St. Francis Burned in Hart Title Game

The 300 or so fans at Hart High for the championship game of the Hart tournament might have been wondering why it was so warm inside the gym.

The source of the intense heat was not the East Bakersfield High basketball team, but it could have been. The Blades were certainly hot as they melted St. Francis, 79-59,

Led by guard Terry Minnoy, who finished with a game-high 27 points, East Bakersfield held a narrow 21-17 margin after a quarter, then outscored the Golden Knights, 29-9, in the second period.

St. Francis, guided by forward Dominick Momolo (15 points), opened the second half with a 7-2 run. But the Golden Knights’ visions of a comeback faded as East Bakersfield scored the next 10 points.

Guard Kevin Robinson, an all-tournament selection, and center Greg Burt, the tournament’s most valuable player, scored 17 and 16 points for the Blades.

Jeff Dyrek and Allen Freemon combined for 23 points for St. Francis. Both were all-tournament picks.

Jeff Garner scored 24 points as Rio Mesa beat Canyon, 79-63, in the third-place game.