Xavier Girls Basketball

Xavier, Prairie crack girls basketball rankings

The Xavier Saints and Prairie Hawks will begin the 2012-13 girls basketball season in the rankings. Their job will be to stay there.

The Saints are ranked No. 4 in Class 4A and the Hawks are ranked No. 9 in the new Class 5A.

Xavier compiled an 18-6 record last season and reached the state tournament. Prairie went 12-10 and returns a good nucleus of players.

Prairie opened the season Saturday night at Muscatine and the Hawks were beaten by the No. 4 Muskies, 64-43. Xavier will begin the season Tuesday night with a home game against Decorah.

Southeast Polk was ranked No. 1 in the preseason Class 5A poll by the IGHSAU. Bishop Heelan was ranked No. 1 in Class 4A.

The other top teams are Davenport Assumption in 3A, Western Christian in 2A and Bedford in 1A.

CLASS 5A
(2011-12 record in parenthesis)
1. Southeast Polk (24-2), 2. Mason City (21-3), 3. Iowa City High (17-7), 4. Muscatine (19-4), 5. Waukee (20-6), 6. Iowa City West (25-1), 7. Ames (16-7), 8. Des Moines East (15-6), 9. Prairie (12-10), 10. West Des Moines Valley (14-9).

CLASS 4A
(2011-12 record in parenthesis)
1. Bishop Heelan (24-2), 2. Winterset (19-5), 3. Benton Community (24-1), 4. Xavier (18-6), 5. Dallas Center Grimes (18-6), 6. Waverly-Shell Rock (17-6), 7. Dubuque Wahlert (13-9), 8. Western Dubuque (13-9), 9. Indianola (11-12), 10. Washington, Iowa (18-5).

Ankeny pokes Saints in the eye, 39-25

DES MOINES - Emily Walvoord had red watery bloodshot eyes after the Xavier Saints lost to Ankeny in the state basketball tournament Wednesday, but it wasn't from crying.

Walvoord got elbowed in the eye in the first half and missed a chunk of playing time. "I was seeing triple," she said. "I can look straight ahead fine, but the side is blurry."

That summed up the day for the fifth-ranked Saints as they lost to fourth-ranked Ankeny, 39-25, in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.

Things looked a little blurry for Xavier, which was held to its lowest point total of the season in its biggest game of the year. The Saints scored only three points in the second quarter and did not score during the first four minutes of the fourth period.

"What we ran into was a very experienced state tournament team," said Xavier Coach Tom Lilly. "They experienced the state tournament the last three years and they certainly knew how to respond to it and how to play on the big stage.

"Unfortunately for our kids, it was all new. And I think at times that got to us and played to their advantage."

Ankeny (21-3) will play in the semifinals Friday night.

"They have great athletes," said Lilly. "They're big and they're physical. I don't know how they got three losses."

Maddie Manning, a 6-foot-2 point guard who has signed with the Oklahoma Sooners, played a smooth game and led Ankeny with 18 points despite twisting an ankle. In a mismatch that typified the day, the Saints gave 5-foot-7 junior Kayla Armstrong the unenviable task of trying to keep Manning under control.

"It's one of those situations," said Lilly. "You just try to do the best you can and hope for the best. But you don't run into a 6-foot-2 point guard very often."

Ankeny also featured 6-foot-3 center Krista Pettepier, who has signed with the University of Pittsburgh; 6-foot forward Shayla Starkenberg, who will play softball at Iowa; and 5-8 senior Maddie Muhlenbruck, who will play basketball at Simpson.

"They're a tough team," said Xavier center Alex Bartz, a thin 6-2 senior. "They have a lot of tall girls."

The Saints forged an 8-8 tie in the first quarter and were holding their own in a defensive struggle, but then Walvoord got poked in the eye and missed most of the second period with blurred vision. That's when the Hawkettes took control.

"I think it had a big impact on the game, because at the time she went out we were playing with them a little bit," said Lilly. "When she sat down, that's when they went on a 6-0 run. And as a result of that, they spread it out right before the half.

"I'm sad for her," said Lilly. "We could have used her."

Ankeny led at halftime, 19-11. Walvoord returned for the second half and helped the Saints get within 23-17, but the Hawkettes finished the third period with a 7-0 spurt to grab a 30-17 advantage heading into the final stanza.

