Xavier, Prairie pursue outright MVC girls’ basketball championships Friday

As the Mississippi Valley Conference girls’ basketball season approaches its conclusion Friday, here’s a little trivia nugget:

Before this season, Cedar Rapids Xavier had won more state championships (five) than MVC divisional titles (four).

“I believe it,” Coach Tom Lilly said. “I’ve always said, it’s brutal to win a conference title.

“Conference banners are hard to come by.”

Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Saints (16-4 overall, 11-2 MVC) have clinched a share of the Mississippi Division title, thanks to a 65-55 win at Iowa City Liberty on Tuesday.

They’ll try to claim the crown outright Friday, when second-place Iowa City West (14-7, 10-3) comes to Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

“How about Xavier High School, going from a losing record (the Saints were 10-14 last year) to this, with the same kids?” said Lilly, who will coach his final regular-season game Friday.

It helps when one of those same kids is Libby Fandel. The Kansas signee is averaging 24.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, and is one of the top contenders for Miss Iowa Basketball 2025.

The biggest difference, though, is a full season of junior point guard Madden Wilson.

“She came in this year, and it was like, ‘Yeah, you’re our point guard,’” Lilly said. “She’s kind of a little pit bull. She gets after it.”

Xavier’s most recent divisional championship came in 2015.

In the Mississippi Division, Cedar Rapids Prairie (17-3, 11-2) has wrapped up a share of the title, and can win it outright with a win at home Friday against Cedar Rapids Jefferson (8-12, 4-9).

Should the Hawks stumble, it could open the door for a co-championship for Iowa City High (15-6, 10-3), which hosts surging Cedar Rapids Washington (11-9, 9-4).

Washington knocked off Prairie on Tuesday, 62-54.

400 for Sconsa

Cascade Coach Mike Sconsa earned his 400th career win Tuesday, when the Cougars handled Dyersville Beckman, 47-27, at home.

Sconsa is in his 20th year as head coach, and owns a record of 400-89. He has led the Cougars to nine state tournaments, including a Class 2A championship in 2018.

“I’m really lucky to be where I am,” Sconsa told the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald after Tuesday’s win.

“This town — it’s not a cliche — in many ways saved my life. Between me having a kidney transplant and have a stroke, the amount of people who supported me, donated their gifts and money, they treated me like one of their own. I owe my life to this town.”

The Cougars are 15-6 heading into Thursday’s regular-season finale at North Linn.

1A regional storylines

The area’s best Class 1A teams — including second-ranked, defending-state-champion North Linn — don’t jump into the postseason fire until next week.

Still, there are plentiful area storylines among Thursday’s first-round games.

* A pair of South Iowa Cedar League teams are enjoying their best seasons in more than a decade. HLV (now combined with Tri-County) is 12-9, its winningest campaign since 2006-07. Keota (11-10) is on the plus side of .500 for the first time since 2013-14.

HLV/Tri-County is at Iowa Valley (6-16) Thursday; Keota welcomes Winfield-Mount Union (5-16).

* Upper Iowa Conference co-champion Turkey Valley (16-5) opens at home against West Central (3-18). Sophomore Isabella Stika recently grabbed 26 rebounds in a game for the Trojans.

* The best area game Thursday likely is the matchup between Elkader Central (9-13) and Edgewood-Colesburg (11-10). The host Vikings are 8-1 in games played outside the Tri-Rivers Conference West Division.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com