As the Trojans are participating in a basketball tournament in Bullhead City, Arizona, the league games have started.
Currently in the 3A Southern-Mountain league the Trojans are tied at the bottom of the leaderboard with Doral Academy Red Rock who shares a 0-3 league record.
This is after losing to two top teams in the league, Sports Leadership and Management and The Meadows School. Currently, the Mustangs occupy the top of the bracket with Boulder City, who are also undefeated at 3-0.
So far, the Trojans have won two games in their overall record. Their first win came against the Pinecrest Academy Cadence. The team got ahead early in the game, scoring 10 more points than the Cougars but the Trojans would continue the pressure and by the end the Pahrump team won 58-30.
In their last game, the Trojans played a close game against Moapa Valley, where the Trojans came out on top by a single point.
But how have these overall scores affected the Trojans team in the rankings?
Ranked
With a 2-4 overall and 0-3 league record, this is not how the Trojans wanted to start their season.
The Trojans are placed near the bottom of MaxPreps 3A division leaderboard. Out of 21 teams listed, the Pahrump team is sitting in No. 17. Last season, the Trojans placed 20th out of 25 teams.
This time, Doral Academy Red Rock is currently above the Trojans in the leaderboard as they are slightly more favored at –1.7 over Pahrump’s -1.9.
Although it is early in the season, the Trojans have stayed above the Dragons in the rankings for at least two years.
Currently at the top of the leaderboard is Democracy Prep with a 7-1 overall record. Last season, Democracy Prep lost the 3A Southern Regional Championship game to the Mater East team by one point. But the team got their comeback in the state championship where Democracy Prep won by three points.
The Meadows School is the highest ranked Mountain league team at the No. 4 spot, followed by Boulder City.
The southern region has some of the top performing schools in the division, making it difficult for the Trojans to push through in the rankings.
The team has recently replaced its head coach. Previously the Trojans were under the direction of David Wilson, but now the team is starting new with head coach Braydon Preston.
In order to make the regional playoffs, the Trojans will have to make it into at least the top four teams in their league, and to avoid early elimination, the team would have to be the No. 3 school.
Upcoming
This season the Trojans have a total of 11 games to play in the league and have lost three so far.
The real test for the Trojans has yet to come as the team will now be battling for fourth place in the league’s standings. And that race is between Coral Academy, Doral Academy, Pahrump Valley, and Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon.
Last season, the Trojans were able to beat out the Dragons and Pirates but stayed in fifth place after losing to the Falcons.
But this season, the Falcons and the Pirates are currently neck-and-neck for the No. 4 spot.
The Trojans’ fate can be decided on Jan. 6 in a game against the Dragons and a game against the Pirates on Jan. 10.
Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@pvtimes.com. Follow @JimmyRomo.News on Instagram.