POWER 8: Updated rankings all about girl ‘power’

*Note – this poll was based on action finalized on Wednesday.

We return for week two of the new Power 8 poll – a ranking based on pure performance and not what classification, sport or gender.

Feedback will always be welcome and can be directed to sports@darnews.com.

This is the first week where we see some major movement as a number of teams took losses – some pretty hard – and a few others quietly continued to excel.

What’s becoming noticeable is how the girls programs are really starting to stand out and take control of the higher spots. There are a number of teams that have had strong starts and/or really good recent runs of play.

Also, the Greenville boys are back in the poll, and rightfully so. They didn’t really fall out for poor performances, but just being idle for long enough that teams that made moves in the arena were making it hard to ignore them.

Oh and say hi to the Poplar Bluff wrestling team again as they were dominant on a night they honored the father of the program. Well done.

Week 2: NEW POWER 8

1. Doniphan girls basketball (2): It was a hard choice, but the Donettes were the team that yes, dropped a decision, but that loss at Liberty was a hotly contested game in a hostile environment so to speak. Doniphan was also unbeaten at the time and responded to the defeat with a solid, 10-point road win at previously ranked East Carter. Coach Adam Epps is pushing all the right buttons and his squad has been ranked in state polls and is currently No. 7 in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 4 poll.

2. Three Rivers women’s basketball (1): They are coming off a heavy loss at No. 14 Wabash Valley this weekend on ESPN+ but still find themselves ranked No. 19 nationally – dropping two spots – before Wednesday night’s win at John A. Logan. The Lady Raiders struggled from the onset against the host Warriors over the weekend and there is no way that trend will rear its ugly head many more if any times the rest of this spring. Who knows, maybe this was just the right kick in the motivation to set the Lady Raiders off and running.

3. Neelyville girls basketball (7): Five straight wins from a Lady Tigers team that has some impressive notches on its resume. They beat a surging Ellington squad and coach Becky Hale continues to do her thing with a roster that continues to mix solid veteran play with a core of young talent that is promising a great future, starting with freshman Parker Ernst. Their defense and intensity are their best traits and if neither waver, they could be a fun watch from here on out.

4. Ellington girls basketball (6): Oh, my, the Lady Whippets are starting to become unleashed. They have won three in a row since losses to Neelyville and East Poinsette County in Arkansas and got 49 points from Kaylee King in a rout of Summersville Tuesday. Poplar Bluff comes to town Thursday so let’s see how these girls handle the big towners, but the supporting cast around King is starting to figure things out and they are truly as tough as they get. This could be another fun run for Ellington’s girls – which is starting to become a catchphrase it happens so often.

5. Dexter boys basketball (3): The Bearcats took a hard loss when they were dropped at Cape Central, but they are 10-4 still and have had plenty of solid wins as well. The bigger boys like Cape and Jackson have been able to limit Dexter’s scoring prowess, but that doesn’t mean it will carry over to district play when it rolls around. These SEMO Conference games likely will only help a playoff push.

6. Greenville boys basketball (new) They are back in the poll and rightfully so. They are 13-1 and have won four straight heading into the big clash with stare power South Iron Friday. The Bears are for real. They dismantled a scary Hayti team at Three Rivers College Saturday and the Indians have been known to give some of the better squads in the area fits. Greenville has size, length, and enough inside and outside combo scoring to be a very dangerous threat to win the school’s first boys district crown.

7. Doniphan boys basketball (4) The Dons are 11-4 coming off a heavy home loss to Caruthersville Tuesday night. These guys are the cardiac kids however and chances are those experiences so far will end up paying serious dividends in the next month or so.

8. Poplar Bluff wrestling (new): Pretty impressive stuff for the Mules who rolled Notre Dame and Kennett into big crepes Tuesday night. They had four pins of 90 seconds or less in beating Kennett and routed Notre Dame 62-0. Coach Terry Smith was given an induction into the program’s Ring of Honor and it was done on the best of nights: Where his team came away dominant and that’s all the Father of Mules wrestling could ask for.

Honorable mention: Dexter girls basketball, Malden boys basketball, Neelyville boys basketball, East Carter girls basketball; Twin Rivers boys basketball; Westwood Baptist boys basketball

Considering for final poll: Poplar Bluff football, Van Buren cross country, Dexter cross country, Neelyville softball, Doniphan softball.