KSPR Boys Basketball Power Rankings – Week 7
(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 haven’t lost in 53 days, but had their closes call last week, narrowly defeating Kickapoo 74-72 in Springfield. Coach Osborne’s bunch followed with a turbo clock win over Willard then finished the week with a 22 point victory over Marquette at the Camdenton Shootout.
2. Billings (2) – The Wildcats picked up a pair of wins over Sparta and Forsyth last week. Austin Essick broke the 1,000 point barrier with a season and a half to go in his career. All signs point to success for coach Tilley’s crew. The offense is absolutely lighting it up, but remember defense wins championships.
3. Norwood (3) – The Pirates kept pace with Billings in class 2 with a dominating week; a 40 point win over Mtn Grove, 27 point win over Hartville, and an impressive 17 point win over Symour. Riley Jenkins continues to build on his school record scoring mark, while Cody Hull provides a strong 2nd scoring option for Coach Morris Jenkins.
4. Fair Play (6) – The undefeated Hornets smoked Hermitage, dominated a solid Climax Springs team to finally earn some statewide respect. Coach Long’s boys went from unranked to number 2 in class 1 only to lose their first game on the very same day; 56-55 to Wheatland (the same team that bounced them from last year’s districts).
5. Morrisville (5) – Similar to Fair Play the last couple weeks, I don’t understand how the Panthers aren’t receiving state ranking attention. Coach Hicks’ squad beat Climax Springs by 2 then took care of Crane 68-51.
6. Kickapoo (4) – A busy week for the Chiefs, including a 3rd place finish at the Glendale Winter Classic and a narrow defeat at the hands of Nixa. Coach Rippee’s Chiefs beat STL Beaumont Thursday before falling to Carthage on a 4 point play in the final second Friday, then rebounded Saturday with a dominating win over STL Christian. Senior Ryan Rippee continues his pursuit of the school scoring record, tallying over 150 points last week.
7. Hillcrest (7) – The Hornets are simply a tale of 2 teams. With DGB they’re among the best in the state regardless of class; without him they struggle to find wins. Coach Schaefer’s kids romped over Marshfield early in the week before a 3rd place finish at the Lindberg Tournament, minus DGB for the last 2 games. One other note, junior Roy Hardy scored 33 points in the Hornets win over Jeff City. Combined with DGB and Austin Petry, Hardy appears to be the 3rd scoring threat that could put HHS back in the Final Four.
8. Wheaton (10) – The Bulldogs continued their winning ways with comfortable wins over Pierce City and Marionville.
9. Glendale (11) – The Falcons have a lot of losses. Despite that, they have some really solid wins. Coach Williamson’s scrappy bunch picked up the programs 900th win early in the week over Lebanon before cruising through the Glendale Winter Classic with impressive wins over Neosho, STL Christian, and Carthage. Cameron Johnson had a big week, but it was Thomas Halter, playing with a heavy heart, who led the Falcons to the championship with his 22 pts Saturday afternoon.
10. Republic (12) – Nick Yocum had a solid week for the Tigers in wins over Waynesville, Reeds Spring and Camdenton (Rogersville Tournament opener). Thursday night should be interesting as Coach Stanfield’s Kitties go for 3 in a row over district rival Marshfield in the Rogersville Tournament semifinals.
11. Carthage (NR) – I’ve been doubting the Tigers all season, but at this point it’s hard to deny it, “they’re good.” After easy wins over Carl Junction and Glendale’s JV the Tigers upset Kickapoo behind Desmond Buerge’s 23 pts and a rare 4 point play in the final second. They fell to Glendale in the final and may have been looking past Mac County Tuesday as the Tigers won by the thinnest of margins 49-48.
12. Southwest (9) – The Trojans went west of the border last week to compete in the NEO Tournament. After wins over Welch, OK and Monett they fell to Roland, OK in the championship. Skylar Knoll had a solid tournament.
13. Eminence (14) – The RedWings took care of business in remarkably consistent fashion last week with 26 point wins over Houston and MV-BT/Liberty.
14. Mt Vernon (15) – The Mountaineers are another Ozarks team receiving little attention by the state pollsters, but coach Brock’s club marches on, picking up wins over Aurora, Ozark, and Clever last week. Don’t overlook that win over Ozark. That is an impressive victory over an up and coming team 2 classes larger.
15. Rogersville (8) – The Wildcats have all the talent in the World, but have been very inconsistent. Sandwiched between solid wins over Branson, Camdenton, and Strafford was a head shaking 55-52 home loss to Webb City. The Wildcats have a chance to turn the tide this week in their own tournament.
Dropped out: Marshfield
Knocking on the door: Fair Grove, Conway, Licking, Strafford, Diamond, Seymour, Parkview, Wheatland
