SACRAMENTO, Calif. –The St. Francis basketball team used a late rally to close the gap against Delta League rival Davis but fell short 58-54 Friday night as the team fell to 8-4 and 0-2 in league play. The Troubadours erased a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter that left the team confident heading into the annual Holy Hoops matchup with Christian Brothers Saturday.

“The team is back,” said junior Yvonna Molodanof. “We had to learn to work together, learn from our mistakes from last game and push through. We have to have confidence in all that we do. It was amazing and hopefully we will do our best tomorrow.”

St. Francis trailed by 20 points in the fourth quarter to a Davis team that was led by 17 points by Katie Grahn. But St. Francis played inspired over the final four minutes and turned a 55-35 deficit into a two possession game at the end on the scoreboard.

Senior Susie Rogers scored 11 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter helped by three baskets and five free throws (four made) via a foul on a three-point attempt and Davis technical.

The Troubadours were coming off a loss to Pleasant Grove in their league opener and a double-digit Davis lead entering the fourth quarter. But the Troubies found their confidence in the fourth.

Molodanof added five of her eight points and Janae Fairbrook hit a three at the buzzer that closed the final score four points.

“Hopefully we can carry the momentum into tomorrow and rest of the season,” said Rogers. “That is how we should play. Hopefully that can spark it.”

“The frustration was knowing that we can play so much better than we were,” said Rogers. “The key is getting the nerves out and not playing like we are nervous. We need to play like we did in the last three minutes.”

Head Coach Vic Pitton was glad to see his team fight until the end.

“They finally decided to show up again,” said Pitton. “It was refreshing to see them. I wish they had not been on such a lengthy hibernation.”

St. Francis entered the week with a strong showing in their first 10 games, including a tournament title in Chico and strong performance at the Nike Tournament of Champions.

“That is the team we knew so well for the first 10 games,” said Pitton. “We went for about 60 minutes without it. But we found it. I don’t have to motivate them tomorrow. They need to focus on regaining that energy and effort from the beginning of the game.”

St. Francis will face a Christian Brothers team that is 5-9 on the season. Tickets are still available online but the games are expected to sell out before the tip on Saturday. The freshmen open play at 2:30 p.m. followed by the junior varsity at 4:00 p.m.

The 5:30 p.m. varsity contest will be televised locally and online by Access Sacramento. The Access Sacramento Game of the Week can be seen on Comcast and Consolidated Communications (SureWest) cable on Channel 17 and on AT&T U-Verse Channel 14 and 99. All broadcasts are streamed live on the internet on www.AccessSacramento.org (Push Watch TV Channel 17).

D – Graham 17, Mazzoleni 13, Stenz 10, Forrester 8, Bloise 4, Allison 2. Satre 2, Lengtat. SF  - Rogers 17, Molodanof 8, Cobile 7, Razo 5, Fairbrook 4, Huffman 4, Ortiz 4, Craig 3, Soloaga 2.