Tom Lilly can’t quit yet. Libby Fandel made sure of that.
Fandel scored 37 points and grabbed a state-tournament record 25 rebounds to lead eighth-seeded Cedar Rapids Xavier past top-seeded Sioux City Bishop Heelan 71-57 to start Class 4A play.
The victory assures that Lilly, who has announced he’ll retire at the end of the season, will coach at least one more game. The Saints improved to 20-4 and will play in a semifinal game at 5 p.m. Thursday, needing two more victories to give their coach his sixth state championship.
Xavier moves on from a game that turned into a shootout between Fandel, who has signed with Kansas, and Bishop Heelan’s super sophomore, Melina Snoozy. Snoozy, who already is getting looks from Division I programs, scored 30 points and pulled down six rebounds.
Fandel, also an all-state volleyball player, broke the overall state tournament rebounding record of 24 shared by Unity Christian’s Anna Kiel and WCLT’s Stacey Schutjer. Schutjer did it against Highland in 2007 and Kiel matched her mark against Iowa City Regina in 2016.
Freshman Samantha Dorrity added nine points and six rebounds for Xavier, which is making its 16th state tournament appearance, while Taylor Rexroth contributed eight points, six rebounds and three assists.
Abby Lee backed Snoozy with 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Trishelle Miller tacked on eight points, six rebounds and six assists for the Crusaders (21-3), who were denied a fourth straight berth in the semifinals. Their only other losses were to Class 5A tournament qualifiers Dowling Catholic and Cedar Rapids Prairie.
Xavier took control of this one after emerging from a tightly contested opening quarter with a 22-21 lead. Rexroth buried a 3-pointer from the right corner to get things started in the second quarter and the Saints took off, scoring 15 straight points to open a 37-21 lead.
Bishop Heelan missed its first 13 shots of the period, trailed 40-26 at halftime and though the Crusaders kept hanging around, they never got the lead below 12 points. Any time they threated to get too close, the Saints answered, usually with a basket or free throws from Fandel.
Lilly has compiled a 642-301 record in a 40-year coaching career at Cedar Rapids Regis and Xavier – and it’s not quite over yet.
