A big banner above the basket at the south end of the Xavier gym reads, “Like Mary, Say Yes to the Impossible.”

The Saints tried hard Friday night, but there was no way they were going to beat the Big Three of Iowa City West once they got on a roll.

Xavier (5-2, 1-2 MVC) held on for a half against the Class 4A powerhouse Trojans (6-0 3-0), trailing just 21-19. But the impossible dream turned into a nightmare after the intermission.

With 2:50 left in the third period and behind 30-24, first-year Saints Coach Ryan Luehrsmann drew a technical foul for arguing a call. West reeled off eight straight points and never looked back, coasting to a 54-41 victory.

“They have the best team in the state,” Luehrsmann said afterward. “Obviously, they’re an elite team with the capability to score points in a hurry.”

As usual, much of the damage came from Trojan all-stars Jeremy Morgan, Wyatt Lohaus and Dondre Alexander. Morgan was hot in the first half, Lohaus steady throughout and Alexander a brute force after coming off the bench.

“Dondre sort of took over the game in the second half,” Luehrsmann said.

The burly man/child, relegated to a sub following a suspension for the first four games of the season, scored eight of his 13 points after the intermission.

He scored on an array of shots, inside and out. And when he wasn't shooting, he was feeding teammates with alley-oop passes and behind-the-back dishes. Less-heralded Austin Swank also tallied 13 for Iowa City West.

The Saints were much the scrappier squad in the opening 16 minutes and maintained a narrow lead most of the way. A harbinger of what was ahead, however, came when skinny 6-foot-4 Trojan Myzeah Batie-Gaddy slammed home a dunk before halftime.

The Saints' gutsy Trey Sampson was a pest on defense all night and scored nine points. Corbin Woods also battled against the jumping jacks from West and knocked down 12 points.

“Overall,” said Luehrsmann, “I was very pleased with our effort. That three- or four-minute stretch was the difference in the game.”

IOWA CITY WEST (54) – Jeremy Morgan 4 2-2 10, Wyatt Lohaus 4 1-2 10, Myzeah Batie-Gaddy 3 2-2 8, Austin Swank 5 2-2 13, Jason Stewart 0 0-0 0, Dondre  Alexander 6 1-2 13, Mark Lowe 0 0-0 0, Chike Ukah 0 0-0 0, David DiLeo 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 8-10 54.

XAVIER (41) – Calvin Winker 2 3-3 7, Trey Sampson 3 2-4 9, Adam McDermott 0 0-0 0, Matt Nelson 1 3-6 5, Corbin Woods 5 1-2 12, Matt Downey 0 0-0 0, Reggie Schulte 2 0-0 4, Robbie Thinnes 1 2-4 4, Scholer 0 0-0 0, Frank Hill 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 11-19 41.

Halftime – Iowa City West 21, Xavier 19. 3-point goals – Iowa City West 2 (Lohaus, Swank), Xavier 2 (Sampson, Woods).