Xavier Boys Basketball

Techau commits to St. Thomas basketball

Max Techau helped Xavier High School win a pair of Class 3A state basketball titles the last two years. Now he'll be joining a college basketball program that won the NCAA Division III national title in  2016.

Techau, a 6-foot-7 forward, plans to play at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., a Catholic school that has made 12 straight trips to the national tournament.

Techau averarged 12.3 points and 8.8 rebounds for Xavier this season as the Saints captured the state title for the second year in a row. He averaged 13.4 points and 6.6 rebounds as a junior.

St. Thomas finished 19-8 this season and was 15-5 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Saints claim 2nd state title in row

DES MOINES - The Xavier Saints finished their incredible journey with another state title Saturday night.

It was twice as nice.

The incredible Saints bumped off Sergeant Bluff-Luton, 54-49, in the championship game of the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena to claim their second title in a row.

There were 21 lead changes in the see-saw battle, but the Saints scored the last six points in the final 42 seconds to carve their names into the history books.

Xavier became only the second school in Metro history with back-to-back state titles in boys basketball. Regis High School, one of the forerunners of Xavier, claimed consecutive crowns in 1982, 1983 and 1984 and now their descendants have joined them in elite company.

The Saints had an uncomfortable 4-and-9 record in late January, but they came on like gang-busters the rest of the way and finished the campaign with a 16-11 record and another shiny award.

"These kids showed unbelievable resiliency the whole year when we were going through some struggles," said Coach Ryan Luehrsmann. "They never stopped believing and knew that this was our goal.

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Saints slay No. 1 Waverly in OT

DES MOINES - The Xavier Saints never stopped believing in themselves even when they had a disappointing 4-9 record in late January.

Now the Saints firmly believe they can win their second state championship in a row.

The remarkable Saints bumped off top-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock, 47-41, in overtime Thursday night in the semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.

Xavier (15-11) will face Sergeant Bluff-Luton (17-9) in the championship game Saturday at 6:05 p.m.

Xavier and Waverly-Shell Rock slugged it out on defense all night in a low-scoring affair that featured 12 ties and nine lead changes in the 36-minute contest.

The Go-Hawks took a 41-38 lead on their first possession in overtime on a three-point play by All-American Austin Phyfe, but the Saints shut them out the rest of the way and finished the game with a 9-0 run for the gritty victory in Des Moines.

Xavier all-star Matt Mims gave the Saints the lead for good, 42-41, with a huge 3-pointer and the Saints came up with a series of big  defensive stops from there.

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Saints earn date with No. 1 Waverly

DES MOINES - The Xavier Saints like being the underdog.

They relish it, embrace, thrive on it.

That's good, because the Saints will be big underdogs Thursday night when they face top-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock in the semifinals of the Class 3A state basketball tournament.

The Saints reached the semifinals Tuesday afternoon when they whipped fourth-ranked Mount Pleasant, 59-44, in the opening round at Wells  Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Xavier (14-11) and Waverly-Shell Rock (23-1) will tangle Thursday at 6:35 p.m.

Waverly-Shell Rock dumped the Saints by 22 points, 76-54, when they met in Waverly in the second game of the season Dec. 3.

"We learned that they're really freaking good," Xavier Coach Ryan  Luehrsmann said when asked about the Go-Hawks. "They've got a big-time player in (Austin) Phyfe and a bunch of tough, competitive kids.

"We're just hoping that we can give them a good game on Thursday night. I think they're playing at a very high level right now."

Phyfe, a 6-foot-10 senior who has signed with Northern Iowa, is averaging 19 points and 13 rebounds for Waverly-Shell Rock and could be a load for Xavier. But the Saints faced an impressive big man last year when they defeated Cordell Pemsl and Dubuque Wahlert in the Class 3A state championship game, so they've been in this spot before.

"We have to send a lot of guys at him and not let him get comfortable and take away what he likes to do most," said Max Techau, a 6-foot-7 senior who will have the primary job of guarding Phyfe.

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