Time for number six in my countdown of top sports stories of 2016. And it features an improbable Conference Championship.
6- Branson Basketball wins the COC. The Central Ozarks Conference is completely loaded. It features perennial power Nixa, always loaded Ozark, and a Republic team that has been to multiple Final Fours in the past few seasons.
The 2015-16 Branson Pirates had a senior class that had won from the time they were in grade school but had found the going a little tougher after they had reached Varsity Ball. Add in the fact that two expected starters decided not to play basketball their senior season and an the early part of the season going up and down and a Conference Title did not seem to be a likely goal.
But things came together for this group at the right time. Even with a loss to Nixa the Pirates were still alive as the Eagles ended up dropping a couple of games before the end of the year
The big night for the Pirates was a home game against Ozark. Seth Wood was untouchable that night as the team pulled off the huge upset. The win seemed to give the Pirates confidence and served as a springboard that eventually would end with an outright COC Championship following a win over Republic.
The League Championship was the first under coach Kirk Hanson.
