By Michael DUMANSKY

On Tuesday night, as smiles started to show and tears began to flow, St. Francis Golden Knights basketball captain Andre Henry bent down and kissed the court floor, then banged his chest and screamed to the heavens after the 71-53 win over Heritage Christian in the quarterfinals of the CIF Division 2-AA playoffs.

“This moment feels amazing,” Henry said. “Last year we came up a little short, we lost a game that we thought we should have won but that’s why we have another basketball season. I feel like this year we came out with a chip on our shoulders.”

It was in the second quarter when the Golden Knights were struggling offensively that St. Francis head coach Todd Wolfson unleashed his secret weapon, 5’9” freshman Jackson Mosley. Mosley brought to the boards a tough defense and a spark that this team desperately needed. From the start he showed that he wasn’t afraid to shoot the ball.

“I’ve waited for this moment,” said Mosley. “I kept working hard in practice and getting extra shots up and kept that mentality.”

With his team down 22-13 early in the second quarter, Mosley knew that it was his time to help the team get back into the contest. He shot the ball from the corner and was fouled from the three-point line. As he nailed down his shots from the charity stripe, he locked down one of the best point guards, Warrior Skyy Clark, who is considered to be a top prospect in the 2022 class.

The reinvigorated Golden Knights pressured the Warriors, forcing them to take contested shots and make lackluster passes. With 2:44 left in the second quarter Mosley gave his team the 29-28 lead with a spot-up three-point shot.

St. Francis would not surrender the lead and, with 1:42 left in the half, senior Jason Gallant banked an easy bucket to push the score to 35-28.

Late in the fourth quarter, Henry put the exclamation point on the game with a slam-dunk to seal the deal. Seniors Henry and Gallant combine for 37 points and five assists.

“This win feels good, it probably feels better for our guys,” said Wolfson. “They have been underdogs the whole year.”

The Golden Knights one win away from getting to the championship game. That’s one goal Henry wants to achieve before leaving St. Francis.

The Golden Knights will travel to Eastvale, California to take on Roosevelt High School on Friday, Feb. 21.

  Michael DUMANSKY