PASADENA — At times, it felt like the roof was caving in on the St. Francis High boys’ basketball team.
The visiting Golden Knights trailed for the better part of 2 1/2 quarters versus Foothill Blvd.-rival La Cañada in a city showdown that didn’t just promise the winner bragging rights, but also a berth in the CIF Southern Section Division III-A championship.
PHOTOS: St. Francis' 11-0 run leads to 56-53 victory
Despite trailing by seven points early in the fourth quarter, St. Francis rallied behind an 11-point run and then held on late against the Spartans on a slippery basketball court at neutral Maranatha High for a 56-53 victory in Friday evening’s divisional semifinal contest that clinched the Golden Knights the program’s first-ever championship-game visit.
“It’s huge for this program to get to a championship,” said Golden Knights co-Coach Ray O’Brien, who was hit on the shoulder by a chunk of falling ceiling tile in the second quarter. “We had never even been to the semifinals before, so this is special.