Slump-snapping Xavier girls rock Prairie

CEDAR RAPIDS -- January is coming to a conclusion, and the Xavier Saints couldn't be happier.

A gauntlet of elite Class 5A competition is behind. The postseason looms near, and that's when the Saints shine brightest.Hayley Deutmeyer scored a career-high 26 points and snagged eight rebounds as Class 4A 11th-ranked Xavier ended a three-game losing streak Tuesday night, handling Cedar Rapids Prairie, 63-46, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls' basketball game at Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

"I'm ecstatic. I'm pleased for a lot of reasons," said Xavier Coach Tom Lilly. "A lot of it is that we played psychologically to win. And the girls recognize that as Hayley goes, we go."

Deutmeyer went full-throttle Tuesday. And so did the Saints (8-9 overall, 5-5 MVC).

"The team worked to get me open, and I was able to get the shots I wanted," Deutmeyer said. "A lot of thanks to the team. They do what they can to get me open."

Deutmeyer hit 8 of 13 shots from the floor (including a pair of 3-pointers), and splashed all eight of her foul shots.

She wasn't alone in her charity-stripe pinpointedness; Xavier was 23 of 27 from the line.

The competition certainly isn't cake for the Saints through the remainder of the regular season, but it consists of games in which they'll compete. And that's got to be a relief considering they'd seen a cast that featured five ranked teams (four in 5A) since the holiday break.

Xavier is 2-7 in January. But January isn't the Saints' time. That comes later: Xavier is the defending 4A state champion, and who's to tell them they can't make another deep postseason run?"

Right now, we're doing everything with the postseason in mind," Deutmeyer said.

A trivia answer: Last year's champs suffered nine regular-season losses. So did the 2007 Xavier team that was crowned.

While Xavier shook a slump, Prairie (6-10, 4-5) dropped its sixth straight game.

"I loved our energy level tonight, and the way we approached the game," said Hawks Coach Steve Doser. "We just fouled too much. The free throws hurt us."

We just need to move forward. If we don't move forward, we're going to get left behind."

Prairie took its first lead at 11-9. It was also the last lead. Xavier built a 27-19 margin by halftime, then pulled steadily away. The largest advantage was 24 points, late in the game.

"I just thought we defended pretty decent, and we didn't give up any runs," Lilly said. "Our post play was as good as it's been."

Morgan Breitbach, Maddie Bertsch and Meghan Joens added 10 points apiece for the winners.

Cyerra Hutchins paced Prairie with 15 points. 

CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER 63, CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE 46

At C.R. Xavier

C.R. PRAIRIE (46): Cyerra Hutchins 4-14 6-8 15, Emilie Rotter 3-8 2-4 8, Olivia Usher 1-4 1-2 3, Chrisandra Freeman 3-3 2-2 8, Madison Dellamuth 3-8 0-0 7, Makenzie Stoffer 0-1 1-2 1, Lynsey Altenhofen 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Moenk 0-1 0-0 0, Emily Machula 0-0 2-2 2, Savanna Huchins 0-1 0-0 0, Cassidy Kuehl 0-0 0-0 0, Kaytlyn Oellrich 1-1 0-0 2, Katherine Pieper 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-41 14-20 46.

C.R. XAVIER (63): Morgan Breitbach 3-6 4-4 10, Lizzy Bailey 0-4 1-2 1, Hayley Deutmeyer 8-13 8-8 26, Abby Watson 2-4 2-2 6, Maddie Bertsch 4-7 2-3 10, Meghan Joens 2-2 6-8 10, Jenny Dickes 0-1 0-0 0, Erin Drahozal 0-3 0-0 0, Claire Christianson 0-0 0-0 0, Madi Nelson 0-3 0-0 0, Kylie Tritle 0-0 0-0 0, Kiana Stanek 0-0 0-0 0, Brylee Bastian 0-0 0-0 0, Lexi Noonan 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-44 23-27 63.

Halftime: Xavier 27, Prairie 19. 3-point goals: Prairie 2-9 (C.Hutchins 1-4, Dellamuth 1-3, Moenk 0-1, S.Hutchins 0-1), Xavier 2-8 (Bailey 0-3, Deutmeyer 2-3, Bertsch 0-1, Drahozal 0-1). Team fouls: Prairie 22, Xavier 13. Fouled out: Usher, Rotter. Rebounds: Prairie 24 (Usher 5), Xavier 30 (Deutmeyer 8). Assists: Prairie 2 (C.Hutchins, Moenk), Xavier 6 (Deutmeyer 3). Steals: Prairie 5 (Dellamuth 2), Xavier 10 (Deutmeyer, Watson, Joens 2). Turnovers: Prairie 18, Xavier 15.