Max Techau a true big man in Xavier’s season-opening win over Mount Pleasant

CEDAR RAPIDS — There aren't too many times when Max Techau is outsized height wise in a basketball game. In the season opener Monday night, the Cedar Rapids Xavier center was outsized height and pounds wise, that latter thing by a lot.

Yet he turned out to be the true 'big' man in his team's 55-45 win over Mount Pleasant.

'I thought Max was the difference,' Xavier Coach Ryan Luehrsmann said. 'Max controlled the paint ... He was key. He set the tone for physical play and making tough, hustle-type plays that we needed down the stretch.'

Techau is 6-foot-7, but it's a skinny 6-7. He went head-to-head against MP's Tom O'Conner, a foreign-exchange student from Australia who checks in at 6-9 and 315 pounds.

The final line for Techau was 14 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. For O'Conner, six points and five boards.

Win for Techau, and win for Xavier, in its first game as defending Class 3A state champion.

'That was a big boy,' said Techau, who repeatedly beat his larger opponent down the floor. 'I mean, I'm used to it. Last year, it seemed like every other night I was playing against a dude who was 6-9 and going D-I or to some high-level school. I think I played against six of those guys. So it's always fun. I'm going to get another one on Saturday. Just stay strong, I guess.'

Xavier's opponent Saturday is Waverly-Shell Rock, which has another 6-9 guy in Austin Phyfe, the Northern Iowa signee.

'They are different players, but they are both big bodies,' Techau said. 'So it's good to get used to it.'

Xavier spurted early to a 9-0 lead and was up at the break, 31-19. But Mount Pleasant, which returned virtually everyone from an 18-win team last season, went on a run to begin the second half that cut Xavier's lead to 33-29.

Techau responded with huge back-to-back putback hoops to restore a more comfortable edge, and MP never seriously threatened the rest of the way. Junior guard Matt Mims led the Saints with 20 points, with Jackson Joens adding 12.

The key to another title run will rest on Xavier developing other offensive weapons to go with its big three.

'We came out with a lot of energy,' Mims said. 'There are a lot of things that we can still get better on. But for the most part, for the first game, I think we did a lot of good things.'

Xavier played well defensively, holding Mount Pleasant to 32 percent shooting. Junior guard Brady Sartorious averaged about 17 points per game last season but was held to 12 here on only 5-of-16 shooting.

'To start that third quarter, Mount Pleasant played really hard, were the aggressor, and I thought we played scared,' Luehrsmann said. 'We played like we had a target on our back, just like we talked about the other day, and didn't handle it very well for a little while. It's going to be a learning experience.'

AT C.R. XAVIER

MOUNT PLEASANT (45): Kieran Kohorst 2-4 0-0 4, Tom O'Conner 3-9 0-0 6, Colin Mulford 4-7 2-4 14, Brady Sartorious 5-16 2-2 12, Jordan Magnani 1-7 2-2 5, Jonathan Ita 1-7 1-4 4, Brody McGhghy 0-0 0-0 0, Maison Ashton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-50 7-12 45.

C.R. XAVIER (55): Nolan Butkowski 1-5 3-4 5, Jackson Joens 4-10 2-4 12, Max Techau 6-11 2-2 14, Matt Mims 8-20 2-4 20, Bryce Schulte 0-2 0-0 0, Quinn Schulte 0-2 0-0 0, Spencer Dempewolf 1-1 1-2 4. Totals 20-51 10-16 55.

Halftime — Xavier 31, Mount Pleasant 19. 3-point goals — Mount Pleasant 6-17 (Mulford 4-7, Sartorious 0-2, Magnani 1-5, Ita 1-3), Xavier 5-19 (Butkowski 0-3, Joens 2-6, Techau 0-1, Mims 2-6, B. Schulte 0-2, Q. Schulte 0-1, Dempewolf 1-1). Rebounds — Mount Pleasant 37 (Kohorst 10), Xavier 35 (Techau 13). Total fouls — Mount Pleasant 15, Xavier 14. Turnovers — Mount Pleasant 14, Xavier 14.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com