Xavier Girls Basketball

Saxen finds her groove at Missouri Western

Alex Saxen turned frustration and disappointment into a celebration last Saturday (Dec. 17) when she scored 21 points for Missouri Western State University in a women's basketball game against Washburn.

It took everyone by surprise, because the Xavier High School graduate had played a grand total of only eight minutes in Missouri Western's first eight games and was scoreless for the season.

Saxen did not play at all in five of Missouri Western's first eight games and had gotten mopup time with 3 minutes, 2 minutes and 3 minutes in the games she was allowed to play.

Frustrated and confused, she had a private meeting with Coach Lynn Plett two weeks ago to watch film and ask him questions about her role on the team.

"I said, 'What do I need to do? Sitting on the bench and watching isn't what I came here for,'" she remarked.

Saxen said they had a good conversation, then coaches and players began to encourage her in practice before Missouri Western met Washburn in Topeka, Kan. Saxen was told to be ready to play, but wasn't sure what to expect.

Plett called for "Alex" with about 12 minutes left in the first half, but Saxen figured he was calling for the other "Alex" on the team - Alex Noble, not Alex Saxen. Then she realized he wanted her.

"I was very surprised to go in during the first half," she said. "It was kind of like, 'OK, show them what you've got.'"

She did exactly that.

Saxen entered the game with 11:44 left in the first half and scored seven points in seven minutes. She felt like a productive basketball player again, just like her days at Xavier.

"Coach came in at halftime and said, 'Alex, you're doing great.' And he told the team, 'I'm going to play the players with heart.'"

He gave Saxen the green light to drive and shoot. "He'd never done that before," she said. "It was kind of nice to have the green light."

Brimming with confidence, Saxen poured in 14 points in 17 minutes in the second half and finished with a team-high 21 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes.

Plett complimented Saxen in front of the team after the game. "He said, 'Alex, you're not a freshman anymore.' He said, 'I think we've found five players who will play with heart.'"

Missouri Western lost, 87-63, dropping its record to 2-7, but Saxen finally felt like she belonged on the club. "It's been hard, sitting on the bench while everyone plays," she said. "Saturday was a real confidence booster."

Saxen, a 5-foot-11 swing player, averaged 10.1 points as a senior at Xavier last season and was named to the All-Metro and All-Mississippi Valley Conference teams. She's a versatile player who can score inside, score outside and handle the ball.

Saxen proved her versatility against Washburn. She hit three 3-pointers, shot 5 for 9 overall from the floor and went 8 for 8 at the foul line. Prior to that game, she had taken one shot all season and missed it.

Saxen did not let her frustrations in basketball affect the rest of her collegiate experience during her first semester. She carried a heavy academic load with 18 credit hours and appears headed for a solid B-plus average. She's interested in a degree in health and exercise science.

Saxen also joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, worked as a volunteer at a special needs school (helping people with disabilities) and also joined a campus leadership group.

"I like to keep busy, I guess," she said.

Saxen realizes now that taking 18 hours may have been too much, so she's taking only 12 hours this winter. Eighteen hours, including a lab, was a heavy load with all her other activities.

"That's one of the reasons my confidence got down, because I was so overwhelmed," she said. "I'll be able to focus a little more on basketball this semester."

Saxen spent the holidays on vacation with her family in Arizona. Missouri Western will practice again Tuesday at its campus in St. Joseph, Mo., for its game at Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 31.

Saxen does not know if she'll be in the starting lineup against Nebraska-Omaha, but she's confident she'll get a chance to play.

"I'm just going to go into practice on Tuesday and work as hard as I have been," she said. "I'm just happy to have my confidence back."

No. 8 Xavier girls trim Assumption, 52-46

Katlyn Anderson worked her way into the lane and kissed the ball off the board with 1:38 remaining to tie the game and hit her free throw to complete the three-point play to give Xavier a 45-44 lead Tuesday night.

That was the play of the night.

The Saints outscored Davenport Assumption 7-2 from there and gave Assumption its first loss of the season, 52-46, at Xavier.

“It was just a regular play,” said Anderson. “Just like we run in practice and I got fouled, too. I have to focus on free throws, I can’t make them bigger than they are, just shoot them.”

Xavier, ranked No .8 in Class 4A, raised its record to 9-2 heading into the holiday break. Assumption, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, fell to 6-1.

Kate Fennelly opened the fourth quarter of a tie game with consecutive 3-pointers for Assumption. Despite the 3-point barrage, the Saints hung in and turned up the defensive intensity. That intensity was just too much for the Knights.

“Our defense got us a number of fast-break baskets in the first half and that is just what we needed in the end,” explained Xavier Coach Tom Lilly. “Armstrong did a good job finishing tonight and I was really pleased that our kids didn’t fold in the heat of that fourth quarter.”

Anderson shared the scoring lead with Kayla Armstrong, each with 14 points. Armstrong repeatedly beat the Assumption defense down the court in the first half and finished with a layup. Two of Armstrong’s points were critical free throws down the stretch to help ice the victory.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game and we had to make them work,” said Armstrong. “We focused on pressuring them, getting stops, and finishing on the other end.”