Ankeny scored the first five points of the fourth period to finish a 12-0 run and make it 35-17 with less than five minutes left to play. At that point, Xavier had scored 17 points in 27 minutes of basketball.

"I thought we played tough," said Ankeny Coach Scott De Jong, "and we needed to play tough to beat a good Xavier team."

Ankeny returned all five starters from its 2011 state tournament club, giving the Hawkettes a huge edge over the Saints.

"I think so," said Manning. "We know the feeling. We're just more comfortable coming on the court and playing games here. I think it gives us a big advantage."

De Jong agreed with his star player. Ankeny lost in the first round of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 state tournaments and didn't want to have it happen again.

"No. 1, it was the determination," he said. "We've been here four times, we don't want those feelings in the locker room again. That was something the kids talked about a lot."

Ankeny is playing in the state tournament for the 25th time in school history, a state record, and the Hawkettes are seeking the 11th state title in school history.

Walvoord led Xavier (18-6) with eight points and six rebounds, despite playing only 15 minutes due to the blurred vision. Bartz contributed six rebounds, five blocked shots and four points.

Bartz became the fourth member of her family to play in the girls state tournament. Amanda Bartz, a half-sister, played in the state tournament with Cedar Rapids Washington. Two other older sisters, Jordan and Shea, played in state tournaments with Xavier, and Jordan was a member of the Class 3A state championship team in 2007.

"They told me to relax and have fun, because it might be my last game," said Bartz. "They told me to play with all your heart and have fun."

Bartz plans to study biology at Iowa State and try out for the track team as a high jumper. She said she enjoyed the trip to Des Moines, despite the unhappy ending.

"It was indescribable," she said. "This was the first time that this group of girls had ever been in the state tournament.

"Walking on that floor at first was nerve-wracking, but once you're out there playing on the floor, it's an awesome feeling and it's fun."

Xavier made more field goals than Ankeny, 12-10, but the Hawkettes crushed the Saints at the foul line, 18-1. There was not a big discrepancy in total fouls - 17 by Xavier, 13 by Ankeny - but the Saints fouled shooters while the Hawkettes fouled dribblers and rebounders.

The biggest discrepancy came before either team headed to Wells Fargo Arena. Ankeny, one of the biggest schools in the state, has 2,300 students in its building. Xavier, the second-smallest school in Class 4A, has only 800 students.

"It was pretty much stacked when we walked into the gym," said Lilly. "We knew that."

Ankeny will be split into two high schools for the 2013-14 school year, which could change the equation. "We won't be as good," De Jong acknowledged.

Lilly thought his team did the best it could, considering the odds and the opponent.

"We're disappointed, but we're also happy that we had the opportunity. It's a great experience," he said. "Hopefully it energized the Xavier community and the younger kids in the program. We had a great journey."

XAVIER (25): Armstrong 2 0-0 4, Dale 2 0-0 4, Andersen 0 0-0 0, Walvoord 4 0-0 8, Bartz 2 0-3 4, Winker 0 0-0 0, Deutmeyer 0 0-0 0, Dickes 0 0-0 0, Noonan 1 0-0 2, Chute 0 0-2 0, Bertsch 0 0-0 0, Breitbach 1 0-0 2, Chorzempa 0 0-0 0, Boomgarden 0 1-2 1, Stulken 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 1-7 25.

ANKENY (39): Robson 0 0-0 0, Manning 5 8-9 18, Starkenberg 3 1-3 7, Muhlenbruck 0 1-1 1, Pettepier 0 5-6 5, Brandt 0 0-0 0, Bingham 0 0-0 0, Wanninger 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Hedrick 2 2-2 7, Hetrick 0 0-0 0, Winters 0 0-0 0, Jones 0 1-2 1. Totals 10 18-23 39.

Halftime - Ankeny 19, Xavier 11. 3-point goals - Xavier 0, Ankeny 1 (Hedrick 1).

Complete Boxscore

No.5 Saints bracing for big hurdle in Des Moines

The Ankeny Hawkettes have two future Division I college basketball players on their team and 2,300 students in their high school.

The Xavier Saints don't have any Division I players on their club and only 800 students in their school.

