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FRONTENAC The Incarnate Word girls basketball team continued its near-decade long domination of the Visitation Christmas Tournament on Friday.

The Red Knights got a game-high 16 points from sophomore standout Napheesa Collier as they knocked off St. Josephs 49-34 in the championship game.

For Incarnate Word (10-0, No. 1 in the STLhighschoolsports.com small-schools rankings) it is its ninth title in the tournament -- second only to the host team, which has 10 -- its fifth straight and its eighth out of the past nine years.

It was really intense, said Collier, who helped the Red Knights beat the Angels a third straight year in the title game. I loved it. It was fun.

St. Josephs (7-1, No. 2 LS), which was aiming for its seventh tournament title, was led by Sydney Stipanovich, who had 10 points.

Down 9-8 at the end of the first quarter, the Red Knights outscored the Angels 14-3 in the second eight minutes of play to take a 22-12 lead at the half. They ballooned the lead to 39-23 at the end of three quarters, and they coasted from there.

I thought our defensive pressure was good, IWA coach Dan Rolfes said. Our press really turned things around in the second quarter (and) really gave us the momentum.

Red Knights junior McKenna Treece, who sat out all of last year with a knee injury, had a coming out party with 10 points, eight of which she tallied in the second quarter.

Shes just been battling injury after injury, said Rolfes of Treece, who also is rebounding from a broken bone in her foot she sustained early in the season. She posted big, demanded the ball, wanted the ball and finished.

Incarnate Word also got a solid effort from Nakiah Bell, who tallied 12 points and a number of steals.

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Incarnate Word tops St. Joe's for ninth Visitation Tournament title