Early balance sends Xavier girls’ basketball past Kennedy, 56-43

CEDAR RAPIDS — If your undisputed star is the fifth and final starter to score, it’s not necessarily a bad sign.

It sure wasn’t for Cedar Rapids Xavier on Friday.

“They started in a box-and-one and were face-guarding Libby (Fandel),” Xavier’s Taylor Rexroth said. “We all had to prove we could score, so they would get out of it.”

Class 4A 11th-ranked Xavier built an 11-1 lead before Fandel dented the scoring column and went on to defeat Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 56-43, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls’ basketball game Friday night at Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

“We had a nice start,” Saints Coach Tom Lilly said. “We moved the ball around, recognizing it was going to take a team effort. The rest of the girls can’t sit back and wait for her to score.”

They didn’t.

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Photos: Kennedy at Xavier girls’ basketball

Reese Komenda scored the Saints’ first four points. Then it was Ava Turner with a 3-pointer to make it 7-0 before Kennedy took its first shot.

Rexroth’s baseline bucket and Carley Jonker’s layup extended the lead to 11-1, and the Saints (2-0 overall, 2-0 MVC) led from tip to horn.

“Every game, somebody has to help,” Rexroth said. “It’s not going to be the same person every game.”

Fandel was still fantastic. She finished with 23 points (12 in the second quarter), five rebounds and five assists. Rexroth added 10 points. Turner tacked on seven boards and four steals to go with her five points.

A seven-point run gave Xavier its largest lead of the game at 49-32 late in the third quarter. But the Cougars (0-3, 0-1) surged back and got within 50-42 on Alaina Canney’s free throw with 2:50 left.

Turner scored from the baseline to send the margin back to 10, then the Saints finished it off at the free-throw line.

Kyla Wright led Kennedy with 15 points, including all of the Cougars’ 11 in the first quarter. Canney and Lexi Moore scored 10 apiece, with Canney corralling seven rebounds.

Cedar Rapids Xavier 56, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 43

At C.R. Xavier

C.R. KENNEDY (43): Addison Swartzendruber 1-4 1-2 3, Ella Moser 0-7 3-6 3, Kyla Wright 6-9 2-2 15, Lexi Moore 4-13 2-2 10, Alaina Canney 3-7 4-6 10, Payton Thier 1-1 0-0 2, Isabella Senters 0-1 0-0 0, Lola Sain 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-42 12-18 43.

C.R. XAVIER (56): Carley Jonker 1-6 1-2 3, Taylor Rexroth 3-5 2-2 10, Libby Fandel 6-12 8-10 23, Ava Turner 2-6 0-0 5, Reese Komenda 3-9 0-1 6, Jaselle Lang 1-2 0-0 3, Cayleigh O’Brien 3-5 0-0 6. Totals 19-45 11-15 56.

C.R. Kennedy 11 9 13 10 — 43

C.R. Xavier 18 14 17 7 — 56

3-point goals: Kennedy 1-6 (Moser 0-4, Wright 1-2), Xavier 7-19 (Rexroth 2-4, Fandel 3-6, Turner 1-3, Komenda 0-3, Lang 1-2, O’Brien 0-1). Team fouls: Kennedy 17, Xavier 18. Fouled out: Komenda. Rebounds: Kennedy 26 (Canney 7), Xavier 31 (Turner 8). Assists: Kennedy 7 (Moser 3), Xavier 12 (Fandel 5). Steals: Kennedy 12 (Moser, Wright 4), Xavier 10 (Turner 4). Turnovers: Kennedy 20, Xavier 20.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com