LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The St. Francis defeated Argonaut 55-33 Saturday night to reach the South Tahoe Basketball Jamboree fifth-place game on Sunday against Placer at 8:50 a.m. at Lake Tahoe Community College. The Troubies improved to 3-1 on the weekend.

""I learned that we can compete and play fast," said Head Coach Heather Volek Brownholtz. "We played one of the top teams in the nation and we were in it. We have a lot of work on but I am very excited."

St. Francis broke open the game against the Lady Miners after the slow start with a 15-0 run to make a 9-8 game 24-8 over six possessions. The rally started with defensive plays that led to breakaway layups and the Troubies followed with three straight triples by Nicole Rivera, Mia Fleming-Mullins and Mackenzie Le. Rising junior Sarah Cloninger closed the rally with a layup.

"We are super excited where we are headed and wrap up this weekend," said Brownholtz.

St. Francis got all 15 players in the game after the run. After leading 33-18 at the half, SF built up the lead as the Lady Miners were held to four points over the first 10 minutes. Rising senior Mia Fleming-Mullins ha 12 points and Jasmine Lee had nine points while Sarah Cloninger and Nicole Rivera each contributed eight points. Oge Okoye and Maggie Marchant chipped in four points. Ina Tolentino hit a three pointer and Frankie Evers also had a basket.

In the first game, the Troubadours fell to Cardinal Newman, a team that went 24-6 a year ago and ranked among the top 35 teams in the state, by the score of 45-34. The teams opened with a back-and-forth as the lead changed hands four times. The Cardinals finished with a 13-0 run to take an 18-8 half time lead.

"We knew they were a really good team," said Mackenzie Le. "We had to keep pushing and encouraging our own teammates and competing."

St. Francis refused to give in in the second half, cutting the lead to 26-22 after two three-pointers by Jasmine Lee. Cardinal Newman answered but SF again pulled within five at 39-34, forcing a timeout. Newman closed out scoring the last six points.

"It was hustle and working hard," said Jasmine Lee of the comeback efforts. "We were still behind but we had to know in our hearts we could still beat them."

Lee finished with a team-high 11 points, including three triples, while Le had nine points and Fleming-Mullins scored eight.

"We gained a lot of experience against a top team and knowing we could hang with them," said Lee.

South Tahoe Basketball Jamboree

Cardinal Newman 45, St. Francis 34

SF – Lee 11, Le 9, Fleming-Mullins 8, Cloninger 4, Rivera 2.

St. Francis 55, Argonaut 33

SF – Fleming-Mullins 12, Lee 9, Rivera 8, Cloninger 8, Le 7, Okoye 4, Marchant 4, Tolintino 3, Evers 2.