By Jordan Burton
District basketball kicked off with several quarterfinal games on Saturday. Here is what follow this week.
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1. The state champion resides in the Ozarks
Six of the state’s top 10 teams in Class 2 are from the Ozarks and honestly it could probably be an even larger number with teams like Spokane, Pierce City and Blue Eye all having deserving resumes. If we are being fair, the Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 state champion will likely come from the Springfield area and nowhere is that a more exact science than Class 2. Crane has won the last four state titles. Purdy won in 2011. Thayer was the runner-up in 2010. Sparta won in 2009. Hartville in 2007. Skyline in 2003-04. The proof is in the pudding, 9-for-14 isn’t too bad at all.
2. Is this Skyline’s year?
The good news around Hickory County is that the Crane dynasty is over. The bad news is that Skyline now goes through Springfield to get to Columbia, rather than heading north which was the case for the last several years. But, is it really that much of a problem? Skyline’s resume is a who’s who of Southwest Missouri basketball. The Lady Tigers own wins over Branson, Osage, California, Hermitage, Hartville and Adrian – all of which have been state-ranked this season. That doesn’t even count teams like Fair Grove and Webb City. Adrian has just one loss all year and is currently No. 9 in Class 2 and Skyline BEAT THEM BY 50 POINTS. This might be the best team Kevin Cheek has had in a while, which is crazy considering Skyline has been to four straight Final Fours. He has the perfect quarterback for his system in junior point guard Kaylee Damitz (13.8 PPG, 3.7 SPG). Damitz is the best on-ball defender in the Ozarks, but her offense has also caught up (49% FG, 41% from 3, 80% FT). Mckinsey Mountain is still doing Mckinsey Mountain things (11 PPG, 53% FG) as well. But, Cheek has a stable of players that may not be superstars, but are stars in their role, specifically when it comes to defensive intensity. The Lady Tigers allow just 33 PPG and hold opponents to 34.5 percent shooting from the field. In fact, opponents nearly have as many turnovers as points when playing Skyline. This team appears to be on a mission to bring another state championship to Urbana.
3. No Crane, no problem for Gainesville?
From 2014-16 Gainesville lost just five games and four of them came at the hands of Crane. Considering Gainesville beat Skyline last year during the regular season, you can make a case that the Lady Bulldogs were probably the best Class 2 team in Missouri not from Crane. Times have changed and although Madison Strong is gone, Gainesville just reloaded. The quality of the Lady Bulldogs’ wins in the first year of the Morris Jenkins era is scary. Walnut Grove, Spokane, Hartville, Norwood (2) and Salem are just some of the state-ranked teams Gainesville has beaten. The lone loss came on the road to Thayer by one. The Lady Bulldogs have held 11 opponents to 30 or fewer points. Senior Michia Jenkins (14.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 45 3s) is playing well for pops and 5-foot-11 junior post Annie Noah (17.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3 APG) is playing like a star. Gainesville is also getting great guard play from Destiny Scott and Aspyn Britt. Jenkins is no stranger to the Final Four and the first step to getting there is Gainesville winning its third consecutive district title. With the way the bracket breaks, Gainesville could meet Skyline in the Class 2 state title game.
4. Newburg flying under the radar
Newburg isn’t well known around the Springfield area, but the Lady Wolves might feel like the most disrespected team in Class 2. Yes, the No. 10 in Class 2 ranking isn’t bad, but Newburg is undefeated against Class 2 teams and its only losses came to Class 5 Lindbergh and Waynesville and Class 3 Licking (2). Defense may win championships but offense is more fun to watch and Newburg is really good at it with a four-headed monster. Senior point guard Riley Guffey (16.3 PPG, 5.6 APG) is the floor general of it all. Classmates McKayla Callahan (10.3 PPG, 6 SPG) and Audrey Suschanke (10.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG) add scoring and a defensive presence and 5-foot-11 junior Kylee Brookshire (16.1 PPG, 9 RPG) is the best big in the Frisco League. This is a group with a ton of experience and has battled adversity together. A deep playoff run would be the perfect way to end this era.
