Perris’ victory over Troy has Stamps’ signature written all over it

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It seems like Perris has had a tough time for a couple of years trying to get a signature victory -- or at least a good victory that wasn’t squandered by a silly loss -- but the Panthers might have done it this weekend.

Ranked 15th in The Times’ preseason rankings, Perris won the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions with a 42-41 decision Saturday over No. 16 Troy.

A few years ago, it seemed like those teams were matched every year in the playoffs, and Troy would always beat them. This time around, Perris trailed going into the fourth quarter, 32-29, before rallying. Kiyana Stamps scored 20 points.

Perris has had a nice season so far. It routed No. 13 Marlborough, 54-37, and edged Ventura, 41-40, the night before playing Troy. Its only loss was to No. 3 San Clemente, 53-43.

It seems like Perris has underachieved the last couple of years despite having a lot of talent. It will be interesting to see if it can maintain the momentum from its victory at Santa Barbara through the Ayala Best of the West tournament, which begins Wednesday. The Panthers open against Long Beach Wilson and could face No. 4 Ayala in the quarterfinals.

-- Martin Henderson