PHOENIX, Ariz. – The St. Francis basketball team defeated Tempe Corona del Sol Friday afternoon 49-36 in the consolation bracket of the Grey Division at the Nike Tournament of Champions.

“The difference in the game was our defensive energy in the second half,” said junior Angie Ortiz, who had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. “We picked it up and got more deflections which led to more turnovers and more points for us.”

The Troubadours (7-1) used a strong run over the final 12 minutes of the game to close out the victory to break open what had been a back and forth contest.

Trailing 30-29 in the third quarter, junior Angie Ortiz, who scored seven of her 11 points in the quarter, hit a three-pointer from the right side to give St. Francis a two-point lead. Senior Isabel Soloaga also hit a key three-pointer in the period. They would finish the quarter with a 36-31 advantage.

“I passed it to Lauren and she did a great job passing back to me for an open shot,” said Soloaga of her key basket. “We took it from there. As a team we really gained focus that we were lacking the first half and had a really aggressive mindset.”

After the Aztecs had closed to 38-34 in the fourth with just over six minutes left, the Troubies went on a 6-0 run highlighted by a Kyra Huffman basket and steal and scoring drive by Lauren Craig to push the advantage to double digits. Corona del Sol never got any closer.

Huffman finished with a team-best 14 points with six rebounds, while Craig added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Ortiz also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

“It felt really good but I wish we didn’t lose Susie at the end,” said Ortiz.

Senior guard Susie Rogers bumped heads with her defender in the final minute.

St. Francis returns to action in the consolation bracket on Saturday with a game at 3:20 p.m. at the Kroc Center. The Troubadours will play Indio, which posted a 45-40 victory over Perry on Saturday. The winner will play in the consolation bracket championship on Monday for ninth place.

Nike Tournament of Champions – Phoenix, Ariz.

SF – Huffman 14, Ortiz 11, Craig 10, Razo 5, Soloaga 3, Williams 2, Fairbrook 2, Rogers 1, Cobile 1. CDS – Kalmer 18, Frazier 7, Lauer 4, Peat 4, Langille 2, Ridge 1.