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Cedar Rapids Xavier’s ‘overdogs’ send Tom Lilly out as a state champion
Libby Fandel (36 points, 14 rebounds) is fantastic one final time, and the Saints claim the Class 4A crown, 66-47, over North Polk
Mar. 8, 2025 6:24 pm
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DES MOINES — “Surreal,” Tom Lilly said.
“Crazy,” according to Madden Wilson.
“Just amazing,” added Libby Fandel.
And Taylor Rexroth: “Like a fairy-tale ending.”
The Xavier Saints couldn’t have scripted it any better.
Fandel was marvelous one final time — 36 points, 14 rebounds, five steals — and eighth-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier sent Lilly out as a champion. The Saints dumped No. 2 North Polk, 66-47, for the Class 4A girls’ basketball crown Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
“It’s all you could possibly ask for,” Wilson said. “It’s all we wanted.”
Xavier (22-4) ended the season with 14 consecutive victories. Its last defeat came Jan. 11, at home — against North Polk.
The Saints came to Des Moines as an 8-seed. They promptly ripped off double-digit wins over No. 1 Sioux City Heelan, No. 4 Norwalk and No. 2 North Polk in succession.
“We came here as underdogs,” Rexroth said. “We wanted to become the overdogs.”
Fandel was the all-tournament captain as a freshman, when the Saints won the 4A title in 2022.
“A full-circle moment,” said Fandel, a no-brainer selection as captain of the 4A all-tournament team.
Fandel also won a title here as a freshman three years ago.
“A lot of happy tears, but I’m also sad that this is the last one,” she said. “I’m so glad to go out like this.”
Fandel’s totals for the three games this week: 94 points (a 4A tournament record) and 53 rebounds (another 4A tournament record, and tied for the all-time, all-class record).
The University of Kansas recruit was spectacular. She closed her career with 1,995 points.
Lilly announced in November that his 40th season of coaching (his 27th at Xavier) would be his last. His final record reads 644-301 overall, 455-198 at Xavier.
“I’m going to wake up tomorrow and read the paper and watch the highlights and see that it’s actually for real,” he said. “Right now, it seems like a dream.”
The championship is Xavier’s sixth in girls basketball (2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2022 and 2025).
“He’s a great coach,” Fandel said of Lilly. “He puts in a lot of work every day, and he has a great relationship with his players.
“He taught me a lot about leadership, a lot of out-of-the-box things I’d never thought about.”
Rexroth said, “He knows everything. Even though he’s kind of old, he’s still wise beyond his years.”
North Polk (24-3) led throughout the first 10 1/2 minutes; the Comets’ largest advantage was 18-12 on Greta Dillinger’s 3-pointer with 6:28 left in the second quarter.
But the Saints flipped it with a 19-4 blitz to end the half, and took a 31-22 lead into the locker room.
An 8-0 run by the Comets cut Xavier’s lead to 38-32, but the Saints regrouped and stretched it to 51-38 by the end of the third quarter, and when Fandel drilled a 3-pointer to make it 60-41 with 4:50 to go, victory was certain.
“I was zoned in until there were two minutes left,” Wilson said. “I looked up at the scoreboard and thought, ‘We’re actually going to do this.’”
Wilson scored 10 points and joined Fandel on the 4A all-tournament team. So did Becca Aagard and Abby Tuttle of North Polk, Braylyn Birmingham of Norwalk and Melina Snoozy of Sioux City Heelan.
Aagard led the Comets with 17 points Saturday before fouling out.
Surreal, the Saints called this. Crazy. Amazing.
This championship run was all of those things. But this ending was no fairy tale.
This was real.
Cedar Rapids Xavier 66, North Polk 47
Class 4A State Championship, at Des Moines
C.R. XAVIER (66): Madden Wilson 4-9 2-2 10, Jaselle Lang 2-8 0-0 4, Taylor Rexroth 3-5 0-0 8, Libby Fandel 11-19 12-14 36, Reese Komenda 2-6 2-3 6, Macie Herting 0-0 0-0 0, Cayleigh O’Brien 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Driscoll 0-0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Emerson 0-0 0-2 0, Gianna Pino 0-0 0-0 0, Ella Arens 0-0 0-0 0, Keke Harbeck 0-0 0-0 0, Maizey Fisher 0-0 0-0 0, Samantha Dorrity 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 23-52 16-21 66.
NORTH POLK (47): Campbell Schulz 2-6 5-6 9, Abby Tuttle 2-9 0-0 4, Jada Podey 2-5 0-0 5, Becca Aagard 7-13 3-4 17, Greta Dillinger 2-4 0-0 6, Sophia Bouchard 0-0 0-0 0, Jaslyn Rasmussen 0-1 0-0 0, Jocelyn Manock 0-0 0-0 0, Lauren Ausborn 0-0 0-0 0, Aubrey Happ 0-0 0-0 0, Fayth Sullivan 2-6 2-5 6, Amelia Growdon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-44 10-15 47.
C.R. Xavier 12 19 20 15 — 66
North Polk 13 9 16 9 — 47
3-point goals: Xavier 4-14 (Wilson 0-2, Lang 0-3, Rexroth 2-2, Fandel 2-6, Komenda 0-1), North Polk 3-11 (Tuttle 0-4, Podey 1-2, Dillinger 2-4, Sullivan 0-1). Team fouls: Xavier 12, North Polk 16. Fouled out: Aagard. Rebounds: Xavier 37 (Fandel 14), North Polk 25 (Podey, Aagard 7). Assists: Xavier 10 (Wilson 4), North Polk 12 (Podey 4). Steals: Xavier 11 (Fandel 5), North Polk 8 (Sullivan 3). Turnovers: Xavier 9, North Polk 14.
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com
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