HBCU Holiday Jam: Trojans dominate international foe, roll past New Zealand — PHOTOS
Philadelphia native and rapper Skrilla would be proud of the small-town high school basketball program in Pahrump.
Last Saturday evening, the Trojans offense drowned their opponents, who traveled over 6,700 miles to lose by a score of, you guessed it: 67 to 33.
Hosted by former UNLV star Freddie Banks at Valley High School for four days Dec. 20-23, the HBCU High School Basketball Holiday Jam featured programs from all over the country.
Taking on the 1st Nation Polynesian Basketball program from Auckland, New Zealand in their opening game of the tournament, the Trojans got help from one of their shooters they’ve been waiting to heat up all season — Keir Sheppard.
Sheppard led the Trojans with 18 points and two three-pointers followed by Lucas Gavenda with 17 points and six rebounds. This season Gavenda currently sits fifth in the state with three recorded double doubles, only one behind Shandon Camas of McDermitt (4) and Jaeden West of MCHS (Hawthorne, 4).
“I think everything is starting to click. Like I said before, once we start hitting shots, it’s going to be special,” Trojans head coach Toby Henry said. “We have a lot of potential in this group, and I can see it happening.”
The Trojans (2-4, 1-2 3A Southern League) jumped out to a 10-1 lead behind strong defense and efficient shooting, with Kier knocking down an early three-pointer and adding a steal and layup during the opening surge.
Gavenda followed with a pair of layups, and the Trojans’ defensive pressure forced multiple turnovers that kept Poly from finding any rhythm the first half.
Poly briefly cut into the deficit midway through the first quarter, but the Trojans responded with another run, highlighted by a transition layup and a three-point play opportunity to take a 14-3 lead late in the period.
The Trojans broke the game open in the second quarter, using a full-court press to spark a decisive run.
Junior guard Trae Plein converted back-to-back steals into layups, and Gavenda connected from beyond the arc as the Trojans extended the lead to 37-15 late in the half. They went into halftime ahead 37-16.
The dominance continued after the break. Sheppard scored off another steal, Samuel Mendoza added a layup, and the Trojans stretched the lead past 30 following a three-pointer midway through the third quarter. By the end of the period, the Trojans held a commanding 53-23 advantage.
“They’re a really good team from New Zealand. I don’t know how much everyone got to see of them, but their full-court press didn’t really seem to matter for us,” Henry said. “It was basically a straight trap the entire game, and by the third quarter we didn’t even need to run much offense. We were up by 30 at one point.”
Junior Luca Blundo came off the bench and was a strong presence down low in the paint, quickly recording three rebounds and a steal.
Levi Denton hit a three-pointer late in the third quarter, as the junior sent the Trojans bench into a frenzy. Freshman Kristoffer Trejo was also spotted in the mix, securing a rebound.
“It was just nice to get everybody in the game and have fun,” Henry said. “That was the most fun I’ve seen those guys have — no pressure, just going out and playing basketball. That’s what I want them to do.”
Mendoza added a late three in the fourth with Plein capping the scoring with a layup as the Trojans closed out the 34-point victory.
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
