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.
