Xavier High School clicked off state championships in girls’ basketball in 2003, 2005 and 2007, but those were the “old days” when the Saints played in the Class 3A tournament.

Xavier is a 4A school now. Life is harder.

“It’s a challenge. There’s no doubt about it,” Coach Tom Lilly said. “Right now, you’re going to see more Division-I type athletes in 4A, and you’re going to see more of them. You’re going to see more athletic types of kids who can play the game of basketball.”

The Saints will have to battle 6-foot-3 Kiah Stokes of Linn-Mar, 6-foot-2 Tia Dawson of Washington and 6-foot-1 Virginia Johnson of Iowa City High this season in the Mississippi Valley Conference, a 4A league except for Dubuque Wahlert. Stokes has committed to UCONN, the two-time defending NCAA champions, while Johnson has committed to Iowa. Last year, the Saints also had to contend with current Hawkeye Jade Rogers when the 6-footer played at Kennedy.

Xavier did not see a steady stream of talent like that in the Class 3A state tournament, but the school grew in enrollment and the Saints got pushed up a class. But not by much.

There are 48 schools in Class 4A basketball. Xavier ranks 47th in enrollment, and there’s quite a gap between the biggest and smallest. West Des Moines Dowling is the largest 4A school with 2,016 students in grades 10-12, according to the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. Western Dubuque ranks 48th with 564 students in grades 10-12, and Xavier is 47th with 603 students in the three upper grades.

In terms of Metro competition, Kennedy ranks sixth in Class 4A with 1,379 students in grades 10-12, Linn-Mar is ninth (1,300), Jefferson 13th (1,251), Washington 23rd (1,071), Prairie 32nd (973) and Xavier 47th (603).

If the Saints kicked 39 kids out of school, they could drop to Class 3A again for postseason competition. Lilly laughed at that suggestion, saying it would be tough to “yo-yo” between 4A and 3A on a regular basis.

The Saints are a 4A school in girls’ basketball and they’re learning how to adjust. “We can’t continue to do the things we have always done in the past in regard to 3A and still get the job done,” Lilly remarked.

For one thing, the Saints lift weights and study film on Saturday mornings as a 4A outfit. They didn’t do that in the “old days” in Class 3A.

“It just seems like a small thing, but it’s something we’ve never had to do before,” he said.

Xavier made the jump from 3A to 4A for the 2008-09 school year.  The Saints reached the Class 4A state tournament in their first attempt in 2009 but lost in the first round, and they didn’t make it last season when they finished 14-8 overall and 10-6 in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Life is definitely harder in 4A, but the Saints are not complaining.

“I like it,” said Krissi Tow, a 6-foot junior. “I actually like it a lot more than playing against smaller schools. I really like the challenge. I like playing against really good players. You feel good when you do something good against them.”

Lilly certainly felt good when the Saints won their state titles in 2003, ’05 and ’07.

“You certainly appreciate those opportunities, those moments,” he said. “And probably what I miss more than anything else was not spending enough time to smell the roses.

“You dig and you work hard for that first one, and you get that second one to validate the first, and the third one was a scenario where we weren’t expected to do much of anything and we just shocked the world by beating No.2, No.3 and No.4 in an eight-team tournament.”

It’s harder to win a state title now, but the Saints will keep trying.

“We know it can be done, we know there’s a Cinderella out there somewhere,” Lilly said. “Usually, unfortunately, with most Cinderellas, the slippers fall off before they reach the big dance the next day.”

Lilly is beginning his 26th year as a head girls’ basketball coach. He compiled a 188-102 record in 13 years at Regis High School, and he’s fashioned a 230-72 mark in 12 seasons at Xavier for an overall record of 418-174.

The Saints return three starters from last year’s team with Alex Saxen, Tyler Sampson and Tow. Saxen, a 5-10 senior, averaged 7.3 points last season. Sampson, a 5-9 senior, averaged 1.5 points. Tow averaged 5.4 points.

Annie Dale, a 5-5 junior, and Emily Walvoord, a 5-10 junior, also earned varsity letters last season.

Graduation claimed Colleen Bouchard, the team’s leading scorer at 11.3 points, along with Hannah Breitbach, Shea Bartz, McKenna Miller, Jessica Gansen and Viola Vollmer.

“I think that we’re going to have to find three offensive players that want to come and consistently bring it,” Lilly remarked. “I think in order to be competitive in this league, you can’t rely on one kid, two kids.

“The one thing we can always lay our hat on is the fact that we’re going to defend pretty well,” he said. “We’re going to be more aggressive and push it out a little bit (on offense). We’re going to see if we can go back to that and generate a little offense.

“We’re young,” he said. “We have a lot of growing up to do.”

The Saints have four seniors, eight juniors and two sophomores on the roster.

Tow is confident and optimistic.

“I think we’re going to be pretty good,” she said. “I think we have a good chance of doing pretty well this season. We’re looking forward to it.”

Tow used to sit in the stands at Xavier, watching the older girls on their way to state titles.

“Me and my family and some of the other girls I played basketball with would always be at the games in the front row, cheering them on, excited to get there next year,” she said. “I remember idolizing all the girls on the team and thinking, ‘I want to be like them, I want to play and be a state championship team.’ I hope we can do it.”

ROSTER

Seniors (4)

Alex Saxen (5-10), Rachel Wiltgen (5-9), Jenny Murtha (5-9), Tyler Sampson (5-9).

Juniors (8)

Annie Dale (5-5), Nicole Noonan (5-8), Katelyn Winker (5-7), Katlyn Andersen (5-7), Alex Bartz (6-1), Ashley Dostal (5-8), Emily Walvoord (5-10), Krissi Tow (6-0).

Sophomores (2)

Sarah Dickes (5-6), Lisa Boomgarden (6-0).

SCHEDULE

Friday, Nov. 19 — Jefferson Jamboree

Tuesday, Nov. 23 — Decorah, 6 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 26 — at Davenport West, 5 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 27 — Johnston, 5 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 30 — Dubuque Wahlert, 6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 3 — at Dubuque Senior, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 7 — at Waterloo East, 6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 10 — Kennedy, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 11 — West Des Moines Dowling, 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 14 — Iowa City High, 6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 17 — at Iowa City West, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 21 — at Davenport Assumption, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 4 — Cedar Falls, 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 7 — Linn-Mar, 6 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 10 — at Washington, 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 14 — Prairie, 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 21 — at Jefferson, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 25 — Waterloo West, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 27 — Iowa City West, 6 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 4 — at Linn-Mar, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 8 — at Dubuque Hempstead, 6 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 11 — at Prairie, 6 p.m.