ELK GROVE, Calif. – Sophomore guard Mackenzie Tan led with 13 points while freshman post Reese Walker posted 13 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots to earn her team's "Hard Hat Award" for hustle, as St. Francis JV Gold overcame a brief third-quarter deficit to post a 46-36 win over Laguna Creek in the first half of a girls' prep basketball doubleheader Monday night.
The Troubadours' JV Gold improves to 3-1 for the season.
The JV Gold contest was followed by the SF varsity's 61-44 win over the defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champions. Senior Jadyn Weaver, junior Brianna McGahan and sophomore Sydney Teoh each broke double digits in scoring to help the Troubadours improve to 5-0 for the season.
Oddly, the leading St. Francis scorer from each game hails from Elk Grove: Tan and Teoh.
Lilian Vicio added nine points, all on three pointers, while Colleen Medina matched that point total to go with her six rebounds. Walker supplemented her work on the boards with eight points, plus she had two blocks in a key fourth-quarter stop. Laguna Creek had pulled to within a 33-31 margin on a hook shot from Hunny Nadal.
Medina continued Walker's work by hitting a pull-up three with 5:27 left, extending the lead to five. Walker converted an assist from point guard Karly Okamoto to make it 38-31 with 4:54 left. Then Walker's offensive rebound led to an assist to Caitlyn Lee, who knocked down a midrange shot with 4:22 left. Nadal hit a three-pointer on the other end to cut the SF lead to four, but that was the closest the Cardinals got to equalizing. Medina scored twice in the last three minutes to preserve the JV Gold win.
In the nightcap, Weaver drained four three-pointers en route to 14 points while leading her team with eight rebounds. McGahan added another 12 points while snaring eight steals on the defensive end. Forward Chidera Okoye fell one point shy of being a fourth Troubie in double-figure offense, finishing with nine points, four rebounds and four steals.
St. Francis stormed to 13 straight points out of the gates, with Teoh scoring two transition buckets and McGahan scoring twice plus an assist to Okoye in that run. McGahan later assisted Weaver for a three-pointer at the 3:06 mark to set the board at 16-2, then Weaver paid it forward by assisting Teoh on a trey to make it 19-5 with 2:17 to go.
However, the Troubies' offense went cold for exactly eight minutes, with Laguna Creek going on a 15-0 run into the second quarter. The Cardinals held a 20-19 lead after Aliviyah McMurray stumbled over SF senior Emily Dusel, drawing a trip to the line for a one-and-one. She converted both ends to complete the LC comeback. But Dusel promptly assisted Weaver's trey to restore the Troubie lead to 22-20 with 2:17 left before halftime. McGahan and Teoh teamed up for another transition score down the stretch of the first half, and Weaver blocked a shot at the buzzer to preserve her team's 24-22 edge at the break.
The third quarter brought something of a deja vu moment: McMurray scored to lift the Cardinals to a one-point lead of 27-26, only to have Weaver knock down a three on the next trip down. McMurray later brought LC back to within a possession when she scored on an up and under, drew a foul, then sank the and-one free throw. This narrowed the SF lead to just 36-34 with 1:47 left in the third.
Again, Weaver had the response. Her drive doubled the lead to 38-34. Then Teoh hit a three to expand the margin to 41-34 with 1:13 on the clock. McGahan followed with an outlet pass to Dusel, who finished the fast break to boost SF to a 43-34 lead going into the fourth. Dusel hit the back end of a free-throw trip and McGahan's steal-and-basket combo made it 10 straight SF points and a 46-34 lead.
Laguna Creek's Jasmine Howard interrupted the Troubadour outburst with a successful drive at 7:14 in the fourth, but SF responded with another 11 unanswered. Teoh scored four in that run, while freshman Lexi London knocked down a three-pointer and drained a runner in the lane. London also assisted McGahan for a score in a stretch that left the Troubies with a 57-36 edge with 3:50 remaining in the contest. St. Francis held its hosts at bay by at least a 17-point cushion the rest of the way.
The two wins at LC completed a sweep for the three Troubadour hoop teams. JV Red win its third straight game with a commanding 53-17 victory over El Dorado at home. Coverage of this game is available on GoTroubies.com.
St. Francis varsity returns to action at home for a 7 p.m. game against McClatchy on Thursday night, while JV Gold has a week off before the December 13 home doubleheader with Grant Union.
