Incarnate Word Academy, based in St. Louis, Missouri, made high school girls basketball history on Saturday by winning its 139th consecutive game. The Red Knights earned their record-breaking win during the Sophie Cunningham Classic in Columbia, by defeating Blue Valley North from Overland Park, Kansas, 68-51. This streak surpasses the previous national record held by Central Plains High School from Claflin, Kansas. IWA then finished the tournament with another win over Whitney Young Academy out of Chicago for their 140th straight victory.
The win streak started in 2020 and includes five consecutive Class 6 state championships. The Red Knight’s last loss happened on February 8, 2020, in a game against Rock Bridge High School of Columbia. Rock Bridge is Sophie’s alma mater.
Incarnate Word has produced some outstanding basketball players who have excelled outside of high school. Most notable is Naphessa Collier, a 2015 graduate, Collier was a standout at the University of Connecticut and currently plays as a forward in the WNBA, earning multiple All-Star selections. Natalie Potts was a 2023 graduate, was a two-time Missouri MaxPreps Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021. She plays for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2024. Before that, Felicia Chester-Wootton was a key player who led the Red Knights to the 2006 Missouri State Championship title during her senior year. She went on to play for DePaul University and later in the WNBA.
Coach Dan Rolfes joined Show Me Today last month to talk about how his team handled the pressure. He also discussed his near-death experience at last year’s Final Four, which also took place in Columbia.