The top-seeded St. Francis girls sped past visiting Dublin 50-41 on Saturday in the CIF-State NorCal second round.
The victory advances the Lancers to meet visiting Florin of Sacramento at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the regional semifinals. At stake will be a spot in the NorCal Regional title game at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 16 at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento.
The Lancers started out slowly, with the Gaels outscoring them 12-8 in the first quarter. But the Lancers, who play in the gritty and fast-paced West Catholic Athletic League, picked up the tempo in the second quarter and pulled away.
“We started fast breaking. We started getting quick layups,” said senior guard Shelbi Aimonetti.
It had been a week since St. Francis played in the CCS Open Division Championship, and it showed in the opening quarter.
“You don’t really want a week between games, and at times we showed that we hadn’t played in a while,” said coach Brian Harrigan.
The rust was quickly shed, though, as the Lancers started the second quarter on a 10-0 and outscored the Gaels 14-2 in the quarter. The key for the Lancers on their run was their smothering defense.
“The second quarter really hurt us. It was 14-2. In that second quarter, we never got a decent shot. They’re a great defensive team,” said Dublin coach Mark Wainwright.
The Gaels shot just 1-of-10 from the field for the quarter, and didn’t attempt a free throw.
However, the Gaels went on a 17-8 run to take a 31-30 lead with 40 seconds left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Kristjan Aubry.
“We made a nice run in the third quarter, we showed our heart,” said Wainwright. “We’ve been bouncing back like that all year long.”
Free throws were key in the Gaels’ run, as they went 5-for-5 from the line. Still, the Lancers took a 32-31 lead into the fourth quarter. From there, senior Jennifer Lucian took control of the game.
“It was hard getting started today,” said Lucian. “I had too much in my head, what I was going to do. I decided to play basketball.”
She scored nine of her team’s first 13 points in the quarter as the Lancers went on an 13-2 run to take a commanding 45-33 lead.
“She relaxed, and played like [she] knows how to play,” said Harrigan. “I think she wanted it so bad that she was too wound up. That’s the Jen we need, and that’s the way she’s capable for playing.”
She finished the quarter with 12 points, three key steals, and three rebounds.
The key for the Lancers was their tempo, as the Gaels simply looked tired at times.
“When we pushed the tempo, we got some fastbreak layups,” said Harrigan. “We probably needed to push the tempo a little more, but we were hoping if we made them run a lot, it would help us.”
Aimonetti was also instrumental as she seemed to come up with points when the Lancers needed them.
“She’s our key scorer. We look for her to score and to make things happen for us,” said Harrigan.
Kate Hoey was also a key contributor in the first half, as she scored six points and grabbed two offensive rebounds and five overall. She finished the game eight points, eight rebounds, and a block.
Lucian had 14 points, four rebounds, and five steals for the game.
Jojuan Carrington led all scorers with 16 points for the Gaels, as she used her 6-foot-1 frame to score in the post. Alanna Yee pitched in nine points and eight rebounds. Aubry scored seven points and took eight rebounds.
