The Pahrump Valley girls basketball team continued dominated play with a 56-16 victory over the Southeast Career Tech Roadrunners in the first round of the Nevada 3A regional playoffs.
This was the third game of the season between these two schools. The Trojans swept each meeting by an average of 32 points.
Pahrump Valley entered the playoffs as the No. 4 team in the Nevada 3A division and the No. 23 team in the entire state of Nevada.
The Trojans had a regular season record of 24-1, with their lone loss coming from the Moapa Valley Pirates. They also finished the season with an undefeated league record of 10-0. This is the second consecutive season the Trojans have gone undefeated in league play.
Despite finishing with just one loss, compared to Moapa Valley’s two losses, Pahrump Valley went into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed for the southern regional tournament.
SECTA, who finished tied for the third spot in the 3A Mountain division, went into the playoffs as the No. 7-seeded team.
The Roadrunners got off to a much better start in the first quarter than they had in the previous two games against the Trojans. Between turnovers and fouls, Pahrump Valley had trouble getting anything going through the first eight minutes of the game.
“Just a little bit of nerves, I think,” Pahrump Valley head coach Bob Hopkins said of his team’s first-quarter performance. “They’re [SECTA] going to come out and play hard, they have nothing to lose. We had everything to lose.”
The Trojans led 13-9 after the opening quarter.
Sophomore Kailani Martinez led the Trojans on offense and in the rebounding department. She finished with game-highs in both points, with 14, and rebounds, with 15.
Although she has come close numerous times, this was just Martinez’s second double-double of the season.
By halftime, the Trojans had taken complete control of the game. They went into the locker room with a 26-12 lead.
After allowing nine points in the first quarter, Pahrump Valley only allowed a total of seven points in the last three quarters.
Sophomore guard Avery Moore finished the game with a career-high 13 points. She scored six of her 13 points in the third quarter to help Martinez lead the Trojan offense. Moore also finished the game with three rebounds, two assists and four steals to round out her game.
“They played great,” Hopkins said of Moore and Martinez. “Like I said, in the first quarter, defensively, they weren’t doing what we asked them to. But, after that, they did and they made a heck of a difference for us.”
After scoring 19 points in her last game against the Roadrunners, Pahrump Valley senior Tayla Wombaker had just six points in this game. Instead, she found herself in the set-up position for her teammates.
Wombaker led both teams with a game-high five assists.
In the second half of the game, the Trojans outscored the Roadrunners by a score of 30-4. Pahrump Valley went on to get their seventh victory of the season by at least 40 points.
Hopkins said his team can still improve by taking care of the ball.
The Trojans played their second game of the playoffs on Thursday.
Pahrump Valley played host to the Virgin Valley Bulldogs in their second-round matchup of the regional tournament.
The Bulldogs entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed and got a 46-32 victory over SLAM Nevada in the first round on Tuesday night.
Check maxpreps.com or the NIAA’s website for results.
If the Trojans win, they’ll not only secure a spot in the southern regional championship, but they’ll also be guaranteed a spot in the state tournament.
The site of the regional championship will be determined following the semifinal games onSaturday.