LOOMIS, Calif. – Senior wing Jadyn Weaver scored a team-high 20 points and drained four of her team's 11 three-point shots, leading a variety of St. Francis double-figure performances in a 69-41 win over Kennedy to kick off the Mike "Tako" Takayama Memorial girls' prep basketball tournament at Del Oro High School Thursday night.
The Troubadours, ranked seventh in Monday's 49ers Sac-Hi Sports Tracy Toyota Top 10, jump to 7-1 for the year.
In addition to Weaver's 20, junior Brianna McGahan added 14 points and sophomore Sydney Teoh chipped in another 11. Meanwhile, guard Emily Dusel and forward Chidera Okoye each pulled down 10 rebounds: Dusel nabbing eight of hers on the offensive end, with six of Okoye's boards coming on the defensive end. Dusel also led SFHS with five assists.
Overall, St. Francis drained 11 of its 26 attempts from beyond the arc. Besides the four from Weaver, freshman Lexi London poured in 3-for-4, McGahan hit two, and Teoh and Emma Karamanoukian each scored one.
McGahan enjoyed the hottest start for the Troubies, scoring the first five points of the contest then assisting Weaver on her first trey as part of a 10-1 opening run. McGahan then buried a baseline shot with 18 seconds left in the first, drawing a foul in the process. She missed the and-one free throw, but that ended up working to her benefit: Dusel won the rebound and kicked it to her for a jumper to make it 18-6 heading into the second.
St. Francis maintained at least a 10-point edge throughout the second period, with London knocking down treys at the 5:55 and 3:42 marks. The Cougars eventually cut the deficit to single digits in the final two minutes before the halftime break. After a McGahan steal led to Teoh's 17-foot bucket to make it 28-16 at the 2:36 mark, junior Vanessa Johnson drove the lane to whittle the lead to 28-18, then Jailyn Fong drew contact on a putback attempt with 1:46 left. She hit both ends at the free-throw line, bringing Kennedy to within 28-20. But St. Francis answered immediately: McGahan hit a pull-up jumper along the right side at 1:37, then Teoh sliced and diced through the paint to extend the lead to 32-20 going into the intermission.
The Troubies pulled away in the third, thanks in part to three three-pointers from Weaver – including one on a kick-out pass from Dusel that barely beat the shot clock for a 42-23 advantage at the 4:26 mark. A half-minute later, Weaver's third trey of the period pushed the lead above the 20-point threshold. London also connected from long range in the third, this time on an assist from Kyla Escalante with 37 ticks to go. SF led by a 52-27 margin through three quarters.
St. Francis continued to make plays in the fourth: Sophie Harris scoring on a drive with 5:15 left to adjust the board to 57-32, Aubrey O'Donnell converting a high-low connection from Teoh at 4:37, Teoh finding Weaver in stride on a fast break at 3:32 for a third unanswered bucket. Dusel assisted Teoh on a corner three on the right side to bump the lead to 30 (64-34) with 2:25 to go, then Weaver found McGahan on a similar play in the left corner with 1:53 left. McGahan returned the favor on the next trip down, assisting Weaver on a turnaround jumper in the lane with a minute remaining for the Troubies' 69th point.
SF will face Calaveras in Friday's contest at 6 p.m. The Redhawks, who went 29-5 and advanced to the NorCal Division IV semifinal last year, snared a 52-44 win over Granite Bay earlier in the day to earn a berth in the Takayama Memorial semifinal round. The tourney itself is also a fundraiser for the Mike "Tako" Takayama Scholarship.
