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Jim Wieners’ Prep Sports Roundup: IWA Basketball . . .
Joins 10-Title Club After Another Class Four 3-Peat
By Jim Wieners
Incarnate Word Academy Basketball is enjoying their last 10 years of going to the Missouri State High School Activities Association championships in Columbia and, the last two years, in Springfield.
All of the last 10 years resulted in taking home state trophies, of which IWA won eight state championships.
Competing in the last seven years in Class Four the Red Knights won six state championships while taking fourth place in 2016. IWA also finished third in 2012 Class Five.
Last weekend, March 15-16, at JQH Arena at Missouri State University IWA won their third straight Class Four State title for the second time in the last seven years.
In fact, Incarnate became the first high school in MSHSAA history to win 10 Girls State Basketball titles, all since 1995, and nine of them, since 2006, are with coaching by Dan Rolfes, the most by any IWA coach.
IWA (30-2, Metro Women’s Athletic Association Champions [7-0]) is the fourth to win at least 10 State Basketball titles, behind three Boys’ teams. That includes newly crowned Class Three Champion Vashon (11) along with two Southeast Missouri teams, Charleston (11) and Scott County Central (18).
Girls Basketball is the second IWA team to win at least 10 titles. Only Volleyball, with 11 titles between 1976 and 2005, has more. Moreover, Girls Soccer, with a MSHSAA record nine state titles between 1989 and 2009, aims for 10 this spring. Overall, IWA has 30 MSHSAA State Championships.
In Girls Sports IWA Basketball, and Volleyball, joins elite company. They join St. Joseph’s Academy Tennis (15 MSHSAA state titles), Columbia-Rock Bridge Tennis (13), Hermann Volleyball (13), West Plains Cross Country (12), Parkway West Swimming and Diving (12), Herculaneum Cross Country (11), Lafayette Swimming and Diving (11), Berkeley High and McCluer South-Berkeley Track and Field (11) and St. Francis Borgia Volleyball (10).
FINAL FOUR –On March 16, Incarnate secured their 10th state title by pulling away from Kansas City Public School Lincoln College Prep 61-35. After trailing 2-0 with 6:08 to go in the first quarter, the Red Knights went on a 7-0 run in 3:59 and never railed since. IWA ended the first half on a 6-0 run and took a 23-11 lead to the locker room at halftime.
Incarnate went on another 6-0 run in 1:01 with 5:54 left in the third quarter and after Lincoln College Prep attempted a fourth-quarter rally the Red Knight closed the door on the Tigers with an 8-0 run in the final 1:24 to win by 26.
Six-foot senior Kiki Britzmann ended her IWA hoop career by scoring a game-high 19 points as she made 11 out of 13 free throw attempts. Six-foot-four senior center Rickie Woltman ended her IWA hoop career by scoring 14 points and pulling down 13 rebounds, 10 of them defensive. In addition, five-foot-six junior Kate Rolfes made a pair of three-pointers and scored 10 points.
In the March 15 semifinal at JQH Arena IWA secured their 11th state championship game by more than doubling St. Louis Public School Clyde C. Miller Career Academy 59-28. After Miller Career tied the game at 7-7 on a three-pointer by senior Daisha Seltzer with 1:43 left in the first quarter, the Red Knights were ahead during the last 25:27 of the game. After leading at halftime 34-16 at halftime the Red Knight put on a 7-0 run from 5:04 to 4:09 left in the third quarter then closed the door on the Phoenix with a 12-0 run that started with 58 seconds left in the third quarter and ended with 3:34 left in the fourth.
During that run the rolling clock, for a least a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter went into effect with 7:25 left.
Five foot-eight senior Marisa Warren scored 17 points, making eight of nine free throws, and pulled down 10 rebounds on defense while Britzmann hit six of nine shots for 15 points.
QUARTERFINAL — At Francis Howell Central March 9, IWA defeated Parkway North 60-52 at the Red Knights avenged a 65-62 home loss to the Vikings on Feb. 11. IWA led 49-36 after 3 quarters and had to withstand a 16-11 fourth quarter rally by Parkway North. Britzmann made 70 percent of her shots and scored 20 points, Woltman had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Warren scored 11.
SECTIONAL — At Troy Buchanan March 5, IWA just over-tripled St. Francis Borgia 73-24 as the Red-Knights made 63.6 percent of their shots (28-44) inside the three-point arc and blocked eight shots. Warren, who made seven out of 11 shots, and five-foot-ten senior Sam Eaker, who made six out of eight shots, each scored 15 points, Britzmann had 12 points and 10 rebounds while Rolfes had 10 points and four steals.
