The boys’ basketball team drove a little over four and a half hours to play a basketball game on Saturday, January 21. They traveled all the way to Omaha, Nebraska to play at the Ralston Arena against Nebraska’s Class A(second largest class in Nebraska), number nine ranked Papillon-LaVista.

This game gave the 3A defending state champions more than just different competition, it gave them a team bonding experience as well.

“It provided our players with an opportunity to take a road trip for team bonding and to play one of the best teams in the Midwest,” head Coach Ryan Luehrsmann said.

The Saints knew they had a tough battle ahead of them before they left Cedar Rapids, but they did not know the challenges they would face along the way.

“They have two players on their team that are major D1 college basketball prospects, one of which has offers from Creighton, Nebraska, and St. John’s,” Luehrsmann said.

Even with these top players, the team hung with Papillon-LaVista until a shaky second quarter when the Saints could not bounce back.

“We tried extremely hard,” junior Jackson Joens said. “I believe this game was a turning point and will give us a lot of confidence moving forward.”

The Saints lost to Papillon-LaVista with a score of 49-64. Matthew Mims led Xavier scorers with 12 points.

The Saints lost to Class 4A third-ranked Dubuque Senior on Tuesday, January 25 by a score of 52-61. Mims led all scorers with 22 points.

The Iowa High School Athletic Union released the boys’ basketball substate pairings on Friday, January 27. Xavier has been placed in substate #4 along with Davenport Assumption, Dubuque Wahlert, Central Dewitt, Maquoketa, Mount Vernon, Solon, and West Liberty.

The team beat Cedar Rapids Washington on Friday, January 28 by a score of 60-54. Joens led all scorers with 19 points.

The Saints started a two-game winning streak by beating Cedar Falls by a score of 60-50 on January 31. Mims and senior Max Techau led Xavier with 22 points apiece. The team continued the streak while beating Prairie on Friday, February 3 by a score of 60-56, and Waterloo East on Saturday, February 4 by a score of 65-61.

The team also played Cedar Rapids Kennedy in a boy/girl doubleheader on Tuesday, February 7.

The Saints play Linn-Mar at home in a boy/girl doubleheader on Friday, February 10.