Xavier Boys Basketball

Saints foiled at buzzer by 3-pointer

Down 16 points in the third period at home Saturday afternoon to Davenport Assumption, the Xavier boys did everything right the rest of the way to even the score with 14 seconds left in the game.

The gritty come-from-behind effort was all for naught in the end, however, when the Knights' Hunter Grenier swished only his second 3-point attempt of the season as time ran out.

Fitting, perhaps, that the Saints should fall 49-46 on a long-range shot since that's what got them into trouble in the first place. By draining three treys in each of the first two quarters, Assumption (4-4) coasted to a 28-16 halftime lead.

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Saints fall to 10th in cage ratings

The Xavier Saints fell from No.8 to No.10 in the Associated Press Class 3A boys basketball rankings Monday after losing to top-ranked Iowa City West Friday.

Xavier (4-2) is the only ranked team from the Metro area. Kennedy (5-1) received votes in the Class 4A rankings.

The No.1 teams are Iowa City West in 4A, Harlan in 3A, Western Christian in 2A and Newell-Fonda in 1A.

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No.1 Trojans belt Saints by 34

IOWA CITY - Trying to upset the No.1 team is made a lot more difficult by turning it over, Class 3A No.8 Xavier found out Friday.

It was like trying to ice skate uphill against Class 4A No.1 Iowa City West, and the Saints lost, 75-41, in a Mississippi Valley Conference boys basketball game in Iowa City.

"We did a poor job of handling their pressure," Xavier Coach Ryan Luehrsmann said. "We talked about it. We tried to simulate it in practice ... But it was as good as advertised. And turnovers killed us."

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McDermott's prayer answered for Xavier

Adam McDermott proved himself to be a clutch performer when he got his opportunities last season as a sophomore.

But nothing he did as a 10th grader could match what the Xavier guard pulled off to win Tuesday night’s game against Jefferson at the Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

Jefferson’s Brandon Wiederin split a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining that gave the J-Hawks a two-point lead.

Xavier got the ball in to McDermott, who weaved through a wave of Jefferson defenders to let a shot go at half court, just ahead of the final buzzer. It banked in off the glass, lifting the Saints to a 36-35 victory.

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