Xavier boys fall short at Linn-Mar
The Xavier Saints have miles to go before they can dream about winning the Class 3A basketball title again this season.
The good news? It's still early.
The Saints struggled in the second half Friday night and lost to Linn-Mar, 55-47, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game in the Linn-Mar gym.
Xavier scored only 18 points in the second half and did not get a single point from any of its reserves while falling to 1-2 for the season. The Saints were a polished outfit last March when they claimed the first state title in school history, but this is a new year and a new team.
"I try to tell everybody it's a different year and a work in progress," said Coach Ryan Luehrsmann. "We've got a lot of nice pieces that are back, but it's tough.
"It's tough when the expectations are different. People look at you a little differently, right or wrong. I think we've struggled with it a little bit.
"The good thing is," said Luehrsmann, "it's only three games in."
Xavier's other loss was to Waverly-Shell Rock, the top-ranked team in 3A, by 22 points in Waverly.
