and are a couple weeks away from a shot at redemption against Gainesville. A win this week over Hartville would be big.
This week: 1/30 Hartville (C2, 14-7)
13. Pierce City (14-4, C2, LW: 13)
Pierce City fell in the Cherokee, Kan. Tournament semis to what appears to be a pretty good Baxter Springs, Kan. team (7-3), 51-49. The Eagles won two this week following that loss, beating Columbus, Kan. (9-3), 56-41, and C3 Diamond (2-12), 61-28.
This week: 1/31 Greenfield (C1, 3-10)
14. West Plains (11-7, C4, LW: 14)
West Plains wasn’t the only team to lose to East Central Tulsa, Okla. (15-3) this week, with C4 Carl Junction falling to the Braves by three. The Zizzers actually played East Central closer, losing 48-47 in the Pittsburg, Kan. Tournament finals. (For more on East Central, head to the Carl Junction section above). The Zizzers got to the finals with a 55-19 win over C5 Winnetonka (6-8) and a 39-35 win over host Pittsburg (7-5).
This week: 1/28 Nixa (C5, 7-9), 1/30 Glendale (C5, 4-13)
15. Branson (15-3, C5, LW: NR)
Three losses this year to three state-ranked teams in C5 No. 4 Rock Bridge, C2 No. 2 Skyline and C4 No. 4 Carl Junction. The loss to Skyline was by 10 and the loss to CJ by two. A big question mark with Branson this year has been strength of schedule, but with Kickapoo dropping a game to Ozark this week, there are suddenly question marks in District 11 (R.I.P. Rue). Despite Ozark putting up that win, Branson’s body of work looks slightly stronger right now. Branson spent this past week winning the Bolivar Tournament. That included a 50-39 semifinal win over C4 Bolivar (10-8) and a quality win in the championship over C5 Republic (11-7), 57-52. Branson also beat Bolivar earlier this season and has a quality win over C4 West Plains, 59-41. Branson had a third win this week, beating C5 Parkview (3-11), 64-48.
This week: 1/30 Nixa (C5, 7-9)
Keep an Eye On: Ozark (C5, 10-6), Clever (C3, 13-5), Spokane (C2, 16-3), Hartville (C2, 14-7), Newburg (C2, 13-4), Neosho (C5, 14-4), Sarcoxie (C2, 14-1), Couch (C1, 15-3), Licking (C3, 13-5), Salem (C4, 10-4)
The original version of these power rankings had East Central Tulsa as Central Tulsa. That has been edited in the Carl Junction and West Plains sections.
