ROCKLIN, Calif. – Senior Sydney Teoh scored 19 points to become the first player in almost a decade to surpass 1,000 career points and lead St. Francis to a 50-44 win over Whitney as part of a Sierra Foothill League boys-girls basketball doubleheader Friday night.
The Troubadours even their overall record to 8-8 and improve to 2-1 in SFL play.
Teoh tallied 13 points before the halftime break, including nine in a second-period stretch that lifted St. Francis from a 14-9 deficit in the opening minute to a lead of as much as 30-20 with 1:23 remaining. In fact, she assisted Laila Mendoza on a corner three-pointer at the 5:54 mark to give the Troubies a 16-14 advantage, a lead they did not relinquish for the remainder of the contest.
Junior Lexi London buried four three-pointers – one in each period – en route to her 16 points, while sophomore Tayli Paeu-Lindgren scored 10 points with 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the year.
Teoh's milestone point came at the free-throw line, although not without some unintentional suspense. The second-period outburst brought her career total to 995, then she drew contact underneath the hoop with 2:33 remaining for two more free throws and points Nos. 996 and 997. However, other than an assist to London's three at the 6:05 mark in the fourth, Teoh did not contribute directly in the scoring column until he sank a runner from the right elbow at 1:26, bumping the SF lead to 48-42 and giving her 999 total.
With only one team foul and timing running out in a two-possession game, Whitney quickly racked up fouls to get to the double bonus. When the Wildcats finally committed their fifth foul of the fourth, there was some confusion over who was to shoot the ensuing bonus throws – Teoh or Paeu-Lindgren. The officials awarded the free throws to the sophomore center.
When Whitney Tylie Kitchen made a third-chance putback on the other end to cut her team's deficit to 48-44, the Wildcats were forced to continue fouling in the backcourt to slow the clock. This put Teoh at the stripe with 11 ticks on the clock. Teoh, who entered the game with a 76.8 percent (195 of 254) success rate at the line, uncharacteristically missed the front end but hit the second. An errant Whitney outlet pass and another foul returned her to the line five seconds later, resulting in another free throw and a final score of 50-44.
Teoh joins Lauren Craig (2012-16) as the only two players to surpass quadruple digits of offense since the program's stats became available on MaxPreps in 2004. Craig finished with 1,260, earning her Delta League MVP honors and a stint at Pepperdine.
Oddly, a game with a historic offensive milestone featured very little scoring at the start. Neither team managed a field goal until Whitney junior Natalia Benavidez snapped the net on a corner three with 3:27 left in the first. London and Teoh followed with treys of their own down the stretch of the first, with Teoh sinking hers at the buzzer.
Teoh had her nine in the second, with Mendoza and London chipping in five apiece to pull SF to a 30-22 halftime edge. Paeu-Lindgren scored two buckets and grabbed five rebounds in the third to keep the Troubies on top. Karly Okamoto found London open for a three-pointer at 0:18 to boost the SF advantage to 41-27.
St. Francis had a scare early in the fourth, particularly when Mendoza left the game with an apparent injury. Her teammates initially carried her toward the bench but she ultimately finished the walk under own strength. Whitney took care of business from the line, hitting 5-for-5, with the last visit reducing the Troubie lead to six at 46-40 with 2:53 left. Then senior Kendall Dykstra scored a putback at 1:49, trimming the margin to just 46-42. But Teoh followed that shot with her made runner, beginning the final sequence of the game that eventually sent her to the line for her bonus free throws.
Teoh was honored after the game with a commemorative T-shirt and a customized basketball to celebrate the milestone.
Friday's game was a varsity-only date for SF basketball, with the jayvees facing the Wildcats at home on Thursday. St. Francis and Jesuit pair up for five more such doubleheaders, with the Troubies always playing the opener. Both SF squads return to action on Tuesday at home against Rocklin. Tip-off times are 6 p.m. for JV, 7:30 for varsity.
