Feb. 15 Girls Basketball CoxHealth Power Rankings

By Matt Turer — mturer@ky3.com
@MattTurer

Each week, OzarksSportsZone.com will release our local girls basketball CoxHealth 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 Feb. 14.

Overall record, Class and last week’s ranking are listed in parenthesis.

FEB. 8 POWER RANKINGS
FEB. 1 POWER RANKINGS
JAN. 25 POWER RANKINGS
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

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1. Strafford (25-0, C3, LW: 1)

No surprises last week for Strafford. The Indians won their 41st in a row by beating two-win Pleasant Hope by 53 points. Hayley Frank had another triple-double in that win, going for 29 points, 12 boards and 10 assists. Strafford closes its regular season against Mid-Lakes rival Fair Grove (18-7). Fair Grove is going to give Strafford more of a challenge than any team its faced since Rogersville back on Jan. 20 (a 58-40 Strafford win). The Lady Eagles have five combined losses to Skyline, Willard and Rogersville, all teams Strafford has handled with relative ease. Strafford opens the C3D11 tournament against Hollister (7-15).

This week: 2/16 Fair Grove (C3, 18-7), 2/20 C3D11 quarterfinals—Hollister (7-15)

2. Skyline (23-2, C2, LW: 2)

Two good upper-Class wins for Skyline last week. The Lady Tigers took out MBCA C4 No. 7 Osage (19-5), 50-34, and C3 Ash Grove (11-14), 44-34. Skyline forced 11 turnovers in the first quarter alone against Osage and outscored the Lady Indians 33-17 in the second half. Skyline now has nine wins against Class 3 and 4 teams in its 12-game win streak.

This week: 2/16 Pleasant Hope (C2, 2-17)

3. Walnut Grove (21-4, C1, LW: 3)

Walnut Grove dropped its fourth game of the season last week. This one came in a 45-35 loss to C2 Gainesville (23-1) in the Seymour Tournament championship. That game means a lot more for Gainesville in these rankings (more on that when we get to Gainesville) than it does for Walnut Grove since I’m not too concerned about Grove falling to a Top 3 C2 team. Outside of that loss WG posted wins over C3 Reeds Spring (10-12), 59-30, and C2 Fair Play (9-8), 62-36. That Fair Play win secured the SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE Polk County League title for WG.

This week: 2/16 Fordland (C2, 13-12), 2/18 C1D5 quarterfinals—Everton (0-18)

4. Thayer (23-1, C2, LW: 4)

Thayer cruised to its 11th straight win with a 58-38 win over C3 Willow Springs (13-10). Nice win for Thayer but not a surprising one. Thayer closes its regular season against C3 Houston (12-13), a team it beat 63-47 in the Thayer Tournament championship. Thayer will most likely get Van Buren (20-5) in Tuesday’s district semifinals. That game won’t be easy. Van Buren opened the season in the MBCA C2 Top 10. The Lady Dawgs fell to Thayer, 53-44, in the Van Buren Tournament championship back on Dec. 3. There’s going to be payback on Van Buren’s minds, meaning Thayer needs to ready to play.

This week: 2/16 Houston (C3, 12-13), 2/21 C2D3 semifinals—Van Buren (20-5)/Greenville (6-16)

5. Gainesville (23-1, C2, LW: 5)

Two great wins for Gainesville last week over MBCA C1 No. 2 Walnut Grove (21-4) in the Seymour Tournament finals and MBCA C2 No. 5 Norwood (21-3). It’s hard to say which win was better. Walnut Grove is likely the best C1 team in the state (despite what the coaches poll claims). The only other three losses for Grove came by five to C2 Pierce City (20-4), 16 to C3 Springfield Catholic (15-10) and 40 to C3 Strafford (25-0). Gainesville beat Norwood earlier this season by 16, so going into Norwood and beating the Pirates a second time is a big in-Class statement. Good stuff all around, Gainesville. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed in the C2D4 tournament.

