Washington girls run away from Xavier, 69-47

CEDAR RAPIDS – Cedar Rapids Washington's up-tempo attack was on full display last night, and Cedar Rapids Xavier was left wishing it had the same level of comfort.

Washington's one-two scoring punch of Dani Franklin and Aleena Hobbs combined for 37 points, and the Warriors ran away from Class 4A No. 5 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 69-47, in a Mississippi Valley girls' basketball game at Washington.

'I think at the beginning of the game we tried to emphasize getting the ball up and down (the court),' Hobbs said. 'We stuck with that the whole game and I think that helped us in the end.

'The win moves Washington (7-2, 5-1 MVC) into second place in the Valley division, winners of seven of eight games. Hobbs pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go with 15 points and three assists. Franklin led all scorers with 22 points and blocked five shots. A Hobbs putback and a Franklin 3-pointer just before halftime put the Warriors up 35-22, and the game was double digits the rest of the way.

The up-and-down pace played to Washington's strength but resulted in a combined 50 turnovers. Washington also committed 26 fouls, putting Xavier in the double-bonus in the first quarter and nearly duplicating the feat in the third. Xavier made 19 of 31 foul shots.

'I definitely don't think we should foul that much,' said Franklin, a Valparaiso signee. 'I think we fixed it in the second half, definitely.

'Entering the game, Franklin and Hobbs had combined to score 325 of the team's 491 points (66 percent). Against Xavier, 12 Warriors chipped in, including six apiece from Kandis O'Donnell and MJ Kamin.

'I noticed it right away,' Washington Coach Frank Howell said. 'I think maybe the first three minutes of the game, we had four or five kids who had scored. That's something that if we can continue to get some punch from some of the other kids, that will make us a lot better.'

Hayley Deutmeyer led Xavier (6-4, 3-3 MVC) with 12 points, while senior Maddie Bertsch added a season-high 11.Washington hosts eighth-ranked Des Moines East on Saturday, while Xavier faces undefeated and 5A No. 2 West Des Moines Valley at the U.S. Cellular Center as part of 'Rivalry Saturday.'

AT C.R. WASHINGTON

C.R. XAVIER (47): Morgan Breitbach 0 4-6 4, Lizzy Bailey 1 4-6 6, Hayley Deutmeyer 4 4-8 12, Abby Watson 1 0-0 2, Maddie Bertsch 4 3-6 11, Jenny Dickes 2 2-3 6, Meghan Joens 0 2-2 2, Brylee Bastian 0 0-0 0, Claire Christianson 0 0-0 0, Madi Nelson 0 0-0 0, Erion Drahozal 2 0-0 4, Kylie Tritle 0 0-0 0, Kiana Stanek. Totals 14 19-31 47.

C.R. WASHINGTON (69): Aleena Hobbs 6 3-6 15, Jasmyne Jones 1 0-0 2, Kiki West-Doyle 1 0-0 2, Dani Franklin 8 4-4 22, Kandis O'Donnell 2 2-3 6, Joniqua Clark 1 0-0 2, Courtney Squires 1 0-0 2, Anne Visser 1 2-3 4, M.J. Kamin 3 0-0 6, Sophia Ochs 2 0-0 5, Callie Cook 1 0-0 2, Alexandra Semrau 0 1-2 1, Lilly Hartman 0 0-4 0, Kiley Nelson 0 0-0 0, McKenna Angellotti 0 0-0 0, Brittany Cullen 0 0-0 0, Kiara Johnson 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 12-22 69.

Halftime - Washington 37, Xavier 24. 

3-point goals - Washington 3 (Franklin 2, Ochs), Xavier 0. 

Total fouls – Washington 26, Xavier 17. 

Fouled out - Jones. 

Turnovers - Washington 24, Xavier 26.