Columbia, MO – The girls basketball dynasty that is Incarnate Word Academy added another state championship plaque to its already very crowded trophy case.
The Red Knights defeated a talented Staley team from the Kansas City area 55-41 to win the Class 6 state championship on Thursday night at the Mizzou Arena on the campus of the University of Missouri.
It marked the eighth consecutive state title won by the Red Knights dating back to the 2016 season. The only blemish came in 2020 when the season when the Final Four was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.
It was a very competitive first half as Staley battled the Red Knights on almost equal terms, only trailing 24-19 at halftime. It was in the third quarter when Incarnate Word made its move as they scored on its first two possessions of the quarter and ended up out scoring the Falcons 18-9 to push their lead to double digits.
Senior guard Peyton Hill closed out her IWA career with a team-high 16 points. The Eastern Michigan recruit also had three assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Nevaeh Lucious, a 6’3” junior forward controlled the paint with 14 points and nine rebounds while senior guard Nevaeh Caffey added 10 points.
The state championship concluded a historic season which saw the Red Knights break a national high school record with their 141-game winning streak,
This was also a year where the Red Knights were able to enjoy and celebrate their state championship victory. Last year, the Red Knights won the state title, but the players had to play with heavy hearts as their head coach Dan Rolfes suffered a near-fatal heart attack after the state semifinals.
Staley was led by junior Londyn Parker with 11 points and junior Ava Miles with 10 points.
Rolfes has since recovered and was back on the sidelines this season and back in the Mizzou Arena this week to lead his team to another state championship. He received a big ovation from the Mizzou Arena crowd when he received his championship medal.