Troy upsets runner-up Brentwood to reach women's basketball quarterfinals

FULLERTON, Calif. — Troy High School’s girls' basketball team secured a decisive 61-48 victory over No. 4 seed Brentwood on Saturday in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. The win highlights a rapid turnaround for the program under head coach Kevin Kiernan.

Mei-Ling Perry, a Princeton commit, led Troy with 19 points and nine rebounds. The Troy defense stifled Brentwood throughout the night, holding them to a season-low two 3-pointers.

Troy also received a significant boost from its bench, as Riley Almendarez and Aarna Nagakar combined for 15 points. The victory improves Troy’s record to 22-8 and eliminates a Brentwood squad (23-7) that was the Division 1 runner-up last year and the 2024 champion.

The performance marks a stark contrast to last season, when Troy finished with a 12-17 record. Despite the loss, Brentwood’s Kelsey Sugar led all scorers with 20 points.

Troy advances to the quarterfinals, where they will face Valencia this Wednesday.

Troy’s recent victory represents more than a mere tournament upset; it serves as a definitive case study in institutional turnaround under the leadership of head coach Kevin Kiernan. In a single cycle, Kiernan has engineered a systemic overhaul, transitioning a program from a losing 12-17 record to a formidable contender capable of toppling the league’s elite incumbents.

The pivot point of this resurgence lies in a tactical shift that neutralized the opposition’s core competitive advantage. Brentwood, a program historically reliant on high-volume perimeter shooting—averaging 11 three-pointers per game—saw its offensive efficiency collapse under Troy’s defensive framework, managing only two successful conversions on 25 attempts. As Brentwood coach Charles Solomon noted, the primary differentiator was the total buy-in to Kiernan’s defensive doctrine. Rather than adhering to conventional "help" defense, Troy’s personnel executed a high-risk, high-reward containment strategy designed specifically to mitigate the opponent’s greatest strength—a hallmark of disciplined, high-IQ execution.

Ultimately, the Troy narrative underscores the critical role of leadership in developmental programs. Kiernan’s success was not predicated solely on the acquisition of transfer talent, but on his ability to foster a cohesive unit driven by collective accountability. By prioritizing psychological resilience and what he describes as the "maturation of the players as individuals," Kiernan has demonstrated that strategic clarity and human capital development are the essential drivers of organizational success.

School sports are a cornerstone of American culture and a vital pillar of community life. Within the Vietnamese-American diaspora—including families who arrived through F2B sponsorships or professionals here on H-1B visas—these games are far more than just athletic competitions. They serve as communal crossroads where business owners from the nail salon industry and local phở restaurants gather to cheer on the next generation. Whether in the heart of Little Saigon or in suburban neighborhoods, these events foster a powerful sense of unity and shared pride, strengthening the social fabric of our community.