The game was a fast-moving, physical contest as the teams combined for 36 fouls. Danielle Moore led Assumption with 15 points and Fennelly added 11.

DAVENPORT ASSUMPTION (46): G. Fennelly 0 1-2 1, Moore 5 3-3 15, K. Fennelly 4 0-0 11, Schneden 4 0-0 8, Cabel 0 0-0 0, Binion 3 1-3 9, Pavlich 0 0-0 0, MK Fennelly 0 2-2 2, Ketelaar 0 0-0 0, Irmen 0 0-0 0, Herrig 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 7-10 46.

XAVIER (52): Armstrong 5 4-6 14, Dale 2 0-2 4, Anderson 4 5-5 14, Walvoord 1 0-0 2, Bartz 3 2-5 8, Noonan 0 0-0 0, Stulken 3 0-0 6, Dickes 0 1-2 1, Boomgarden 1 0-1 2, Winker 1 0-0 2, Bertsch 0 0-0 0, Deutmeyer 0 0-2 0. Totals 20 12-23 52.

Halftime — Xavier 30, Assumption 22. 3-point goals — Assumption 7 (Moore 2, K. Fennelly 3, Binion 2), Xavier 1 (Anderson). Fouled out - K. Fennelly.

Fast start send No. 1 West past Xavier girls

Top-ranked Iowa City West came to Cedar Rapids Friday night for its first true test of the season, facing No. 8 Xavier. The Women of Troy punched the Saints in the jaw early to carry them to a 56-37 victory.

“It was the first full game these kids had to play,” West Coach BJ Mayor said. “It was good for us to see a good team.”

Iowa City West came out fast in the first quarter going on a 17-2 run. The Saints made just one field goal, shooting 1 for 16 as a fast Women of Troy team pressured the ball aggressively.

“We like to get out early and run,” junior Ally Disterhoft said.

Coach Mayor agreed with his leading scorer.

“The kids really feed off that," he said. "It allows them to play loose and puts more pressure on the other team.”

Xavier Coach Tom Lilly thought it was unfortunate that his team started that slow, but was not all that surprised.

“Except once, our first quarters have all been like that. It is unfortunate against a team like that,” Lilly said. “It isn’t new (for the Saints to start slow) we just aren’t use to playing an offensive juggernaut like West.”

The Saints composed themselves in the second quarter, forcing Iowa City West into turnovers of their own. Xavier also hit its first four shots and improved greatly on the offensive end. Still, West led 32-16 at halftime.

Disterhoft led the Women of Troy in their early outburst with 14 of her game-high 19 points in the first half.

After looking like they would be another victim off the highest scoring team in the state, the Saints found success in the third quarter slowing down the West attack and pounding the ball inside. Starting Xavier posts combined for 7 of the Saints 17 in the quarter.

“They did a good job getting it inside, they have good bigs,” Mayor said. “We got a little out of sorts.”

Lilly liked how his team played in the third but hoped for the same effort all game.

“It was the game plan all week (to go inside),” Lilly said. “We couldn’t simulate their speed, pressure or athleticism in practice.”

After the Saints had powered back into the game in the third, West showed why it is the best in the state, taking control early in the fourth with some quick lay-ups.

“Xavier is a great team and great teams are going to make runs,” Disterhoft said. “I was confident in the team to be able to pull through.”

Xavier's Lilly tried to stop the bleeding in the fourth, using three timeouts early the quarter in an attempt to keep the game from slipping away. In the end West spread the floor using their speed and defense to pull away.

“We have enough ball handlers to spread the floor and kill time or get lay-ups,” Mayor said.

The Saints were held to just four points in the fourth quarter.

The Saints have another tough game against Davenport Assumption on Tuesday.

Iowa City West travels to Linn-Mar on Tuesday.

IOWA CITY WEST (56): Ally Disterhoft 7 4-5 19, Brianna Strutz 1 0-0 3, Shelly Stumpff 6 0-0 14, Jessica Shull 1 0-0 2, McKenzie Piper 3 0-0 7, Tatum Klein 4 3-4 11, Shahana Williams 0 0-0 0, Kelley Fliehler 0 0-0 0. Team 24 6-9 56.

CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER (37): Kayla Armstrong 2 0-0 4, Annie Dale 1 0-0 2, Katlyn Anderson 1 0-0 2, Emily Walvoord 4 1-2 9, Alex Bartz 4 2-5 10, Nicole Noonan 0 0-0 0, Ashley Stulken 1 0-0 2, Sarah Dickes 1 2-3 4, Lisa Boomgarden 0 0-0 0, Hayley Deutmeyer 2 0-1 4, Katelyn Winker 0 0-0 0, Maddie Bertsch  0 0-0 0. Team 17 3-7 37.

Halftime – IC West 32, Xavier 16. 3-point goals – IC West 5 (Disterhoft, Stumpff 2, Piper, Strutz), Xavier 0. Total Fouls -- IC West 14, Xavier 15.

