C.R. Xavier overcomes loss of leading scorer to beat Iowa City Liberty

CEDAR RAPIDS - When your point guard and leading scorer doesn’t play because of an injury, you’ve really got to wonder how things are gonna go.

For Cedar Rapids Xavier’s boys’ basketball team Friday night, that answer turned out to be fine. Just fine.

Josef Lemker scored a career-high 25 points and Aidan Yamilkoski added 24 as the Saints knocked off Iowa City Liberty, 75-62, in a fun Mississippi Valley Conference encounter at Ron Thillen Gym.

This was a season high for points for Xavier (5-3, 2-2), which is sans sophomore Joe Bean for at least a little while. Bean, averaging 14 points a game, has a stress fracture in his foot.

One game without him and one win.

“We have people who can step up,” Lemker said. “It was nice to (have people) step into that role because he’s obviously a good player.”

Lemker was one of those guys doing that stepping-up thing. He had back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Xavier extend a precarious one-point lead to six.

Spencer Mesch splashed a trey with 2:15 left to essentially put the Saints over the top, giving them a 69-59 edge. Mesch finished with 12 points, nine over his average.

“I saw one go in there ... then I just had more confidence to shoot,” said Lemker, who had 18 second-half points, including four treys. “My teammates did a good job of working it around and getting me open looks ... We finished well, had a good second half.”

“I told the guys ‘Be a champion in your role tonight,’” said Xavier Coach Mike Freeman. “We don’t know what that’s going to be, but be a champion in it. We’ve talked all season (about how) we’ve battled injury since the beginning. Everybody that came off football. So we just told them we don’t know what tonight is going to bring.”

Yamilkoski was great early, scoring Xavier’s first 13 points. He struggled early in the season with an injury, as did Lemker.

“It feels good to come out and play like you practice,” Yamilkoski said.

Freeman gave props to all of his guys. Xavier was able to rebound from back-to-back close losses to Iowa City West and Cedar Rapids Washington.

The Saints are 3-0 this season against fellow Class 3A teams.

“We’re just going to continue to find our roles,” Freeman said. “We haven’t had our whole team together, yet.”

Da’Shon Fisher had 20 points and Luke Ramsey 14 for Liberty (1-6).

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AT CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER

IOWA CITY LIBERTY (62): Graham Beckman 0-4 0-0 0, Da’Shon Fisher 5-8 9-12 20, Luke Ramsey 3-9 5-5 14, Christian Barney 4-5 1-5 9, Griffin Kraft 2-3 0-0 4, Trey Hughes 2-6 1-2 7, T.J. Tellis 1-3 0-1 2, Ja’Quez Hall 0-0 0-0 0, Gage Kampman 3-7 0-1 6, Owen Swartzendruber 0-0 0-0 0, Kalhan Handoo 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 20-48 16-26 62.

C.R. XAVIER (75): Aidan Yamilkoski 8-17 6-6 24, Josef Lemker 6-11 9-11 25, Trysten Vasquez 2-4 1-6 5, Thomas Sundell 0-0 0-0 0, Spencer Mesch 5-6 0-0 12, Michael Cunningham 0-0 0-0 0, Grayson Hartman 0-2 1-2 1, Landen Eidahl 0-2 0-0 0, Maverick Burger 0-1 2-2 2, Brody Hoffman 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 24-47 19-27 75.

Halftime - Xavier 34, Liberty 33. 3-point goals - Liberty 5-16 (Fisher 1-1, Beckman 0-1, Ramsey 3-7, Hughes 2-5, Handoo 0-2), Xavier 8-16 (Yamilkoski 2-6, Lemker 4-7, Mesch 2-2, Eidahl 0-1, Burger 0-1). Rebounds - Liberty 25 (Barney 6), Xavier 35 (Vasquez 6). Total fouls - Liberty 21, Xavier 23. Fouled out - Kampman. Turnovers - Liberty 15, Xavier 13.

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