Lady Trojans skid past Sunrise Mountain in thriller — PHOTOS
Pahrump Valley weathered a sluggish opening night Monday to survive a frantic final push, defeating Sunrise Mountain 44-40 in a hard-fought non-league showdown that tipped off at 5:01 p.m.
After nearly three scoreless minutes to start the game, the Class 4A Miners finally broke through on a layup from senior Delyla Ross, sparking an early 4-0 run.
The Trojans struggled to find their rhythm, committing turnovers and missing close looks, but junior Riley Saldana ignited the offense with a hop-step layup at the 4:55 mark to put the Trojans on the board.
From there, the Trojans (6-7, 2-2 Class 3A Southern League) clawed back possession by possession.
Saldana powered through double teams and finished inside, while the defense forced key stops late in the quarter to take a 9-6 lead after one quarter of play.
Momentum swung once again in the second quarter as junior Autumn Colon jumped a passing lane for a steal and fast-break layup to give the Trojans their first lead at 10-9.
Saldana continued to attack the paint, pushing the advantage to 13-9, but Sunrise refused to fade. A long-awaited three-pointer by Shoniyah Williams — Sunrise’s first after 13 attempts — reignited the visitors, followed by another layup from Delyla Ross to swing the lead back.
With the clock winding down in the half, Saldana delivered again, burying a catch-and-shoot jumper at the buzzer to keep the Trojans within one and send both teams into the break locked in a tense battle.
The Trojans took control in the third quarter with their most explosive stretch of the night.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Brown drilled a three-pointer, then added a free throw, while Addi Nelsen finished inside and set up Brown for another layup as the Trojans rattled off a decisive run.
The burst opened up a seven-point cushion and flipped the energy firmly in the Trojans’ favor.
That cushion proved vital in the fourth quarter.
Brown opened the period with a layup, and Nelsen followed with two strong finishes as the Trojans extended the lead to nine.
Saldana then knocked down consecutive jumpers to push the advantage to double digits, capping a dominant stretch on both ends of the floor.
Sunrise made one final charge, knocking down a pair of three-pointers and converting transition baskets to pull within four with under three minutes remaining.
Each possession tightened, every rebound mattered, and the Trojans were forced to grind out stops down the stretch.
But the girls did just enough, closing out a narrow four-point victory.
Saldana finished with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds, anchoring the Trojans on both ends while adding two blocks in the paint.
Brown totaled 12 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Nelsen delivered an all-around performance with eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Trojans junior Autumn Colon chipped in three points and four steals as the Trojans forced 17 turnovers.
Pahrump Valley shot 42 percent from the field and leaned on their hard-nose defense to close out a win that was anything but comfortable.
The Lady Trojans now look to take on league rivals Moapa Valley at home this Friday with tipoff set for 5 p.m.
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
