FOLSOM, Calif. – Senior Kyra Huffman recorded a double-double and junior Janae Fairbrook scored a career-high 22 points to lead St. Francis to a 73-41 victory over fifth-ranked Folsom in claim the Folsom-Vista Tip-Off title Friday night.

“Before the game we talked about earning carrots, what Coach Vic (Pitton) likes to call them,” said Huffman, who scored 18 points and had 15 rebounds. “This is a stepping stone into our season and I think it was great to put that energy out there.”

Fairbrook joined senior Tia Hay on the all-tournament team and senior Lauren Craig was named most valuable player. Craig scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win and averaged 17.3 points in the three wins. Hay, who scored 39 points in the first two games, finished with nine points in the final despite foul trouble.

“It feels great and I am really glad my team got the win,” said Craig. “We all came together at the end and really pushed through over the fifth-ranked team.”

Folsom was No. 5 in the Sacramento Bee preseason rankings. No. 14 St. Francis also defeated No. 6 Ponderosa (72-50) and Vista del Lago (76-14) to win the tournament.

St. Francis led throughout the first half (35-26) but was plagued with foul trouble by Craig and Hay, who both finished the half on the bench with three fouls. When Hay picked up her fourth, Folsom had cut the lead to seven points.

Huffman then hit back-to-back layups and senior Angie Ortiz knocked down two free throws to spark a 6-0 run that morphed into a 20-2 run. The Troubadours out-scored the Bulldogs 39-15 in the second half.

“The key was sharing the ball and getting fast break layups,” said Craig.

Fairbrook hit six three-pointers as part of her 22-point effort.

“I knew when Lauren and Tia were in foul trouble, I had to step it up and be a leader on the court,” said Fairbrook. “It shows how much we are progressing at the beginning of the season.”

Pitton noted the efforts of reserves sophomore Marlee Nicolos and freshman Jackie Koerwitz, who played key minutes for the team despite not scoring in the contest.

St. Francis plays host to Kennedy on Tuesday in a non-league game starting at 7 p.m. The junior varsity team opens the night at 5:30 p.m.

In other basketball news, the St. Francis freshmen reached the championship of the Robby Nakamura Classic at Kennedy with a 66-25 victory over El Camino. Krysta Alvarez led the team with 12 points. They play for the title at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The JV team defeated Vanden 82-45 as three players scored in double figures led by 13 each from Lauren Pank and Maggie Malaney, while Isabella Quiniola contributed 11. They play Sacramento for the championship of the Battle of the Bridge tournament at River City.

SF- Fairbrook 22, Huffman 18, Craig 14, Hay 9, Ortiz 4, Williams 4, Razo 2. F – Beckman 11, Sanabria 8, Foye 4, Larocca 4, Hinton 4, Maleklos 2, Russell 1, Armstrong 7.