The Xavier Saints will not have to leave 42nd Street for the Class 4A regional girls basketball tournament this year, making a potential trip to the state tournament perhaps a little easier for them.

The Washington Warriors, on the other hand, will have to travel to Newton for the Class 5A regional finals if they advance that far, making their path to the state tournament a little harder.

Xavier and Washington are the two best bets from the Metro area to reach the state tournament in Des Moines this season, and they learned their regional assignments Monday when the pairings were released by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

This will be the first year for a five-class girls state basketball tournament, which could turn out to be another advantage for Xavier. The Saints do not have to tangle with the biggest schools in the state anymore now that they've dropped from the largest class to the second-largest class.

There are no guarantees in sports, but the Saints probably will have an easier time reaching the Class 4A state tournament this year instead of trying to make the Class 5A field.

"Sure," Xavier Coach Tom Lilly agreed. "I think you'd be foolish to think otherwise."

Xavier is ranked No.6 in Class 4A, and the only other ranked team in the same region is No.14 Washington (Iowa). That makes the Saints the favorite to reach the state tournament, at least on paper.

Xavier drew an opening-round bye in the regional tournament and will face either Marion or Solon in the regional semifinals on Feb. 16 at Xavier. If the Saints reach the regional finals, they'll play Washington (Iowa), Keokuk or Fort Madison on Feb. 19 at Kennedy High School.

Lilly thinks the IGHSAU did a good job of putting the highest-ranked Class 4A teams from eastern Iowa in different regions.

"I am kind of satisfied with the way they spread out the teams that are ranked in the top," he said. "You still have to win. There are a lot of good teams out there."

The Washington Warriors drew an opening-round bye in their Class 5A regional and will host either Linn-Mar or Prairie in the regional semifinals on Feb. 16. If the eighth-ranked Warriors win that game, they would face No.9 Waukee or Johnston in the regional finals at Newton for a trip to state.

Washington Coach Frank Howell has fond memories of Newton. He played a game there 25 years ago when he was in high school and it had a happy ending.

"I love Newton," he said. "It's a great town."

Howell knows the path to state is fraught with danger. The Warriors needed a 3-point basket at the buzzer to beat the Prairie Hawks when last they met on Jan. 11, and they'll learn more about Waukee when they play a regular-season game at Waukee this Saturday.

"It will be a very competitive region," he predicted. "I think all the teams are pretty good.

"I knew it would be impossible to get a draw that wouldn't pose some pretty big problems for us. I think there are a lot of teams in the region that have a chance."

The Jefferson J-Hawks and Kennedy Cougars were placed in the same Class 5A region and will battle each other in the quarterfinals on Feb. 13 at Kennedy. The winner will have to play at No.10 Waterloo West in the semifinals on Feb. 16, with No.3 Des Moines East and Marshalltown also in the same bracket. The regional finals will be played at Saydel.

Marion and Solon will tangle in the opening round of their Class 4A regional at Marion on Feb. 13, with the winner playing the Xavier Saints at Xavier on Feb. 16 in the semifinals.

Cedar Valley Christian will play Lone Tree in the opening round of a Class 1A regional tournament on Feb. 7 at Lone Tree.

The state tournament at Feb. 25-March 2 at the the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

REGIONAL PAIRINGS

CLASS 5A

REGION 3

Opening Round
Wednesday, Feb. 13
Jefferson at Kennedy, 7 p.m.

Semifinals
Saturday, Feb. 16
Jefferson/Kennedy at Waterloo West, 7 p.m.

Finals
Tuesday, Feb. 19
At Saydel
Jefferson/Kennedy/Waterloo West vs. Des Moines East/Marshalltown, 7 p.m.

REGION 6

Opening Round
Wednesday, Feb. 13
Linn-Mar at Prairie, 7 p.m.

Semifinals
Saturday, Feb. 16
Linn-Mar/Prairie at Washington, 7 p.m.

Finals
Tuesday, Feb. 19
At Newton
Linn-Mar/Prairie/Washington vs. Waukee/Johnston, 7 p.m.

CLASS 4A

REGION 4

Opening Round
Wednesday, Feb. 13
Solon at Marion, 7 p.m.

Semifinals
Saturday, Feb. 16
Solon/Marion at Xavier, 7 p.m.

Finals
Tuesday, Feb. 19
At Kennedy
Marion/Solon/Xavier vs. Keokuk/Fort Madison/Washington (Iowa), 7 p.m.

CLASS 1A

REGION 4

Opening Round
Thursday, Feb. 7
Cedar Valley Christian at Lone Tree, 7 p.m.