Trojans stun GV Christian: Gavenda calls revenge game on Guardians — PHOTOS
Pahrump Valley walked into GV Christian on Wednesday night looking for redemption — myself, a hot dog — and left with something far tastier: a signature road win.
Trailing by five at halftime and staring at a 12-point hole earlier in the night, the Trojans never flinched.
Instead, they flipped the switch late, storming back to take control and escape with a 54–48 Class 3A league victory over the Guardians.
After previously falling to the Guardians 65-40 at home on Dec. 10, the Trojans made sure to let GV Christian know who they really are.
“We didn’t panic,” Trojans head coach Toby Henry said. “The kids did a great job sticking to what we wanted to do and not veering off. That’s how we stayed in it.”
Pahrump Valley (9-11, 5-4 3A Southern League) trailed by three with just over two minutes remaining, but the closing stretch became a showcase of poise and execution built from the Trojans’ long practices.
“They earn it in practice,” Henry said of the substitutions off the bench. “They give us great looks, and we have total confidence putting them in.”
Senior Keir Sheppard attacked the rim through contact and finished an and-one to knot the game at 46, igniting the Trojans’ surge.
Briscoe soon would take over at the stripe, calmly knocking down all four of his free-throw attempts to give Pahrump a slim edge in crunch time.
It got rowdy in the gym quickly as the Trojans JV squad, bench and fans echoed their fight song that turned the road game into a home-game atmosphere.
Clinging to a 50–48 lead with 19.4 seconds left, Briscoe found Gavenda up top, and the Trojans cleared out.
Gavenda in isolation sized up GV Christian senior Nick Madsen, stepped back beyond the arc, and buried a cold-blooded three that silenced the home crowd and sent the Pahrump bench into a manic frenzy.
Pahrump Valley High School junior Lucas Gavenda knocked down a 🔑 three-pointer late to put away GV Christian 54-48 on Jan. 21. pic.twitter.com/fCjcOvaLNX
— JP (@jaypowers__) January 23, 2026
“I was thinking we need a shot just to go up and I had it,” Gavenda said. “They got me the ball, and I thought we had a little less time, so I just shot it in.”
The dagger pushed the lead to five and slammed the door on a comeback, sealing a statement win that echoed far beyond the scoreboard.
Gavenda led the Trojans with 19 points followed by senior Caden Briscoe with 12.
Guardians catch fire in first quarter
GV set the tone early, knocking down a three on its opening possession and closing the first quarter on an 11–0 run to seize control.
Confident catch-and-release shooting from sophomore Wake Rolwing helped the Guardians build a 19–8 advantage, while the Trojans struggled to convert quality looks both inside and from beyond the arc.
The script flips quickly in the second quarter
After a slow start at the line, the Trojans found their rhythm defensively and began to attack in transition.
An 8-0 spurt trimmed the deficit to four before a 12-0 Trojans run from 7:20 to 3:30 erased the gap entirely.
Senior center Aydon Veloz sparked the surge with finishes in the paint, while Gavenda added a tip-steal and layup to tie the game at 20, and junior Trae Plein drained a clutch three to briefly give the Trojans their first lead since the opening minutes.
GV answered late to reclaim a narrow halftime edge, 28–23.
Battle of possessions
The third quarter unfolded as a possession-by-possession battle.
Keir buried a timely three and finished through traffic as the Trojans kept pace, while GV countered with another triple and interior scoring to maintain a slim cushion.
Neither team led by more than a possession as the Guardians carried a slim 39-37 advantage into the fourth.
Trojans mount comeback
Down the stretch, the intensity revved up immensely.
Gavenda opened the fourth quarter with a strong finish off the glass to tie the game, but the Guardians responded with back-to-back buckets to push the lead to five.
The Trojans answered once more—Gavenda knocked down a three, and with full-court pressure turned up, Keir converted an and-one to tie the game at 46-46 with under two minutes remaining.
“We never get on them for shooting,” Henry said post-game. “If they’re open, we want them to let it rip.”
With a defensive scheme change needed, the Trojans ran a successful full-court press to close down the final minutes.
Briscoe proved decisive in the closing moments, calmly knocking down four free throws in the final minute to give the Trojans the edge.
The Guardians had a chance to respond, but a late jumper rimmed out, allowing the Trojans to close out the comeback victory.
The win capped a resilient performance for the Trojans, who overcame a 12-point first-quarter deficit and delivered when it mattered most in the clutch.
No hot dog, no problem — Pahrump Valley left us full in all the ways that matter.
Who’s next?
As only five regular season games remain (all league games) the focus remains on taking things one game at a time.
The next challenge is Virgin Valley, a well-rounded program that handed the Trojans a lopsided 70-51 road loss on Dec. 12 earlier in the season.
With the decisive league victory, the Trojans are hopeful to carry that confidence with them as they prepare to host the #2 ranked Class 3A Southern League Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
“They beat us pretty bad the first time,” Henry admitted. “But we’ll have a good game plan, and I think we can beat them at home.”
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
