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Xavier Girls Basketball

Xavier - Girls Basketball

Lilly nears 500 wins as Xavier begins

Sat - 21 Nov Written by Jim Ecker

Every year, the Xavier girls basketball team seems to graduate its leading scorer after another successful campaign. And every year, a new senior seems to step forward and grab the reins.

"I can't remember the last time we had our leading scorer coming back," legendary coach Tom Lilly said Thursday. "It seems like every year our leading scorer or leading rebounder is somebody who puts on the cap and gown. So we take the next kid with the most experience and we flip roles."

The system has worked just fine.

Lilly has captured four state titles at Xavier and begins his 31st year as a head coach in the local Catholic school system with an impressive record of 496-216 overall, including a 308-114 mark in 17 years with the Saints.

He hears rumors about his impending retirement every year, but has no plans to step aside anytime soon.

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Xavier - Girls Basketball

Morgan Breitbach (11) of Xavier looks to drive around a Harlan defender during the Class 4A state basketball tournament in Des Moines Tuesday night. (Photo by Reese Strickland)

No magic for Saints against Harlan

Tue - 03 Mar Written by Bill Seals

DES MOINES - Returning to face the opponent it won a state championship against in 2013, the Xavier Saints could not find the same magic this year in the opening round of the Class 4A state tournament.

The eighth-ranked Saints lost to top-ranked Harlan, 54-31, at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Saints never got comfortable against the Cyclones' zone defense and length inside, struggling to make shots from the opening tip until the very end. Xavier finished the year with a 17-7 record.

The story coming in was how Coach Tom Lilly would try to counteract Harlan's post tandem of Taylor Frederick and Jess Schaben. Unfortunately for him, Xavier didn't have much of an answer all night as Frederick went off for 27 points and 15 rebounds.

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 March 2015 00:31

Xavier - Girls Basketball

Armstrong willed Saints to 2013 title

Mon - 02 Mar Written by Jim Ecker

Kayla Armstrong was a superb soccer player at Xavier High School and a member of four state championship teams in a row, but she had only mixed results as a basketball player.

Then came the 2013 state basketball tournament and she became a star.

It all began innocently enough in the opening round of the state tournament when Armstrong scored four points in a 50-45 victory over Lewis Central. She had averaged a modest 6.9 points during the regular season, so it was no big deal.

What happened next was truly amazing.

Armstrong turned into a superstar in the semifinals with 22 points, six rebounds, six steals and five assists in a 68-57 victory over Sioux City Heelan with an astounding performance.

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Xavier - Girls Basketball

McKenna Andersen wins Metro Spotlight Award

Sun - 01 Mar Written by Metro Sports Report

McKenna Andersen of Xavier is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Andersen, a 5-foot-9 junior, is a key member of the Xavier basketball team that will play Harlan in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state tournament Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

The eighth-ranked Saints enter the state tournament with a 17-6 record, with all six of their losses to Class 5A clubs. The top-ranked Harlan Cyclones have a spotless 23-0 mark.

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Xavier - Girls Basketball

Saints draw Harlan in 2013 rematch at state tournament

Wed - 25 Feb Written by Metro Sports Report

DEWITT - The Harlan Cyclones must have winced Tuesday night when they saw who they drew in the opening round of the Class 4A girls state basketball tournament next week.

Oh, no! It's those pesky Saints from Xavier again.

Xavier upset Harlan, 53-52, in the championship game of the Class 4A state tournament in 2013. Now they'll meet again on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines in a rematch.

The Saints earned another trip to Des Moines by toppling Davenport North, 65-52, in the regional finals Tuesday night in DeWitt. The Saints did not reach the state tournament last year, falling on a buzzer-beater to North Scott in the regional finals.

"Emotions were really high," Xavier senior Lizzy Bailey told the Quad City Times. "Last year was a heart-breaking loss, so we had that in the back of our minds when we came out today. We just came out and played tough."

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 February 2015 00:43