It’s everybody’s favorite day of the week again! Keep in mind, the rankings are still based on DOMINANCE within class, as well as strength of schedule and hotness (what you’ve done recently). Unfortunately, the weather has taken some meaningful games off the schedule. With no further ado, here are the Jan. 20 power rankings.
(1) Crane (C2: 15-1) – Death, taxes and Crane being No. 1. The Lady Pirates have held down the top spot since the Feb. 19, 2015 rankings. Wins over Galena and Valley Springs (Ark.) make Crane 59-1 in games after Christmas break in the last four years. MaxPreps has them ranked No. 1 in Missouri and No. 60 nationally.
(2) Republic (C5: 14-1) – The streak is up to six after wins over Marshfield and Buffalo. Unfortunately, Mother Nature will likely wipe out some more marquee games for the Lady Tigers. If the Bolivar Tournament does resume, Republic will get Aurora and either Camdenton or Branson. If not RepMo, which is ranked No. 2 in Missouri and No. 84 nationally by MaxPreps, will have a decent break.
(3) Strafford (C3: 14-2) – Strafford put a hurtin’ on Class 5 Joplin in the quarterfinals of the Rogersville Tournament. The Lady Indians also moved to 3-0 in the Mid-Lakes with a win over Marionville last week. Marshfield and a game with Rogersville or rematch with Catholic will await Strafford, as well as a trip to Willow Springs.
(4) Gainesville (C2: 15-0) – 15 up and 15 down for Gainesville, which beat Thayer and Mountain Grove last week. The win over Thayer extended the Lady Bulldogs home streak to 12 games; they haven’t lost at home since February of 2014. Skyline on Saturday will be the ultimate measuring stick game and a potential Final Four preview.
(5) Carl Junction (C4: 11-1) – Carl Junction has now won five straight with wins over Seneca and Frontenac last week, also giving Brad Shorter the 300th win of his career. The Lady Bulldogs have been amongst the area’s best all season, the only thing keeping them from a higher ranking is a lack of quality wins, which could change in the Border Classic in Pittsburg, Kansas.
(6) Kickapoo (C5: 11-3) – Kickapoo has really put it together over the last three weeks. The Lady Chiefs have outscored opponents 228-137 in just three games. The Lady Chiefs picked up a huge road win over West Plains, 62-40, meaning they’ll go into this weekend’s Webb City Tournament and Tuesday’s nonconference game with Ozark.
(7) Branson (C5: 13-2) – Branson picked up its second win of the season over Bolivar in the Lady Liberators Tournament. The Lady Pirates have won six straight and a potential rematch with Camdenton will be fun, weather permitting, and could setup a prequel to the COC Large championship tilt with Republic.
(8) Skyline (C2: 14-3) – Another win over Fair Grove gives Skyline five wins over teams that have been state ranked at some point this season. A trip to El Dorado Springs on Thursday precedes the biggest Class 2 game in the state to this point of the season with Skyline taking on Gainesville in Ozark on Saturday.
(9) Crocker (C2: 11-1) – So, Crocker lost its first game of the season and has since won 11 straight, including a 59-44 win over Plato to take control of the Frisco League. Taking on St. Elizabeth in the Osage Invitational and hosting Vienna will offer the Lady Lions a chance to extend its streak.
(11) Jasper (C2: 14-1) – Jasper won the Golden City Tournament, beating Lockwood by 24 points in the championship. The winning streak in up to 10 right now going into Tuesday’s clash with Miller that will decide the SRVC. Should the Lady Eagles win, they likely won’t lose for the remainder of the regular season.
(12) Camdenton (C5: 11-3) – Camdenton could be robbed of huge games with Branson and Bolivar depending on how the weather alters the tournament moving forward. The Lakers turbo clocked Joplin last week, moving their win streak to four, and will be idle until Jan. 28 depending on the Bolivar Tournament.
(13) Aurora (C4: 7-2) – Aurora beat Monett, but lost games with Republic and Buffalo thanks to the ice storm. With more ice coming on Thursday, there’s a chance those games won’t happen this week. Saturday’s game with Class 5 state-ranked Washington in Ozark will be an opportunity for a nice quality win.
(10) Fair Grove (C3: 11-4) – Skyline continues to be a thorn in Fair Grove’s side, but fortunately it doesn’t derail the Lady Eagles Mid-Lakes title goals. FG did bounce back with a win over El Dorado Springs on Monday. Willard will come to town on Monday in nonconference play.
(15) Spokane (C2: 14-3) – Spokane has put together four straight wins since losing to Crane after wins against Billings and Sparta. The Lady Owls will have a chance to put together a nice streak if they can win the Ash Grove Tournament, which includes Central, Ash Grove and Marionville.
(NR) Norwood (C2: 13-2) – Norwood makes its debut in the poll following wins last week over Fordland and Mansfield. The Lady Pirates two losses have come to Hartville and undefeated Gainesville. No team has given Gainesville as much of a game as Norwood did. Dora and the Mansfield Tournament are next on the docket.
Knockin’ on the door: Norwood (13-2), Waynesville (9-3), Salem (13-3), Houston (11-4), West Plains (9-6), Ash Grove (9-5), Stockton (10-4), Bradleyville (10-2), Fordland (12-4)
