Ever the tactician, Xavier girls basketball coach Tim Lilly said the sole purpose of Saturday’s home matinee with mighty West Des Moines Dowling was to get ready for February.

“The reason we schedule games like this is to get us better prepared for the tournament at the end of the year,” the savvy veteran coach said after watching his Saints fall 47-33 in the opening contest of a boy/girl doubleheader.  “That’s why we’re going to Assumption in two weeks. We want to play the best non-conference schedule possible.”

For the rigors of post-season play, Lilly couldn’t have picked a better tune-up than the Maroons of Dowling Catholic.

Undefeated (now at 5-0), they came into the Saints gym unranked in Class 5A but on the heels of an impressive win Friday night win over previously unbeaten and seventh-ranked West Des Moines Valley.

“They’re a top five team, no question about it,” said the Xavier mentor, whose team (5-2 and No. 5 in Class 4A) plays a mostly 5A schedule despite being a 4A school.  “I’ve seen a lot of teams, and they can play with anybody They’re big and strong and very physical. They’re very athletic, and they play hard.

“I don’t know if they play any other sports or not, but they’re all basketball players.”

His assessment was confirmed by Iowa assistant women’s coach Jan Jensen, who was at the game on a scouting mission.

As Lilly said to her afterward outside the locker room, “Did you see the calves and thighs on some of those girls?”

They also proved they could put on an effective pressing defense that, for the first part of the match anyway, seem to completely discombobulate Lilly’s patented revolving door lineup.

The Saints turned the ball over nine times in the first half alone.

And when they weren’t throwing the ball away, they shot poorly.

The Maroons used a six-minute, 12-0 run midway through the half to take a 20-9 lead. And they never looked back.

“We had a few lapses when we made some bad decisions with the basketball,” Lilly said. “That was the difference in the game. We got behind, but we played them pretty much even up the rest of the way.”

Faced with a much taller and bulkier Dowling contingent, Xavier was also playing short-handed.  Leading rebounder Lisa Boomgarden, who had 12 boards last week against Wahlert, twisted her knee in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s last-second, one-point win over Dubuque Hempstead.  Lilly said tests on Monday will determine how long the 6-foot senior post player will be lost.

Meantime, Saints 6-foot1 top scorer Ashley Stulken didn’t touch the ball in the first half against Dowling.

“When she doesn’t even get a shot,” Lilly said, “well, there’s a problem when that happens.”

And not only were his smaller girls out-rebounded, they had very few second shot attempts.

For winning coach Bob Hanson (along with wife and co-coach Sharon) the road victory  Saturday afternoon put him one shy of a remarkable 700-win career mark over 41 years of coaching.  The couple guided Dowling for 20 years starting in 1982, left for five years and returned four years ago for their second stint with the Maroons.

“They’re obviously a well-coached team,” Lilly noted in defeat. “But these kind of games will help us, regardless if we win or lose.”

DOWLING (47): Alyssa Beck 3 0-0 6, Luci Sarcone 6 0-0 12, Audrey Faber 4 0-0 8, Alicia Crivaro 0 1-2 1, Katie Mauk 3 0-0 8, Becca Hittner 3 1-3 8,  Hayden Butler 1 0-0 2, Kennedy Childers 1 0-0 2, Katie Meek 0 0-0 0,  Haley Chapko 0 0-0 0, Payton Von Vors 0 0-0 0, Marin Daniel 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 2-5 47.

XAVIER (33): Ashley Stulken 3 0-0 6, Kayla Armstong 1 3-3 5, Sarah Dickes 0 2-2 2, Hayley Deutmeyer 4 0-1 8, Alli Chorzempa 1 1-2 3, Lizzy Bailey 0 0-1 0, Morgan Breitbach 1 0-0 2, Abby Watson 0 0-0 0, Maddie Bertsch 2 0-0 4, McKenna Anderson 0 3-5 3. Totals 12 9-14 33.

Halftime – Dowling 25, Xavier 15. 3-point goals – Dowling 3 (Mauk 2, Hittner), Xavier 0. Total fouls – Dowling 16, Xavier 11. Fouled out – None.