Basketball Advances to Section Finals

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STOCKTON, Calif. – St. Francis advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section finals with an 88-61 victory over Oak Ridge Tuesday night at the Alex G. Spanos Center in Stockton.

“I can’t put it into words (how well) they have come together,” said Head Coach Vic Pitton. “They have fulfilled the commitment they gave to each other at the retreat. The selfless basketball they played tonight, it was all about team and how they played together. They love to share the ball and feed off each other. It is a pleasure to watch as a coach.”

St. Francis never trailed in the contest and built an early 10-2 lead over No. 2 seed Oak Ridge (27-2) but the Trojans kept it close in trailing 21-17 at the end of the first quarter. The Troubadours extended the lead in the second to take a 15-point lead the half. Senior Tia Hay scored 11 points and had seven assists and six steals in the opening half.

“She distributed, penetrated and hit outside shots and defensively she was all over the place,” said Pitton.

St. Francis (26-4) took control of the game in the third quarter.

“Coming out in the third quarter and really distancing ourselves extending our 15-point lead, it really showed me a lot,” said Pitton. “In the past, we have had opportunities where we took the foot off the gas pedal. Tonight they did not.”

Junior Julia Razo scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half.

“Julia had a fantastic game,” said Pitton. “She was awesome out there offensively and defensively. As far as a performance in a big time setting, this is the best game of her career.”

SF shot 16-of-29 in the second half from the floor and finished at 50.8 percent for the game. They forced the Trojans into 26 turnovers and recorded 16 steals while holding Oak Ridge to 30 percent from the floor for the game.

“We kept the mindset in the second half that the score was 0-0,” said Razo. “We came out with the same intensity and not being satisfied with what we had done in the first half.”

The St. Francis locker room was pure jubilation after the game.

“Happiness,” said Razo of her feelings. “We have come really far as a team and it feels really great that everything we have done is paying off.”

St. Francis earned a spot in the finals against nationally-ranked and No.1 overall seed St. Mary’s, who defeated Foslom in the second semifinal.

“It feels unreal and I never had this feeling before,” said Hay, who finished with a game-high tying 23 points. “I am glad we have got this far and we have come together as a team. Hopefully, we can get another win on Saturday.”

The two teams will face off on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Sleep Train Arena.

“We know we are going to go on and we are playing the best team,” said Pitton. “We are going to try and improve and try to compete with them. We are going to have some different goals but that does not mean we are not going to try to pull something out. Now we are looking to get a very good seed for Nor Cals.”

By virtue of their semifinal appearance, St. Francis earned a spot in the CIF Northern California Regional playoffs. But a tough task faces the team on Saturday. But they will have experience on their side after playing a regular season game at Sleep Train earlier this season.

 “It is really good for us now that we know what we are getting into as far as getting use to the floor and the baskets and atmosphere,” said Razo. “We are going to do really well.”

Senior Lauren Craig recorded her 26th double-double and 11th consecutive overall with 18 points and 11 boards. Junior Janae Fairbrook added 10 points and eight assists.

The 35th annual CIF State Basketball Championships begin Wednesday, March 9 with the First Round of the Regionals and concludes with the Championship Finals being held Thursday and Saturday, March 24 and 26 at Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento.

2016 CIF State Championship Basketball Brackets will be made available in the evening on Sunday, March 6.

St. Francis vs Oak Ridge
03/01/16 7:50 pm at Stockton, Calif. (Alex G. Spanos Center)
At Stockton, Calif. (Alex G. Spanos Center)

ST. FRANCIS 88, OAK RIDGE 61 1 2 3 4 F
St. Francis 21 23 22 22 88
Oak RIdge 17 12 15 17 61

ST. FRANCIS
HAY, Tia 8-13 7-8 23; CRAIG, Lauren 7-12 2-6 18; RAZO, Julia 5-9 3-4 14;
FAIRBROOK, Janae 4-10 1-1 10; HUFFMAN, Kyra 3-7 3-4 9; NICOLOS, Marlee 1-4 4-5 6; KOERWITZ, Jackie 2-5 2-3 6; ORTIZ, Angie 1-1 0-0 2; KELLY, Logan 0-0 0-0 0; KRAEGER, Kelly 0-0 0-0 0; BAGATELOS, Nika 0-0 0-0 0; AUSTIN, Megan 0-0 0-0 0; BRENNAN, Clare 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-61 22-31 88.
OAK RIDGE
McCOY, Hailey 5-14 9-12 23; DELAPP, Kassidy 6-15 2-3 16; PERRY, Lexi 2-2 1-2 7; LAMY, Sky 2-9 0-0 5; BELANGER, Brittany 2-4 0-0 4; HOFFMAN, Kristen 1-4 0-0 3; DULGAR, Briana 0-2 2-2 2; DUTTON, Maria 0-4 1-2 1; GRASSI, Daniella 0-0 0-0 0; SOPER, Laura 0-4 0-0 0; MARTIN, Aubrielle 0-1 0-0 0; GROSS, Brianne 0-1 0-0 0; KIRTLAN, Cameron 0-0 0-0 0; RASSMUSSEN, Siera 0-0 0-2 0; CROZIER, Syd 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-60 15-23 61.