Basketball Claims Delta League Title; Playoffs Await

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis finished the regular season with a perfect 14-0 record with a 93-25 win over Grant Tuesday night, capturing the 2016 Delta League title.

“I am extremely proud of my team,” said Head Coach Vic Pitton. “They have put in a lot of work and sweat equity and they deserve everything they have got so far. They are playing very well and are sharing the ball. They improved tremendously defensively and, when we are in transition, it is a lot of fun to watch.”

St. Francis (23-4) will await the Sac-Joaquin Section Selection show Thursday at 4 p.m. for their playoff seeding and bracket position. Watch it here.

“The playoffs are always exciting,” said Pitton. “It is a second season and we have done all this to position for the playoffs. Hopefully we can continue this momentum and have a long ride.”

St. Francis celebrated the five seniors in a pregame ceremony and then watched them combine for 51 points against the Pacers.

 “I had the opportunity to coach Angie (Ortiz), Lauren (Craig) and Kyra (Huffman) the summer they were coming in as freshmen,” said Pitton. “We have built a special bond and I saw the potential. To see it come to fruition tonight its really something special.”

Craig scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Huffman added 16 to go with six rebounds and six steals. Aliyah Williams added 11 points and Ortiz chipped in four points.

Sophomore Logan Kelly scored a season-high nine points off the bench, one of four underclassmen to contribute eight or more points in the win.

“It is a great feeling to part of this championship,” said Kelly. “I love learning from the older players and playing with them makes me a lot of better. It is great we have a team that can share the ball so much. We all can contribute, help and cheer each other on. It is awesome.”

Freshman Jackie Koerwitz also contributed nine points and freshmen Megan Austin and Nike Bagatelos added eight each in the win.

St. Francis went on a 10-0 run to start the game and never looked back, building a 25-8 advantage after the first quarter. Junior Janae Fairbrook hit two three-pointers in the second and SF extended the lead to 48-12 at the break.

It is the first league title for St. Francis since 2011 and they enter the playoffs on an 10-game winning streak.

St. Francis 93, Grant 25 1 2 3 4 F
Grant 8 4 4 9 25
St. Francis 25 23 28 17 93

SF – Craig  20, Huffman 16, Williams 11, Kelly 9, Koerwitz 9, Bagatelos 8, Austin 8, Ortiz 4, Razo 3, Brennan 3, Fairbrook 2. G – Williams 13, Donald 6, Lee 4, James 2.