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McGahan leads charge in battle of Delta League leaders

McGahan leads charge in battle of Delta League leaders

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Junior wing Brianna McGahan scored a game-high 20 points, including her team's first 10 of the contest, to lead St. Francis to a 51-27 victory over Cosumnes Oaks in a battle of the two remaining undefeated teams in the Delta League girls' basketball race Tuesday night.

The Troubadours, ranked ninth in the area by 49ers Sac Hi Sports, improve to 14-4 for the year and 4-0 in league action. The Wolfpack snap their winning streak at eight games, moving to 15-6 overall and 4-1 in Delta League play.

McGahan hit 8 of 12 from the field, including 4 of 8 from three-point range, en route to her highest point total since scoring 22 against Calaveras in Del Oro's Mike Takayama Memorial Tournament in December. She also led SF with six steals. Point guard Sydney Teoh added another nine points, while Emily Dusel led the Troubie boards with nine rebounds to go with two blocked shots. Dusel and senior Jadyn Weaver (seven points, three rebounds) had the added duties of filling Chidera Okoye's absence at the post.

St. Francis also enjoyed some timely contributions from its reserves. Senior Sophie Harris scored seven points, all in the fourth quarter, although one of her highlights came early in the frame. Although the Troubies led 42-18 entering the period, CO's Isabel Tan and Nicole Tran drained treys in the first minute to cut the margin to less than 20. The Wolfpack appeared to whittle even more from the deficit on a fast break, but Harris drew a charge in the paint to disqualify the shot. Instead, Harris scored back-to-back buckets of her own to restore the advantage to 46-24. 

Sophomore center Aubrey O'Donnell also came up with big plays in the second and fourth quarters. She drove the lane at the three-minute mark in the second to ignite the Troubies' 8-1 finish to the first half, helping craft a 29-14 lead at the intermission. Then O'Donnell gloved two different shots in the fourth, while her defensive rebound allowed another reserve – guard Emma Karamanoukian – to push the court for a fast break to make it 48-27 at 3:28.

O'Donnell also had three steals, matching Dusel's total as part of 15 total by the Troubadours.

Ultimately, SF kicked off the game with a 16-4 lead in the first, with McGahan scoring the first 10. McGahan then sparked the Troubie defense in the second, both on the defensive boards but also in the form of four of her six total steals. The defense continued to smother the Wolfpack in the second half, with a baseline drive by Tran at 2:56 ending a drought of more than eight minutes without a field goal.

The varsity win followed an equally decisive victory by the St. Francis JV Gold, which also rode a dominating first half to a 46-22 victory. Mackenzie Tan shot 10-for-16 for a game-best 20 points. Freshman Colleen Medina chipped in six points with five assists and a team-leading seven steals. Medina actually struggled with her shot in the first half, opting to distribute the ball in the second period. This resulted in consecutive assists to Reese Walker, Lilian Vicio and Tan to kick off 14 unanswered points. SF led 27-7 at halftime.

Sam Martinez and Alexis Heise also joined in on the second-quarter run, assisting each other on consecutive scores at the 3:17 and 2:42 marks. Martinez won an offensive rebound but opted to dish to Heise instead of attempting a putback. This set the board at 38-7 for the Troubies' largest lead before Wolfpack junior Yazmine Mateo halted the run with a corner three.

While Medina and Tan continued to score field goals in transition as per usual, one unusual suspect got into the fast-break action midway in the third. Perpetua Nwaukoni, normally a rebounding force for the Troubies, came up with a steal near the top of the key. Rather than handing the ball off to one of her speedy guard teammates, she opted to push the ball herself, finishing a fast break to close out a 9-0 start to the second half.

JV Gold improves to 13-3 for the year and 4-0 in Delta League games. 

Both St. Francis varsity and JV Gold return to action on Friday for a home doubleheader against Pleasant Grove. The evening is also the program's annual PAL Night, with the Troubies welcoming students from the Diocese of Sacramento's Parochial Athletic League. The varsity Troubies will participate in an autograph session following the game. Tip-off times are the usual 5:30 and 7 p.m. Friday night.