By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Below are the first regular season CoxHealth basketball power rankings for the area.
NOTE: THESE ARE BASED ON DOMINANCE BY CLASS, NOT HEAD-TO-HEAD. THIS IS A POUND-FOR-POUND RANKING.
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1. Mountain Grove (C3: 5-0)
The Panthers have the best resume in the Ozarks and it’s not even close, boasting wins over Catholic, Hartville, Dora and Strafford. The “worst” team Mountain Grove has seen is a really solid Conway squad. This group continues to score at a high level and get stops when needed. You can make a case that they deserved a top seed at the Blue and Gold. Hosting Gainesville and visiting Fair Grove on Thursday will provide the opportunity for two more quality wins.
2. Ozark (C5: 6-1)
Ozark has been the most consistent big school in the Ozarks through the first month of the season. The Tigers’ lone loss came to one of the best teams in the Midwest, Blue Valley Northwest (Kan.), and even that was a one possession game late in the third quarter. Wins over local royalty Kickapoo and Rogersville just reinforce the fact that right now Class 5 goes through Christian County.
Hats off to Kickapoo for playing one heck of a game. #GOzark pic.twitter.com/0YFwJLSFi2
— Ozark Tigers Bball (@OzarkTigerHoops) December 16, 2017
3. Walnut Grove (C1: 3-5)
Don’t be fooled by the Tigers record, this is still the best Class 1 team in Missouri. Playing without Hunter Gilkey has reinforced the idea that he’s the most important player in the Ozarks. But it’s also given juniors Ryan Keith and Dawson Meinders a chance to play different roles, which will benefit this team come March.
4. Thayer (C2: 8-0)
The Bobcats have put the clamps on everyone they’ve seen so far, holding seven of their eight opponents to 40 points or less. They’ve beaten Doniphan and Dora already, which helped earn Thayer the No. 1 seed in the Cabool Tournament. As of now, they’re the best Class 2 team in the Ozarks, quite possibly the entire state. Junior Ayden Stone is averaging a double-double for the Bobcats.
5. Springfield Catholic (C3: 4-2)
Catholic is another small school with a stellar resume. A 3-point loss to Mountain Grove and a loss to state-ranked, Class 4 Confluence Prep are about as quality as a loss can get. The Irish have beaten Aurora, Mount Vernon, Hartville and Mansfield – all four teams played for district titles a year ago. This might be the most complete team in the area in terms of guard play, posts, depth and balance.
6. Nixa (C5: 4-2)
The Eagles are in the midst of a reload, so growing pains were to be expected. The out of area losses to St. Joseph Lafayette and Confluence Prep aren’t bad at all, and the wins over Fayetteville (Ark.) and Glendale are great. Nixa will be in the thick of the COC and Class 5 race.
7. Nevada (C4: 8-1)
Nevada has made a really strong case for being the best Class 4 team in the area. The loss to Joplin came in a game where the Eagles hit 13 triples. Abilene Christian signee Clay Gayman is the most dominant post presence in the area and the Tigers fill roles perfectly around him. Seven of Nevada’s eight wins have come by double digits.
It took overtime for Nevada to knock off Webb City, but 24 points from @clay_gayman gave the Tigers a big 61-53 win. pic.twitter.com/FdNMnZ1XF7
— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKSNF) December 17, 2017
8. Hartville (C2: 6-2)
Brett Reed has yet another state championship-caliber team in Hartville despite what was expected to be a slight rebuild. The Eagles own wins over Fair Grove, Walnut Grove, Aurora and MV-BT/Liberty. The two losses came to Mountain Grove and Catholic. Grove and Nixa are the only teams to win in Hartville since 2012.
9. Mansfield (C2: 5-1)
So far, a really good Springfield Catholic team has been the only group capable of stopping the Lions defensively. Mansfield is averaging 71.4 points in its other five games. Junior center Dylan Caruso has again become a defensive anchor, which earned Terry Writer and company a 5-seed in the Blue and Gold Tournament.
10. Glendale (C5: 4-2)
Right now this is one of the hardest teams to rank. It’s hard to penalize them too much for losing to Rock Bridge or Nixa. This is still one of the most talented teams in the area, but their resume needs some work. Winning the HB Stewart Classic helps, especially considering the Falcons average margin of victory was 30.
11. Joplin (C5: 7-0)
Jeff Hafer has completed the resurgence of Joplin Basketball. The Eagles are the area’s only undefeated team in a large class, with a resume that includes wins over Webb City and Nevada. Joplin opened Ozark Conference play with a home win against Lebanon. Also, the Eagles play 13 of their final 20 games at home, which could help them make a play for a conference title.
.@jhs_eaglehoops are 7-0 on the year now, and tonight it was dunk contest in their 78-61 win over Lebanon.. @Zxch32 @HigdonAustin and @Ev_Guillory all with throwdowns in the Eagles Ozark Conference opening win pic.twitter.com/x1xm8TW9Ng
— George Balekji (@GeorgeBalekji) December 16, 2017
12. Eminence (C1: 4-1)
The Redwings continue to be exactly who we thought they were early. Since the season-opening loss to Class 1 runner-up Advance, Eminence has won four straight, including double-digit wins over Clever and Blue Eye. They’ve been extremely balanced, but Coach McBride is receiving 25 points and 15 rebounds from son Trent and 17 points and four assists from senior point guard Ethan Drake.
13. Dora (C1: 5-2)
Any questions about how long it would take the freshmen to adjust to varsity basketball were put to bed over the first month of the season. Those two blemishes on Dora’s record came against Mountain Grove and Thayer, who very well could make Final Four runs again. They’ll likely see Thayer and Eminence in the Cabool Tournament.
14. Pierce City (C2: 6-1)
The loss to Verona in the semifinals of their own tournament shocked many, but the Eagles have handled their business since then with four straight wins. As the No. 2 seed in a Walnut Grove Tournament that has a deep field, we’ll have a much better idea for just how good Pierce City is after Christmas.
15. Rolla (C4: 5-1)
The Bulldogs continue to prove that they’re a legitimate threat in the Ozark Conference and the Class 4 picture. Their lone loss came to Ozark in the semifinals of the Republic Tournament. Still, Rolla has wins over Rogersville and Republic. They host their own holiday tournament, which could see them lock up Hogan Prep or Pacific.
Knockin’ on the Door: Republic (C5: 4-2), Strafford (C3: 6-2), Mount Vernon (C3: 7-3), Parkview (C5: 5-3), Lamar (C3: 4-2), Purdy (C2: 6-2), Thomas Jefferson (C2: 8-0), Seneca (C3: 6-1), Billings (C2: 6-1), Gainesville (C2: 6-2)
