KSPR Boys Basketball Power Rankings – Week 5
(Teams are ranked by the KSPR Sports Department based on their relative strength to class size. Overall dominance, strength of schedule, quality wins, and momentum are factors in determining the order. Stats and details are based on information submitted by coaches. Feel free to email comments to mscott@kspr.com)
(Last week in parenthesis)
1. Nixa (1) – The Eagles dominated defending class 3 state champ Hogan Prep 88-66 in their lone game last week. If Norman, Ruder, and Bundy are the big 3, then you better make it the big 4 with senior Jordan Epps who had 26 points in Friday’s win over the Rams.
2. Billings (2) – The Wildcats avenged last years double overtime district opening loss by beating New Covenant 65-44 on the road. Junior Brady Chastain is back in the lineup, leading the Wildcats with 23 points Friday night.
3. Norwood (6) – After a season opening loss to Eminence the Pirates have been on a roll. In Friday night’s 2012 opener they knocked off Dora 59-43 behind Riley Jenkins’ 30 points. In doing so, he became the schools all-time leading scorer with 2,059 career points.
4. Kickapoo (5) – The Chiefs have also come into their own of late. Ryan Rippee continues to lead the way, scoring 27 points in a “Dorial-less” 70-65 win at Hillcrest Tuesday.
5. Hillcrest (3) – The Hornets have lost 3 in a row (Republic, Kickapoo, Glendale). That’s obviously not great, but not cause for concern at this point considering the first loss was by 2 points in overtime, and the last 2 were without Dorial Green-Beckham. The schedule gets no easier this week with the 28th Tournament of Champions.
6. Marshfield (7) – The Jays have been inconsistent, but continue to show spurts of being very good. After a 66-62 win over Strafford the Jays beat Rogersville 58-49 on the road.
7. Morrisville (8) – The Panthers continue to play well with a 28 point win over Weableau followed by a 5 point win over Ava.
8. Glendale (10) – Despite 4 early losses the Falcons have gelled together lately. Cameron Johnson led the way Friday night with 26 points in a 68-59 win at Hillcrest. 15 hours later they comfortably beat Hogan Prep. The Falcons have a chance to reach 900 lifetime wins this week in the always remarkably difficult Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.
9. Rogersville (4) – The Wildcats drop 5 spots after a Friday loss to district rival Marshfield. While class 4 district 11 is loaded, it is tough at this time to establish a pecking order. The Cats also beat Buffalo 76-49.
10. Southwest (11) – Jeff Elkins scored 36 points in a 82-41 waxing of Exeter.
11. Fair Play (NR) – The Hornets improved to 11-0 last week by winning the Walnut Grove Tournament over Verona, knocking off Dadeville by 28, and taking down Verona 48-42.
12. Republic (9) – The Tigers had a rough week following their mass success at the Blue and Gold. The week began with a 46-43 loss to Ozark after leading 14-2 in the opening minutes. The Tigers bounced back with a 29 point win at McDonald County, but then fell on a pair of last second free throws to Bolivar. Republic is another of the class 4 district 11 contenders, but has yet to firmly establish its identity. I like their guard play, and they possess enough size inside to counter the other district top dogs.
13. Wheaton (12) – The Bulldogs beat Exeter 70-33.
14. Fair Grove (13) – The Eagles picked a pair of quality wins over Conway and Stockton. Jerrod Harmon is one of the area’s most underrated players.
15. Seymour (14) – The Tigers dominated MV-BT/Liberty 65-48 led by C.J. Fercho’s 20 points.
Dropped out: Eminence (no information on Friday game against Alton)
Knocking on the door: Licking (Ben Denbow surpassed 2,000 career points), Strafford, Mt Vernon, Conway, Diamond, Bolivar, Carthage, Parkview, Ozark, Purdy
