DES MOINES - Tom Lilly feels like he's got 13 daughters on the Xavier High School basketball team. He loves them all, but sometimes they drive him to distraction.

Take their singing, for instance. They sing before games, they sing after games, they sing on the team bus.

They even sang in the interview room at Wells Fargo Arena Thursday night after they beat No.1 Heelan in the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament, but they were urged into that performance by a television guy and should not be held accountable.

Lilly stood about 10 feet away, fielding questions about his team's big victory, while Kayla Armstrong, Sarah Dickes and Hayley Deutmeyer broke into one of their favorite hip-hop routines.

"This is why they play basketball and they're not in show choir, as you witnessed over there," a bemused Lilly said dryly.

Lilly might join the chorus himself if the fifth-ranked Saints (16-9) defeat eighth-ranked Harlan (23-2) in the state finals Saturday at 6 p.m.

Lilly wishes his players would pay as much attention to game-film as they do to the latest popular lyrics, but he cannot complain too much. His club will be seeking the school's fourth state basketball title in 10 years Saturday night.

The team that sings together will be swinging for the crown.

"They do seem to enjoy each other," said Lilly, who pocketed state titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007. "One of the things we've talked about all season long is playing with heart, playing for each other and making sure you've given everything you've got.

"We really think you have to care for your teammates, you have to be able to go to the wall for them, and so far those guys have brought into that and they've responded."

Lilly, 57, is old school, right down to his saddle shoes. He can do without the modern music, but has found a way to cope.

"I have selective listening and I can block out things," he claimed. "All of you who have raised children know how to block things out and that's generally what I do.

"They are an interesting lot, to say the least. Sometimes what drives you crazy also makes them special in terms of their ability to compete and play for each other."

Armstrong, the lead singer in the postgame trio, was also the conductor on the court Thursday with some sweet music of her own. The tireless 5-foot-7 senior turned in a remarkable performance with 22 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and five steals.

It was easily the best game of her career as the Saints knocked Heelan on its heels. "They punched us in the mouth and gave us everything they've got," said Heelan Coach Darron Koolstra.

The Saints upset No.1 Heelan in the semifinals, just a few hours after Harlan had knocked off No.2 Waverly-Shell Rock. Now the two underdogs will scrap it out for the title.

Harlan has the fancier overall mark at 23-2, but the Saints faced a heavy diet of Class 5A teams this season in the Mississippi Valley Conference that prepared them for everything they've seen in the Class 4A tournament.

Harlan lost only two games during the regular season, but both of those setbacks were to Council Bluffs Lewis Central. That's the same Lewis Central outfit the Saints defeated in the opening round of the state tournament, so that bodes well for Xavier.

Zach Klaassen succeeded Tony Vis as Harlan's head coach this season after Vis left the Cyclones for Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Jess Schaben, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, leads Harlan with a pre-tournament average of 9.9 points per game. Five of Harlan's players average between six and 10 points per game, which is similar to Xavier's scoring chart.

Ashley Stulken, a 6-2 senior, normally leads the Saints in scoring, but she struggled against Heelan scored only two points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field. Lilly expects Stulken to rebound Saturday night in the finals.

"She'll come through," he said. "I've got all the confidence in the world.

"We rode Ashley all season long. Every kid has the right to have an off-night."

If Stulken and the Saints click Saturday night, they might sing themselves all the way home with a nice big prize.

"We want to bring this home for our school and for the whole Xavier community," said Dickes.