SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Junior Jadyn Weaver, junior Jo Jo Myers and sophomore Brianna McGahan each scored in double figures and combined for 10 three-pointers, leading St. Francis to a 61-44 win over Franklin in Delta League girls' varsity basketball action at the SFHS Gym Friday night. 

 

The Troubadours move into a tie for third place with the Wildcats, each sporting a 5-4 league record. Overall, St. Francis improves to 12-10 overall.

 

Myers drained four treys as part of her 14 points. McGahan and Weaver each hit three, with Weaver dropping all three during a 9-1 run that pulled the Troubies from an 11-7 deficit to a 16-12 lead in the final 70 seconds of the first quarter. Senior Carolina Ingenito knocked down 2 of 2 from outside the arc to add to a 12-for-24 night for St. Francis from long range.

 

McGahan scored her first triple from the top of the key early in the second quarter to extend the SFHS lead to 21-13. Later in that frame, Myers hit three as part of an 18-3 Troubie run: on a second chance after Oge Okoye's offensive rebound with 4:43 to go, on a jab stop to fool her FHS defender 30 seconds later, then again to beat the shot clock at the 2:14 mark.

 

Franklin managed to pull to within 10 points midway through the third but never got any closer. Guard Sophia Harris hustled to prevent an errant Troubie pass from going out of bounds, drew contact in the paint, then hit both free throws to set the board at 42-30.  Then in the fourth, Ingenito hit back-to-back three-pointers to bring the score to 56-38 in the Troubies' favor. 

 

Overall, St. Francis shot 53.5 percent from the field, compared to Franklin's 36.6 (15-for-41). Chidera Okoye and Zahra Smith led with six rebounds, helping SF to a 31-15 advantage on the boards.

 

The Troubies also enjoyed a rare opportunity to play in front of a pep band, as Jesuit's musical group – with several St. Francis students as members – provided entertainment throughout the game. Gillian Rogado, a Troubie senior and former SFHS swimmer, served as one of two student conductors.

 

Friday's varsity win followed the SFHS junior varsity Gold's decisive 66-52 victory over the Franklin jayvees. Sydney Teoh and Emma Karamanoukian each drained three three-pointers as part of matching 17-point performances on offense. Sianna Squires sank two second-half treys as part of her 10 tallies.

 

The Troubie JV Gold stormed to a 21-9 lead in the first seven minutes before surrendering back-to-back Wildcat buckets to finish the first quarter. Karamanoukian buried consecutive threes on either side of the free-throw line to boost that advantage to 31-17 by the mid-point of the second quarter, then her trey from the right wing at 1:10 made it 39-19.

 

However, the Wildcats outscored their hosts in the third and fourth quarters, but not enough to overcome that halftime deficit. Emma Karamanoukian assisted her twin sister, Eva, for a corner three with three minutes left in the third and Squires put down a triple of her own to ensure at least a double-figure lead for SFHS for the duration of the second half.

 

The JV Gold improves to 19-4 overall with a 9-0 mark against Delta League opponents.

 

The St. Francis JV Red opened Friday's tripleheader with a 68-14 win over the Folsom frosh team, with guard Caitlyn Lee leading the way with 17 points. The Troubies opened the contest with 13 unanswered and held a 22-4 edge through the first quarter, with Lilian Vicio pouring in eight of her 10 points in that frame.

 

Lee then drained a three to start the second quarter, helping SF stretch its advantage to 40-8 by halftime. Sydney Chow also had 10 points, giving the all-freshman JV Red three scorers in double figures. The Troubies improve to 12-4 for the year. They will wrap up their portion of the St. Francis basketball slate on Wednesday against Vista Del Lago.

 

The varsity and JV Gold teams return to action on the road at Elk Grove, then come back home for a Senior Night matchup with Pleasant Grove on Wednesday.