SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Lexi London posted 26 points and 12 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double, while freshman Hassanah Ramsey-Gilbert added 12 points and nine boards, leading St. Francis to a 55-44 road victory against Rio Americano in the varsity nightcap of a non-league girls' prep basketball doubleheader at Jack Scott Memorial Gym Monday night.

The Troubadours pick up their first victory of the year, improving to 1-2 overall. The Raiders slip to 0-2 in their home opener.

London sank four three-pointers en route to her career-high scoring output, while dishing out four assists and nabbing three steals in the process. Ramsey-Gilbert blocked four shots. Guards Elise Vipond and Colleen Medina each had four of their team's 14 total steals.

St. Francis' team defense held Rio to just one field goal in a 10-5 first period. London had eight of those points, including a putback plus the and-one free throw to propel the Troubies to a 4-0 start. Junior Natalia Zitelli later assisted London on a bucket at 2:35, then hit both bonus free throws after a baseline foul at the 1:53 mark to make it a 10-4 advantage.

London figured on the Troubies' first eight points to keep her team on top by an 18-11 margin midway through the second frame. She opened the period with a successful drive, knocked down a Zitelli-assisted three at 5:51, made 1 of 2 from the line after getting pushed on a jump shot, then assisted Ramsey-Gilbert inside with 3:49 to go. Still, the Raiders managed to crawl back to within a two-point deficit by the break, with freshman Sofia Fines draining an 18-footer in the final seconds. SF held on to a 20-18 edge at halftime.

Vipond came out of the intermission with six points within a span of 1:43 to triple the margin to 26-20, then London's trey from the right side later made it a 29-22 advantage. St. Francis later went on an 11-2 run in a span of two minutes – London converting a Medina pass into another three-pointer, Ramsey-Gilbert shooting 4-for-6 from the line overall, Natalie Dimen finishing a fast break on a Medina steal, then London hitting a runner through the paint at the 1:21 mark.  

Rio's Kevan Mikacich, who hit a three-pointer before that Troubie run, ended her team's field-goal drought with another midrange jumper with 1:04 left. However, London followed with a corner three to push SF back out to a 44-32 lead with 41 seconds left in the third – her third bomb on the second half.

St. Francis stretched its lead to 16 to start the fourth, holding at least a double-digit lead the whole way home. Keanna Daneshvar finished a transition play off a London defensive rebound at 6:33, then Ramsey-Gilbert made the second free throw 32 seconds later to bring the score to 48-32. Mikacich managed to bring Rio back to within a 48-37 hole with three straight scores, including a three-pointer from near the left elbow with 5:52 left. However, Ramsey-Gilbert scored twice in the paint while blocking Raider junior Brianna St. Jean on the other end as part of a 6-0 response. Medina converted a second-chance field goal in that span to bump the Troubie lead to 54-39 with 3:11 left.

The Troubies' varsity win followed an even more impressive defensive performance by St. Francis' JV Gold squad, which claimed a 47-27 win in the opener. Sophomore Carley Glenn posted career highs of 10 points and five rebounds while adding two steals en route to the team's "Hard Hat" award for hustle. Junior Audrey Bashore led the Troubies with 17 points and seven steals, including nine straight points to start the fourth.

Former cross country runner Kalaya Moore made her St. Francis debut by hitting two three-pointers, with freshman Anna Maranto amassing seven points and six steals. Overall, the Troubies held their hosts without a field goal for a span of exactly 12 minutes: from 1:46 in the second period through the 5:46 mark in the fourth. During that time, they stretched their lead from a close 16-13 battle to a 20-point margin of 41-21.

Bashore raised her season free throw totals to an impressive 22 of 25 for 88.0 percent: 10-for-10 in the opener against Ponderosa, 5-for-6 against Lincoln one night later, then 7-for-9 at Rio on Monday.

St. Francis continues a busy opening stretch to its 2025-26 season with a home tripleheader against Vista Del Lago on Tuesday. This set features the season debut for JV Red at 4 p.m., followed by Gold (5:30 p.m.) and varsity (7 p.m.). The night also includes free hamburgers and hot dogs in the annual "Booster-Q" barbecue, plus the annual toy drive to support Stanford Settlement's Operation Cratchit. Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy; or place an order through SFHS Campus Ministry's Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/PJ8KH98OUTCZ?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_7XTJ17WYNQ29V4K61GPW.