Matt Nelson, Trey Sampson and Corbin Woods had only four practices to get ready for the high school basketball season after helping the Xavier Saints reach the championship game of the Class 4A football playoffs.

They've made a remarkably smooth transition.

The three football stars combined for 47 points Monday night as the Saints defeated Mount Pleasant, 60-48, to give Ryan Luehrsmann a victory in his first game as Xavier's new head coach.

Nelson scored 17 points, Sampson netted 16 and Woods added 14 as the Saints pulled away in the fourth quarter. Reggie Schulte, an all-state quarterback at Xavier, also played Monday night and contributed two points.

"Those kids are winners. They're competitors," Luehrsmann said. "They will give you everything they have."

Xavier lost the state title to Ankeny, 23-17, on Nov. 16. The football players took a few days off and practiced with the basketball team this past Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday before taking the court on Monday.

The players said the hardest part was getting their legs ready for basketball.

"In football you get your time to relax between plays, but here it's just bang-bang-bang," said Sampson, a star defensive back in football and the point guard in basketball. "We have a great coaching staff. They got us ready, got us conditioned."

Woods said it was important to give his body as much rest as possible between seasons, especially after playing 14 football games.

"Definitely the body is lacking energy, but you've got to go out there and give it all you've got," said Woods, an elite all-state receiver for the Saints.

Mount Pleasant led at halftime, 26-18, but Sampson and Woods scored 13 points apiece in the second half as the Saints caught up and forged ahead.

The game was tied, 36-36, after three quarters, but the Saints whipped the Panthers 24-12 in the final period for the victory.

Mount Pleasant won the Class 3A state basketball title last season with a 24-1 record and returned five guys who played in the state championship game against Adel.

"We were really worried about this game," Luehrsmann said. "It's a great win for us."

It was another milestone victory for Luehrsmann, who prepped at Cedar Rapids Washington and played for the Iowa Hawkeyes. When Luehrsmann was a senior at Iowa, he helped the Hawkeyes upset the top-ranked and defending NCAA champion UConn Huskies in the first game of the 1999-2000 campaign.

Nelson, a 6-foot-8 junior, had a dunk and scored five points in the opening minutes to help Xavier take a 13-10 lead after one quarter. Mount Pleasant outscored the Saints 16-5 in the second period for its eight-point lead at halftime, but the Saints roared back in the second half.

Sampson scored six points during a 10-0 run as the Saints tied the game, 28-28. Woods later tied the game 38-38 with a driving layup, then fed Nelson for a bucket and 40-38 edge.

Sampson gave the Saints the lead for good, 47-46, with a basket with 3:35 left in the game. He scored again, got fouled and completed the three-point play for a 50-46 edge.

Mount Pleasant pulled within 50-48 with 2:31 remaining, but the Saints finished the game with a 10-0 run to put it away. Woods scored four points in the final surge.

"I just found the open spot," Woods said after his 14-point performance. "My teammates were giving me great looks and throwing great passes."

Nelson was a two-way player for the Xavier football team as a defensive end and tight end, so he spent a considerable amount of time on the field and probably had more wear and tear on his body than the other two-sport athletes.

He said he feels fairly comfortable on the hardwood now.

"The first few days of practice were a little bit harder than I expected, but it's all better now," he said.

Luehrsmann said the football players attended some of the basketball practices during the summer, which helped their transition now.

"They had an idea of what we were going to do," he said. "You put those guys under the bright lights and they compete."

Dalton Conrad led Mount Pleasant with 19 points.

MOUNT PLEASANT (48): Mulford 2 1-2 7, Conrad 8 0-0 19, Frank 2 1-4 5, Shelman 1 0-0 2, Hanna 2 2-2 7, Shull 0 0-0 0, Magnani 2 2-4 8. Totals 17 6-12 48.

XAVIER (60): Winker 0 1-2 1, Sampson 5 5-5 16, McDermott 0 5-8 5, Nelson 6 5-12 17, Woods 5 3-4 14, Mullin 1 1-3 3, Schulte 1 0-0 2, Thinnes 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 20-34 60.

Halftime - Mount Pleasant 26, Xavier 18. 3-point goals - Mount Pleasant 8 (Conrad 3, Mulford 2, Magnani 2, Hanna 1), Xavier 2 (Sampson 1, Woods 1). Fouled out - Shull, Hanna.