This week: 2/16 Conway (C3, 5-15), 2/18 C2D4 quarterfinals—Sparta (7-16)

6. Carl Junction (19-2, C4, LW: 7)

Carl Junction’s dominant wins over C5 Carthage (9-11) and C5 Ozark (14-8) coupled with Gainesville’s 10-point win over Walnut Grove (more on why probably that matters when we discuss Purdy) all add up to a mini rankings jump this week. CJ’s 51-6 win over Carthage isn’t a typo, by the way. (Trust me, I already checked). Carthage isn’t even too bad! They have nine wins and had only been held under 30 points one other time. It’s just that CJ’s defense is that good. We saw that again in a HUGE COC-Large win over Ozark, 63-45. That win kept the Lady Bulldogs very much alive for a COC-Large outright championship in their first season in the conference, something that would come with a win this week over Neosho and a Republic loss to either Ozark or Willard. That’s ridiculously impressive, especially considering the COC-Large is mostly made up of C5 schools. Now, I had a reader email me this week regarding CJ’s position in these rankings. One thing I’ve enjoyed since starting at the O-Zone this summer is coming into things with a fresh perspective. I don’t lean too hard on what people think they know about a program due to how they’ve performed in the past. The main question I was asked is why is CJ behind four C2 teams (now three). The reason, at its crux, goes back to our Dominance-By-Class system. This isn’t to say CJ hasn’t been dominant within its Class, but the three C2 teams ahead of CJ on this list (and throw Purdy in there as well) are likely the best three/four C2 teams in all of Missouri. One will be state champion. It’s probably one of our easiest guarantees. On the flip side, C4 competition outside of our coverage area has a lot more depth this season than it does inside the coverage area. While I don’t love the MBCA rankings, CJ is the only area team in the C4 Top 10 (ranked No. 4 last week). Their path is tougher, and that’s the only reason why I have three C2 teams ahead of them.

This week: 2/20 Neosho (C5, 17-7), 2/23 McDonald County (C4, 6-15)

7. Purdy (22-1, C2, LW: 6)

Don’t worry, the Lady Eagles didn’t drop because of anything they did or didn’t do. As I’ve sort of mentioned before, the difference between the teams ranked 4-8 on this list as far as Dominance-By-Class is basically non-existent. Ignore the number, if you can. Purdy’s win streak is now at 18 after wins last week over C2 McAuley Catholic (12-10), 58-40, and C1 Wheaton (8-11), 67-38. Good wins, but back to why Purdy swapped with CJ. For the CJ argument, simply read above. For the Purdy argument, look to Gainesville’s 45-35 win last week over MBCA C1 No. 2 Walnut Grove. I generally try not to put too much into one game, especially a close game, but that 10-point neutral-court differential against Grove for Gainesville puts some separation on paper from Purdy’s three-point home win over Grove back on Dec. 8. Again, it’s one game. Don’t read into it, and don’t read into swapping CJ and Purdy this week. After all, the Lady Eagles are the second-hottest team in the state right now after the eternal fire that is Strafford.

This week: 2/16 Exeter (C1, 8-13), 2/20 C2D12 quarterfinals—Thomas Jefferson (2-18)

8. Kickapoo (21-4, C5, LW: 8)

With last week’s wins over Rolla and Joplin, Kickapoo has now played four consecutive games against opponents with six or fewer wins. That low-end competition has showed up in the final scores, and that’s a good thing. Kickapoo not laying down against easier competition means this team recognizes the importance of continuing to play at a high level with districts approaching. The Chiefs rolled over Rolla (5-15), 97-30, and Joplin (5-16), 96-32. Kickapoo is a perfect 8-0 in OC play with a matchup in Waynesville remaining on Feb. 23.

This week: N/A

9. Rogersville (18-6, C4, LW: 9)

A season-high six-game win streak now for Rogersville thanks to a 51-35 win over C3 Marshfield (7-16) and a 75-10 win over C3 Hollister (7-15) last week. That 65-point win over Hollister clinched at least a share of the COC-Small championship for Rogersville. I still stick by what I’ve thought all season about this team: they can beat anyone in Class 4 on any given day. The Wildcats close their regular season in Republic, which will be a good test heading into district play.

