Snapping a three-game losing streak was big for the Xavier boys Friday night.

But the 56-42 win over Washington in the Warriors gym was a bittersweet one for Saints rookie Coach Ryan Luehrsmann.

It was the place, after all, where he learned to play the game at age six in kids camps under legendary Coach Don King. And it was where the 1996 Wash alum was an all-stater for Coach Tom Kummer before going on to start at the University of Iowa.

Luehrsmann was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.

“I remember hearing about Louie from the time he was in sixth grade,” said longtime Washington Principal Ralph Plagman.  “And at Washington he was a star in every aspect and not just as a basketball player.”

So it was a homecoming Friday night for Luehrsmann, his first game as a coach against the school where he himself is still considered a legend.

“There were a lot emotions,” said Luehrsmann afterward. “It’s kind of hard to play them because I have a lot of history here, lots of great memories.

“I grew up watching guys like Russ Millard play here. It’s where I learned the fundamentals of the game. It’s a special place and had a tremendous impact on my life.”

But for one night, he said, he had to put all that aside.

“Basketball is basketball. And my focus is on the kids I have at Xavier,” Luehrsmann said.

They didn’t let him down against his old team, although they did sputter for a spell.

After jumping out to a 12-3 lead thanks mostly to three consecutive baskets by Reggie Schulte, the Saints let the Warriors sneak back in it.

Washington cut the lead to one on a high-flying tip-in by junior jumping jack Razadon Taylor. The Warriors took the lead at 14-13 when Taylor hit a sweet jump shot to open the second quarter.

It was back-and-forth from there until the Saints (6-3, 2-2 MVC) pulled away by four at halftime.

The first three minutes of the second half, however, proved to be pivotal.

The Saints’ crafty Corbin Woods went on a one-man terror, scoring nine points during his team’s 11-0 run after intermission.  The spurt was helped by Washington’s four straight turnovers and three fouls.

“That’s been the story of our season,” said first-year Warrior Coach Adam Sanchez. “We have four or five minute spells when we make poor decisions and fall too far behind.

“Tonight, it all happened under our basket and they got some easy baskets. We just got too impatient against their zone.defense.”

Luehrsmann said aggressive defensive play was the difference.

“Basketball is a pretty simple game,” he said. “You have to get stops. And we started the second half locking them down every trip up the court.

“Once we got a big lead, we showed a lot of poise on offense. We really protected the ball, and we got good looks at the basket.”

For the Warriors (1-6, 1-4), the loss could have been worse without the fourth-quarter heroics of junior sharpshooter Nehemiah Newman.

Utilizing an unconventional two-handed push shot, he drained three long-range 3-pointers in the final period to keep the score respectable. He had five treys for the night and led all scorers with 23 points.

“He’s a shooter,” Sanchez said, “and tonight he really came into his own. If he’s open, we tell him to shoot it. He gave us a big spark.”

Woods led Xavier with 15, and fellow senior Trey Sampson had 10.

Normal Saints starter Adam McDermott hurt his back last Saturday but came off the bench to also score 10, including two 3-pointers.

XAVIER (56): Calvin Winker 2 1-3 5, Trey Sampson 3 3-4 10, Adam McDermott 2 4-6 10, Matt Nelson 1 1-5 3, Corbin Woods 3 9-10 15, Reggie Schulte 3 1-2 7, Robbie Thinnes 1 3-4 6, Quinton Scholer 0 0-2 0. Totals 15 22-36 56.

WASHINGTON (42): Montaves Anderson 0 0-0 0, Austin Bergstrom 0 0-0 0, Brock Butterfield 0 0-0 0, Razadon Taylor 4 0-2 8, Brock Severson 0 0-0 0, David Rosenthal 0 0-1 0, Peter Holmes 3 0-0 6, Tyler Soenksen 0 0-0 0, Nehemiah Newman 8 2-4 23, Heath Clark 2 0-0 5, Reid Snitker 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 2-7 42.

Halftime - Xavier 28, Washington 24. 3-point goals - Xavier 4 (McDermott 2, Sampson, Thinnes), Washington 6 (Newman 5, Clark).