By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
This week’s Boys Basketball Power Rankings are here. See the Top 15 below.
NOTE: THESE RANKINGS ARE BASED OFF OF DOMINANCE WITHIN EACH TEAM’S CLASS, NOT STRICTLY HEAD-TO-HEAD.
1. (1) Eminence (C1: 20-1)
New week, same No. 1 and it seems like they aren’t going anywhere. The Redwings extended their winning streak to 20 games following wins over Winona, Dora and Couch. Senior guard Ethan Drake averaged 19.7 PPG over that stretch and junior Class 1 POY candidate Trent McBride added 19.3 PPG. Eminence has another showdown looming with (17-4) South Iron. The winner will be the top seed in Class 1 – District 3.
2. (2) Mountain Grove (C3: 20-1)
To me, this is still the No. 1 Class 3 team in Missouri. The Panthers have bounced back from that lone loss to Licking with six straight wins, including a barn burner with Hartville in the championship of the Mountain Grove Tournament. But, they’re walking into a buzzsaw of a week, starting with road trips to SCA rivals MV-BT/Liberty and Thayer – which will decide the SCA championship – before hosting Class 2 Mansfield.
3. (3) Ozark (C5: 15-5)
Mark Schweitzer should go to Downstream Casino, throw a stack on red and let it ride because he’s been on a roll lately. His Tigers have won five straight, blasting prominent Missouri programs like Parkview, SLUH, Webb City and Nixa. He even beat Glendale at home, a win that should give Ozark dibs on the district’s top seed. Willard, Carl Junction and Branson are up next for Ozark, who has the inside track on a COC title.
Ozark vs Nixa Highlights! pic.twitter.com/Qc1uniVf0e
— Ozark Tigers Bball (@OzarkTigerHoops) February 3, 2018
4. (4) Rolla (C4: 18-1)
It’s been more than two calendar months since Rolla’s lone loss to Ozark at the Republic Tournament. Since then, the Bulldogs have been all business, beating Jefferson City, Joplin, Lebanon and West Plains since our last rankings. The upcoming schedule is Springfield heavy, with Parkview, Kickapoo and Glendale within Rolla’s next four games.
5. (5) Walnut Grove (C1: 13-9)
The fact that they went to the Nixa Invitational Tournament and beat Harrisonville before losing to Nixa and Helias Catholic lets you know just how good this Class 1 team is. Walnut Grove has won its last seven games aside from those two tests at the NIT. The schedule gets no easier with Dora, Hermitage, Hartville and Fair Play on the schedule to end the season. But, it’s seeming like Darin Meinders’ gamble to play the toughest schedule possible is paying off.
6. (6) Dora (C1: 16-5)
After losing in the semifinals of the Mountain Grove Tournament to Hartville, followed by a second loss this season to Eminence, it seemed like maybe Dora’s youth wasn’t ready to be elite yet. Wrong. The Falcons road win over Hartville – a rarity in Eagle Country – reinforced the idea that Dora is legit. They end the season with another showdown, this time a trip to Walnut Grove, before seeing Lutie and Bakersfield before district play begins.
For what it’s worth, the Walnut Grove-Dora game might be the single most entertaining high school game you’ll see. The over/under on points would be 160. Not to mention, Logan Thomazin will see the freshman version of himself in Dora standout Isaac Haney. Not to mention, the Luna triplets matching up with Hunter Gilkey, Dawson Meinders and Ryan Keith will be nothing but fireworks. Someone needs to livestream this thing.
7. (8) Thayer (C2: 19-3)
Well, the Bobcats are still a perfect 19-0 against everyone not in an Eminence uniform, which could spell trouble for Class 2. They beat North Tech, Ava and MV-BT/Liberty last week and will finish the season in SCA play, starting with Cabool and Mountain Grove. Junior Ayden Stone is also back on his grind, averaging 15.7 points and 13 rebounds over his last three games.
