SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Freshman Natalia Zitelli scored a team-high seven points, including a three-pointer early in the fourth period that completed a long comeback run, but St. Francis' Red junior varsity squad fell by a 26-23 final to Granite Bay's frosh-soph in a girls' basketball home matinee Thursday afternoon.

The Troubadours slip to 1-2 for the season.

Jocelyn Villaflor scored in each of the first three quarters for six points, while Grace Gustorf and Sienna Dukes each hit three-pointers. Gustorf's trey came amidst a 7-0 run in the first quarter that lifted SF to a 9-5 lead. However, the Grizzlies responded with 12 unanswered to craft a 17-9 lead with 4:57 to go in the second. Freshman Sara Cross had seven straight in the span of two minutes: a three-point set shot at 6:50, a putback at 5:44, then a steal and fast break with 4:57 left.

After trailing 17-11 at the half, the Troubies worked their way back to within a one-point deficit in the third quarter. Dukes blocked a shot on the defensive end, then knocked down a corner three on Abi Hall's kickout feed with a minute left, brining the score to 19-18 in GB's favor.

Dukes then assisted Zitelli's trey with 6:21 to go in the fourth, putting the Troubies on top for the first time since the end of the first quarter. But that lead lasted 37 seconds: Cross sank a second-chance jumper from the right elbow at the 5:44 mark for her 10th point and a 22-21 lead. Ella Arthur-Mick followed with a runner on the left side to extend the lead to three.

With 1:19 remaining, Zitelli stole the ball up top and pushed the court for a transition bucket to bring SF to within a point at 24-23. However, that was the last offensive output for the Troubies, despite an interception by Hall, a blocked shot by Dukes, and the hustle of Meredith Little. She dashed in to get a hand on a rebound against two GB players, forcing a jump ball and giving the Troubies yet another opportunity to reclaim the lead.

Unfortunately, Arthur-Mick blocked two SF shots in the final 20 seconds, while Cross and Zoey Pong each hit the back end of trips to the free-throw line.

JV Red returns to action as part of an overall Troubie tripleheader on Wednesday. It hosts El Dorado for the 4 p.m. opener, then JV Gold and varsity take on Monterey Trail at 5:30 and 7 p.m. that night.