Basketball Falls to Oak Ridge in Section Quarterfinals

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EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. – The St. Francis basketball team lost at Oak Ridge 65-48 Thursday in the Sac-Joaquin Section quarterfinals.

“I am absolutely extremely proud of all of them,” said Head Coach Vic Pitton. “They gave everything they had in a very adverse situation. They really responded well in the first quarter and they played hard the whole game.”

Seniors Julia Razo and Jane Fairbrook combined to score 30 points in the game led by the game-high 21 points by Razo. Fairbrook scored nine and led the team in rebounds.

“They were warriors,” said Pitton of his two seniors. “They tried to lead us to victory and the others tried to help.”

St. Francis led after the first quarter 21-17 in a fast-paced, high scoring quarter after losing starter Jackie Koerwitz to an injury in the opening minute. Razo led the charge scoring 13 points in the first eight minutes.

“It is not so much Jackie being out of the lineup but seeing your teammate go down has a negative impact and they really responded in the first quarter,” said Pitton

Oak Ridge took the lead in the second after the Troubies scored just four points leading up to halftime and trailed 32-25 at the break.

“They stepped up their defense and we were having a hard time getting the shots we wanted,” said Pitton. “Turnovers really hurt us and fatigue was a factor. That is usually not a factor with our team but tonight we were fatigued.”

St. Francis cut the deficit to single digits in the second half but never made a long enough run to completely get back in the game.

Pitton talked about his entire team in his postgame comments, singling out his bench for their efforts over the course of the season.

“The five young ladies at the end of the bench have been exemplary all season,” said Pitton, who was crediting Izzy Quiniola, Anne McDaniel, Adrienne Graybill, Raenalyn Montemayor and Maggie Malaney. “Not only did they give the effort in practice but when they got the opportunity. The support and character they showed, attitude they sustained with limited playing time is a testament to their character and their families.”

St. Francis finishes the season with a 21-8 overall record. The Troubadours were the Delta League champions with a 13-1 overall record. Junior Marlee Nicolos was sidelined for the contest after scoring 21 in the win on Tuesday.

Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Quarterfinals

Oak Ridge 65, St. Francis 48 1 2 3 4 F
St. Francis  21 4 12 11 48
Oak Ridge 17 15 17 16 65

OR – Olson 18, DeLapp 15, Gross 7, Belarget 6, Perry 6, Harris 4, Hoffman 3, Lamy 2, Martin 2.Crozier 2 SF – Razo 21, Fairbrook 9, Pank 8 Kelly 6, Austin 2, Keitges 2.