St. Francis basketball’s playoff run stopped by Oxnard in quarterfinals
An impressive season came to a close for the St. Francis High basketball team Thursday.
It’s one St. Francis coach Todd Wolfson and the Golden Knights will remember in their quest to continue shaping the program’s future.
St. Francis, which received an at-large berth into the CIF Southern Section Division III-AA playoffs following a fifth-place finish in the Mission League, made plenty of noise.
Unfortunately for St. Francis, it ran out of gas and suffered a 61-49 quarterfinal road defeat against Oxnard on Thursday.
“We’ve come a long ways over the last few years,” Wolfson said. “Our players believe in the process and we got a lot accomplished.
“It’s tough right now after losing, but our guys will continue to put in the work and we’ll get better.”
St. Francis (24-8) received 24 points from junior Andre Henry and 16 from senior Dennis Flowers III.
Oxnard (23-7, second in the Pacific View League) held an 18-16 lead after the first quarter and a 31-27 halftime advantage. Oxnard outscored St. Francis, 16-11, in the third quarter to establish a 47-38 cushion.
“We had 26 turnovers in the game and we just struggled with the ball,” Wolfson said. “I’m happy with our season and we weren’t sure if we’d even make the playoffs.
“I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish and it will make us better heading forward.”
St. Francis, which last appeared in the semifinals in 2014, began the playoffs with victories against Marina and Beckman.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
