by Chris Pfaff, Xavier Sportswriter

Last Thursday, February 20, on their home court, #7 Xavier Basketball defeated the #10 Sandra Day O’Connor Eagles 48-39 in the second round of the Open State Basketball Tournament.

The Gators held a three-point lead after the first quarter, 13-10. Xavier won the second quarter by six to extend their lead to nine, 28-19, going into halftime. The Eagles won the third quarter and cut the Gator lead to four, 36-32, by the end of the third quarter.

Not being interested in leaving the State Tournament early, Xavier’s intensity came to life in the fourth quarter, especially evidenced on defense. You can see the following fourth-quarter highlights in the video below:

• 5:00 left: stingy team defense on lengthy defensive stand
• 2:00 left: Sariah McNabb hustles for defensive rebound followed by aggressive drive for two on the offensive end
• 1:00 left: Sariah steals the ball and proceeds to make two free throws at the other end
• 0:48 left: Sariah steals a pass down low, momentum carrying her out of bounds, to thwart an easy Eagle scoring attempt
• 0:30 left: Within an eight-second time frame, Noelle Bofia steals the ball on defense, clears the ball to Sariah, hustles down court to get the ball back from Sariah and lay it up for two. Xavier 47-37.

Xavier scoring was led by a freshman Jayda Lange and sophomore Sariah at twelve points apiece.

Her quickness and athleticism on display, Sariah was the Gator spark plug , driving to the hoop, stealing Eagle passes (3), and grabbing a team second-best five rebounds.

Senior Lucy Stanford had a team-high six assists.

Noelle’s overall play was outstanding: nine points, team-high eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block, and an intimidating defensive presence in the paint.

Next up: a tough State Quarterfinal match-up with #2 Millennium at Millennium HS on Thursday, February 27, at 7:00 pm.

Xavier Highlight Video