GRANITE BAY, Calif. – The backcourt tandem of senior Lexi London and freshman Elise Vipond combined for 35 points, but St. Francis came up short in a 50-46 loss to Granite Bay in the varsity finale of a Sierra Foothill League girls' basketball tripleheader Wednesday night.

The Troubadours dip to 6-7 overall and 0-2 in league play. The Grizzlies improve to 10-6 for the year with a 1-1 SFL mark.

Vipond hit 3-for-8 from beyond the three-point arc en route to a team-leading 18 points while London poured in four treys as part of a 17-point performance. Freshman Hassanah Ramsey-Gilbert added another eight points while grabbing 14 rebounds.

The contest swung wildly, with St. Francis exploding for an 18-7 start in the first 6:45 of play, slipping to a 30-28 deficit at the halftime break, falling into as much as a seven-point hole in the third period, then rallying back to a brief 46-45 lead midway through the fourth frame.

London knocked down a pair of threes while assisted Vipond on another in that opening outburst, with Ramsey-Gilbert converting passes from Vipond and junior Natalia Zitelli in the paint. St. Francis continued to lead by a 25-14 margin by the 5:23 mark in the second, but the strong stretch provided a harbinger of things to come before the intermission: Granite Bay junior Kati Powell sank a three-pointer just 25 ticks into the period.

In fact, it turned out to be the first of five treys in the second alone. The younger Powell connected on three straight bombs within a span of 41 seconds, cutting her team's deficit to a single possession of 25-23. She later went coast-to-coast on a defensive rebound to tie the game for the first time since the 2-2 start with 3:05 left. Then after Vipond restored the Troubie lead by making 1 of 2 during a trip to the line, Kati Powell stepped back and dropped in a three from more than 25 feet out. That set the board at 28-26 for the Grizzlies, their first lead of the game.

St. Francis adjusted to keep the younger Powell from any further damage from long range throughout the second half, but senior Alli Powell scored three buckets in the third to keep GB ahead of its guest. London did her part to keep the Troubies within striking range, too – a three-pointer on a Zitelli dish with 3:46 left, a driving layup less than a minute later, and the time on another Vipond three at the 2:10 mark. Ramsey-Gilbert's post move at the right block brought SF to within a single score, 41-39, with 51 seconds left in the period, but Alli Powell responded with one of the Grizzlies' many second-chance points on the next trip down.

London reduced the GB lead to 43-41 on the opening possession of the fourth on a backdoor cut, then swatted an Alli Powell on the other end. St. Francis continued to hold off the Granite Bay front court before Colleen Medina came up with a steal and transition bucket to tie the game at 43-43 with 4:32 left. Soon after, Medina dished to an open London for a three-pointer along the right side, propelling the Troubies to a 46-45 advantage – their first lead of the half.

Unfortunately, London's sharp-shooting was the last offensive success for the remainder. Kati Powell posted a block near the baseline to force an SF shot clock violation, then Alli Powell sank both free throws on a foul to push GB back up by a 48-46 margin. Alli Powell struck again on a Benedyuk assist just under the two-minute mark, adjusting the board to its final status of 50-46.

The varsity contest followed a wild junior varsity game, as St. Francis' Gold quad lost a 55-52 heartbreaker that came down a Grizzly freshman Emily Gordon draining a contested three with just four seconds remaining. The Troubies opened to an 11-4 lead, then went seven minutes without a field goal to slip behind by a 26-14 margin. They later enjoyed a 17-5 overall run that spanned a 30-24 halftime hole but still trailed through the third period and well into the fourth.

With 4:08 left, Carley Glenn scored the first of her two field goals to close the gap to 49-47, then Audrey Bashore stole the ensuing inbound pass. Her turnaround shot at the left block brought the score to 49-49 – the first tie of the game other than the 0-0 opening tip.

However, St. Francis ran into foul trouble early in the fourth, sending GB to the line on any infraction for the last five minutes of the game. The Grizzlies made 3 of 4 from the stripe to restore their lead to 52-49 before Glenn struck for a second time. She converted a three-point play with 1:44 left: first on a rebound-and-putback combination, then by banking the and-one free throw. This tied the contest for a second time at 52-52.

Glenn and fellow sophomore Lena Mundhenk came up with key defensive rebounds to reduce the Granite Bay opportunities but the Troubies also could not add to their offensive total in the final minutes. Sophomore Emmy Cheatham came the closest, when her three-pointer missed in and out. Bashore got tied up on a drive through the key in the final Troubie possession, with the Grizzly double team forcing her to travel. In the final seconds, Gordon heaved a three-pointer from near the right corner against Glenn, SF's tallest defender. The ball somehow missed Glenn's hand by less than an inch, and found the bottom of the net for the game-winner.

Bashore finished with a team-best 22 points with Cheatham adding 11 to go with four steals. Bashore and Catherine Gustafson totaled seven rebounds apiece. Glenn had six points, all in the fourth-quarter comeback.

St. Francis JV Red opened the set with a 39-15 loss to Granite Bay's frosh-soph. Sophomore Natalia Esparza scored three field goals, Lily Jimenez hit her team's lone three-pointer, while Ella Renzo, Sadie Favreau and Maeva Mahlmann each added makes for the Troubadours.

All three SF teams return home to host a tripleheader on Friday. Red opens the night with a 4 p.m. non-league game against El Dorado, while Gold and varsity take on Whitney in SFL play at 5:30 and 7 p.m., respectively.