Blog

By Jim Wieners

Incarnate Word Academy had won two straight  Class Five Girls State Basketball Championships the last two seasons but hopes for a third straight hit a rock March 8 at Mizzou Arena, Columbia, on the University of Missouri campus.

Rock as in Rock Bridge High School, which is located just over 2.6 miles south of Mizzou Arena, in Columbia. Rock Bridge denied Incarnate’s hope for a three-peat in the Class Five Semifinals as the Bruins edged the Red Knights, 46-43. It was the second win for Rock Bridge over IWA and snapping a 13-game Red Knight win streak between Bruin wins.

IWA settled for third place with a 49-45 win March 9 over Fort Zumwalt West and the Red Knights finished the 2011-12 season with a 26-7 record. Against Blue Springs in the March 10 Class Five Girls Championship Game Rock Bridge won 52-41.

IWA led by as much as 15 points early in the second quarter (20-5) but Rock Bridge slowly chewed that margin to 10 at halftime (26-16) and to four after three quarters (34-30). Rock Bridge took the lead for good in the fourth quarter with 4:49 left on a Sophie Cunningham free throw and led by as much as eight with 44 seconds left as IWA could not get any closer than three (46-43) with five seconds left on a three-pointer by Nakiah Bell.

Taylor Manuel led IWA with 19 points and four blocks while the Cunninghams, Sophie and Lindsey, led Rock Bridge with 11 points each.

Less than 24 hours later IWA took home their fifth third-place trophy. In 20 years IWA took home 11 state trophies including four championships.

IWA trailed by as much as 10 points against Fort Zumwalt West three times in the second quarter including 26-16 with 3:23 left before cutting that margin to five at halftime (26-21). IWA kept it close in the second half and took over the lead for good (44-43) with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter as Manuel scored the final seven points for the Red Knights while Fort Zumwalt West only scored two points in the final  4:50.

Manuel closed her prep career with 21 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and three steals while Gwen Adams scored 13. Marina Laramie led Fort Zumwalt West, who took home their first state girls basketball trophy, by scoring  18.

IWA secured their trip to Mizzou Arena with a 49-42 quarterfinal win March 3 over St. Joseph’s Academy in a packed University of Missouri-St. Louis Mark Twain Building Gymnasium. It was the third time IWA defeated St. Joe as the Red Knights won at home on Jan. 28, 50-45, and in the championship game of the Visitation Academy Christmas Tournament, 46-41 on Dec. 28, 2011. The Red Knights were led by Manuel, with 12 points, and Cierra Young, who added 11 while St. Joe was led by Sydney Stipanovich with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Three days earlier, Feb. 29 at UMSL Mark Twain, IWA routed Parkway South, 6