Xavier High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Singing Saints will be swinging for 4A title

Fri - 01 Mar Written by Jim Ecker

DES MOINES - Tom Lilly feels like he's got 13 daughters on the Xavier High School basketball team. He loves them all, but sometimes they drive him to distraction.

Take their singing, for instance. They sing before games, they sing after games, they sing on the team bus.

They even sang in the interview room at Wells Fargo Arena Thursday night after they beat No.1 Heelan in the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament, but they were urged into that performance by a television guy and should not be held accountable.

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Last Updated on Saturday, 02 March 2013 22:01

Saints stun Heelan, earn shot at title

Thu - 28 Feb Written by Jim Ecker

DES MOINES - Kayla Armstrong and the Xavier Saints shocked the No.1 team in the state Thursday night.

Now the surging Saints will try to claim the No.1 tag for themselves when they play for the Class 4A state basketball title Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

Armstrong played the game of her life Thursday as the Saints stunned Sioux City Bishop Heelan, 68-57, in the semifinals with a wire-to-wire performance.

Armstrong poured in a career-high 22 points, collected seven assists, grabbed seven rebounds and made five steals with a relentless effort that would have left the Energizer Bunny gasping for air.

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No.5 Saints hold off No.7 Lewis Central, 50-45

Wed - 27 Feb Written by Jim Ecker

DES MOINES - Xavier High School seniors Sarah Dickes and Kayla Armstrong know what it's like to perform on a big stage and win state titles.

They helped the Saints win their seventh state soccer title in a row last year, an unprecedented accomplishment in IGHSAU history, and now they are two victories away from reaching the top in girls basketball.

Dickes scored 13 points and made four key free throws in the final 19.7 seconds Wednesday as No.5 Xavier held off No.7 Council Bluffs Lewis Central, 50-45, in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

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Defense looms large for Saints, Warriors at state

Tue - 26 Feb Written by Jim Ecker

Tom Lilly was not fond of playing defense when he was a senior at Regis High School 30 years ago, which is kind of ironic.

These days, Lilly prides himself on having strong defensive clubs at Xavier High School and it's one of the reasons the Saints have made the state basketball tournament for the 10th time in 15 years under his guidance.

When Lilly was a junior at Regis, his main assignment in practice was to play tough defense to help get the senior-laden squad ready for games. All of the juniors had that assignment as members of the junior varsity, as he recalls.

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Superstitious Lilly aims for 4th title

Sat - 23 Feb Written by Jim Ecker

Tom Lilly needs a new shirt and tie. Maybe a new suit, too.

Lilly and the Xavier Saints are headed to the girls state basketball tournament Wednesday and the veteran coach does not want to jinx his team by wearing old clothes that have been tainted by state tournament defeats.

"I won't wear anything I've been beat in," he declared. "It's just a superstition I have.

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