St. Francis boys basketball routs Flintridge Prep

LA CANADA FLINTRIDE — Boom.

Flintridge Prep junior guard Miles Adashek jumped right in front of an errant pass from the St. Francis offense and immediately started to sprint down the court, with nothing separating him and the basket on the other side.

As he hustled down, it seemed like Flintridge was about to secure two points and as Adashek went up.

The ball was smacked out of the air, and seconds later, screams of “oh” filled the St. Francis gym. Golden Knights sophomore forward Will Ellien didn’t give up on the play, and it resulted in a chasedown block on Adashek. Ellien broke out into a scream after his play, and those six seconds were the story of the game for both sides as St. Francis (9-2) took care of Flintridge Prep (9-4) 73-42.

“When you play a team from down the street, you never know what’s going to happen, because all the guys know each other and are friendly with each other,” St. Francis head coach Todd Wolfson said. “We always worry a little bit, and they’re a good team. Very well coached. And our guys came out with a little firepower, and we’re excited to play. So happy we got the win.”

The Golden Knights ran a 2-3 zone, pressuring the ball handler for Flintridge Prep, leading to struggles on the offensive end for the Wolves.

St. Francis held Flintridge Prep to only 18 first-half points with nine of those points coming from Adashek, who drilled three 3-pointers on the night. He finished with 10 points.

“Our guys work hard,” Wolfson said. “It’s a testament to them. As coaches, we can push them as hard as we want, but in the end, it’s got to be on them and very happy with their energy and effort.”

St. Francis 7-foot-3 junior forward Cherif Millogo finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

Sophomore guard Luke Paulus scored 17 points and added four steals and three assists.

“Having a guy seven foot three helps and controls the paint and does some things,” Wolfson said. “Makes it easy on our guys, and we’re very fortunate.”

With seven straight wins under their belt, the Golden Knights are currently riding high. They’re 11 games into this season, and while things are looking up for the team, Wolfson said they can still make improvements.

“The boys play hard, and we got a lot to work on,” Wolfson said. “We want to add a couple things. We want to be able to get more guys contributing here and there. And we’re excited for the future.”