Tom Lilly's remarkable career as a girls basketball coach had a humble beginning in 1980.

Lilly's girlfriend at the time -- "Who shall remain nameless" -- asked him to help her coach a 7th grade team at St. Matthew's school in Cedar Rapids and he accepted the chance to work at his alma mater.

He's come a long, long way since then.

Lilly collected his 500th victory as a varsity girls basketball coach Tuesday night when the Xavier Saints topped Davenport Assumption, 57-47, at the Ron Thillen Gymnasium at Xavier.

Lilly, 60, became the 32nd member of the 500 Club, according to the Iowa Girls' Athletic Coaches Association, and he's harvested four state titles and many fond memories along the way.

Lilly was given an autographed basketball from this year's team during a post-game ceremony to celebrate the milestone. He also received a plaque and a kiss from his wife, Sissy, at mid-court.

Lilly raised his fists in celebration, acknowledged the applause and quickly gestured to his players to share the credit with them.

"Thank you. Thank you very much for all your support," he said during the ceremony. "We've had some great players, some great assistant coaches. I've been blessed.

"500 is supposed to be something special, but you know what?," he said. "I'm worried about 501 right now."

Lilly succeeded Bob Mullen as the girls basketball coach at Regis High School in 1985. "He retired and they've been stuck with me ever since," he quipped.

Lilly spent 13 years as the head coach at Regis and the last 18 years as the head coach at Xavier, ever since the new Catholic high school in northeast Cedar Rapids opened in 1998. Along the way, he earned state titles in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2013 despite not being blessed with an abundance of all-state or Division I players.

"It's not like we're knocking down the door with great talent," he said. "We've had great kids and they work hard."

McKenna Andersen led the Saints (4-5) in the milestone victory with 20 points, then enjoyed the celebration with her teammates. Lilly missed his first chance at 500 wins in a close loss to Jefferson Friday night and the Saints were determined to help their respected and beloved boss reach 500 before they departed for the holidays.

"We all wanted to do it for him, but we tried not to let it make us nervous," said Andersen, "but it was in the back of all our minds. I've never been more proud to be a basketball player here.

"It wasn't just our team, it was all the girls who put in the 499 for him as well as us," she said. "It's special."

Lilly received a warm letter from Cedar Rapids Washington girls basketball coach Frank Howell on the eve of the milestone. Lilly and Howell are friends and rivals who have battled many times over the years in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

"He basically said that 500 is quite a club and not many people reach it," revealed Lilly, who was touched by the thoughtful letter. "He said, 'If nobody tells you this, whisper it to yourself: You're a hell of a coach.'

"I told Frank I would remember that if we were fortunate to win today."

Xavier played a solid game and soared to a 46-28 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Davenport Assumption (3-6) chipped away and pulled within 50-43 with less than two minutes remaining as the Saints struggled at the foul line.

"I asked my assistant, 'Can we lose a 10-point lead with 12 seconds left?," Lilly said. "And she said, 'I don't think so.' And I said, 'OK, I'll relax now.'"

Stephanie Potts has been one of Lilly's assistant coaches for more than 20 years and she gave him a gentle pat on the back when the game ended and the celebration began.

Meghan Joens scored 12 points for Xavier. Bailey Brown tossed in five 3-pointers and scored 17 points for Davenport Assumption.

ASSUMPTION (47): Brown 6 0-0 17, Hamel 0 0-0 0, Fennelly 0 0-0 0, Adams 1 0-0 3, Harris 2 4-4 9, Frank 0 0-0 0, Bush 0 1-2 1, Thrapp 2 3-3 7, Lunardi 5 0-0 10. Totals 16 8-9 47.

XAVIER (57): Stanek 2 0-0 6, Helms 0 0-0 0, Andersen 5 8-10 20, Noonan 3 3-5 9, Dickes 1 0-4 2, Brown 1 2-2 4, Callahan 0 0-0 0, Steffen 0 0-0 0, Ivester 2 0-0 4, Joens 4 4-7 12. Totals 18 17-28 57.

Halftime - Xavier 29, Assumption 17. 3-point goals - Assumption 7 (Brown 5, Adams 1, Harris 1), Xavier 4 (Stanek 2, Andersen 2). Fouled out - Thrapp, Lunardi.