8. (10) Mansfield (C2: 15-4)
The Lions aren’t ranked in Class 2 – which doesn’t make much sense to me – but they’re still an elite Class 2 team. Mansfield has won seven straight games and still haven’t lost to a team in their class. The wins over Conway and Hartville have Mansfield in the driver seat for the Summit. They’re at home against Seymour and Gainesville, before hitting the road and locking up with Mountain Grove.
9. (11) Nevada (C4: 17-3)
They fell out of the state poll but could work their way back in after winning eight of their last nine games, with the lone loss being on a neutral floor. We’ll learn even more about the Tigers in the coming weeks with Warrensburg and KC Center both on the docket. If you get bored, check out some of Clay Gayman’s latest dunks on Twitter. Here’s just one.
@clay_gayman pic.twitter.com/OzgdiEXQyx
— Dennis Gayman (@DennisGayman1) February 3, 2018
10. (12) Hartville (C2: 17-6)
Five of Hartville’s six losses have either come against teams that are currently ranked or have been ranked at some point in the season. Five of the six have also come by eight points or fewer. Basically, what I’m trying to say is the Eagles are still really good. Brett Reed picked up his 200th win last month and his team is gearing up for another state title run, seeing Conway, Walnut Grove and Gainesville will only help his cause.
11. (13) Republic (C5: 16-4)
Republic is quietly snuck itself into the discussion as the best Class 5 team in the Ozarks. The Tigers have an impressive body of work, with eight straight wins. They’re still undefeated in COC Large play and we’re quickly learning that the combination of an elite coach, elite scorer and ridiculous defense is scary. Trips to Branson and Savannah are next, before a date at home with Nixa.
12. (9) Glendale (C5: 12-6)
Glendale is still one of the toughest teams to evaluate in the Ozarks. If you remove the Tournament of Champions losses, then the Falcons are sitting at 12-3. Furthermore, their lone local losses came against COC powers Nixa and Ozark by a combined eight points. They’re much better than their record indicates, but – unlike we all assumed early – they may not be better than the elite COC teams. And, their next five games are brutal with Kickapoo, Parkview, Joplin, Rolla and Hogan Prep in the next 11 days. But, Monty Johal did get some Courtside Films love.
NEW: Monty Johal Highlights @ The Bass Pro TofC | Senior Guard Averaged 27ppg! (VIDEO) https://t.co/XkdXT571pI pic.twitter.com/E9aMQXRbvH
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) January 24, 2018
13. (NR) Rogersville (C5: 15-5)
The Cats have won five straight, avenging a loss to COC Small rival Springfield Catholic in the process. The crazy part is how quality their losses are in state-ranked Rolla, Ozark, Springfield Catholic and Helias Catholic. They can wrap up at least a share of the conference crown, the last of its kind, with wins over Reeds Spring and Bolivar on the road.
14. (7) Springfield Catholic (C3: 15-8)
Yes, they’ve dropped four straight games, but all are quality losses. At Republic, at Rogersville and solid Class 3 programs Saxony Lutheran and Mount Vernon. The Irish will close the season with three straight home games, hosting Bolivar, Buffalo and Stockton to get back on track.
15. (14) Hurley (C1: 17-6)
School of the Ozarks ended Hurley’s 11-game winning streak, but it’s tough to beat a good team twice. They have bounced back with four straight wins and will close the season with Exeter, Everton and Greenwood. Senior guard Chase Simpson put together a pair of 30-point games since the S of O loss.
Knockin’ on the Door: Nixa (C5: 14-7), Strafford (C3: 16-6), Kickapoo (C5: 14-7), Blue Eye (C2: 15-4), Pierce City (C2: 16-6), Forsyth (C3: 16-6), Conway (C3: 14-5), Purdy (C2: 16-6), Mount Vernon (C3: 15-8), Parkview (C5: 11-8), Joplin (C5: 12-6)
