Top 25 Missouri high school boys basketball rankings (1/17/2024)

Check out this week's Missouri boys basketball rankings

The top two teams – Oak Park and Vashon – held on to the top spots in this edition of the SBLive Missouri Power 25 boys basketball rankings, but several other schools climbed up the rankings, including streaking St. Mary's, Kickapoo and Vianney.

Two previous top-five squads, Chaminade and Cardinal Ritter, took a tumble in the rankings after tough stretches against difficult schedules.

Here is our breakdown of this week's SBLive Power 25 Missouri high school boys basketball rankings:

PREVIOUS RANKINGS: DEC. 22 | JAN. 3 

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Missouri high school boys basketball rankings

January 17, 2024

1. Oak Park (11-1)

Previous rank: 1

The Northmen came out of the Christmas break by dropping 80 points against both Truman and Fort Osage. Next up is playing in the Liberty C.W. Stessman Invitational and a possible showdown with state-ranked Hickman. 

2. Vashon (10-4)

Previous rank: 2

The Wolverines posted a 2-1 mark at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield last weekend, beating Glendale and Rainier Beach, Washington. Trey Williams had a combined 30 points in the two wins.

3. St. Mary’s (19-1)

Previous rank: 6

The Dragons have won six in a row since their first loss of the season. This week started with a 76-49 win against Whitfield and Zyree Collins dropped 30 points in the victory on Monday. 

4. Kickapoo (14-1)

Mitch McHenry’s squad has won 10 in a row and has knocked off Rolla, Camdenton, Parkview and Father Tolton to start its January schedule.

5. Vianney (13-3)

Previous rank: 14

The Golden Griffins knocked off previously third-ranked Chaminade on Jan. 5 behind 26 points from Eddie Smajic. 

6. Battle (11-2)

Previous rank: 7

After being idle for nearly two weeks, the Spartans won their first game in 2024 with a 76-39 victory over Sedalia Smith-Cotton on Jan. 10. A game against Rock Bridge was called off due to weather issues on Jan. 12. Battle has won six in a row heading into a game against Father Tolton Catholic on Jan. 17.

7. Sikeston (14-0)

Previous rank: 11

The Bulldogs continue to ride the play of P.J. Farmer and Dontrez Williams to wins, including a 103-point effort against Farmington. Farmer recently surpassed the 1,000-point mark.

8. North Kansas City (11-2)

Previous rank: 8

Heading into their home tournament, the Hornets have won all three games this year. Herb Bass scored a team-high 15 points in a 57-50 win over Mill Valley (Kansas) last week.

9. New Madrid County Central (12-1)

Previous rank: 9

Jadis Jones continues to be one of the top players in the state. He had a double-double with 43 points and 16 rebounds in a 76-63 win against Charleston on Jan. 9. 

10. St. Francis Borgia (15-0)

Previous rank: 19

The Knights have won three tournaments this season, the most recent was a 3-0 run at the Washington Tournament last weekend. Brody Denbow scored 28 points in a 57-54 win over St. Dominic in the finals on Jan. 12. 

11. Springfield Central (11-3)

Previous rank: 10

The Bulldogs lost to St. John Bosco (California) and Rainier Beach (Washington) in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions. They bounced back with a 68-46 win over Glendale in the seventh-place game with Tayshaun Wells tallying a game-high 20 points. 

12. Webster Groves (11-3)

Previous rank: 12

The Statesmen have won seven in a row dating back to a loss against No. 1 Oak Park on Dec. 22. In the most recent win, against Kirkwood, Webster Groves had three in double figures. Iziah Purvey led the way with 23 points.

13. Ladue (13-1)

Previous rank: 15

The season-long unbeaten streak ended with a road loss to Jackson on Jan. 12. Before that, the Rams edged out closed wins against Westminster Christian Academy (39-35) and John Burroughs (55-50). 

14. Lee’s Summit West (12-2)

Previous rank: 21

The Titans have extended the win streak to 10 in a row and escaped with a close win over rival Lee’s Summit, 59-57, on Jan. 12. The Titans also won a close game against Blue Valley North, 49-46, on Jan. 6.

15. Lindbergh (14-2)

Previous rank: 18

After losing to John Burroughs on Jan. 3, the Flyers have won four in a row. In those four wins, three different players have led the team in scoring — twice it was Greg Leavitt.

16. Park Hills Central (11-2)

Previous rank: 16

The Rebels have played only one game this year and lost 82-71 to Potosi. That snapped a 10-game winning streak. 

17. Chaminade (9-5)

Previous rank: 3

The Red Devils’ tough schedule has turned into a 2-4 mark since the start of the new year. Chaminade lost to foes from Kentucky and Illinois and will play teams from Pennsylvania and Nebraska this weekend in Quincy, Illinois.

18. Cardinal Ritter (4-9)

Previous rank: 4

The rugged non-conference portion for the Lions continues with a 1-2 mark since the calendar flipped to Jan. 1. Cardinal Ritter is 2-0 against Missouri teams and 2-9 against teams from out of state. 

19. John Burroughs (12-3)

Previous rank: 24

The Bombers beat No. 18-ranked Lindbergh by 5 (66-61), but lost to No. 15-ranked Ladue by 5 (55-50) six days later. In a 75-54 win over MICDS on Jan. 12, five players had 10 or more points for John Burroughs.

20. Winnetonka (13-1)

Previous rank: NR

The only loss this season came against No. 20-ranked Staley in the finals of the semifinals of the William Jewell Holiday Classic. Ky Coleman had 22 and Antonio Fowler scored 20 in a 62-57 win over Kansas City Central — the No. 4 team in the Class 4 rankings by the MBCA. 

21. Hickman (14-2)

Previous rank: NR

The Kewpies went down to the Springfield area and picked up wins against Ozark and Nixa. The signature win this year came against Vianney, but Hickman just lost to Father Tolton. 

22. Grandview (8-2)

Previous rank: 22

Micah Kirkwood hit a game-winner against St. Michael the Archangel on Jan. 11, helping the Bulldogs run their winning streak to five in a row.

23. South Iron (14-1)

Previous rank: 23

The reigning Class 1 champions start play in the Black River League Tournament. The only loss this year was by a point to Class 5 Farmington. 

24. Rolla (13-2)

Previous rank: NR

The Bulldogs have only lost once since December and that was to No. 4-ranked Kickapoo. They bounced back with an 83-81 win over Glendale on a game-winning bucket by junior guard John Papadakos in overtime.

25. De Smet (9-3)

Previous rank: NR

The Spartans' three losses were against Kickapoo, Lee's Summit West and Webster Groves by a combined 15 points. De Smet goes into a Jan. 17 matchup against Confluence with eight wins in its last nine games, including victories against Lindbergh, Vianney, CBC and Chaminade during that stretch.

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- Cody Thorn | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveMiz