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Xavier Girls Basketball

Xavier - Girls Basketball

Noonan named all-state by IGCA

Wed - 08 Mar Written by Metro Sports Report

Xavier senior Lexi Noonan was named a second team all-state selection by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association Wednesday in Class 4A.

Noonan averaged 14.4 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Saints this season, leading the team in both categories. She helped Xavier reach the semifinals of the state tournament and finish with an 18-7 record.

On Tuesday, Noonan was honored as a first team all-state selection in Class 4A by the Iowa Newspaper Association.

Chloe Rice of Marion made first team all-state in Class 4A on the IGCA list and Kayba Laube of Marion was third team all-state.

Kennedy Dighton of Jefferson and Kamryn Finley of Linn-Mar were named third team all-state in Class 5A by the coaches.

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Xavier - Girls Basketball

Xavier senior Maddix Stovie (on floor) battles three North Scott players for a loose ball during the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament in Des Moines Friday morning. Number 4 for North Scott is Karli Rucker, who will play at Northern Iowa. (MSR photo by Margaret O'Banion)

Sad day for Saints at state tourney

Fri - 03 Mar Written by Jim Ecker

DES MOINES - There were 42 seconds left in Xavier's loss to North Scott in the Class 4A state basketball tournament Friday morning when Coach Tom Lilly sent seldom-used senior Lauren Cooling into the game.

The Saints trailed by only seven points at the time and Lilly could have kept his starters on the floor and prayed for a miracle, but he wanted to make sure Cooling got into the game for a taste of the state meet.

Lauren Cooling's mother, Sue, died Wednesday from cancer. She was only 54 years old.

Two days later, Lauren took the floor for the semifinals of the state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena and there wasn't a dry eye among the Xavier players, coaches and fans.

"At some point in time you recognize the situation and that basketball is not the most important thing at that moment in time," said Lilly, who has won 523 games and four state titles in his career.

"Nobody on our team would have argued with the fact that she needed to see the court at some point in time."

The sixth-ranked Saints fell to eighth-ranked North Scott, 58-49, mostly because they committed too many turnovers, committed too many fouls and could not keep the Lancers off the offensive backboard.

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Xavier - Girls Basketball

Kiana Stanek (left) and Lexi Noonan share a special moment after the Xavier Saints edged Grinnell, 60-55, in the opening round of the Class 4A state tournament Tuesday night in Des Moines. (MSR photo by Margaret O'Banion)

Stanek sparks Saints by No. 3 Grinnell

Wed - 01 Mar Written by Jim Ecker

DES MOINES - Kiana Stanek turned in a Kayla Armstrong performance at the Class 4A girls state basketball tournament Tuesday night.

It left all the Saints jumping for joy.

Stanek popped in a career-best 22 points and also excelled at the defensive end as the sixth-ranked Saints knocked off No. 3 Grinnell, 60-55, in the opening round at Wells Fargo Arena.

Xavier (18-6) will meet North Scott (19-5) in the Class 4A semifinals Friday at 10 a.m.

In case you don't remember, Armstrong was the girl who turned into Super Woman at the 2013 state tournament and led the Saints to the championship with the two best performances of her career.

Stanek still has work to do to match Armstrong, but she got off to a great start Tuesday with five 3-pointers and skin-tight defense against Grinnell star Madeline Wilkins, holding the 3-point artist to just five points.

Stanek's eyes got bright when a reporter wondered if she knows who Armstrong is and what she did.

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Xavier - Girls Basketball

The Xavier Saints were a happy group after trimming Waverly-Shell Rock, 42-38, in the regional finals Tuesday night to earn a trip to the Class 4A state tournament. (Photo courtesy of Becky Stovie)

Xavier's victory leaves Lilly in tears

Wed - 22 Feb Written by Jim Ecker

Tom Lilly has won 522 games and four state titles during his 32 years as a girls basketball coach, but his emotional well still runs deep after all that time.

Lilly dissolved in tears Tuesday night after the sixth-ranked Xavier Saints trimmed 13th-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock, 42-38, in the regional finals to earn a trip to the Class 4A state tournament.

Lilly hugged long-time assistant coach and pal Stephanie Potts after the buzzer sounded in the intense ballgame and he needed his trademark blue towel to wipe away the tears.

"It's always a special moment," Lilly said after getting his emotions under control. "I just felt our seniors have given us so much this year.

"I knew that at the end of it, somebody was going to be extremely disappointed because it was very hard-fought, it was back and forth, neither team was going to given an inch.

"And we just happened to prevail with a 14-year-old," he said with a wry smile. That's pretty amazing on how that all works out."

Freshman Caitlynn Daniels is actually 15 now, but the rookie made two of the biggest plays in the game in the final minute with the state berth on the line.

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Xavier - Girls Basketball

Noonan sparks No. 6 Saints in regional

Sun - 19 Feb Written by Jim Ecker

Xavier senior Lexi Noonan has not decided if she'll play basketball or volleyball in college, so there was a chance Saturday night that her athletic career was going to coming to an untimely finish after the Saints mustered only 15 points in the first half in the Class 4A regional semifinals against Clear Creek Amana.

"It could have been the end of my basketball career," she realized, "but we picked it up."

Noonan poured in 19 of her game-high 21 points in the second half and Xavier rallied for a 55-33 victory over Clear Creek Amana at Ron Thillen Gymnasium for their ninth straight win.

The Saints (16-6) will host 13th-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock (16-6) in the regional finals Tuesday night, with the winner advancing to the Class 4A state tournament.

Xavier trailed 18-15 at halftime after a sluggish 16 minutes of basketball against the visitors from the Wamac Conference, but they notched 40 points in the second half.

"We had a shaky first half, but once we settled down in the second half we played a lot better," said Noonan. "Coach always says our offense feeds off our defense, so once we picked up our defense in the second half it led to our offense and we got more scoring opportunities."

Clear Creek Amana (13-10) took a series of five-point leads in the third quarter at 20-15, 22-17, 24-19 and 26-21 before the Saints finally got untracked midway through the stanza.

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Latest Saints News

Xavier Girls Basketball

Noonan named all-state by IGCA

Sad day for Saints at state tourney

Stanek sparks Saints by No. 3 Grinnell

Xavier's victory leaves Lilly in tears

Noonan sparks No. 6 Saints in regional

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