Xavier Boys Basketball

Matt Mims wins Metro Spotlight Award

Matt Mims of Xavier is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Mims, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, is a starting guard for the Xavier basketball team that will play in the Class 3A state tournament in Des Moines this week.

The 10th-ranked Saints (16-8) will meet third-ranked Spirit Lake (21-3) in the opening round Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena.

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Bohannon MVC's best in Valley Division

Linn-Mar senior Jordan Bohannon was named the Valley Division Athlete of the Year as a part of the Mississippi Valley Conference's All-Division Selections released Thursday.

Bohannon, who closed his career with a 44-point effort in a 76-74 overtime loss to Cedar Falls in the Class 4A substate final on Tuesday, was one of three unanimous selections to the first team along with Dubuque Wahlert's Cordell Pemsl and Iowa City West's Connor McCaffery.

West Coach Steve Bergman and his staff received the division's Coach of the Year honor.

Class 3A state qualifier Xavier had two players, Mitchell Burger and Max Techau, named to the Mississippi Division first team. Also on the first team were Prairie's Max Smith-Drahos and Washington's Leveechie Williams.

Waterloo East's Isaiah Wade was the division's athlete of the year while Iowa City High's Don Showalter and his staff received Coach of the Year honors.

VALLEY DIVISION
FIRST TEAM

* Jordan Bohannon, Linn-Mar, *Cordell Pemsl, Dubuque Wahlert, *Connor McCaffery, Iowa City west, Tra'Von Fagan, Cedar Falls, A.J. Green, Cedar Falls, Wali Parks, Iowa City West, Devontae Lane, Iowa City West.

* - Unanimous selection

SECOND TEAM

Dennis McKinney, Jefferson, Drake Brewster, Kennedy, David Wedewer, Dubuque Wahlert, Beau Klostermann, Linn-Mar, Carter Stevens, Dubuque Senior, Riley Till, Dubuque Wahlert, Jared Printy, Linn-Mar.

HONORABLE MENTION
(Metro Only)

Jefferson: Adam Van Oort, Valentino Green.
Kennedy: Derrick Diggins, Michael Bisenius
Linn-Mar: Jordan Brandt, Riley Murphy

Athlete of the Year: Jordan Bohannon, Linn-Mar
Coach of the Year: Steve Bergman and staff, Iowa City West

MISSISSIPPI DIVISION
FIRST TEAM

Max Smith-Drahos, Prairie, Laveechie Williams, Washington, Mitchell Burger, Xavier, Max Techau, Xavier, Micah Martin, Iowa City High, Isaiah Wade, Waterloo East, Amel Kuljuhovic, Waterloo West.

SECOND TEAM

Jalen Rima, Prairie, Naeem Smith, Iowa City High, Keion Wills, Washington, Hunter Strait, Washington, Matt Mims, Xavier, Connor Duax, Dubuque Hempstead, Gabe Pepin, Waterloo West.

HONORABLE MENTION
(Metro Only)

Prairie: Cal Clark, Jake Eilers
Washington: Ian Thomas, Dallas Hobbs
Xavier: Ryan Stulken, Jackson Joens

Athlete of the Year: Isaiah Wade, Waterloo East
Coach of the Year: Don Showalter and staff, Iowa City High

Xavier selling boys state hoops tickets

The Xavier Activities Office will be selling tickets to the Saints' Class 3A state quarterfinal game next Tuesday against Spirit Lake at the following dates and times:

* Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

* Monday from 7:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

* Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. until noon

All tickets are general admission and cost $10.  The Saints and Spirit Lake play on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

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Saints headed back to state tourney

IOWA CITY - Ryan Luehrsmann wants to make trips to the boys state basketball tournament a regular habit for the Xavier Saints instead of a sporadic occurrence.

Luehrsmann and the Saints took another big step in building that tradition Monday night.

The eighth-ranked Saints turned in a workmanlike performance and defeated Mount Pleasant, 63-47, in Iowa City to earn their second straight trip to the Class 3A state tournament in Des Moines next week.

"You put two trips together, that's a heck of an accomplishment," said Luehrsmann. "It's not easy to get down there.

"We want to change the mindset, we want to have a culture at Xavier where that's the expectation at the high school level. And the little kids on down in junior high and into the feeder programs coming, that they're used to going and seeing Xavier at state tournaments year-in and year-out."

Xavier (16-8) drew the No. 6 seed and will face No. 3 seed Spirit Lake (21-3) in the opening round on Tuesday, March 8 at 6:35 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena.

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