Xavier Girls Basketball

No. 13 Saints cruise by Wahlert

DUBUQUE - The Class 4A 13th-ranked Xavier girls basketball team earned a Mississippi Valley Conference win Friday in Dubuque, beating Wahlert 59-26.

Lizzy Bailey and McKenna Andersen each had 12 points for the Saints, who improved to 3-1.

Xavier led 25-9 at halftime and pulled away with a 24-10 third quarter.

Wahlert fell to 1-1.

XAVIER (59): Bailey 3 6-6 12, Noonan 2 0-0 4, Andersen 6 0-1 12, Breitbach 3 1-2 7, Christianson 3 0-0 6, Dickes 1 0-0 3, Nelson 2 0-0 4, Maddix 1 0-0 2, Ivester 2 0-0 4, Joens 2 1-2 5. Totals 25 8-11 59.

Halftime – Xavier 25, Dubuque Wahlert 9. 3-point goals – Xavier 1 (Dickes).

Linn-Mar girls crack top 10

It took new head coach Jaime (Printy) Brandt two games to steer the Linn-Mar girls basketball team into the top 10 of the Class 5A rankings.

The Lions (2-0) moved into the No. 9 spot in the new rankings this week by the IGHSAU. Linn-Mar was not ranked when the season began.

The Kennedy Cougars (2-0) remained No. 8 in Class 5A. The Xavier Saints (2-1) improved one spot to No. 13 in Class 4A.

Dowling topped the 5A rankings and Harlan led the 4A poll.

CLASS 5A

1. Dowling (2-1), 2. Southeast Polk (2-0), 3. Waukee (1-0), 4. West Des Moines Valley (1-0), 5. Iowa City West (3-0), 6. Johnston (3-0), 7. Ankeny Centennial (1-0), 8. Kennedy (2-0), 9. Linn-Mar (2-0), 10. Mason City (2-1).

CLASS 4A

1. Harlan (1-0), 2. Carlisle (4-0), 3. North Scott (1-0), 4. Western Dubuque (2-0), 5. Perry (1-0), 6. Ballard (2-0), 7. Sioux City Heelan (0-0), 8. Keokuk (3-0), 9. Davenport Assumption (0-2), 10. Indianola (3-0), 11. Waverly-Shell Rock (1-0), 12. Lewis Central (2-0), 13. Xavier (2-1), 14. West Delaware (2-0), 15. Pella (1-1).

Xavier girls make Tigers dizzy

What might seem to be a helter-skelter style of play by the Xavier girls is fully by design.

“We’re going to get a lot of kids in, and we’re going to get them in early,” said veteran Saints Coach Tom Lilly after his team blew past Cedar Falls, 48-36, Tuesday night on their home floor.

“We want to play an aggressive pressure defense and an up-tempo offense. The goal is by the fourth quarter the other team won’t have much left.”

To play that way for a full 32 minutes means Lilly is shuttling girls in and out (often three and four at a time) every whistle. They pass a baton to each other on each substitution to keep track.

“We work on subbing practice,” said senior guard Lizzy Bailey, who led all scorers with 15 points. “So we all know what we’re doing when we’re out there.”

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Xavier opens with win over Decorah

Lizzy Bailey had 18 points to lead the Xavier girls basketball team to a 58-41 season-opening win over Decorah on Tuesday at Xavier.

Morgan Breitbach added 13 points and six steals for Xavier.

XAVIER (58): Amelia 3 0-0 6, Bastian 0 0-0 0, Drahozal 1 0-0 2, Dickes 0 0-0 0, Tritle 0 0-0 0, Noonan 2 0-1 4, Bailey 6 4-4 18, Nelson 0 2-2 2, Anderson 2 3-4 7, Joens 1 2-2 5, Breitbach 5 3-3 13. Totals 19 14-16 58.

Halftime – Xavier 38, Decorah 14. 3-point goals – Decorah 3, Xavier 2 (Bailey 2).