Gator Winter Classic: Saldana goes for 33-points, Trojans takeaway lessons for league play — PHOTOS
Amidst scoring 19 points in the second quarter heading into the half leading by twelve, the Lady Trojans couldn’t withstand Arbor View’s late defensive heroics.
In their third exhibition of the 13th annual Gator Winter Classic tournament hosted by Green Valley High School, the Trojans dropped a nail biter 42-40 against the Aggies on Dec. 29.
Pahrump Valley junior Riley Saldana’s 33-point performance was nearly just enough to avoid their fifth loss in a row.
Saldana recorded her forth double-double of the year, shooting 11-from-23 from the field while recording 15 boards.
Merchanting free-throw attempts, the captain sank 11-of-15 opportunities from the line.
Accoring to Maxpreps, Saldana is currently ranked third overall in Nevada for free throws made (53) only behind Sierra Vista’s Donnayja Gibson (60) and North Valley’s Ivy Williams (69). Riley also is ranked seventh overall in points per 32, averaging 19.2 a contest.
Allowing 29 points in the first half, the Aggies quickly called for an adjustment defensively coming into the third quarter.
Early in-bound pressure forced the Trojans to cough the ball over a ton when it mattered.
Pahrump (4-7, 1-2 3A Southern League) finished the contest with 35 turnovers, an issue that has been tricky to mitigate fully this season in close contests in which the Trojans formerly led.
A brutal fourth quarter for the Trojans offense unraveled as they could only amass two points to match Arbor View’s quarter high of 13.
Trojans find rhythm again to end tournament versus Lee Williams
In game four of the Gator Winter Classic on Tuesday, Pahrump Valley was able to send their trip back home on a high note with a 56-20 dominate win over Lee Williams High School from Kingman, Arizona.
Kaitlyn Brown was feeling a little swifty as the sophomore had a career-high total of 22 points on the night to match Riley Saldana, who also finished with 22 points.
Sophomore Ella Odegard was a bright spot coming off the bench as she contributed four steals and seven points in 16 minutes on the court.
The Trojans shot 90% from the free-throw line while finishing shooting 50% from the floor.
Despite not chalking up the scoreboard, Addi Nelsen’s assists contribute to more points than folks may realize. The sophomore finished with a team high of six assists.
With the win, the Trojans were able to make a distant memory of their five-game losing streak as they now prepare to return to schedule play on Jan. 5 on the road against Sunrise Mountain at 5 p.m.
Pahrump will be resuming 3A Southern league play on the Jan. 7 on the road against Cristo Rey St. Viator with tip off set for 5 p.m.
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
