PHOENIX, Ariz. – Junior Sarah Cloninger had a team-best 12 points to lead the team to a 34-26 win over Columbine (Colo.) in the quarterfinals of the Wiley Bracket at the 2019 Nike Tournament of Champions at Tempe High School Thursday morning.

"These girls dug in stronger and harder, taking it upon themselves to step up," said Head Coach Heather Volek Brownholtz. "This is the most beautiful team I have ever coached. They are selfless, they love each other and they want to win. It doesn't matter who is doing it when. I am very impressed."

Cloninger did her damage in the second quarter with eight of her 12 points coming in the period. The Troubadours built a 19-10 advantage in the period heading into halftime.

"We spent three hours watching elite teams play yesterday and they really studied what that game looked like," said Brownholtz. "For Sarah being as highly academic as she is, she watched and saw and she played as elite as she has because of it."

Mackenzie Le scored four of the team's eight points in the third as they maintained a 27-21 lead, while senior Jasmine Lee hit a key three-pointer in the fourth, Mia Fleming-Mullins had a key driving layup and Cloninger hit two late-game free throws as SF advanced.

"We did really well as a team because they kept trying to come back but we kept playing solid defense on them," said Le. "We never gave up."

Le finished with eight points and team-bests with eight rebounds, six steals and five assists.

"Kenzie may be the smallest girl but she has the biggest heart," said Brownholtz. "I have the utmost confidence in her. She does her thing and does it well."

Fleming-Mullins contributed six points and seven boards and senior Hannah Dorsey grabbed seven boards of her own. Sophomore Carolina Ingenito hit her first career basket with a three-pointer during the pivotal second quarter.

St. Francis (6-4) opened the Nike TOC with two wins for the first time since 2015-16 and will face the winner of St. Paul (Calif.) and Desert Mountain (Ariz.) in a semifinal on Friday at Marcos de Niza High School at 10:30 a.m.

"It feels so good," said Cloninger. "It is the first time St. Francis has opened with two wins in three years in Arizona. It feels good to be part of the squaf."

The game can be followed online on Scorebooklive.com with live video on Be the Beast.