St. Francis season ends in quarterfinals St. Francis season ends in quarterfinals (March 05, 2004)

Lancers fall to Burlingame after win over Saratoga

By Reza Kazempour

After defeating Saratoga on Feb. 26, the St. Francis Lancers boys' basketball team was eliminated in the CCS Division III quarterfinals last Saturday, losing 52-40 to Burlingame.

The Lancers' shortcomings stood out in the first and final quarters, when they were outscored 32-12. Burlingame maintained its dominance with eight three-pointers compared to one by St. Francis forward Matt Loretz. He finished the night with 22 points including nine from the free-throw line.

Loretz also played a major role in the Lancers' earlier 47-44 victory over Saratoga. A key factor on both offense and defense, he made his presence felt by blocking four shots, including two attempts by Saratoga center Danny Wallace. Loretz, who slammed in two dunks, and Saratoga's Aron Mitsunaga shared high-scoring honors with 14 points apiece.

The first half belonged to St. Francis as it entered the third quarter with a 23-17 lead. Early in the second half, Lancer guard Clayton Miller missed a field goal attempt but Loretz was quick on the rebound and dunked it while in the air. Later in the third quarter, Loretz received a volley pass from guard James Bisordi for his second dunk to give the Lancers an early 25-19 lead.

But Saratoga showed signs of a comeback, trying to keep hope alive for themselves and their head coach Mike Davey, whose wife has been in a coma since Jan. 24.

Saratoga guard Aron Mitsunaga led the offensive rush, scoring 12 of his game-high 14 points in the second half, including a three-pointer with 2:07 remaining to bring Saratoga within three points at 44-41. Saratoga guard Irving Chien created two three-point plays late in the fourth quarter and took his team within two at the 46-44 mark.

But St. Francis took advantage of Saratoga's late-game mistakes, including a technical foul on Saratoga center Adam Sato, to secure the win. The Lancers' defense carried the team through, preventing any of Saratoga's last-ditch attempts to take the lead.

The Lancers finished their season with an 11-18 overall record.

cE-mail Reza Kazempour at sports@mv-voice.com

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