SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Lexi London scored a team-leading 12 points, freshman Elise Vipond added another nine tallies while freshman post Hassanah Ramsey-Gilbert chipped in eight points and a team-best eight rebounds, but St. Francis ultimately lost a 61-41 matchup against McClatchy in the varsity nightcap of a non-league girls' prep basketball tripleheader Thursday night.

The Troubadours move to 2-3 for the year. The Lions, last year's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champions, improve to 3-1.

Junior Natalia Zitelli enjoyed another strong all-around game for St. Francis, shooting 3 of 5 from the floor with five rebounds and two steals. Keanna Daneshvar, Colleen Medina and Natalie Dimen also had one field goal apiece, with Medina pulling down four boards.

Overall, the Troubies shot a solid .450 from inside the three-point arc but struggled to 0-for-13 from beyond. London and Vipond each got on the board in the opening minutes to forge a 4-3 lead before CKM went on a 15-1 tear that spanned into the second period for an 18-5 lead. The Lions extended that margin to 31-9 on back-to-back threes from junior Emily Carlson and freshman London Lee with 1:41 and 1:28, respectively, before halftime. Vipond helped close the margin somewhat in the final minute, assisting Natalie Dimen then converting an assist from Ramsey-Gilbert. McClatchy held a 31-13 lead at the break.

The Lions continued to separate with a 21-point third frame, with Laila Williams scoring two buckets within a span of 15 seconds to craft a 52-21 margin. Zitelli stole a pass and immediately assisted Medina for the final tally of the third. This ignited what eventually grew to a 14-2 run. Ramsey-Gilbert assisted Zitelli on two scores to start the fourth, then she later scored a second-chance field goal and made 2 of 2 from the line. Zitelli then assisted London on a turnaround jumper in the paint at the 4:38 mark to reduce the deficit to 54-35.

Lee drained a corner three on the next CKM possession, and the Lions held at least a 20-point edge the rest of the way.

Prior to the varsity finale, St. Francis JV Gold captured a 44-28 win over their Lion counterparts. Junior Audrey Bashore scored a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds while froshie Anna Maranto added nine points. The Troubies broke open what had been a 9-9 tie early in the second period to a 25-14 halftime lead, then maintained at least a seven-point cushion after the intermission to post their fifth straight win to start the season.

JV Red opened the night with a 43-1 win over West Park, with the Panthers only managing 1 of 4 from the stripe for their scoring. Freshman Ella Renzo scored a game-high 18 points overall, including 14 in the first half. Charlotte Thomas added another nine points, while Emily Nguyen and Maeva Mahlmann each finished with five.

St. Francis returns to action on December 11 in two different cities. Varsity travels to Laguna Creek on that Thursday, while the two jayvee teams head up Highway 50 to Folsom for the three-day Folsom/Vista Classic tourney.