This is the second to last power poll of 2019. There will be no girls or boys Power Poll next week on Christmas Eve, but Bounce will return to close out the year on December 31 with a post SAC Tournament Power Poll.
But for now, here is who is in for the week of December 16.
1. HOMESTEAD (8-1, 4-0 SAC)
WHY #1?
Homestead suffered their first loss of the season last weekend, but it didn’t even happen in the state. So is it actually a black mark? Survey says no. Rylie Parker’s shooting form came back in a major way last Friday and the Spartans are clicking on every cylinder as we ride into the Holiday Tournament.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Because there are none better.
RECORD VERSUS OTH TOP 10: 2-0
2. SOUTH SIDE (6-2, 3-0 SAC)
WHY #2?
There is no reason to not believe in South at this point because they are steady. It is hard to compare them to the best of the area when they aren’t playing in the area outside of the conference, but they are picking up quality wins in the process. Beating Heritage Christian on Saturday was a nice step for them.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
They hold two losses and both in games they possibly should have won. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. In this case, it’s bad because Homestead is closing out games.
RECORD VERSUS OTH TOP 10: 0-0
3. NORWELL (7-3, 1-1)
WHY #3?
Norwell is a very good basketball team that can beat almost anyone in the area and that likely means anyone that has beaten them too. It is hard to drop them much lower because the quality of their wins far outweighs their losses.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Back to back losses make them lose a little ground. We will have to see how the Knights rebound.
RECORD VERSUS OTH TOP 10: 3-0
4. ANGOLA (9-2, 5-0 NECC)
WHY #4?
Angola is a steady force and they are going to get a jump this week because of it. While other teams have a lot more question marks than Bounce would want to see in mid-December, the Hornets are just going out and getting it done. Hanna Knoll continues a pace that makes us consider her the area’s best player right here near the halfway point.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
They need a tougher schedule. They’ve played close with other top 10 teams outside of their conference, but those have also both been losses.
RECORD VERSUS OTH TOP 10: 1-2
5. CARROLL (8-3, 2-1 SAC)
WHY #5?
With Olivia Hoeppner scoring at a consistent pace, the Chargers are at their best. They have been trading wins, but scoring over Concordia shows pretty clearly where they stand in the SAC. Carroll is good, but how good we won’t know until their Tournament and post-Tournament schedule hits.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
The Chargers have taken some losses to top 10 teams. Hence the drop.
RECORD VERSUS OTH TOP 10: 1-1
6. BISHOP LUERS (7-3, 3-0 SAC)
WHY #6?
The Knights have consistency across their top four players and that hierarchy and balance is better than most other teams have. Bishop Luers can score with almost anyone and even in some unfortunate losses, they are still a competitive team that could win any night.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
0-3 against the Northeast 8 is not a great mark. It is why some may be unhappy that Luers is still at 6 this week.
RECORD VERSUS OTH TOP 10: 1-1
7. WARSAW (7-5, 1-1 NLC)
WHY #7?
The Tigers have now beat two other Top 10 teams ahead of them so they needed to leap back into our countdown as a legit NLC contender. Brielle Harrison is a multipurpose player and others are developing roles around each other that is making Warsaw a team on a lot of radars again.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
There were still a string of losses. And healthy or not, those losses exist. They have the most losses of any team in our top 10.
RECORD VERSUS OTH TOP 10: 2-0
8. CONCORDIA LUTHERAN (7-3, 1-2 SAC)
WHY #8?
Concordia bounced back from two losses with three straight wins before losing in the SAC again on Friday. Bounce considered dropping them out of his top 10 this week, but I remember how versatile they can be. Are their losses flukes? Like many other teams, they can prove a lot with their competition in the next two weeks.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
They are 0-3 against top 10 teams. A bad showing in the Holiday Tournament could see their great start completely erased.
RECORD VERSUS OTH TOP 10: 0-3
9. EASTSIDE (9-1, 4-1 NECC)
WHY #9?
Only one other top 10 team has nine wins. The Blazers aren’t breaking a lot of teams, but they are consistently piling on wins by outpacing almost everyone they play.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
The strength of their schedule is a question.
RECORD VERSUS OTH TOP 10: 1-1
10. WOODLAN (8-2, 3-0 ACAC)
WHY #10?
They will get a chance to really show what they can do against quality teams before Christmas, but the Warriors have played really good basketball almost every night. There is the case that they should be 10-0 if they played even a little better in their losses. They are on thin ice here with other teams rising.
WHY NOT HIGHER?
See Eastside: strength of schedule is a question.
RECORD VERSUS OTH TOP 10: 0-1
Other teams in the conversation (in no particular order): Columbia City (7-3), Bishop Dwenger (7-3)
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
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