Troy Stands Up to High-Profile Foes

Defense can take teams a long way, and last week it took Fullerton Troy into the national spotlight at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chandler, Ariz.

The Warriors, ranked No. 2 in the Southland by The Times, lost to nationally ranked Middle Village (N.Y.) Christ the King, 47-44, in the semifinals. Troy led by one with a minute remaining, but Christ the King twice pounded the ball inside for baskets. Nicole Hayman’s three-point shot in the final seconds didn’t fall.

Christ the King, ranked No. 2 in the country by USA Today last week, went on to beat No. 1 Piedmont in the championship, 44-42.

Troy’s margin of victory in its three wins were eye-popping. The Warriors beat two teams by 20, including nationally ranked Phoenix St. Mary’s, 51-31. Troy also beat the Southland’s No. 5 team, Newhall Hart, 55-32, after the Indians had beaten two nationally ranked teams.

“It was very enlightening playing against the best people in the country, because I think we’re right there,” Troy Coach Kevin Kiernan said. “The thing that struck me the most, all these schools had these unbelievable players. We didn’t have one person that stood out.

“We’ve got one girl [Rhaya Neabors] averaging 10 points. But team-wise, we’re as good as anybody there, especially defensively.”

Kiernan praised the play of 5-foot junior guard and defensive stopper Sara Yee in particular. Long Beach Poly also had a terrific performance in the toughest division. The Jackrabbits lost to Piedmont, 44-42, but beat three teams ranked in the top 15 in the country. Coach Carl Buggs said he was “extremely pleased” with the way his team competed.

“April Phillips, Taja Edwards, Jasmine Dixon and Kalani Patterson, as a unit, really worked well defensively inside,” Buggs said. “Offensively, we had different people step up each night.

“The freshman, Dixon, was coming off a slight knee injury, so this was her first high level of competition, and she learned a lot.”

In the first round of the tournament, Southland teams were 9-1 in the two toughest divisions. The only setback was Harbor City Narbonne’s 61-52 loss to Phoenix St. Mary’s, which was ranked third and sixth in the nation by two different polls.

Troy is at the Murrieta Valley tournament this week and should play Norco in the finals on Thursday.

Poly is at the West Coast Jamboree in Contra Costa County, and the Jackrabbits already own victories over two other top entrants, Oakland Tech and Stockton St. Mary’s.

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After a week off, Jessie Thompson of No. 7 Temecula Valley will try to resume her high-scoring ways this week at the Best of the West tournament at Chino Hills Ayala. Thompson scored 40 against a depleted No. 8 Moreno Valley Canyon Springs, and 44 against Carlsbad.

Perhaps more impressive were her 28 points in the Lake Elsinore Temescal Canyon tournament semifinals against No. 18 Perris, followed by 29 the next night in the finals, a 73-56 victory over No. 14 Corona Centennial.

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Three pointers: In the second round of the Blue Division at the Nike tournament in Chandler, junior Luiza Osborne scored 13 points -- and was a perfect 10 for 10 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter -- to help Chatsworth hold off Simi Valley Royal, 57-50, and avenge a 59-39 loss on Dec. 4.... Hart was 19 for 19 from the free-throw line, and Ashlee Trebilcock scored a career-high 35 points, in a 66-61 victory over Stockton St. Mary’s, which was ranked No. 15 in the country.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

MARTIN HENDERSON’S GIRLS’ BASKETBALL RANKINGS

(Records through Sunday)

*--* Rk Team Rec. Div. LW 1 L.B. POLY 7-1 Div. I-AA 1 2 TROY 7-1 Div. II-AA 2 3 ROSARY 10-1 Div. III-A 19 4 VENTURA 12-1 Div. I-A 8 5 HART 7-3 Div. I-AA 9 6 NORCO 9-0 Div. I-AA 4 7 TEMECULA VLY. 9-0 Div. I-AA 7 8 CANYON SPRINGS 7-3 Div. I-A 12 9 LYNWOOD 8-3 Div. I-AA 3 10 NARBONNE 5-4 City 6 11 BUENA 11-2 Div. I-A 13 12 BISHOP AMAT 12-0 Div. III-A 17 13 MUIR 8-2 Div. III-A 15 14 COR. CENTENNIAL 7-2 Div. I-A -- 15 ETIWANDA 9-2 Div. I-AA -- 16 MATER DEI 8-2 Div. II-A 5 17 RIV. NORTH 6-2 Div. II-A 20 18 PERRIS 4-3 Div. II-AA 18 19 EDISON 8-2 Div. II-AA -- 20 VALENCIA 7-3 Div. I-AA -- 21 KEPPEL 8-2 Div. II-AA 10 22 REDONDO 6-2 Div. II-A 11 23 WOODBRIDGE 7-2 Div. II-A 23 24 B. MONTGOMERY 6-3 Div. III-A 21 25 SYLMAR 5-4 City --

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