Lady Trojans dominate Mustangs 48-12 in a night of family, defense, and depth — PHOTOS
To be a competitive program, you’ve got to do the little things right.
Pahrump Valley made sure they checked that box off right from the jump.
Wednesday night seemed just like any another routine road stop for the Lady Trojans as they arrived promptly at The Meadows in Las Vegas.
With zero pressure coming into the league contest against a struggling Mustangs program who hadn’t recorded a win in six games, Pahrump Valley ran away with a 48-12 league victory, taking full advantage to check in multiple substitutions off the bench.
Wholesomely tipping off The Meadows’ senior night, the Trojans defense kindly allowed injured senior Alexa Carambas, who recently had knee surgery, to score an uncontested layup for the first basket of the game, erupting cheers from the packed home crowd.
Even more remarkable, the Trojans defensive unit completely blanked the Mustangs from scoring for more than two full quarters.
Going on a 28-0 run from the end of the first quarter until a minute into the fourth quarter, the Trojans were able to facilitate key minutes to every girl on the roster.
The secondary unit was led by Olivia Veloz, who made the most of her third opportunity this season to check into the game.
Veloz contributed 14 hard minutes on the floor as the freshman completely dominated both sides of the ball notching seven points, five rebounds and a steal.
It’s always a cool thing to see siblings get to check into a game together — no matter the level of competition.
The Trojans got to do just that, twice, as they featured sisters Riley and Raegen Saldana as well as Aurora Bowers and her younger sister, Ava, later in the fourth quarter.
“I love watching my sister play, especially playing varsity. I think it’s pretty cool we both can share this experience on the court together,” Aurora Bowers said. “We didn’t grow up playing together as Ava started playing last year only. She is such a hard worker and I love seeing her grow.”
Tale of the tape
Pahrump Valley finished with 46 points on 18-of-62 shooting (29%), struggling from deep at 2-of-18 (11%).
The team made up for shooting woes with effort plays, grabbing 34 offensive rebounds and finishing with 44 total boards.
It was a defensively active night, with 14 steals, helping offset 14 turnovers.
Scoring leaders
Riley Saldana (Jr) led the team with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, adding five rebounds.
Kaitlyn Brown (So) added 11 points and a team-high 14 rebounds, recording a double-double.
Olivia Veloz (Fr) chipped in seven points on an efficient 3-of-4 shooting.
Aurora Bowers (So) and Sydney Crotty (Jr) each scored four points.
Rebounding and hustle
Brown dominated the glass with 9 offensive rebounds, helping create second-chance opportunities.
Jules Ondrisko (Sr), Aurora Bowers, Riley Saldana, Ella Odegard, and Olivia Veloz each pulled down five rebounds.
The team recorded 19 deflections, highlighting consistent defensive pressure.
Playmaking and defense
Ondrisko led the team with five assists, posting an impressive 5.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Brown, Bowers, and Ondrisko each finished with three steals.
Pahrump Valley committed just 10 personal fouls as a team.
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
