Troy Shows Soul of Champion in 69-35 Victory Over Sonora

As soul-searching goes, Troy must have found a bonanza. The Warriors, ranked fifth in Orange County but dogged by ragged performances over the winter break that cost them their No. 1 ranking, on Friday showed the enthusiasm that originally took them to the top of the girls’ basketball heap.

Facing Sonora, a Freeway League rival with 14 victories, Troy built a 47-point lead going into the fourth quarter before settling for a 69-35 victory.

Troy was led by Veronica Johns-Richardson, who played like the all-county player she was last season. She had 22 points, six rebounds, seven steals and seven assists.

She also had help. Lots of it. Alicia Komaki, who moved to point guard, had 12 points and five assists. Amanda Livingston had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Kianey Givens-Davis had 11 points, 12 rebounds and four steals.

The Warriors outscored Sonora in the third quarter, 27-0. Troy didn’t look anything like the team that lost three of five games in late December.

The Warriors are 12-4, 2-0 in league. Sonora is 14-4, 1-1.

“The turning point was the second week of Christmas vacation,” said Kevin Kiernan, Troy’s coach. “We took a couple days off after the Edison [Orange County Championship] tournament, and then went back to basic training. We were trying to find ourselves.

“We did a lot of soul-searching the last 12 days.”

Soul-searching?

“There were four-hour practices,” Johns-Richardson said. “We were searching for something.”

For one night against a quality opponent, Troy found the passion Kiernan wanted. The Warriors led going into the fourth quarter, 61-14, against a team whose only loss in its previous 11 games had been 49-42 to once-beaten Norco.

“They were about the same as they were before [the slide],” said Sonora Coach Rick Albano. “They do a great job of taking teams out of their game plan.”

Sonora had 20 turnovers in the first three quarters, and Brandi Davis had only six points before finishing with 13; her average is 19.4. No teammate scored more than six.

“When I step up, we have the complete package,” said Johns-Richardson, who moved from point guard to shooting guard. “That team tonight was the No. 1 team in the county. It may not end up that way in the papers, but that’s the team that can win a [Southern Section] championship.”