The girls basketball dynasty that is Incarnate Word Academy will be seeking its fourth consecutive state championship this weekend in Columbia.
The Red Knights are the headline team at the Class 4 state tournament, which will be held at the Mizzou Arena. Incarnate Word (25-4) will take on MICDS (25-4) in the semifinals on Friday at 2:30 p.m. The winner will take on the Owensville-Benton winner for the state championship on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. The third-place game will be on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Incarnate Word enters the Final Four on a 19-game winning streak, with two of those victories coming against MICDS. The Red Knights are led by 5’9″ sophomore guard Sonya Morris, who averages 12 points a game. Senior forward Abbey Hoff, a Miami of Ohio signee, averages 11.8 points. Talented freshmen Rickie Woltman and Kiki Britzman combine to averaged 16 points a game.
MICDS is led by the senior dynamic duo of 6’2″ forward Taylor Baur and 5’9″ point guard Rachel Thompson. Baur is averaging 20 points and 9.9 rebounds a game. She was recently named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Missouri. Thompson is averaging 13.1 points a game. Baur is headed to Princeton while Thompson has signed with Colgate.
In the Class 5 semifinals, Kirkwood (25-4) will take on Francis Howell (26-3) on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The winner will take on either Kickapoo or Liberty for the state championship on Saturday at 2:40 p.m.
Kirkwood is making its first ever appearance in the Final Four after defeating Parkway North 58-52 in the state quarterfinals last weekend. The Pioneers are led by 5’9″ senior guard Jordan Roundtree, who averages 17 points a game. Roundtree is a University of Missouri signee. Kirkwood also received a big boost with the return of 6’2″ junior Lauryn Miller, who came back from an ACL injury suffered in July. In nine games, Miller is averaging 12 points and seven rebounds a game. Miller had 18 points and eight rebounds in the victory over Parkway North. Sophomore guard Jayla Everett is a talented shooter who averages 10 points a game.
Francis Howell is a well-balanced team led by 5’8″ senior guard Danielle Berry, who is averaging 15.3 points a game. Senior Morgan Wilborn is a 5’10” forward who is averaging 10.7 points while 5’8″ senior Carly Harper averages 11 points a game. All three players are capable 3-point shooters.