ST. PETERS — Addi Owen doesn't mind getting up at 5:30 a.m.
every day. Actually, the Incarnate Word junior loves every minute of her sunrise 75-minute shooting sessions at the Bel-Nor school. "I've always wanted to be a great shooter," Owen said.
"And putting the work in is the way to get there." Owen's early-morning efforts paid big dividends Thursday night. The 5-foot-3-inch sparkplug drilled four 3-pointers — all at crucial times — to lift the Red Knights to a 65-48 win over Lutheran St.
Charles in an early-season battle of Class 6 girls basketball powers in central St. Peters. The highly anticipated contest was played before a capacity crowd of nearly 1,000.
IWA won its 134th successive game, the longest running streak in the nation. The Red Knights (3-0) have long been the first word in Missouri basketball and have not lost since dropping a 46-44 decision to Rock Bridge on Feb. 8, 2020.
They have captured seven successive state championships and have brought the crown back to the area 10 times over the last 11 years the event has been played. IWA remains a strong bet to claim another crown, thanks in part to Owen and returning senior starters Peyton Hill and Nevaeh Caffey. Hill and Caffey added 15 points each to a balanced attack Thursday.
But Owen came through with four of the biggest shots of the night. She attributed her long-range success to the continued lengthy workouts in the gym. Owen and her father Nathan drive from their Lake St.
Louis home to Bel-Nor in .
