Junior Marlee Nicolos Powers Basketball to Playoff Win
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Junior Marlee Nicolos scored three late field goals and added key free throws in the final minute to help St. Francis post a comeback win over Cosumnes Oaks in a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff opener on Tuesday.
“Marlee Nicolos was tough as nails as she always is,” said Head Coach Vic Pitton. “She knocked down some tough free throws which allowed us to get into overtime and ultimately win the game. She is as strong of a competitor as anyone I have ever coached.”
Nicolos scored nine of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Wolfpack looked to upset the sixth-seeded Troubadours. Cosumnes Oaks(19-9) had three players in double figures led by 17 points by Jasmine Hess.
“Marlee is the toughest person I know,” said sophomore Jackie Koerwitz. “She played through pain tonight and still was able to score a crazy amount.”
Nicolos tied the game at 70 in the final seconds on the front end of a one-and-one before missing the second. Both teams scrambled for the board and SF did get a final shot off at the basket but it was wide.
The Troubies opened the overtime with a three-pointer by senior Janae Fairbrook, her first of the game. She finished with eight points.
Koerwitz added two key basketballs and Nicolos notched four points as SF finally pulled ahead.
“Offensively she got to the rim and finished and especially early she was our only offense,” said Pitton of Koerwitz, who scored six of the team’s eight points in the first quarter. “She made some big plays cutting to the basket in overtime to secure the win.”
St. Francis out-scored the Wolfpack 13-5 in the extra period.
“Our defense was going to win it for us (tonight),” said Koerwitz. “As we decreased the lead, we had to make our shots. We started off the overtime with a lot more intensity than we did the entire game. We had the will to win and depth of our bench helped give us more energy.”
St. Francis will travel to Oak Ridge on Thursday for a rematch from the section semifinals a year ago. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be shown on TroubieTV.“
| St. Francis 70, Cosumnes Oaks 62 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosumnes Oaks | 15 | 11 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 63 |
| St. Francis | 8 | 22 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 70 |
SF – Nicolos 21, Koerwitz 16, Razo 15, Fairbrook 8, Bagatelos 6, Keitges 3, Austin 2. CO- Hess 17, Rosette 15, Lake 10, McCrae 7, Bray 6, Butts 5, Coleman 2.