FOLSOM, Calif. – Senior guard Sydney Teoh scored 18 points, including 12 of her team's first 14, as St. Francis rolled past Lodi, 56-35, in the consolation semifinal round of the Folsom-Vista Winter Classic girls' basketball tournament at Folsom High Friday night.
The Troubadours improve to 4-3 for the season, and advance to face Woodcreek in Saturday's fifth-place game.
Sophomore Tayli Paeu-Lindgren added 15 points and six rebounds while junior Laila Mendoza chipped in another 10 to give SF three players with double-digit offense. Lexi London sank a pair of three-pointers in the fourth period to finish with eight points in the contest.
Teoh reached double figures within the first five minutes of the game, knocking back-to-back three-pointers at the 3:51 and 2:55 marks for a 12-4 Troubie lead. She assisted on the only other SF basket of that frame, finding Paeu-Lindgren down low for the game's second score. Then just 23 seconds into the second period, junior Annie Swanson fed Teoh in the lane for yet another bucket and a 16-7 lead.
Mendoza, London and Layla Hernandez got into the scoring column to boost the Troubie lead to 10 at 22-12 with three minutes left in the half. Teoh sank both free throws after getting fouled underneath for her 15th and 16th points, which also kept SF in front by double digits, 24-14.
The Troubies went to the break with a 25-18 lead, and Teoh popped her final field goal of the night a minute into the third, but the Flames managed to whittle at the deficit early in the second half. Madison Galatsatos's field goal with 6:10 closed the gap to a single possession at 27-25. But on the next SF trip down, Paeu-Lindgren performed a spin move past Galatsatos to bump the margin to 29-25. The 6-foot post then grabbed four of her six rebounds across the next two minutes, with the first three resulting in three trips to the charity stripe. Paeu-Lindgren sank three free throws during that span, extending the SF lead back to seven at 32-25.
Mendoza then scored four points in quick succession: she made both ends after a shooting foul, stole the ensuing inbound pass, then completed the short fast break to stretch the advantage back to double-figures at 36-25. Paeu-Lindgren made it 11 unanswered with her finish on a Teoh pass at the two-minute mark. Flames freshman Lillie Bayless finally broke her team's scoring drought with a pull-up jumper just in front of the free-throw line, but then Paeu-Lindgren struck again: she made 1 of 2 on anothe trip to the line, then blocked a shot in the final minute.
Mendoza and Paeu-Lindgren scored three straight times to start the fourth and extend the St. Francis lead to 46-27. Mendoza drove for the first score, Paeu-Lindgren notched a steal, completed the fast break and hit the bonus free throw, then Mendoza dropped in a putback to complete that run. Mendoza later assisted Hernandez with 4:54 to make it 48-28 for the first 20-point lead. Lodi managed to make plays across the final four minutes, but each time, London drained threes.
Later in the evening, the SF jayvees suffered a 61-21 loss to the host Bulldogs in the auxiliary gym. Freshman Jocelyn Dickinson sank a three-pointer in the first period as part of her team-leading nine points, but Folsom crafted a 25-9 lead through the opener and a commanding 48-11 advantage by halftime. Sam Morales led the Bulldogs with 18 points, including 13 in the second.
The Troubie varsity will square off with the Timberwolves at 11:30 a.m. in the main gym Saturday, with JV Gold taking on either St. Mary's or Oak Ridge in the side gym at 1 p.m.