Ankeny's seniors are playing in their fourth straight state tournament, whereas Xavier's seniors are playing in their first.

They'll meet Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the opening round of the Class 4A state tournament at spacious Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

"I hope we don't turn into Hickory at Butler University and go, 'Oh, look at this place,'" said Xavier Coach Tom Lilly, referring to the iconic basketball movie "Hoosiers."

"There's always that fear, because we haven't been there," he said. "It would be different if our kids had been down there and seen the vastness of it and the sounds and the noise and the thud. The ball 'thuds' differently on the floor down there.

"It's all different, and none of our girls have done that. That puts them (Ankeny) psychologically in a much better position than we are."

In the movie, based on a true story, little Hickory High School stuns the big school for the Indiana state title. It can happen.

"I feel like we really don't have that much pressure on us, so we're all just going out there trying to get our teammates another win to keep the season going," said Xavier junior Kayla Armstrong.

State tournament experience, student enrollment and Division I talent all favor Ankeny, but the Class 4A rankings suggest another story. The Hawkettes (20-3) are ranked No. 4 in the state and the Saints (18-5) are No. 5, so that indicates a tossup.

And although Ankeny played in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 state tournaments, the Hawkettes lost in the first round every time.

"You can have the best player in the state, you can have Miss Gatorade Basketball and there's no guarantee of winning anything," said Lilly, who is making his 10th trip to the state tournament since 1989 (two with Regis, eight with Xavier).

Ankeny features Maddie Manning, a 6-foot-2 point guard and "Miss Basketball" candidate who has signed with the Oklahoma Sooners. The Hawkettes also have Krista Pettepier, a 6-3 center who is headed to the University of Pittsburgh to play basketball, and Shayla Starkenburg, a 6-foot senior who will play softball at Iowa.

The Saints, meanwhile, don't have anyone on their roster that averaged in double digits this season. Katlyn Andersen is the leading scorer at 9.2 points per game, but the Saints have a few "intangibles" in their slingshot.

"We have really good team chemistry," said Armstrong. "We all get along really well on and off the court. It's basically a team effort."

The Saints also play defense, a trademark for Lilly's teams during his 27 years and 451 victories at Regis and Xavier. Defense helped the Saints win Class 3A state titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007 before jumping to Class 4A in 2009.

Xavier hopes defense, teamwork, an unselfish attitude and a strong belief system can help them overcome the odds in Des Moines.

"I honestly think these kids play for each other," said Lilly. "They know they're not superstars when it comes to the offensive end. We have some kids on some nights play like superstars, but we don't rely on them consistently to put in 'X' amount of points in order to be successful.

"I think they have a lot of determination, they're gutsy, they play hard and they realize that their coach emphasizes the defensive part of the game. I don't think any one of them is really concerned about their numbers, because none of them are thinking that some college scout is not going to give me a scholarship because I'm only at eight points a game.

"I think for the most part our kids are interested in being a good team, I think our kids are interested in the journey," he said. "We preach the journey much moreso than the destination."

Ankeny captured four straight Class 4A state titles in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, so both schools have spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight this century. They both claimed state titles in 2003 and 2005, only in different classes.

Lilly didn't know what to expect this season, but he gladly would have taken 18 wins, the No. 5 ranking and a trip to Des Moines if anyone had made the offer in November.

"Absolutely," he said. "You know, whoop-de-doo. I'm very ecstatic about what our coaches accomplished.

"Our offense is just good enough, and our defense is a lot better than I thought coming into it."

Lilly uses 11 players (and sometimes 12) to keep fresh girls on the court and maintain their defensive intensity. Andersen, Armstrong, Annie Dale, Alex Bartz and Emily Walvoord are the starters, with Sarah Dickes, Ashley Stulken, Hayley Deutmeyer, Lisa Boomgarden, Maddie Bertsch, Nicole Noonan and Katelyn Winker coming off the bench.

The starters average between 5.4 and 9.2 points per game. "We're not faking anybody out," said Lilly.

Xavier practiced at Kirkwood Community College Monday night take to get accustomed to a 94-foot court, which is what they'll see at Wells Fargo Arena. That's 10 feet longer than the 84-foot court used in high school and Lilly wanted to show his players the difference.

