Gramp's Braggin' Rights Missouri HS girls basketball ratings - Class Five

FINAL UPDATE MARCH 17TH, 2024

John Burroughs Girls are a team for the ages.  As good as you can be for a Missouri girls high school team.  Unfortunately, the Lady Bombers only three losses this year were to a team for all-time.... Incarnate Word.  

Three losses by a total of 13 points. Oh, so close to ending the astounding 100+ win streak several times this year.  A missed three pointer, a couple of free throws, one or two turnovers from being the team to end the Red Knights streak. 

But the Bombers were non-plussed.  They had their sights on a Class Five state title and nothing got in their way.  They literally blew through the Class Five state tournament, winning by an average of 23 points.  The Bombers closest game was to Gramps #3, Cardinal Ritter in the District Two final.  Ritter was an outstanding team also, beating Hickman twice, and losing close games to Lutheran St. Charles, Rock Bridge twice.

#2 Lutheran St. Charles was an outstanding team too, losing to Lift for Life, Blue Valley North (KS), Incarnate Word and twice to John Burroughs (regular season and the state final).  Talented teams like Rolla, West Plains and Branson couldn't even make the state quarterfinals with all the great teams in Class Five.

These girls just keep getting better and better.  Congrats to all for another fantastic season and to the Lady Bombers for the second state title in the last three years.

 

Updated March 12th, 2024

John Burroughs has a great girls basketball team.  One for the ages.

The only problem is that Class Six Incarnate Word has a team that has not lost in over 130 games and three of their wins have been close encounters with John Burroughs, winning by 3, 5 and 6 points in some grand games.

At least #1 ranked John Burroughs can say they are the best Class Five team right now.  But that only is good until Wednesday, when they have to prove it once again against outstanding #4 Marshfield, a team with just four losses to powerhouse Nixa, Republic, and two nationally ranked Tennesse and Georgia teams. In the other semi-final match-up, #2 Lutheran St. Charles takes on upstart, #7 Smithville.  

Cardinal Ritter, who John Burroughs eliminated at District, is the #3 team.

Should be an interesting two games and a great final.  Good luck to all.

Updated February  28th, 2024

It has been a while since I updated Class Five Girls and here are the ratings by district.  

Updated January 20th, 2024

I was going through Missouri Class Five Girls ratings again, after communicating with reader Bryan Alcorn about Rolla.  I have to admit, I don't have enough time in the day to rate every one of the 530 girls teams in all six classes, let alone, go out and find every score for every game.  

I did note one interesting factoid, as I poured over Class Five scores and that was finding Parkview Girls BB at 0-13, losing by an average of 56-25.  That sounds pretty bad, but I want those girls to take heart.  Their rating is 109, putting them at 48th out of 64 Class Five teams and 320th out of 530 teams.  So you Parkview fans, parents and players, a word of advice.  Look at the positives, not the negatives.  You are probably the best 0-13 team in the state right now.  You could beat 200 Missouri girls teams, you just haven't schedule them yet.  Continue to work and your team will get better and you will pick up some wins.  I wish you the best!

Back to Bryan Alcorn and the Rolla rating....  In fact, both the MSHSAA scoreboard and MaxPreps team pages are often underpopulated with scores.  If a score has not been posted by the school, it is not possible to rate a team properly.  That was the case with Rolla, who had beaten two teams I rated higher than the Rolla girls. 

Bryan sent me an abrupt message about Rolla beating Branson by 30 in a recent game.  Turns out it was 27, not 30, and it was never posted anywhere.  I appreciate polite and accurate input on scores I might not see.  Bryan and I hashed it out and Rolla's rating went up significantly once I had all of their games.  Glad to get that straightened out because I won't be spending my entire day looking through every newspaper to find a score for a game that may or may not have actually taken place, especially with the recent winter weather we have had.

So, folks, continue to send in your scores, but be specific (boys?, girls?, opponent, score, etc) and be polite.  And if your team is ranked #59 out of 64 teams, save your breath.  I am about done entering scores for that bottom tier, but I will be on the lookout for Parkview and their first win.

I will continue to sharpen the pencil and polish the statistics to keep you all happy, even though it is nearly an impossible task.

Updated January 11th, 2024

Ouch!  It isn't bad enough that two of the best teams in Class Five Missouri Girls are both in District Two but then, the second-best team would face off with the District Two winner in the state quarterfinal.

Yep, Cardinal Ritter and John Burroughs are ranked Gramp's #3 and #1-rated teams in the state, yet one of them will not make the state tournament.  The winner of District Two would most probably play Gramp's #2-rated Lutheran St. Charles in the second round of the state tournament and that winner would be favored to win the State Title.

There has to be a better way to juggle the state tournament brackets such that the best teams are not eliminated in the Districts or opening rounds of a state tournament.  Don't we want the best teams to be in the quarterfinals or finals?

So, who else is good in Class Five? Helias, a District Five team, is just an honorable mention in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association poll, is Gramp's #5-rated team and Helias must get by #12 Jefferson City and #7 Rolla in that district to make the tournament bracket.

#4 Marshfield, is the favorite in District Six but they will have to get by #6 Branson and #10 Webb City, and #8 West Plains.  Luckily, District Five and Six are in the lower State Tournament bracket but that means that some of the best teams will be eliminated by round two, the Quarterfinals of the state tournament.

Raytown South, Gramp's #11th-rated team, is over in District Seven.

And who is being neglected by the MBCA Class Five Girls coaches?  Since the January 1st poll, Branson, Webb City, Jefferson City, McDonald County, Union and St. Teresa all deserve more love from the coaches poll.

The MBCA coaches poll has Lutheran St. Charles at #1 and they well could be the best team but they have not played Burroughs, Ritter or Class Six powerhouse Incarnate Word.  Those games will tell us how good the Lady Cougars really are and whether Gramp's is on target or off.

Here's Gramp's Class Five Girls ratings:

Posted December 14, 2023 Note: Addition of Cardinal Ritter

Here is Gramp's Braggin' Rights' first post for Missouri Girls HS basketball ratings. Not enough games to sort everything out but enough to tell who is looking good.

I like John Burroughs with their fast start this winter, but even better is the Cardinal Ritter gals, who I overlooked in my modified report for class five.  I have Ritter in the right place on my spreadsheet but I have had to modify all the automated reports and I haven't gotten rid of all the bugs.  

Lutheran St. Charles just has one game rated, so I wonder how good they might be. Helias, Marshfield, Cape Notre Dame, Jefferson City, and several other teams are also looking for a state title.  I expect Union, Webster Groves, and a few more teams in that 10 to 20 spots will also make a move.

Hope you enjoy this first pass and will return as the ratings improve with more games.  It's a start. 

 Have a happy holiday.