KSPR Boys Basketball Power Rankings – Week 11
(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) – Make it 27 straight for the class 5 top ranked Eagles. We have reached the point where it’s pretty much state champ or bust for Coach Osborne’s crew. The Eagles flying HIGH Friday night with a 42 point district championship win over Glendale (30 points for Austin Ruder). Next up, sectionals vs. Webb City Wednesday at SBU. The Eagles beat the Cardinals by 23 less than 2 weeks ago.
2. Billings (2) – The Wildcats were upset by 8-seed New Covenant in last year’s district opener. No repeat this year, Coach Tilley’s junior heavy squad dispatched Marionville 69-41 Monday night (Brady Chastain scored his 1,000th point). Next up, a semifinal matchup with Spokane.
3. Hillcrest (4) – The Hornets entered the class 4 district 11 tournament as the 2-seed, but proved to be the top dog with wins over Marshfield and Rogersville. Dorial Green-Beckham surpassed the 2,000 point threshold in Saturday’s exhilarating overtime win over Rogersville. It’s hard to say things get easier, but well, next up for the Hornets is a Wednesday night sectional matchup in Willard against 11-15 McDonald County.
4. Norwood (3) – The Pirates keep on rolling with a 45 point win over Plato and a 43 point win over Bradleyville in the class 2 district 10 quarterfinals. Next up for Coach Jenkins’ bunch is a Thursday semifinal matchup with Gainesville. Looking ahead, Norwood wouldn’t face Billings until the class 2 quarterfinals. Let’s hope we get that Ozarks showdown.
5. Fair Play (5) – The Hornets wrapped up the regular season with a 64-48 whooping of Walnut Grove, led by Adam Teague’s 25 points, and a 72-45 beat down of Weaubleau. The good times kept on rolling with a 77-50 district opening win over Halfway. Next up, a class 1 district 6 semifinal meeting with Wheatland, a game they won’t take lightly after being upset by the Mules last year.
6. Morrisville (7) – Still not sure if Morrisville is the area’s best class 3 team. The class 3 district 11 coaches certainly don’t agree with us, seeding the Panthers behind Strafford. Hopefully, that will be decided on the court in Friday’s championship game. MCE improved to 24-3 with a 21 point quarterfinal win over Forsyth. They’ll face a tall task with Fair Grove in the semifinals Thursday.
7. Southwest (10) – This is another case of us having Southwest ahead of class 3 district 12 top seed Mt. Vernon. And again, we hope that supremacy is determined on the court. The Trojans beat Wheaton by 2, then crushed Exeter by 50 to wrap up the regular season. They opened district play with a comfortable 65-52 win over Ash Grove, and will now face a tough task in the semifinals against 2-loss Diamond Friday night in Mt Vernon.
8. Wheaton (9) – The Bulldogs drop a spot after a 2-point loss to Southwest, but bounced back with wins over East Newton and McAuley. Wheaton should be the favorite to win class 2 district 12, but will get tested by Greenfield then a rematch with Purdy possibly in the championship Friday night.
9. Mt Vernon (12) – The Mountaineers are the top seed and host of class 3 district 12. After an opening round win over Pierce City they will now face Seneca in Friday’s semifinals before a likely showdown with Southwest Saturday night.
10. Republic (8) – The class 4 district 11 top seed Tigers were stunned with a semifinal loss to Rogersville, but hey, it’s one of the deepest districts in the state and it’s hard to beat a team 3 times in a row. The real blow came after that loss when veteran head coach Gary Stanfield informed the team he would retire. Stanfield leaves the Tigers in great shape with all but 2 players coming back from this year’s 21 win team.
11. Glendale (6) – The Falcons finished a perfect 9-0 in the Ozark Conference, then beat Parkview in the class 5 district 11 semifinals, but ran into a buzz saw in the championship game against Nixa. The Falcons say farewell to a large crop of seniors, but figure to reload quickly with a talented group on its way.
12. Kickapoo (11) – The Chiefs saw their season end in the class 5 district 11 semifinals in a respectable 10 point loss to eventual district champ Nixa. Senior Ryan Rippee departs as the Chiefs all-time leading scorer, while fellow senior Ryan Thornhill finished just 23 assists shy of the school’s single season record.
13. Rogersville (13) – The Wildcats entered the class 4 district 11 tournament as the 4-seed, but many believed they were ready to breakout and they did just that. Coach Gorman’s L-R Cats knocked off top seed Republic before nearly beating Hillcrest on a last second regulation tip. Instead, the Wildcats finished a strong season in overtime and must now replace talented seniors Joe Young, Aaron Orchard, Colton Woods and Dylan Cole.
14. Strafford (15) – The Indians beat Fair Grove on a last second Brady Taylor bucket to capture the Mid Lakes Conference title. Five days later they ended the regular season with an essentially meaningless 2 point loss to Conway. However, the class 3 district 11 top seed Indians will face the Bears again Thursday night in the semifinals after a 39 point opening round win over Blue Eye.
15. Fair Grove (NR) – The Eagles wrapped up the regular season with a win over Catholic, then a memorable 78-76 last second loss to Strafford; the Indians winning the Mid Lakes title with that victory. Coach Brown’s club opened class 3 district 11 play with a 30 point walloping of Hollister. They’ll now face Morrisville in a Thursday night semifinal showdown.
Dropped out: Parkview
Knocking on the door: Diamond, Conway, Carthage, Licking, Webb City, Winona, Marshfield, Purdy, Eminence, Rolla
