Cold start dooms Whitney against St. Francis

Sometimes in basketball, it just isn't your night and that was the case for Whitney in a girls basketball matchup against St. Francis on Jan. 10. The Wildcats looked strong in their first two Sierra Foothill League games, downing Davis and Del Oro with strong defensive efforts. The defense continued its dominance down the stretch for Whitney, but a cold start from the field was too much to overcome as the Troubadours fended off a late comeback attempt for a 50-44 victory. The game started as a defensive stalemate, with neither side making a field goal for the first five minutes, and the teams combined for just five points with two minutes remaining in the period. While the first quarter was slow, it was an offensive explosion for St. Francis in the second. The Troubadours pushed the lead to double digits and led by 14 after three, but the Wildcats wouldn't go down without a fight. Whitney stormed back in the final minutes, cutting the deficit down to four and holding St. Francis to nine points in the quarter, but it wasn't able to close the gap. Whitney coach Sydney Gatson said she was proud of her team's comeback but noted the hole was just too big and the Troubadours got hot at the right time. "Hats off to St. Francis. They played a great game and were just hot from the field," Gatson said. "I think that we gave ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter and I love that, but just the defensive breakdowns in the second and third that gave them some easy buckets was too much of a hole to come back from in the SFL." Despite controlling the offensive glass and forcing turnovers all night, the Wildcats struggled to convert their second-chance opportunities. Gatson said Whitney was getting good looks but also gave credit to St. Francis sophomore center Tayli Paeu-Lindgren for altering some shots down low. "She altered a lot of shots, for sure," Gatson said. "I think we were taking some shots and kind of using some different techniques we haven't used before, but also the ball just wasn't really falling for us in general. So I think it was a combination of a lot of things tonight." The Troubadours were led by Sydney Teoh, who scored 19 and notched her 1,000th career point in the victory. Teoh was swarmed by teammates, friends and family after the game to congratulate her on her achievement. Whitney was led by Tylie Kitchen with 14 points and four assists. The win moved St. Francis to 8-8 overall and 2-1 in the SFL. The loss was the first blemish of league play for Whitney (11-6, 2-1) and while the Wildcats had a tough week ahead with Folsom and Oak Ridge, Gatson said they are right where they want to be and still have all of their goals ahead of them. Said Gatson, "Our destiny is still in our hands, we just gotta regroup after this. I told them not to hang their heads for too long. We need to learn from it and move forward and grow from it. This doesn't erase who we are and what we're capable of."