5. Hepler back in his groove at Spokane
The same guy that led Mount Vernon to state titles in 2010 and 2012 is in his second year at Spokane and his Lady Owls are pretty darn good. Sharing a district with Skyline isn’t the most fun thing ever, but Spokane does hold wins over Blue Eye (2), Clever and South Iron. The losses came to Strafford, Glendale, Bolivar, Purdy and Gainesville. Spokane is battled-tested and their zone can be difficult to game plan for and if you don’t shoot it well they can really give you problems. It’ll be interesting to see how teams respond to Hepler’s system now that his kids have had two years to run it.
6. Thayer a threat under Meyer
First, can we all agree that Thayer not getting the 1-seed in District 3 – despite being ranked No. 2 in Class 2 – is slightly moronic? I mean, how does a team whose lone loss came against an out-of-state opponent not get rewarded with the top seed? I understand Neelyville has won five straight district championships and is the reigning Class 2 runner-up, but still. To be fair, this district is loaded. The four semifinal teams all have at least 19 wins. All I know is that Thayer beat Hartville, Gainesville and a slew of Class 3 opponents. You can talk about strength of schedule all you want, but ultimately you have to beat whoever is on the floor with you and Thayer has done that. Cecil Meyer has also gotten the most out of sophomore guard Julie Stone. Her line is eerily similar to former Thayer great Jordan Alford (18.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 5.3 APG, 3.8 SPG). She’s good enough and has enough help for the Lady Bobcats to make a run. For what it’s worth, if Thayer was to make a Final Four run they wouldn’t see another Ozarks team until the state championship game.
7. Is Blue Eye for real?
The resume says yes. Wins over Verona, Fordland and Bradleyville are nice. A pair of losses to Spokane and Berryville (Ark.) came by one possession each. Clever, Spokane and Gainesville also got the best of the Lady Bulldogs. It’s important to remember that Ken Elfrink’s top five players are two juniors, two sophomores and a freshman. The lack of experience can lead to letdowns and no-shows at times. Although his roster is young, there’s some talent. Freshman guard Kohnnar Patton (18.7 PPG, 3.6 APG, 3.1 SPG) is one of the top 2020 players in the Ozarks. Blue Eye’s ability to make district title run will hinge on its ability to find some leadership. Blue Eye hasn’t won a district championship since 2006.
8. District 12 is the stacked
The top three seeds in this district have combined for seven losses all year. All three have won 20 games and all three have a legitimate shot of winning the district. Purdy might be the best Class 2 team in the Ozarks besides Skyline. The Lady Eagles lone loss came on Dec. 8 to Walnut Grove (61-58). All Purdy has done since then is reel off 22 straight wins. That includes wins over Spokane, Pierce City and Class 5 Joplin. This is Purdy’s third straight 20-win season under Eli Ernst. The team’s top seven players are juniors or seniors, led by 5-foot-11 standout Laynie Skiles who leads the team in points (18.2 PPG), rebounds (8.8 RPG), assists (4.1 APG), steals (3.3 SPG) and blocks (1.1 BPG). Skiles has 12 double-doubles and a triple-double to her credit already; Purdy is 23-2 in her career when she has a double-double. This team has dropped back-to-back district championship games by a combined seven points. To say they are hungry for that elusive district title would be putting it lightly… Pierce City is more than a deserving 2-seed. The Lady Eagles beat Walnut Grove, who handed Purdy its lone loss. But, a 55-49 loss to Purdy kept PC from the top seed. Pierce City also beat Sarcoxie (80-61) on its way to the SRVC title. The Lady Eagles enter district with a nine-game winning streak. Rob Guerin has a balanced attack with guards Ragan Blinzler (10.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 3.3 SPG) and Belle Golubski (14.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG) leading the way. Sophomore post Kendyl Hayward has continued the family legacy left by big sister, and former SRVC Player of the Year Bailee Hayward, nearly averaging a double-double (11.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG). PC has won district championships in three of the last four years… Sarcoxie has suffered first-round district losses in each of the last eight years and that streak should come to an end this year. The Lady Bears have dropped just two games all year, both coming to SRVC rivals (Pierce City and Lockwood). Sarcoxie also has wins over Miller and Class 4 Cassville. Coach April Ellis also has one of the most explosive scorers in the district in 5-foot-7 guard Carson Chandler. The senior is averaging 18.9 PPG and 3.6 APG on 55% shooting from the field; she’s had 11 20-point games. The fact that Sarcoxie is hosting the district, where they’ve won 15 straight games, could be a major factor.
9. Sleepers everywhere
Clearly we’re loaded in Class 2, but there is enough parity where you could see someone outside one of this year’s powers make a run.
