SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Junior guard Sydney Teoh scored a team-leading 15 points while freshman post Tayli Paeu-Lindgren added eight points and a staggering eight blocked shots, but St. Francis came up just short in a 40-39 loss to Monterey Trail in the varsity nightcap of a non-league girls' basketball tripleheader Wednesday night.
The Troubadours lose their third straight game to fall to 2-3 for the year.
The varsity setback followed a 43-29 JV Gold loss to the Mustangs, despite a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds from ninth-grader Layla Hernandez. Meanwhile, St. Francis' Red junior varsity squad opened the night with a 30-26 win over El Dorado
JV Gold also moves to 2-3 overall, while JV Red improves to 2-2.
The varsity Troubies overcame an initial 7-0 hole to pull within one possession by halftime, 21-18. They eventually tied the contest for the first time midway through the third quarter and briefly held a one-point lead in the final minute of that frame. However, early turnovers and struggles to finish plays in the paint doomed SF, which shot just .238 (15-for-63) as a team. Paeu-Lindgren also had seven rebounds, trailing seniors Chidera Okoye (10) and Brianna McGahan (9) in that category.
Paeu-Lindgren had three of her blocks in the opening minutes of the contest, all against Samiya Jenkins, then ended the Troubies' initial scoring drought with her bucket at the 2:56 mark. She later helped St. Francis pull within a single possession with her third-chance score with 4:10 left in the second, cutting the Mustang lead to just 16-13. Teoh drained a three-pointer on a Lexi London swing pass with 1:46 remaining in the first half to trim the deficit to 19-18, but Cassie Hill notched a steal and fast break to expand that lead to 21-18 at the break.
After falling behind by as much as 25-18 early in the third, the Troubies battled all the way back to a 27-27 tie. Colleen Medina ignited the comeback with her transition goal, then assisted McGahan for two and Teoh for three to close the gap to 27-25. Paeu-Lindgren came through yet again with a third-chance field goal to equalize.
With less than a minute remaining in the third, it was McGahan who came up with a pivotal swat against Hill. She sent a long outlet pass to Medina, who completed the transition play and gave the Troubies a 31-30 lead at the 40-second mark. Paeu-Lindgren followed with yet another block on the opposite end to keep SF in front heading to the fourth.
Unfortunately for St. Francis, Monterey Trail scored six straight to begin the finale. Daysha Barnett won a weakside rebound and scored the putback on the first possession of the period to flip the lead back to the Mustangs, 32-31. Sydney Wilson and Jenkins followed with points in the paint to extend that edge to five at 36-31.
The Troubies managed to equalize one more time, getting consecutive field goals from McGahan and Teoh. Then a technical foul against MT sent Teoh to the free-throw line, where she tied the proceedings at 36-36 with 3:12 left. But Sydney Wilson answered on the next trip down to give the Mustangs the lead for good. Guard Jackie Slan came up with a steal and a defensive rebound while Alia Wilson sank a jumper from the elbow to hold off the Troubies down the stretch.
JV Gold also began its game with a long scoreless stretch, failing to score its first basket until sophomore Reese Walker came off the bench for a goal in the lane with three minutes left. The Troubies trailed by a 20-7 margin after that first period, and never came back to closer than a seven-point deficit for the entire contest. However, Hernandez was a bright spot, dominating the offensive boards with nine of her grabs coming from the SF goal. In fact, 11 of her 17 points came off offensive rebounds.
The Red jayvees won their game with an opposite trajectory to their older sisters, holding the Cougars with a field goal for almost the entirety of the first quarter. Grace Gustorf had five of her team-high seven points in the opening frame.
Highlighting JV Red's win were the first career points for Morgane Bertran, Minna Brindle and Annie Kaihea. Bertran scored twice in the second quarter, while Kaihea had a putback with 13 seconds left in the period to help the Troubies close the first half with a 15-9 advantage.
Brindle scored in each of the second and third. Her steal near the Eldo baseline allowed Lily Frei to assist her on the opposite end to make it 9-7 at the 3:12 mark. Brindle banked an 18-footer with 45 seconds left in the third, also on assist from Frei. For her part, Frei buried a corner three to begin the second half as part of her five points for the night.
Making Red's win even more impressive was the absence of three of its top players: Natalia Zitelli, Abigail Hall and Sienna Dukes were called up to the JV Gold game. As part of personnel changes, the 5-foot-4 Bertran handled the opening tip – which she won.
JV Gold and varsity return to action for a 5:30/7:00 doubleheader against Laguna Creek on Friday. That evening also features the annual Booster-Q for basketball, plus the Troubie Basketball Toy Drive to support the Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center's "Operation Cratchit" program. All fans are encouraged to bring a gift for a child aged 15 and under.
