By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Blue and Gold, as well as the Pink and White, typically get all of the love around this time of the year, but they aren’t the only tournaments in action. Walnut Grove, Cabool, Rolla and Mountain Grove are just a few of the locations that’ll host some of the top teams and players in the Ozarks. Here are a few burning questions that will be answered by holiday tournaments occurring outside the Queen City.
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- Just how dominant can Thayer be?
Thayer is off to an undefeated start and really they’ve been trading punches with those out of their weight class. This will be the first extended look of Thayer against like-sized competition, but even more so it’ll be Thayer playing four games in five days with an immense amount of pressure. They are clearly the class of the Cabool Holiday Tournament, which is the biggest basketball event on Highway 60. The expectation is that Thayer wins and handily. We’ve seen Greenwood, Hartville and Skyline all make power moves in the early portion of the season. All three of them are in the Blue and Gold, looking at elite competition. Purely for the psyche, the Bobcats need to continue to prove that can put people away. They’ve won every game by 10+ so far, that trend should continue. And, this is the demon that needs to be exorcised. Thayer is a combined 15-5 in its last five Cabool Tournament trips with three title game losses and two semifinal losses.
- Who is the better scorer…Licking’s Wilson Murray or Norwood’s Garrett Davault?
Murray has had two of the wildest stat lines of the season, going for 51 against Houston and adding a 38-point, 20-rebound performance against Steelville. He’s an absolute scoring machine and Licking is really good around him as well with senior Bryce Coley being productive as well. The Tigers are 7-1 and winners of six straight. The Cabool Tournament is a chance for them to take the next step, with a potential opportunity to see the aforementioned Thayer… Norwood is very much built the same way with elite scorer in junior Garrett Davault. He put 40 on Mansfield and 38 on Sparta already this season. Keep in mind he entered the year with 1,000 points through two seasons. He’s an effortless scorer. Norwood is off to a 6-2 start with those two losses to Willow Springs and Ava by a combined 11 points. Keep in mind, Norwood is only Class 2. Davault is a big-time scorer, but it’s not a one-man band. Potentially seeing Gainesville, Thayer and either Alton or Licking will make this tournament well worth it.
- Where did Hollister come from?
The Tigers are off to a 9-1 start with the one loss coming on a neutral floor to Strafford by eight. Wins include Ava and Spokane. They earned the No. 1 seed in the Walnut Grove Tournament and opened with a 57-13 win against Walnut Grove. Junior Josh Barlow has been scoring at a high level, putting up 23 in that game but he also has a 34-point explosion to his resume this year against Spokane. Sophomore Garrett Snyder is a long, lean 6-foot-2 wing that is also averaging double figures. This in addition to veteran senior guard Cole Jones, who is again scoring as well being the engine to the group. Pete Leonard was a player back in his day at Ava, this group has some of his competitive DNA as well. Keep in mind this is a program that won just 12 games last year – a number they could surpass by New Year’s Day – and hasn’t been over .500 since 2014. The culture is changing at Hollister and the next elevation will be winning championships… tournament, conference and district. Getting to the Forsyth Tournament title game and seeing Strafford was a great start. Winning the Walnut Grove Tournament is a chance for this group to understand what it takes to win titles, which could be trouble for everyone else.
- More likely to make a Final Four run… Golden City or Lakeland?
