No. 4 Lady Trojans end season, playoff hopes battling No. 1 Virgin Valley — PHOTOS
The Pahrump Valley girls basketball program came into the Class 3A regional semifinals knowing a very well-oiled machine in Virgin Valley faced them across the court.
Jumping out to an immediate lead last Friday night following a quick corner three-pointer from sophomore Kaitlyn Brown with 7:21 on the clock, that would be the final time the Trojans would control the scoreboard.
Sometimes you just have to give credit where it’s due.
But what ensued in the first quarter took all in attendance by surprise.
The No. 1 seeded Bulldogs went on a 33-0 run spurred by a suffocating 1-2-1-1 full-court press that had the Trojans’ offensive rhythm thrown for a loop.
Facing extreme difficulty in-bounding the ball, Trojans head coach Bob Hopkins was forced to call two timeouts within two minutes to try and draw out a scheme to evade the strict press off the in-bound pass.
Virgin Valley jumped out to a 14-3 lead, sparked by sophomore and recent Brigham Young University verbal commit, Hannah Waite, who scored six points in the first five minutes.
Bulldogs freshman Raia Davis and sophomore Wright quickly joined the scoring parade, helping Virgin Valley build an insurmountable advantage.
Waite continued her torrid pace, hitting multiple three-pointers while Davis and Wright consistently contributed in the paint off fast break steal opportunities.
By the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs had amassed a 35-3 lead, a margin that underscored their offensive efficiency and defensive intensity. The No. 4 Trojans struggled to find offensive success, scoring five points through the first half while committing multiple fouls.
Virgin Valley extended their lead even further, fueled by Ava Noel’s sharpshooting from beyond the arc and Wright’s inside scoring.
While the Trojans were able to breathe a bit out of the full-court trap, they had a tough time converting key buckets.
Bulldog senior Hayden Owlsey also added her name to the scoring column, rounding out a balanced attack that had the Trojans scrambling defensively.
At halftime, the scoreboard read 47-5 , effectively putting the game out of reach.
But if you’ve ever seen a program coached by Hopkins play, no game is ever over until it’s truly over.
The Bulldogs were held to only six points in the third quarter led by Trojans defensive wizards Addi Nelsen and Autumn Colon.
Following a three-pointer to give the Trojans their only points in the third quarter, Pahrump Valley exploded in the fourth.
Coming alive late for eight points to match Virgin Valley’s fourth quarter scoring total, late baskets including three-pointers from Nelsen and senior Jules Ondrisko plus a late bucket from Cindal Monahan helped spark some renewed life in the gym with fresh Trojan chants ringing from the student section.
A season to be proud of
Despite not advancing to the Class 3A regional championship to play for a chance at the state title up north in Fernley, the program still has a heck of a lot to be proud of.
After losing in the first round of the playoffs last season to the Bulldogs, the Lady Trojans backed a deep class of extremely hard-working young ladies who never gave in to what the scoreboard said, whether trailing by a few or leading by a lot.
The Trojans were able to take down their rivals Moapa Valley at home 43-24 on Feb. 11, earning the program’s first playoff win since the 2023-2024 season.
Amassing a seven-game win streak from Dec. 30. to Jan. 16, the Lady Trojans showed when at their best to be a dangerous young bunch of athletes for the future.
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
