THE PREPS : GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : La Habra Stops Troy’s Streak

La Habra had won 11 of 12 Freeway League girls’ basketball titles before Troy put an end to that string two years ago. But Tuesday night in its home gym, La Habra provided a little pay-back, ending Troy’s 18-game league winning streak and probably earning a share of another league title.

La Habra’s 44-41 victory almost certainly means it will finish tied with Troy for the league title; La Habra (16-7, 8-1 in league) plays Sunny Hills (1-22, 1-8) in Thursday’s season finale, while Troy (17-6, 8-1) plays Buena Park (1-19, 1-8).

Troy led, 38-37, going into the fourth quarter, then disappeared. The Warriors--having shot 38% from the field, including six for 14 in the third quarter--made only one of 14 shots in the fourth.

La Habra didn’t do much better, but got four points from Amy Lien (15 points, 13 rebounds) and three from Brooke Koehler (12 points, eight rebounds), whose free throw with nine seconds left made it a three-point game. Troy had two possessions after Koehler’s free throw, but missed a three-point shot, and fumbled an inbounds pass with one second left.

“We worked so hard all year,” said La Habra Coach John Koehler, the winningest active girls’ coach in the county with 323 victories. “I’ve never had five starting seniors in my life, but I told them they had a chance to do something the seniors the past two years didn’t--win a co-championship.”

Jennie Gadd had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Troy, which was trying to win its third straight title outright.