This week: 2/16 Reeds Spring (C3, 10-12), 2/22 Republic (C5, 14-9)

10. Wheatland (22-1, C1, LW: 10)

Wheatland tied its single-season wins record with a 59-28 win last week over C1 Humansville (7-13). The school of approximately 130 students is in the midst of a pretty special stretch after having set that win record just last season (22-7). That 22-7 record in 2016 was also Wheatland’s highest single-season win percentage in school history, another mark this year’s team is set to shatter. Wheatland spent the early parts of this decade winning somewhere from 3-6 games per season, so what the Mules are doing right now is truly awesome and isn’t about to end anytime soon thanks to a still-young roster. Tough C1 matchup this week against Hermitage. Wheatland beat Hermitage 65-59 back on Dec. 10 in the Hermitage Tournament championship.

This week: 2/17 Hermitage (C1, 17-6)

11. Lebanon (18-5, C5, LW: 11)

Five wins in a row for now for Lebanon since falling at home by nine to Carl Junction on Jan. 28. The Lady Yellowjackets have now won 11 of 12 overall and should continue that success over their final three regular season games, which come against opponents with 10 combined wins. Last week, Lebanon took care of C4 Hillcrest (1-20), 65-31, and C5 Camdenton (11-10), 75-58.

This week: 2/16 Parkview (C5, 4-15), 2/20 Rolla (C5, 5-15)

12. Pierce City (20-4, C2, LW: 13)

Pierce City gets a little bump this week thanks to its second eight-game win streak of the season and Norwood’s second loss of the season to Gainesville. (Norwood has to face Gainesville in its district tournament). PC’s latest wins came over C2 Jasper (2-16), 62-30, and C1 Golden City (3-14), 55-19. Pierce City closes out conference play this week against a sneaky-good Miller team in a big, late conference matchup. PC was given the No. 2 seed in the C2D12 tournament. Purdy, which beat PC 54-49 this season, is the No. 1 seed.

This week: 2/16 Miller (C2, 15-6), 2/10 C2D12 quarterfinals—Southwest (5-17)

13. West Plains (15-9, C4, LW: 14)

West Plains dropped a tough one this week to a good C5 opponent in Waynesville (16-5), 52-49. Outside of that, the Zizzers easily handled C4 Hillcrest (1-20), 71-24. The winner of C4D9 is going to be Rogersville or West Plains. The Zizzers are battle-tested and primed to be a tough out come tournament time.

This week: 2/16 Joplin (C5, 5-16), 2/21 Parkview (C5, 4-15)

14. Branson (20-4, C5, LW: NR)

Four consecutive wins now for Branson after that odd loss to Nixa have made that odd loss to Nixa relatively irrelevant. Branson had a huge win last week in Ozark, coming out of that with a 44-41 final, and also topped a pretty good Webb City (11-9) team, 56-40. It’s been tough to properly gauge Branson, but the Lady Pirates have beaten pretty much everyone you’d want to see them beat, save for Nixa. Set for probably a No. 2 seed in its district with Kickapoo, we’ll see if Branson can challenge the Chiefs.

This week: 2/17 Carthage (C5, 9-12), 2/20 Willard (C5, 11-11)

15. Norwood (21-3, C2, LW: 12)

Norwood fell to Gainesville last week for the second time this season. This final was much closer than the first time around with the Lady Pirates falling 41-35 at home. Norwood is going to have to figure out a way to go through Gainesville if it wants to get out of district play. Before that loss, Norwood topped C3 Houston (12-13), 63-43.

This week: 2/16 Lutie (0-17), 2/18 C2D4 quarterfinals—Seymour (4-14)

Keep An Eye On: Licking (C3, 19-5), Ozark (C5, 14-8), Clever (C3, 18-6), Mt. Vernon (C3, 20-6), Spokane (C2, 19-5), Hartville (C2, 17-9), Alton (C2, 15-10), Salem (C4, 16-6), Sarcoxie (C2, 21-2)