Troy’s Regular Season Ends Perfectly, With Another Title

Seven might be a lucky number for some, but Troy can make a case for No. 26.

The Warriors, ranked third in Orange County, won their seventh consecutive Freeway League title on Friday by holding off rival Sonora, 53-44, in front of an overflow crowd at Troy.

It was the 26th consecutive victory for Troy (26-0, 10-0), the county’s only unbeaten team.

Sonora (17-8, 8-2) finished second in league.

“I knew it would be a close game,” Troy Coach Kevin Kiernan said. “Sonora has a deep desire to beat us. We have a big target on our backs.”

That target is a zero. Troy (26-0, 10-0) won its 30th consecutive league game. It had runs of 14 and 20 points to overcome a 12-2 deficit.

Sonora held a 25-22 lead with 2 minutes 35 seconds left in the first half, was shooting well over 50% from the field and seemed up to the task of ending Troy’s streak. Then Troy reeled off 10 in a row before halftime, the final three free-throws by freshman Alicia Komaki (11 points) with no time remaining to provide a 32-25 halftime lead. She had been fouled on a desperation three-point attempt.

Then the Warriors picked up where they left off, scoring the first 10 points of the third quarter. They converted three steals into seven points and Stephanie Schilling added a three-point basket.

In all, a 20-point run.

“That’s what we are, a spurt team,” Kiernan said. “We’re going to score 10, 11 points in a row, but we usually sustain it better.”

Troy stretched the lead to 19 points, 46-27, which was too much for Sonora. The Raiders closed to within 48-44 with 1:28 to go.

“When we didn’t score for a couple minutes, it was like, ‘Hey, we better pick it up,’ ” said Katie Hardeman, who had six points, eight rebounds and four steals.

Actually, Troy went 5:41 without scoring until Veronica Johns-Richardson (12 points) took control, getting a steal and three points in the final 1:14.

Troy shot only 28.3% from the field (compared to Sonora’s 39%) but had 67 shots to Sonora’s 41.

The Raiders committed 25 turnovers against Troy’s press.

Brandi Davis, who scored Sonora’s first seven points, finished with 12. Sarah Fister had 11 points and 11 rebounds.