by Oliva Zangerle, Student Manager, and Chris Pfaff, Xavier Sportswriter

Xavier basketball played twice over the long weekend and came back with some amazing wins.

JV and Varsity both took great wins over Desert Vista on Friday (Jan. 17), and all three levels completed a program sweep of Sunnyslope on Monday night (Jan.20).

Varsity extended their winning streak to eight with their victories over #3-ranked Desert Vista, 60-56, and #5-ranked Sunnyslope, 47-42. Both games were tough battles, but the Gators came out on top thanks to contributions from the whole team.

Although Xavier led practically the entire game versus Sunnyslope, they could never pull away to a comfortable advantage:

• In the first quarter, Xavier jumped out to a six-point lead with 3:30 left in the quarter, but they had to settle for a three-point lead going into the second quarter.
• In the second quarter, the Gators possessed a nine-point advantage with 2:29 left in the period, but the Vikings fought back to reduce Xavier’s lead to three, 22-19, by halftime.
• The third quarter saw the two teams trading streaks, with Xavier owning the final streak of the period. The score of 22-19 became 24-24, which became 28-24, which became 31-31, which became 37-32.
• A tense battle ensued in the fourth quarter, with the Gators sinking some crucial free throws down the stretch, until Xavier finished with a five-point victory.

Xavier Highlights
You have to see the bending-at-the-waist, no-look, behind-the-back outlet pass executed by Sade Charles after she secured a defensive loose-ball rebound. That one outlet pass was worth the price of admission.