The girls’ basketball team has been known for winning big for the past six seasons, but this year head coach Robert Hopkins is met with a new challenge – rebuilding.
After losing out in the 3A division state playoffs, the Pahrump Valley team graduated nine seniors. This was most of the players on the team, which left only a handful of girls with varsity experience. But now, the Trojans are fixing to get back to making the playoffs, even in a rebuilding year.
In the team’s first league match, Pahrump Valley was able to secure their first win in the league this season against the Coral Academy Falcons. This was a big win for the Trojans as last season the Falcons were the No. 2 school behind Pahrump Valley in their league.
But this doesn’t put the Trojans on the clear path for making the playoffs and the state playoffs, as the team is currently 3-3 overall and has had some close games that last year would have resulted in a big win, while this season has created some hurdles.
Ranked
Out of 19 teams that are in the 3A girls’ basketball division, the Trojans are currently in the No. 14 spot.
The Trojans are the second highest ranked team in their league in the division leaderboard, according to MaxPreps. This is behind Boulder City, who is currently No. 8.
After the Trojans’ non-league game against Moapa Valley, the Trojans took a big loss that likely took the Trojans down in the rankings. On Friday, the Eagles will play against the Pirates and depending on how well the Eagles perform, this game will determine who might be the leading school in the league this time around.
Moapa Valley has given the Trojans a run for their money in the past. Last season, the Trojans played strong in their league and in the 3A Southern Regional Championship game the Pahrump team lost 29-26.
Although it is early in the season, Moapa Valley has a strong chance at taking the win in the southern championship once again. But even the Pirates are ranked lower than Boulder City.
Virgin Valley is at the top of the leaderboard with a 10-1 overall standing. Last season, the Bulldogs were one of the top teams in the Desert league but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Upcoming
The Pahrump Valley girls basketball team is playing in the Holiday Shootout tournament held in Bullhead City, Arizona.
After the tournament, the Trojans are playing in another called the Green Valley Christian Tournament.
In total after the two tournaments, Pahrump Valley will have played eight more games that could be pivotal for the future of the team before their big-league game against Boulder City.
The Eagles are currently one of the teams in their league that might give the Trojans a hard time. The two teams play on Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Boulder City.
Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@pvtimes.com. Follow @JimmyRomo.News on Instagram.