Xavier depth douses City High girls

Two teams with a lot in common put strength against strength on Tuesday, and Cedar Rapids Xavier came out with a 58-47 victory over Iowa City High.

Both teams use full-court pressing defenses, and both have more than the usual array of post players to clog up the middle and score easy baskets.

"They are a really good defensive team, and they're really fast and they get a lot of fast breaks," City High guard Mickey Hansche said. "They never really shoot outside; they just like to pound it in because they have two 6-footers inside. We didn't really box out that well. They got a lot of offensive rebounds and got second and third shots."

But maybe what Xavier had that City didn't was an inexhaustible bench.

Xavier Coach Tom Lilly played 12 players in the first six minutes and the hockey line changes continued throughout the game.

"We like to utilize as many as we can in the first half, see how they are doing, see what kind of matchups it presents for us," Lilly said. "It gives our first group of kids extra opportunities to rest in case we do need significant minutes in the second half I think we can get them."

"I think it's a great thing for our team," Xavier guard Katlyn Andersen said. "We can get everybody in and get everyone a chance to play and keep people out of foul trouble."

Eighth-ranked Xavier is 8-1 overall and 4-1 in MVC play. Xavier's only loss came at Dubuque Wahlert early. The Saints trail Cedar Falls and Iowa City West by one game in the MVC Valley Division standings. Both Cedar Falls and West High were unbeaten heading into Tuesday's games. Xavier plays host to top-ranked West on Friday.

Eleventh-ranked City High is 6-2 overall and 3-2 in MVC play.

"Overall we came out and played well early," Lilly said. "That was the most positive thing we're going to walk away. Starting the game, matching them, defense, offense, it was a great contest."

The Saints separated themselves from the Little Hawks in the second quarter when City committed eight turnovers and made only three field goals. The Saints made 7-of-12 shots in the period, including 2-of-3 3-pointers to take a 30-21 halftime lead.

"We just knew we wanted to get out and get the lead before half," Andersen said. "We had a lot of communication, worked hard to find the open girl. Then just concentrated on having poise and good fundamentals after that."

The City High press had little or no effect on the Saints, and the Saints' half-court offense was patient enough to reverse the ball and get good shots. Andersen made two uncontested 3-pointers from the right wing created by good ball movement and unselfish play.

"We knew our high-low post offense was really good so we worked to get it into them as much as we could, and they finished the job," Andersen said.

Xavier's starting post players -- Emily Walvoord and Alex Bartz -- combined to make 8-of-10 shots, and Bartz made all four of her foul shots. The two not only worked a high-low passing game but had some nice interior passes to each other for baskets. Reserves Lisa Boomgarden and Ashley Stulken scored only six points but did the job defensively when they were in the game.

Xavier also took advantage of City High's tendency to crash the offensive boards. The Saints were able to get a player or two off in transition right away.

"It was a really fast-paced game," City guard Kiera Washpun said. "If we had gotten back a lot faster it would have made a big difference. Like a lot of times all our people would crash and not get back fast enough. We knew Xavier was a fast tempo type of team, and we're like that too, but we're used to crashing and then getting back."

City twice cut the margin to five points in the second half but wasn't able to get closer. Lilly said he thought the difference in depth helped the Saints weather the City High runs.

"It took a lot of energy for them to do that," Lilly said of the two runs. "We weathered that with our two starting post players on the bench. That was probably the turning point when they expended a lot of energy in order to do that."

"They were fresh all the time," Hansche said. "Some of us played the whole game and they would just keep coming in and they were fresh."

Andersen led Xavier with 15 points and Bartz added 12. The Saints shot 50 percent from the field and made 19 of 23 free throws. City High's free-throw shooting (12 of 24) definitely hurt its chances.

C.R. XAVIER (58): Kayla Armstrong 3-5 2-3 9, Annie Dale 3-6 0-2 6, Katlyn Andersen 4-7 5-6 15, Emily Walvoord 4-4 0-0 8, Alex Bartz 4-6 4-4 12, Nicole Noonan 0-1 0-0 0, Ashley Stulken -0-2 2-2 2, Sarah Dickes 0-3 0-0 0, Lisa Boomgarden 0-2 4-4 4, Katelyn Winker 0-0 0-0 0, Maddie Bertsch 0-0 0-0 0, Hayley Deutmeyer 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 18-36 19-23.

CITY HIGH (47): Kiera Washpun 4-6 4-8 12, Mickey Hansche 3-4 0-0 9, Harper Beasley 0-1 0-0 0, Haley Lorenzen 4-6 2-4 10, Aliyah Gustafson 0-1 0-1 0, Sierra Chambers 5-13 6-11 16, Jordan Sullivan 0-0 0-0 0, Erin Danielson 0-2 0-0 0, Brie Hightshoe 0-0 0-0 0, Katherine Van der Woude 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-33 12-24.

Halftime -- Xavier 30, City High 21. 3-point goals -- Xavier 3-7 (Armstrong 1-1, Dale 0-1, Andersen 2-4), City High 3-4 (Hansche 3-4). Total fouls -- Xavier 18, City High 20. Fouled out -- Chambers.