Saints hang tough, but Linn-Mar prevails
It wasn’t a real pretty game.
Linn-Mar’s Lions, the state’s top-ranked boys team, weren’t as sharp as usual.
The gritty Xavier Saints, meanwhile, played tough as always. They tested the visitors in their home gym Friday night but fell to the better team, 52-33.
“The thing about Linn-Mar is that they always seem to be in control,” said Xavier Coach Matt Jenkins.
“Even when they’re having an off night like tonight, you never get the feeling that they’re going to lose. They’re just a great team.”
Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson saw some good things from his squad despite the sub-par overall performance.
“Defensively, we played really well,” he said. “We were aggressive and made them work for their shots. But we were a little stagnant on offense.”
Neither team shot well to start the game, and Linn-Mar (16-0, 11-0 Mississippi Valley Conference) led by only 10-5 at the end the first quarter.
Then, in a three-minute stretch in the second quarter, Linn-Mar scored nine straight points to stretch its lead to 21-9.
“We had good looks around the basket,” Jenkins said. “We just couldn’t connect. We couldn’t buy a bucket.”
For the game, the Saints (4-13, 3-9 MVC) made just 11 of their 30 shots.
Last Updated on Saturday, 05 February 2011 01:30