SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis freshmen basketball team lost to Lodi 35-31 in the finals of the Bronco Bill JV Tournament at Bella Vista. The Troubadours (5-1) beat two JV teams (Sacramento, Nevada Union) en route to the finals.

“It is really exciting,” said Gabi Lopez of the team’s performance in the JV Tournament. “It shows that we are really improving and we will do better when we are older.”

Lily McLoughlin was named the team’s Best Offensive Player after scoring 14 points and grabbing six rebounds in the final. She hit four three-pointers in the game to lead the team.

“It was exciting,” said McLoughlin, who scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the tournament. “I did not know it was coming but I am glad it happened.”

Gabi Lopez was named the Best Defensive Player. She had five points and six boards in the final. For the tournament, she averaged 6.3 rebounds (20 boards) and had six blocks and three steals

St. Francis was down 20-13 at the break and failed to cut into the deficit in the third, struggling to score only one basket. The Flames accidentally scored on the SF basket off a timeout.

“We just calmed down and tried to make wiser decisions,” said Lopez.

But the fourth quarter was different. The Troubadours scored 16 points behind a pair of threes by McLoughlin. Nikki Morissette scored five points to help the comeback effort. SF cut the lead to one point but never got over the hump.

“At halftime, Coach Heather (Volek Brownholtz) talked about how we had to get mentally in the game,” said McLoughlin. “We came back and got really close.”

The freshmen play at the Del Campo Elite 8 Tournament Dec. 21-23. The Troubadours open against Rio Americano on Monday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m.

Lodi 35, St. Francis 31 – Bronco Bill Tournament

SF – McLoughlin 14, Morissette 5, Lopez 5, Pahos 3, Burrows 2.