SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Junior Natalia Zitelli scored a career-high 11 points while senior Lexi London narrowly missed a third straight double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, as St. Francis erased a brief third-period deficit to claim a 43-29 win over Vista Del Lago in the varsity nightcap of a non-league girls' basketball tripleheader Tuesday night.
The Troubadours even their record to 2-2 overall.
London drained a pair of three-pointers en route to her team-leading point total while tallying four assists and a pair of blocked shots. Freshman Elise Vipond added another eight points, with fellow ninth-grader Hassanah Ramsey-Gilbert grabbing 14 boards. Senior Colleen Medina and sophomore Keanna Daneshvar chipped four and two points, respectively.
St. Francis opened the game with eight straight points and held an 18-12 lead at the break, but surrendered seven unanswered Eagle points to start the second half. Vista senior Makenna Cassidy drove the lane just after the six-minute mark for the go-ahead score, but Ramsey-Gilbert finished a third-chance attempt in the paint on the next trip down to restore the Troubie lead at 20-19.
SF never trailed again after that score. London assisted Zitelli down low to make it 22-19, then Vipond blocked Leila Tureck to help protect the lead. London followed with a block against Cassidy, which resulted in a Zitelli fast break and a 24-19 edge at the 4:37 mark. Zitelli later made it a double-digit lead with 1:55 remaining in the third, collecting a Vipond dish at the left block and finishing off the glass. St. Francis entered the fourth with a 34-21 lead, and largely maintained that margin for the entirety of the period.
The 29 points allowed represents a season-best for the Troubies, who have allowed just 165 total in their four games for a 41.3 average. The total is the lowest by an opponent since St. Francis beat Center, 61-21, at last year's Lincoln Invitational.
The varsity win followed a split by the two Troubadour junior varsity squads. JV Gold improved to 4-0 for the year, with a 47-31 win over the Eagles; while JV Red lost by a 32-8 final in its season opener. Junior Audrey Bashore tallied 22 points with five steals while sophomore Carley Glenn amassed eight points and eight boards for Gold. For Red, freshman Lily Jimenez shot 1-for-2 from the line then added a three-pointer, while Ella Renzo and Emily Nguyen each scored field goals in the final frame.
All three squads return to action at home on Thursday. JV Red will kick off the night with a 4 p.m. game against West Park, while Gold and varsity take on McClatchy at 5:30 and 7 p.m., respectively.
February 12, 2026
Blue Devils pull away against JV Gold in season finale
February 10, 2026
Cheatham scores 20 but Folsom breaks away in second half
February 5, 2026
Post play highlights JV Gold, but SF falls to Oak Ridge
February 3, 2026
JV Gold rolls past Thunder
January 29, 2026
SF jayvees drop road games in Rocklin, Grass Valley
January 28, 2026
Grizzlies pull away late against JV Gold
January 26, 2026
Six-handed JV Gold falls to Golden Eagles
January 20, 2026
Sekhon sparks late comeback but JV Gold falls to Bulldogs
January 17, 2026
JV Gold falls to Falcons at Holy Hoops
January 15, 2026
St. Francis JV hoop split results at split sites
January 13, 2026
Sekhon scores career high to highlight dominating road win
January 9, 2026
JV Gold hoop falls to Whitney at home
January 7, 2026
Late rallies fall short as Grizzlies sweep Troubies
January 5, 2026
Golden Eagles sweep Troubies in SFL hoop opener
December 23, 2025
JV Gold wins 10th straight heading into holiday break
December 16, 2025
JV Gold rolls past Wildcats for ninth straight win
December 13, 2025
Bashore named MVP as JV Gold wins Winter Classic
December 12, 2025
JV Gold open Winter Classic with seventh straight win
December 11, 2025
Sekhon sparks Troubies in second half against Franklin
December 4, 2025
Bashore posts double-double as JV Gold wins fifth straight
December 2, 2025
JV Gold stays unbeaten in win over Vista
December 1, 2025
Glenn's career night boosts JV Gold to road victory
November 25, 2025
JV Gold rolls past Lincoln, 33-17
November 24, 2025
Troubie hoop splits season opener with Pondo