SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Junior wing Laila Mendoza drained 3 of 4 from three-point range while sophomore post Tayli Paeu-Lindgren grabbed 15 rebounds to move into third in the school's MaxPreps-era record book, but St. Francis could not keep pace with host Christian Brothers in a 62-47 loss during Saturday's "Holy Hoops" rivalry girls' basketball doubleheader at Ron Limeberger Gymnasium.

The Troubadours slip to 9-10 for the season, while the Falcons improve to 13-5 overall. This is also CB's seventh straight victory in the head-to-head matchup of the area's top two Catholic high school girls' programs.

Mendoza scored nine points in a first period that featured five lead changes, plus a pair of treys in the second frame for 15 first-half points. Senior Sydney Teoh added another 12 points, including two in the opening seconds off Paeu-Lindgren's initial tip. Junior Lexi London chipped in another eight points, with Teoh-assisted threes in each of the first and final quarters. Paeu-Lindgren added six points to go with her rebounding contributions, while Annie Swanson and Natalia Zitelli each hit buckets for the remaining points.

The fourth Mendoza field goal of the game resulted in an 11-10 SF lead at the 4:39 mark in the first period, but the Falcons answered with a 10-2 run to seize a 17-11 lead with 2:41 remaining in the first. Teoh drew contact on a drive and made both throws with 1:57 left, then she dished to London for a bomb from the right side to close the gap to just 17-16.

St. Francis cut the deficit to a single point twice more: Teoh's drive with 0:39 in the first to make it 19-18, and London's two free throws after getting fouled on a backcourt steal to start the second period, bringing the score to 21-20. Then Christian Brothers enjoyed a 10-3 stretch for the next four minutes, resulting in a 31-23 lead. Mendoza banked a three-pointer from the top of the key for the lone SF score in that run. Senior Aleyah Harmon, whose finger roll midway through the first period represented the final go-ahead CB points, netted six of those 10 points. Then Joy Omishakin, who accounted half of her team's 10-2 run in the opener, chipped in six more points down the stretch of the second to craft a 37-28 halftime lead.

CB then took a double-digit lead of 39-28 on Olivia Novi's three early in the third, and the Falcons manage to hold a 10- to 14-point lead well into the fourth. London's second trey reduced the margin to 53-43 with 4:42 to go in the fourth. Then Mendoza drew a foul along the right edge of the lane with 4:07 left. She hit both ends to bring the score to 53-45. Mendoza and Paeu-Lindgren then performed a successful trap to take possession, but SF failed to convert the turnover into scoring. Instead, Harmon's full-court push at the 3:49 mark restored the CB lead to 10 and ignited what grew into a 9-2 finish for the Falcons.

Paeu-Lindgren's 15th rebound of the game raised her season total to 246, moving her ahead of Marlee Nicolos for third in St. Francis single-season record book for the MaxPreps era (2004-present). Only Lauren Craig, who grabbed 332 and 343 boards in her sophomore and junior seasons, has totaled more in a year. With an average of 13.6 rebounds per game and eight contests remaining in the 2024-25 regular season, Paeu-Lindgren is on pace to at least challenge Craig's benchmarks.

The varsity loss followed a 43-19 loss for the Troubies' junior varsity. Emmy Cheatham scored 12 of her team's 19 points, including a pair three-pointers. Lena Mundhenk and Keanna Daneshvar also hit field goals for the jayvees, which made a fourth-period rally after trailing 27-7 at halftime and 41-7 through three quarters.

The two Troubie basketball teams now have eight Sierra Foothill League games for the remainder of their regular seasons, starting with a road doubleheader at Folsom on Tuesday. Game times are 6 p.m. for JV and 7:30 for varsity.