Xavier High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Like old times: Saints whip Tigers

The Xavier Saints dug a little deeper Tuesday night and played  basketball like they did in the Class 3A state tournament last year.

As far as the Saints are concerned, it was about time.

The Saints played their best game of the season and whipped Cedar  Falls, 70-60, in a spirited Mississippi Valley Conference contest in the Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

Max Techau was a beast for Xavier (6-9) with 22 points and 13  rebounds, but he was not alone as the Saints got important  contributions from lots of players against a quality opponent.

Matt Mims matched Techau with 22 points and ran the club superbly with  seven assists, Jackson Joens popped in 13 points, new starter Quinn  Schulte contributed seven points and helped "slow" Cedar Falls star AJ Green, and Nolan Butkowski nailed a pair of clutch 3-pointers.

The Saints also got some help from Gabe Lux, Max Johnson and Bryce  Schulte off the bench, even though they did not score.

Green, a superb 6-foot-3 junior who leads the Mississippi Valley  conference in scoring, finished with 33 points, but the Saints got  some key stops against him when it really mattered in the fourth  quarter, and the rest of the Tigers combined for only 27 points.

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Xavier tops Fairfield for 11th win

FAIRFIELD - Lexi Noonan scored 17 points and Kiana Stanek popped in  five 3-pointers for 15 points as the Xavier Saints topped Fairfield, 58-53, in a non-conference makeup game in Fairfield.

The Saints, who are ranked No. 6 in Class 4A, raised their overall record to 11-6.

Amelia Ivester contributed 12 points and five rebounds for Xavier. Freshman Caitlynn Daniels had nine points and six assists. Noonan and  Kylie Brown had five rebounds.

The Saints jumped to a 15-6 lead, but the game was tied 28-28 at halftime. Fairfield held a four-point lead in the fourth quarter, but  the Saints rallied for the victory.

Amber Nicole Buch poured in 26 points for Fairfield (13-5).

XAVIER (58): Stanek 5 0-0 15, Daniels 3 2-2 9, Brown 1 1-1 3, Noonan 6 5-6 17, Steffen 1 0-0 2, Ivester 6 0-0 12, Jasper 0 0-2 0. Totals 22 8-11 58.

FAIRFIELD (53): Bowman 1 0-0 3, Bloomquist 0 0-0 0, Fritz 1 7-7 9, Kurtz 3 2-2 9, Buch 11 0-1 26, McLain 1 0-0 2, Jeffrey 1 0-0 2,  Lunsford 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 9-10 53.

Halftime - Xavier 28, Fairfield 28. 3-point goals - Xavier 6 (Stanek  5, Daniels 1), Fairfield 6 (Buch 4, Bowman 1, Kurtz 1).

Xavier girls draw top seed in regional

The Xavier girls basketball team has drawn a top seed in the Class 4A regional tournament and will need to win only two home games to reach the state tournament.

The Saints are the No. 1 seed in Region 4. They drew an opening-round bye and will host Clear Creek Amana or Benton Community in the regional semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 18.

If the Saints reach the regional finals, they would host Waverly-Shell Rock, Decorah or Independence on Tuesday, Feb.  21 for a berth in the state tournament.

Xavier is ranked No. 6 in Class 4A and Waverly-Shell Rock is ranked  No. 10, making them the two favorites to reach the Region 4 final and the Saints are favored to win the regional title.

The top-ranked Marion Indians are the No. 1 seed in Region 6 and will be heavily favored to make the state tournament. If Marion and Xavier collide in the postseason, it would be at the state tournament in Des Moines.

Xavier’s Johnson commits to Drake football

Xavier High School senior Max Johnson plans to continue his football career at Drake University as a defensive lineman.

Johnson, 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, was one of the top linemen for the  Saints last  season when they finished 11-1 and reached the semifinals of the Class 3A playoffs.

Drake competes in the Pioneer Football League and compiled a 7-4 record last season.