The hometown boys' basketball rivalry between St. Francis and La Cañada brings the community together. 

On Dec. 21, the Golden Knights made the short walk down the hill to face the Spartans in a packed gym Saturday night. 

The Golden Knights defeated the Spartans 58-53 in the nonleague matchup, extending their winning streak to seven games against La Cañada. 

"It was good to bounce back tonight and to play a hometown rival from across the street," said St. Francis coach Todd Wolfson. "It's always fun to compete against [LC] and they do a fantastic job."

Both teams started strong in the first quarter, with high energy in an intense back-and-forth fight. Despite closely trailing the Golden Knights, the Spartans were able to end the quarter 19-18 after LC's Maddox Freeman knocked down a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer. 

The lead was short-lived though as the Spartans were met with a strong offense from the Golden Knights who scored six unanswered points. The Spartans were able to close the gap before halftime, cutting the St Francis lead to 29-25.

"I think we could have played a little better on defense and the shot selection could get better, but I think we still fought pretty hard coming back," said La Cañada senior Josh Pastor. "I think it was expected that we were going to be killed on the boards, but it was still fun. It was a battle that definitely got our boards back. I'm not mad about the results. It was a good game."

St. Francis kept the defense pressure on La Cañada, but the Spartans were able to tie the game up at one point in the third quarter. However, the Golden Knights closed out the frame with a 38-35 lead.

"It was a close game at the end there," said St. Francis senior Noah Henry, who finished the game with 11 points. "I think we could have closed it out better, but I think we played well."

Tensions were high in the fourth quarter as the Spartans were able to tie the score twice. La Cañada senior Julian Morillo, who finished the game with 12 points, evened the score at 40 with two free throws and field-goal make. 

But the Golden Knights responded back with an even more aggressive offense, gaining the lead and not allowing the Spartans any breathing room. A combination of multiple steals from St. Francis and fouls on La Cañada proved to be the difference.

While the Golden Knights had gained a near 10-point lead, 54-45, the Spartans made sure to give everyone a show as they whittled down the gap to a four-point difference within two seconds as La Cañada turned two steals into points. 

Despite the close fight, the Spartans were unable to close out the game as the Golden Knights capitalized on the host's foul troubles and extended their lead at the free-throw line. 

"I like the way we came back and gave ourselves a chance at the end," said La Cañada coach Tom Hofman. "We need to stop unforced turnovers and start making a little bit better decisions, but they played hard and both teams were good teams."