Golden City is coming off a Final Four run and 27-3 season. Gone is Arlo Stump, the program’s all-time leading scorer, but Golden City hasn’t seen any decline due to the improvement of so many young faces from last year, as well as the addition of sophomore Josh Reeves. This is one of the most complete rosters in the Ozarks. Senior all-stater Lane Dunlap is the horse, averaging 21.5 points and 8.4 rebounds. Classmate Chain Parrill and Reeves are the snipers, putting 13 and 16 respectively. Senior Seth Miller is the ultimate paint presence, with the 6-foot-5 big averaging 12.3 rebounds and four blocks. Golden City is also battle tested and off to a 6-2 start with the two losses coming to Willard and Lockwood by a combined 11 points. They’re on a collision course to see Lockwood for the Class 1 – District 6 championship, but first they’ll be in the Doug Loehr Holiday Classic where playing a really good Lakeland team could provide some early season fireworks… Lakeland is on a crazy run right now, going 83-12 over the last four years and counting with a pair of district titles. The issue is there have been zero Final Four runs despite all the success. In 2018, it was a quarterfinal loss to Walnut Grove. In 2019 it was a quarterfinal loss to St. Elizabeth. In 2020, their first in Class 2, it was a district title loss to Skyline. Now, stuck in Class 2 again but with all the powers like Greenwood, Hartville and Skyline moving on, the path for Lakeland to make a run is wide open. Their seven games this year have been exactly what you’d expect with the Vikings sprinting out to a 7-0 start and lighting up scoreboards. Senior Rafe Kalberloh is averaging 23.3 points and 5.4 rebounds and rapidly approaching the 2K mark. However, Lakeland has a junior trio that also scores it well in Blake Munsterman (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists), Corbin Meeker (12 points, 3.7 rebounds) and Garrett Strange (11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds). They’re going to be one of the top offenses in Class 2 yet again with few having the pure firepower to play with them.
But, for both teams, this is a Final Four or bust year. We are obviously months away from getting that resolution. Whoever is able to navigate the Doug Loehr Holiday Classic field, which also includes Weaubleau, El Dorado Springs and Dadeville – all of whom can be dangerous – will set themselves up to walk into 2021 with some quality wins and a ton of momentum.
- How good are Max Templeman and Justin Ray?
Carthage has a backcourt in young guards Max Templeman and Justin Ray that are the future of the COC, but that future might not be so distant. The Tigers are off to a 3-3 start despite losing a loaded senior class and Templeman has been a stud. The 5-foot-9 sophomore is averaging 15.3 points, 4.3 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He’s also shooting an efficient 48-44-87 split. Ray, a 6-foot freshman is averaging 9.2 points and has knocked down 15 triples in just six games at a 42 percent clip; he has an absolute burner. Their games also complement each other very well. Carthage is at the Rolla Tournament and will get three quality games. With how young this team is, they’re going to rapidly improve. They may not be ready to win a district title now, but their time is coming.
- Is there a better Final Four than the Walnut Grove Tournament (Girls)?
The short answer is no. At least in terms of where teams are at now. Walnut Grove is the defending Class 1 state champ, undefeated Hollister, a team with Final Four aspirations in Miller and one of the area’s top players at Ash Grove… Walnut Grove is sitting at 4-1 and the lone loss came to undefeated Class 5 Willard. Since then it’s been turbo clocks against like-sized opponents. They should legitimately refund Lady Tiger’s fans’ admission at some of these games (31-56-42-37 scoring margins). At this point, you know everything. Rory Henry is a Hall of Famer and this program is as good as any in terms of being in sync with the program’s expectations and system. WG has the senior three-headed monster of SBU signee Faith Gilkey and long, athletic wings Makayla McVay and Lauren Johnson. Three D2-type talents on a Class 1 team isn’t fair, which is why they’re 85-15 in their varsity career at Walnut Grove. Winning this tournament will be a challenge but if I were giving odds on Walnut Grove’s chances of repeating as state champ, it would be 1-3. Sure money… Awaiting Walnut Grove in the semifinals is a HUGE Ash Grove team that lost to Walnut Grove by seven last February and they have one of the area’s top players in junior Khloe Moad. She scored 21 in Ash Grove’s upset of previously undefeated Sparta. The 6-foot-2 junior Missouri State commit is a double-double machine. So is 5-foot-10 senior teammate Emma Eagleburger and classmate Briley Bagley continues to evolve her game. The Lady Pirates are huge and can really squeeze the floor defensively and challenge you on the glass. They’re a unique challenge for almost any program in the Ozarks, regardless of class, due to their size and length… Hollister is a feel good story right now on the boys side, but the girls are just living up to the expectations that come with winning 17 games last year and returning one of the area’s top players in Bug Bailey. The Harding signee is going to get hers and that’s just inevitable. She’s averaging 26 and that’s light work. But, it’s the development of Gabby Franciscovch, Jackie Pyatt and Nesa Clarida that has made all the difference; they are making opponents pay for helping too much. As long as that continues, especially with Bailey being a willing passes, they’re going to give defenses fits. Also, these are the “Cardiac Cats” and they haven’t folded yet… 60-58 at Ozark, 59-58 at Fair Grove and 49-45 on a neutral court with Crane… It’s safe to say that I’m driving the Miller bandwagon and I’m cool with it. The Lady Cardinals are as gritty as it gets and the reason they’ve played a schedule to this point that has included Class 6 Kickapoo, Class 5 Webb City (twice) and Class 4 Lamar. I’ve talked at length about the trio of Claudia Hadlock, Payten Richardson and Kaylee Helton. Championships come in phase and last year Miller lost in the championship of the Walnut Grove and Stockton tournaments, by four total points. Getting over the hump this week will be pivotal come March.
