Xavier upsets No. 2 Dowling

CEDAR RAPIDS - It hasn't been what they expected or wanted so far. But a win like this one, man, it could be a game changer for the Xavier Saints.

A season changer.

'We've had so many ups and downs,” Xavier's Adam McDermott said after Xavier's 65-54 upset Saturday afternoon of Class 4A second-ranked West Des Moines Dowling. 'We've blown out some teams, been blown out by some. We've just been going to practice focused and being prepared. We got a big win last night over Iowa City High and now a huge win over Dowling today. This could be big going forward.”

Most expected Xavier to be a serious player in the Mississippi Valley Conference and Class 3A, but it hasn't worked out that way. With a new point guard (Cedar Rapids Prairie transfer Michael Mims) and the lack of a true post player, consistency has been a problem for the Saints, which is why they're 6-5.

But it all came together here. Mims had 17 second-half points and hit a couple of dagger 3s as Xavier pulled ahead for good early in the fourth quarter, handing Dowling (10-1) its first loss.

'I guess I just made one and then felt good about the next one,” said Mims, who had four second-half treys after not scoring in the first half. 'My teammates were finding me. I don't know. It was just a fun game all around. I'm just glad about the win, to be honest. I don't care how many points I scored.”

McDermott and guard Mitchell Burger had 15 points apiece for Xavier, with Calvin Winker chipping in with 12. The Saints made a concerted effort in the second half to work the ball inside, which led to 20 second-half free throws.

They were 20 of 22 from the stripe overall. That wins games.

'We've been working a lot on breakdown drills with our bigs and our guards on our motion offense,” said Xavier Coach Ryan Luehrsmann. 'Just being more active on our cutting and screening game. I think the kids are starting to move more frequently rather than getting caught standing. You've got to have movement in that offense in order for it to work.”

Xavier did a good job defensively dealing with a much larger Dowling team that goes 6-foot-9, 6-6 and 6-6 up front. The Maroons got some points off offensive boards, but were never really consistent in their set offense.

Center Ted Brown (the 6-9 guy) led Dowling with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

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