WEBSTER GROVES – It seemed like business as usual for eight-time defending state champion Incarnate Word at the start of its Webster Winter Challenge semifinal game against Rock Bridge.
Flawless execution on offense and timely anticipation on defense helped the Red Knights build a quick, double-digit lead, and a familiar movie seemed inevitable.
Nobody relayed the script to Rock Bridge.
Incarnate Word and Rock Bridge renewed their rivalry by exchanging first half haymakers before the Red Knights pulled away for an 84-57 victory Friday at Roberts Gymnasium at Webster Groves HIgh.
Incarnate Word (16-2) won its sixth consecutive Webster Winter Challenge the following day with a victory over Cor Jesu. The Red Knights have won the tourney title 12 of the last 14 years.
Great starts are synonymous with Incarnate Word and Friday was no exception. Interior baskets by Nevaeh Lucious and triples by Bridget Fitzgerald, Peyton Olufson and Addi Owen put the Red Knights ahead 13-0 in the blink of an eye.
“We always talk about how the first three minutes in each half really dictate the game for us, so I was glad to see that,” said Incarnate Word coach Dan Rolfes, who was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame the previous evening.
Rock Bridge (14-5) has its own Hall-of-Fame coach, and after Jill Nagel called a timeout, the Bruins gave Incarnate Word a taste of its own medicine.
Jayda Porter and Simone Walker scored near the basket, Tayte Higgins drained a three, and Rock Bridge scored the next 14 points to take a 14-13 lead. Porter led the Bruins with 20 points, and during the tournament, broke the Rock Bridge career scoring and career rebounding mark.
“Going into it, we said that we were going to have to weather some storms,” Nagel said. “I thought we did an excellent job breaking their press, and that is usually what gives people fits.”
Lucious and Porter exchanged baskets in the paint, Owen and Higgins exchanged long-range bombs and when Walker converted a putback at the buzzer, Rock Bridge trailed only 39-37 at halftime.
“We were testing each other back and forth, trying to throw the biggest punch,” said Olufson, a SLU commit.
Before Incarnate Word coaches arrived in the halftime locker room, players discussed the test they were facing.
“We told each other. ‘Stick together, we’re going to get through this. Share the ball, hype each other up, do all the little things,’” said Owen, a SEMO commit.
Post scoring by Lucious and a pair of threes by Olufson helped the Red Knights mount another 13-0 run to start the second half. This time, Incarnate Word did not allow the Bruins to reciprocate. Lucious and Bridget Fitzgerald bracketed Porter in the post, and the Red Knights forced a bevy of errant passes in the half court.
“Rock Bridge is always a tough opponent. They’re going to be prepared, they’re going to try to take away stuff that we do, and we had to adjust,” Rolfes said. “We adjusted how we were guarding their post players and how we were defending some screens and it made a difference in the second half.”
And the Incarnate Word bench played a major factor as well. Ava Albanese, Gia Barbieri, Libby O’Donnell and Maddie Perry combined for 18 points and helped the Red Knights continue to apply pressure on the defensive end.
“Our bench is pretty deep, so if I’m tired, I know I’ve got someone coming in for me who can guard, and that’s pretty special,” Owen said.
Another special aspect of this Incarnate Word team is the lack of a prolific scorer. In years past, the Red Knights had a player or two averaging 18-to-20 points per game. This season, no player averages more than 12.4 per game and four players average in double-figures.
Lucious leads the team in rebounding, Owen leads in steals and Savannah Stricker leads in assists.
“We all buy into the program. We’re in the gym shooting before school, before practice, after practice, and we push each other to get better,” Owen said.
Incarnate Word is currently ranked No. 7 in the country. Three of its last four losses have been to teams ranked No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 nationally. The last loss to a team from Missouri was a 46-44 setback to Rock Bridge at the 2020 Webster Winter Challenge. The Red Knights followed that loss with a record-setting 141-game winning streak that included four undefeated seasons.
That level of excellence comes with pressure and requires the ability to withstand every opponent’s best punch, as evidenced in Friday’s win over Rock Bridge.
But winning is not the only ingredient that defines a successful season for the Red Knights.
“A big goal for us is playing with joy,” Olufson said. “We don’t get caught up in little things we can’t control or that don’t matter. We’re a really close group. We lean on each other in hard times and we quickly get each other out.”
Owen added, “We do this for fun. We get four years and then we have to move on. As a senior, I’m just enjoying every minute of it.”
For a photo gallery from this game, visit: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/2023-24-Girls-Basketball/Girls-Basketball-2025-26/Incarnate-Word-vs-Rock-Bridge-2-6-26