Quick start propels Kennedy, 54-46

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Tony Vis' postgame appearance in the locker room was brief, and his message was direct:

Change is coming. Soon.

"It's going to be different in practice, starting tomorrow," Vis said after Class 5A sixth-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy defeated 4A No. 5 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 54-46, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls' basketball game Tuesday night at Kennedy High School. "The intensity level is going to be raised."

"This is the third straight game with lackluster execution, and I'm tired of watching it. Either we start playing like we're capable, or ... we'll see."

Vis knows this, as does everybody -- Kennedy (9-2 overall, 4-1 MVC) is capable of a special season. He doesn't want the Cougars to fritter it away.

Kennedy scorched its way to a 23-4 lead in the game's first 10 minutes. But the rest of the way, Xavier (6-6, 3-4) was the superior team.

"We're going through a bit of a rough patch," said Kennedy's Madi Meier. "We came out really strong. The first quarter was great. The second quarter, not so hot."

"It wasn't very friendly in the locker room at halftime, or after the game. At times we're playing really well. But we're not playing to our full potential for a full game."

Meier scored 17 points to lead the Cougars. Paige Hendrickson added 10; Morgan Martin accumulated nine points, seven rebounds and five steals.The Cougars were lights-out early against Xavier's zone, hitting 4 of 6 shots from behind the arc.

"Sometimes you can outcoach yourself a little bit," said Xavier Coach Tom Lilly. "I thought early on, we couldn't match up with their size."

Instead, the Saints couldn't keep up with the Cougars' shooters. But Lilly shifted to man-to-man, and the pendulum began to swing.

Xavier got within 27-13 at halftime, then cut the deficit to eight points twice early in the fourth quarter. The Saints crept within 49-42 with 1:50 left before the Cougars made enough free throws down the stretch to avoid major drama.

"You knew Xavier wasn't going to go away," Vis said. "They're a bunch of tough-minded kids."

"I'm very disappointed with our second half. Our offensive execution has got to get better."

Morgan Breitbach paced the Saints with 13 points. Hayley Deutmeyer and Maddie Bertsch added 10 apiece.

Deutmeyer grabbed seven boards as Xavier posted a 33-20 rebounding advantage, 20-7 in the second half.

Kennedy is at Dubuque Senior on Friday; Xavier hosts Dubuque Wahlert. 

CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY 54, CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER 46

At C.R. Kennedy

C.R. XAVIER (46): Morgan Breitbach 6-10 1-2 13, Lizzy Bailey 0-5 4-4 4, Hayley Deutmeyer 4-11 0-0 10, Abby Watson 2-3 0-0 4, Maddie Bertsch 5-7 0-0 10, Jenny Dickes 0-2 0-0 0, Meghan Joens 2-4 1-1 5, Erin Drahozal 0-2 0-0 0, Claire Christianson 0-0 0-0 0, Madi Nelson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-44 6-7 46.

C.R. KENNEDY (54): Madi Meier 5-6 4-5 17, Jordan Holmes 2-7 1-4 6, Paige Hendrickson 3-7 4-7 10, Stephanie Botkin 2-5 0-1 4, Morgan Martin 4-11 1-2 9, Carly Langhurst 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Hellweg 1-1 0-0 2, Sydney Hayden 1-2 0-0 3, Mariah Vis 0-1 0-0 0, Brinley Milbrath 0-0 0-0 0, Madi DeLong 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 19-41 11-21 54.

Halftime: Kennedy 27, Xavier 13. 3-point goals: Xavier 2-9 (Breitbach 0-1, Bailey 0-3, Deutmeyer 2-3, Drahozal 0-2), Kennedy 5-14 (Meier 3-4, Holmes 1-6, Martin 0-1, Hayden 1-2, Vis 0-1). Team fouls: Xavier 16, Kennedy 15. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Xavier 33 (Deutmeyer 7), Kennedy 20 (Martin 7). Assists: Xavier 10 (Deutmeyer 3), Kennedy 9 (Hendrickson 4). Steals: Xavier 4 (four with 1), Kennedy 14 (Martin 5). Turnovers: Xavier 21, Kennedy 15.