Points at a premium when Saints meet Ankeny

DES MOINES -- Like defense?

Then Wells Fargo Arena is the place for you Wednesday afternoon. Pop your head in the door around 1:30 for a defensive smorgasbord.

That's when fifth-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier (18-5) meets Ankeny (20-3) in a Class 4A quarterfinal. Points will be at a premium.

"You'll probably have to give the edge to whichever team gets to 40 points," said Xavier Coach Tom Lilly.

Ankeny is the stingiest team in 4A, allowing 32.8 points per game. Xavier ranks fourth in points allowed, at 36.0.

Defense is part of the story. Long, deliberate possessions is another.

"We have always preached defensive basketball," Lilly said. "People don't think we worry about scoring. But if you don't give your opponent many easy opportunities (to score), then you're going to minimize your own offensive opportunities as well.

"If we come to accept that someday we can launch scores into the 70s, then we probably won't emphasize defense as much."

Both programs are rich in tradition. Ankeny is in the field for the 25th time and is pursuing its 11th championship. Xavier is here for the ninth time, and the Saints were 3A champions in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

But Xavier's last state trip was in 2009, and none of the current crop of Saints have stepped on the Wells Fargo floor before.

"Ankeny knows how it looks, how it smells, how it sounds," Lilly said. "Our girls don't."

Both teams have size aplenty. Ankeny has a strong line of 6-foot-3, 6-2 and 6-0, featuring Maddie Manning (who has signed at the University of Oklahoma) and Krista Pettepier (Pittsburgh).

Xavier counters with 6-2 Alex Bartz, the third-leading shot-blocker in 4A.

For the Saints to advance, Lilly said, "we're going to have to find an unsung hero. Who that's going to be, I don't know."

From post to point

Tember Schechinger winced.

The guard from IKM-Manning was informed that she had fallen one assist short of a triple-double in the Wolves' 71-55 win over Bellevue in a Class 2A quarterfinal. She finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and five steals.

A complete game, by a complete player.

Schechinger was a backup post as a freshman when the Wolves captured the 2A title. Now, she's the point guard.

"I really like where I'm at," she said.

After the brief wince, Schechinger acknowledged that the stats didn't matter much -- "I don't pay much attention, but I think I had a triple-double early this season."

She did, against Coon Rapids-Bayard.

The third-rated Wolves will play Pella Christian in a semifinal Thursday.