Full of energy and focus, the Xavier basketball team took a
big step toward reaching its immediate goal on Friday night (Jan. 30) with a
big 59-30 road victory over Scottsdale Desert Mountain.
The Gators ran their overall record to 9-15 and Division I, Section
III mark to 4-3. Coach Stephen Moss-Kelley recently said that the team likely
would need to win two of its final three to earn a spot in the super-sectional
tournament, in which state tournament participants are determined.
That is why the win over Desert Mountain was so important.
Xavier will have two more sectional games next week – the regular-season home
finale against Phoenix Pinnacle on Wednesday (Feb. 4) and regular-season finale
on the road against Mesa Dobson on Friday (Feb. 6).
If the Gators play like they did against Desert Mountain,
the super-sectional spot would appear to be a realistic goal.
Xavier got 16 points from freshman forward Alana Kelley and
14 from junior guard-forward Vanessa Murphy. But the Gators got a big boost
from 6-1 junior forward Brielle Januszewski.
Januszewski, who had played on the junior varsity for much
of the season before injuries to varsity players forced some roster
adjustments, scored 16 points and was all over the floor. Her recent rise comes
at the right time, with freshmen Katie Hassett and Montana Oltrogge sidelined
for the rest of the season with injuries.
Friday night’s game also saw the return of senior guard Lexi
Carbine, who had missed several games with an injury.
Xavier outscored the Wolves 15-1 in the first quarter, and
the rout was on. With a 32-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the clock
was changed to a running clock, which is by rule.