Basketball Notebook : St. Francis Capitalized on Rare Five-Point Play for Only Win of Season

The St. Francis High boys team has won only one of its first four games this season. But for Coach John Jordan, the victory was unforgettable.

With four seconds remaining, St. Francis trailed Burroughs of Burbank, 69-65. The Knights inbounded the ball and Frank Lagattuta threw up a Hail Mary three-point shot. Had Lagattuta made the shot, St. Francis would have lost by a point. But instead, a Burroughs player, celebrating an apparent win by his team, joyfully swung from the rim while Lagattuta’s shot was being launched. Basket interference was called, plus a two-shot technical foul. Lagattuta was awarded three points--reducing the Burroughs margin to one--then sank both free throws with no time remaining to give St. Francis a 70-69 victory. Lagattuta finished with 27 points and was 7 of 8 from the line in the Burbank-Hoover tournament game.

Add Lagattuta: Although St. Francis lost in the third-place game of the Burbank-Hoover tournament, Lagattuta was named to the all-tournament team. He scored 10 points in a 92-67 loss to Hoover and 21 points in a 75-73 loss to Burbank. He is averaging 17.5 points a game this season.

Add Burbank-Hoover tournament: Senior guards Vigen Serop and Joe Velasquez were named to the all-tournament team for Hoover (2-1), which lost, 71-63, to Beverly Hills in the final. Velasquez is averaging 23 points a game and Serop is averaging 14. Senior center Joe Ferguson has led Hoover in rebounding this season with an average of 10 a game and senior forward Sean Regan has averaged nine.

Surprising start: Glendale Coach Bob Davidson expected that Dan Johnson would have improved his five point-a-game average over the summer but Davidson was caught off guard when the forward scored 29 in the Dynamiters’ opener against Burroughs. The 6-4 senior hit 13 of 17 shots from the field and grabbed 7 rebounds in the 89-75 victory.

Add Glendale: Johnson wasn’t the only Dynamiter who scored in double figures. All five Glendale starters scored 10 or more points. David Monarch scored 13 points and had five rebounds, Justin Lord scored 14, Jeff Thoman scored 12 and Jeff Sofro had 12 points and 7 assists. “I was pleased that we had good balance,” Davidson said. “To have all five starters in double figures is a good sign.”

Franklin from the line: The Franklin High girls team had to sink six free throws in the last minute to escape with a 46-44 victory over Hollywood last week. In two trips to the line Brenda Teng tied the score, 44-44, with four free throws. Franklin (1-0) got the ball back and Laura Redford was fouled while shooting with one second left. The senior guard connected on both free-throw attempts to cement the victory. Redford finished with 16 points.