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Sonora’s girls basketball team notched a rare victory at Troy on Tuesday night to put one of the most impressive streaks in California high school sports in serious jeopardy.
Troy notched more respect for dealing with adversity.
Jazmin Sheikh and Larissa Robles each made two free throws in the final 1:20 of the fourth quarter as the visiting Raiders held off a late charge for a 52-49 victory, delivering a major blow to Troy’s chances of extending its state record for consecutive league titles to 30 years.
Sonora, ranked 12th in Orange County, completed the season sweep of the No. 13 Warriors to improve to 7-0 in the Freeway League with games against La Habra, Sunny Hills and Buena Park remaining.
“(I’m) proud of their hard work and mental discipline,” Sonora coach Melissa Barajas said of her team, which led by 11 points with just over six minutes left. “They really showed a lot of growth and maturity and (I’m) so happy to coach this special group.”
Sonora put the Warriors’ state record on the brink by winning at Troy, something it hadn’t achieved since 1992. When Sonora snapped Troy’s state record for consecutive league victories at 219 games in 2018, the Raiders won in their home gym.
Senior shooting guard Leah Saynes led Sonora with 23 points while Robles, a junior point guard, added 17 points.
Robles sank both her foul shots with 1.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give Sonora 52-49 lead. Troy called timeout but the Raiders stole a pass after a toss to mid-court.
“Troy fought hard and hit big shots down the stretch but I knew if we got Larissa to the line, she would seal the deal,” said Barajas, in her 19th season. “She’s a fierce competitor with ice water in her veins.”
Robles added eight rebounds.
Troy dropped to 4-2 in league with four games remaining.
Reserve Mi Ya Hsueh sank a 3-pointer with 58 seconds left to cut Sonora’s lead to 50-47. She then drew a charge with 31 seconds remaining, which eventually led to layup by Maggie Teven (14 points, 11 rebounds) with about seven seconds left that made it 50-49.
Troy sophomore Keira Ujiki made two 3-pointers earlier in the fourth, including one that trimmed Sonora’s lead to 46-44 with 3:34 left. Ujiki scored eight of her 12 points in the fourth before fouling out.
Sonora settled itself with a spinning drive into the paint by Saynes and two foul shots by Sheikh to extend its lead to 50-44 with 1:20 left.
Troy showed the fight it has throughout the season. Senior guard Bella Pearson fouled out with 1:05 left in third after heating up with seven of her 10 points in the quarter.
Before the game, Troy coach Roger Anderson announced that Colorado-commit Jada Wynn (knee) is likely out for the season. The Warriors earlier lost improved senior guard Aliyah Gonzalez and junior guard Jia Lee to knee injuries.
And before the season, Troy learned that its best player Hannah Stines, who had returned from playing one season at Orangewood Academy, was ineligible for varsity competition. The Washington-bound senior, a McDonald’s All-American nominee like Wynn, returned to play at Orangewood Academy.
“I’m extremely proud of our heart,” Anderson said. “We didn’t give up and we will learn from the loss.”
Former Troy coach Kevin Kiernan, now at Mater Dei, shared his support on Twitter afterward.
Warriors battled all night!
— Kevin Kiernan (@KevinKkiernan) January 26, 2022
In the Crestview League:
No. 14 Brea Olinda 54, No. 10 Esperanza 52: Sophia Williams had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Faith Knapp added 12 points to leads the visiting Ladycats to their biggest victory under second-year coach Chelsea Stocks. “The team feels good about getting a quality win under their belt,” Stocks said. “They’ve been working hard all year and just want to keep getting better.”
In the San Joaquin League:
No. 4 Orangewood Academy 59, No. 11 Fairmont Prep 32: Jayionne Brown had 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the host Spartans, who led 34-8 at halftime.
In the Empire League:
No. 9 Crean Lutheran 67, No. 17 Cypress 65: Taylor Feldman scored 36 points and Emily Reed added 13 to lead the visiting Saints (17-3, 7-0).
In the South Coast League:
No. 21 Tesoro 36, No. 16 San Juan Hills 34: Lara Prasad had 11 points and Celine Castaneda added 10 to lead the visiting Titans (4-0 in league), who took over first place.