If the Saints beat No. 4 Ankeny in the quarterfinals, they might have to face No. 1 Southeast Polk in the semifinals and No. 2 Iowa City West in the finals. "That's not too shabby right there," said Lilly. "There are some great teams down there, some great offensive players."

Xavier is the only Metro team in the girls state basketball tournament this year and the Saints are anxious to make a good showing.

"We're really happy with the opportunity to represent Cedar Rapids, the community, the Xavier community and the Mississippi Valley," said Lilly.

Saints top wounded Hawks for trip to state

It's nothing new for the Xavier girls to go to the state basketball tournament.

They've been there eight times in the past 14 years under Coach Tom Lilly. But not since 2008.

So for the six seniors on the Saints roster (four of them starters), the 50-43 victory over Prairie in the regional final Tuesday night at Linn-Mar means their first trip to Des Moines.

"These senior girls and the younger players on the team, too, now know what all that summer work was about," Lilly said. "All the practices, all the workouts. This is what it was for. To make it back to the state tournament."

As the lone Metro representative in the tournament, Class 4A fifth-ranked Xavier (18-5) will face fourth-ranked Ankeny (20-3) next Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena.

After a scintillating start to their season, the resurgent Prairie Hawks ended the year at 12-10.

If not for a gutsy comeback by some very resilient young players of their own, Prairie could easily have lost the game with Xavier in the first minute of play.

On its first possession, sophomore point guard Madison Dellamuth's knee buckled on a hard drive to the bucket and she left the floor in pain. She did not return to action and Coach Steve Doser said the extent of the injury will not be known until she's evaluated.

Her loss was incalculable, although her teammates stepped up in her absence.

"Coming into the game, we knew that Dellamuth was going to be tough to guard," said Annie Dale, Xavier's spunky senior point guard. "We wanted to pack the lane to keep them from driving. So to lose her right off really  hurt them."

The suddenly depleted Hawks made just one shot out of nine attempts in the first quarter and committed five turnovers. With Dale scoring on two nifty drives, the Saints raced to an 11-0 start and led 15-2 after one period.

"Then," said Lilly, "we began to play very conservative and tentative. And we missed a lot of easy baskets.

"Instead of playing to win, we started to play not to lose. That's often when you lose."

Meanwhile, the remaining threats in Prairie's offensive arsenal continued to plug away with scrappy play. Junior Courteney McCrary popped in two quick 3-pointers and added two more buckets as the Hawks went on their own 12-4 run to close the gap to four at halftime.

Before fouling out late, she and junior Alisa Weiland along with sophomore Cyerra Hutchins kept the game close. When Weiland hit a trey to open the fourth quarter, the Hawks were back in the hunt at 32-32.

"What we stressed was to play in the present," Lilly said. "If you miss a shot, move on. And to stay mentally tough. In the end, we played just tough enough to win it."

Junior Kayla Armstrong made two layups in a row, the second coming off a feed from Dale, and the Saints were soon back up by five with five minutes to go. They could have salted it away from the free throw line, but were just eight for 17 down the stretch.

"That," said Lilly, "is uncharacteristic of our team."

Still, it was good enough to preserve the victory and send the girls to the state tourney.

"It was a little rocky at times tonight," Armstrong said. "It was a hard-fought battle. But we picked it up as a team. It was a good team win."

XAVIER (50): Emily Walvoord 6 1-3 13, Katlyn Andersen 2 6-10 11, Kayla Armstrong 5 1-5 11, Annie Dale 3 1-4 7, Alex Bartz 0 0-0 0, Maddie Bertsch 2 1-2 5, Sarah Dickes 1 0-1 3, Lisa Boomgarden 0 0-0 0, Ashley Stulken 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 10-25 50.

PRAIRIE (43): Katilyn Yanecek 0 0-0 0, Alisa Weiland 4 0-0 11, Courteney McCrary 6 1-2 15, Madison Dellamuth 0 0-0 0, Cyerra Hutchins 3 4-7 10, Emilie Rotter 0 5-8 5, Chrisandra Freeman 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 10-17 43.

Halftime - Xavier 19, Prairie 14. 3-point goals - Xavier 2 (Dickes 1, Andersen 1), Prairie 5 (Weiland 3, McCrary 2). Fouled out - McCrary.