- Will Crane sophomore Zoe Reel crack 2K?
This isn’t really a question that’ll be answered soon, but every game helps and a win over Conway would get Crane an additional game. Through 31 career games Reel has scored 624 points. She’s dropping 23 a game as a sophomore and she’s not only more efficient in her shooting from the field, but she’s getting to the line like she’s James Harden. Ten of those 31 games have seen Reel score at least 25, including a career-high 41 earlier this season. She’s a bucket and Crane (6-2) has been impressive through the early part of the season with wins over Ash Grove and Cassville. Their two losses have come to undefeated Class 4 Hollister. The Lady Pirates top five scorers are three juniors, a sophomore and a freshman. They have some really good basketball in their future.
- Licking set for gauntlet of Class 6 programs
Steven Rissler hasn’t shied away from challenges, which is why Licking has been increasingly more present in the Ozarks over the last several years since he took over the program, including regular matchups with Strafford. But the next week will be a different kind of beast with Class 6s Rock Bridge, Truman and Battle on three consecutive days. With that being said, Licking is still colder than the other side of the pillow (R.I.P. Stuart Scott). They’re off to a 5-3 start and led by one of the top backcourts in junior Kylie Taylor and sophomore Anna Sullins. Keep in mind, this is a team that only plays two seniors. It might be a taxing week, but they’ll be better for it in March. This is still a Final Four caliber team.
- Could Salem’s Ashton Bowers might be the second coming of Payton Curley?
I remember seeing Curley play and telling friends in D2 that she was a D2 player. She scored more than 1,700 career points and led Salem to 40 total wins in her final two seasons, a number that hasn’t been seen since 2008. She’s had a standout career at Culver-Stockton. Salem is on pace for its best season since Curley left with Bowers leading the way. The 5-foot-5 sophomore has guided the Tigers to a 5-3 start averaging 19.1 points and 2.4 steals. She’s a different type of player than Curley, but has found a way to make an early impact. Along with classmate Savannah Matheny, Salem has a 1-2 punch that has played a large role in why they received the No. 1 seed at the Mountain Grove Tournament. On paper, they have everything in place to win. Navigating a path that could send them Dora, Willow Springs and Eminence/Hartville will be an interesting test.
- Can someone put some respect on Willow Springs’ name?
I’m not talking about the job Mike Wilson has done, although the Bears are as tough as they come right now too. But the Lady Bears have to feel like Rodney Dangerfield right now. Willow Springs is 6-1 with their lone loss coming to undefeated West Plains by 14, one of the Zizzers’ toughest games to date. Willow followed that up by beating everyone they’ve seen since that season-opener, including neutral-court victories over Salem and Hartville… who just so happen to be the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds respectively at the Mountain Grove Tournament. Judy Tilley has a gritty group, headlined by a healthy Alyssa Von Allman – the lone senior of the group – and glass cleaner Keena Lowe. Even though they were just 20 students away from being in Class 3, Willow will be a headache to everyone in Class 4.
