Trojans boys basketball suffers loss to Doral
After the winter break, the high schools are back to playing league games and Pahrump had one of the first match-ups. In an anticipated game against the Doral Academy Red Rock Dragons on Monday night, the two schools faced off.
Both Pahrump Valley and Doral Academy were tied at 0-3 in the league, where they shared the two bottom spots of their league’s standings. Previously, the Trojans were ranked above the Dragons in the MaxPreps division rankings. Now the Dragons sit above the Trojans in nineteenth place in the rankings.
This could destroy the Trojans’ chances of making the regional playoffs this season as only the top four teams will advance to the playoffs, which are currently Boulder City, The Meadows School and a tossup between Sports Leadership and Management, Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon and Coral Academy of Science.
Unable to keep up
The closest the Trojans came to the lead was at the beginning of the game in the first quarter. There the two teams tied at two and four points. But after they tied at four points, the Trojans would begin to make ball possession mistakes.
After a rebound, Pahrump Valley caught the ball and attempted to pass it but were intercepted by Dragons junior Dalton Williams (1) to pick up two points.
When the Trojans were able to pass the ball down to the Dragons’ side of the court, Pahrump Valley was able to keep ball possession, but when it was time to shoot, more often than not, the Trojans would miss.
By the first half, the Trojans were down 13 points. The Dragons had a big first quarter, where they scored eight more points than Pahrump. Trojan Keir Sheppard (1) was one of the highest scoring players in the first quarter. Alejandro Lozano (0) would be the Trojans highest scoring player of the second quarter after scoring six points.
In the third quarter, the Trojans were no match against the Dragons’ freshman Brennan Cuello (3) and Williams. The two were the top two scorers of the night and had the most assists of the night.
Both players would make over 80 percent of their two-point attempts.
This is how the Dragons were able to finish the match 67-44 against the Trojans and officially maneuver out of the bottom of the league.
Cuello scored the most points in the game with 22 points and Williams scored 18 points on the Trojans. Williams would aid in the most assists with Cuello right behind him with three. The Dragons were also able to get a total of 14 steals in the game.
Dragons freshman Kobe Artadi (14) was also a strong defender for the team as he was able to catch 13 rebounds and four of the Trojans’ blocks.
Playoff chances slim
After the loss to Doral Academy, it is likely that the Trojans will not advance to the regional playoffs.
At this stage of the season, the standings are starting to take shape and the Boulder City Eagles are in the lead.
The Trojans weren’t the only team to play Monday night. The Eagles also played a league-defining game against The Meadows School, the team that is No. 2 in the league. In a close game, the Eagles were ahead by one point by the end of the first half. And in the third quarter both teams scored the same number of points.
It was all up to the fourth quarter with the Eagles in a slight lead, but after scoring six more points than the Mustangs, the Eagles took the win 53-46.
When Pahrump Valley played The Meadows School, the boys lost 67-32.
The race for third and fourth will start to clear up after a few more games as SLAM, Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon and Coral Academy fight for a spot in the playoffs.
This week, SLAM will play against Pinecrest Academy, a big game that will determine who will likely advance to the playoffs. Currently, the Bulls have a strong scoring player, junior Alaijah Young (1), with nearly 21 points made per game.
The Pirates’ top scorer, senior Shane Stock (5), has half the total points Young has, but has nearly a 15 points per game average.
SLAM is also in the No. 15 spot in the MaxPreps division rankings while the Pirates are in No. 17.
Boulder City shot up to No. 6 in the division.
Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@pvtimes.com. Follow @JimmyRomo.News on Instagram.