Incarnate Word Academy’s girls basketball team made history last weekend with a pair of victories at the Sophie Cunningham Classic in Columbia.
The Red Knights defeated Blue Valley North on Saturday to win its 139th consecutive game, which set a new national record. IWA came into the event tied with Central Plains (KS). The following day, IWA defeated Chicago Whitney Young to run its record streak to 140 games. The Red Knights tied the record on December 28 when they defeated Lift for Life in the championship game of the Visitation Christmas Tournament.
Incarnate Word will be on the road on Martin Luther King Day, where it will face national power Etiwanda (CA) in Springfield, MA in a nationally televised game on ESPNU. IWA was ranked No. 15 in the Max Preps national rankings while Etiwanda was ranked No. 23.
Several other top teams from St. Louis participated in the Sophie Cunningham Classic. Cardinal Ritter split two games as it defeated Columbia Hickman and lost to Link Academy. Lift for Life Academy was edged by Link Academy in a 62-61 thriller.
Clayton High to host MLK hoops tourney
The 2025 Martin Luther King Shootout will be held on Monday, January 20 at Clayton High. The event is being sponsored by Positive Black Men, Inc. The eight-game showcase will feature five boys games and three girls games with some of the top players in the St. Louis area in action.
Here is a look at the schedule for the MLK Shootout:
Jennings vs. Westminster (Boys), 9 a.m.
Clayton vs. Vashon (Girls), 10:30 a.m.
Clayton vs. Lutheran North (Boys), noon
Hazelwood West vs. Cardinal Ritter (Girls), 1:30 p.m.
Hazelwood Central vs. SLUH (Boys), 3 p.m.
Francis Howell vs. Miller Career Academy (Boys), 4:30 p.m.
Lift for Life vs. Principia (Girls), 6 p.m.
St. Mary’s vs. Principia (Boys), 7:30 p.m.
Players to Watch (Boys): Zyree Collins (St. Mary’s), Quentin Coleman (Principia), Eli Fauss (Clayton), Will Powers (Westminster), Izy Prude (Hazelwood Central), Keenan Harris (SLUH), Carlaun Nelson (Miller Career Academy), Lincoln Swan (Francis Howell).
Players to Watch (Girls): Dasia Scott (Principia), Amaya Manuel (Lift for Life), Zha Harris (Lift for Life); Jamiah Herring-Green (Hazelwood West), Brooke Boyce (Cardinal Ritter), Kiera Burns (Vashon), Nyla Scales (Cardinal Ritter), Lauren Young (Clayton).
Sweet Hoops Shootout Saturday
The lineup for the Sweet Hoops Shootout is set for Saturday at Harris-Stowe State University. The four-game event brings together eight excellent girls basketball teams from Missouri, Illinois and Alabama.
Here is the schedule for the four games at the Sweet Hoops Shootout.
Festus St. Pius vs. STEAM Academy at McCluer South-Berkeley, noon
Columbia Battle vs. Huntsville Lee (AL), 2 p.m.
Cardinal Ritter vs. Alton, 4 p.m.
Lift for Life vs. Phenix Central (AL), 6 p.m.
Earl’s World:The upcoming College Football Playoff Championship game on MLK Day Jan. 20, 2025, between Notre Dame and The Ohio State University will have a nice St. Louis flavor to it. Notre Dame has three starters from the St. Louis area in the lineup while Ohio State also has a key player from The Lou…For Notre Dame, running back Jeremiyah Love and cornerback Christian Gray are former Metro Catholic Conference rivals at CBC and DeSmet, respectively. Both had big moments in the Irish’ victory over Penn State in the national semifinals last week….Former Lutheran-St. Charles standout Gabriel Rubio is a starting defensive tackle for the Irish….The Irish also have former Hannibal standout running back Anyeas Williams, who sees a lot of action….Ohio State has junior tight end Will Kaczmaek in the line up. Kaczmarek had a pair of catches in the Buckeyes’ victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl last week…Congratulations to former Lutheran North High football coach Kyle Wagner, who was recently hired as an assistant coach at Division I Sacramento State. This past season, Wagner guided the Crusaders to a 13-1 record and the Class 4 state championship.