• Plato
The Lady Eagles aren’t a team you really want to play this year. Seven of their 11 losses have come by eight points or less. Rich Mueller’s group is gritty and competitive, while also getting good guard play, which makes this dangerous in a tournament setting. Senior point guard Kendall Hall (17.4 PPG, 3.5 APG, 2.9 SPG) has been one of the Ozarks best over the last four years and her ability to score, facilitate and defend make her special. Backcourt mate Madi Mueller (10.3 PPG, 2.6 SPG) can also cause problems. This team took Norwood to overtime and gave Gainesville some problems in their first meeting. Hall, who enters Tuesday’s semifinal just nine points away from 1,000 for her career, is good enough to help will Plato to an upset.
• Hartville
Scan through Hartville’s nine losses and you’ll struggle to find one that can be considered a bad loss. The program is adjusting to a system change after losing Cecil Meyer to Thayer. That Thayer team beat Hartville by just six. The Lady Eagles gave Norwood two good games and hung with Gainesville and Fair Grove. The third time could be the charm in a matchup with conference rival Norwood.
• Richland
The win over Licking and hanging with state-ranked, Class 4 Osage is enough to make this team a little scary. But, Charley Parker might also have the best inside-out duo in the district with juniors Morgan Moss (17.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 54% FG) and Brittany Latham (14.5 PPG, 4 APG). The Lady Bears have won eight of their last 10 games and have already lost two games to Newburg this season. Again, it’s hard to beat a good team three times in one year.
• Miller
Hannah Wilkerson is the most decorated basketball player in Miller history, but the first-year coach is looking to add some more hardware in the form of a district championship. The Lady Cardinals have won 10 of their last 13 games entering district play. Wilkerson also has a studly backcourt in seniors Abby Gann (16.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG) and Dalyn Hadlock (7.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.8 APG), as well as juniors Shayne Mallory (12.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG) and Lynna Hadlock (6.9 PPG, 4.9 APG). Gann’s ability to score makes this team dangerous. When she goes for 15-plus, Miller is 12-1. Gann scoring allows everyone else to fulfill their role and surrounding 5-foot-8 sophomore Bethany Gulick (7.9 PPG, 7 RPG) with four guards makes Miller difficult to defend. Miller got hot and stole a district title last year, history has a way of repeating itself…
• Verona
The Lady Wildcats are the 4-seed in District 11, but gave top-seed Blue Eye a battle just six weeks ago. The Lady Bulldogs won that game, 50-45, but Verona has won eight of its last 10 games since then. Sophomore guard Twilah Carrasquillo is one of the best in the area. Her line is staggering (18.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 4.0 APG, 4.2 SPG) and the fact that she’ll be the best player on the court in every game gives Verona an advantage. Seniors Nicole Stephenson (14.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG) and Madison Shrim (11 PPG, 5.7 RPG) give this team enough balance to keep defenses honest.
• Lockwood
Lockwood is the only area team that goes north, which gives the Ozarks the possibility of having three Final Four teams in Class 2. It would be difficult, but it is possible for Lockwood to steal the district. Adrian is the 1-seed and its lone loss came to Skyline. The Lady Tigers have their work cut out for them, but junior duo Rylee Neill (16.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.7 APG) and Moriah Coose (11.7 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.8 BPG) make this one interesting. They’re good enough to keep Lockwood around and maybe steal a game late.
• Norwood
They’ve been state-ranked for much of the season and Shannon Crain’s group is set up perfectly to make a run. The Lady Pirates sit opposite of Gainesville, which won the two regular season meetings, but each game was more competitive. Gainesville beat Norwood three times last year. One of my favorite sayings is that it’s hard to beat a good team multiple times and Norwood is just that. Wins over Hartville, Fordland, Houston and Verona are impressive. The one scary thing is the fact they beat Hartville twice during the regular season and the two will meet for a third time in the district semifinals. Norwood’s balance will make them a tough out. Senior inside-out duo Jenna Ogletree (16.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 57% FG) and Emily Chadwell (11.4 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.4 APG, 70 3s) fill their roles perfectly. The development of Emma (12 PPG, 7.1 RPG) and Sara McIntosh (13.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG) has also been key. Norwood’s size allows them to grind out offense and destroy opponents on the glass. It’ll be interesting to see if this team can get over the hump in districts.
