The Pahrump Valley girls basketball team played against Boulder City, one of the top-ranked schools in the league, on Wednesday evening. This was a highly anticipated game as both the Trojans and the Eagles were ranked at the top of the league’s leaderboard. But after the game the new top school in the league is Boulder City.
“This is the first loss in the league in about seven years,” said Trojans head coach Robert Hopkins. “If I could put my thumb on what we need to do, I would.”
The Trojans have been fortunate to have strong offensive juggernauts in the past on the team, but after graduating a vast majority of the team, the team is now in rebuilding mode, according to Hopkins.
The new varsity team requires a lot of girls to step up from the junior varsity. Only three girls have varsity experience: Ryleigh Denton (13), sophomore Riley Saldana (20) and junior Savannah Thompson (11).
Meanwhile, a duo like Boulder City senior Sophia Muelrath (15) and sophomore Mackenzie Martorano (25), the Eagles’ key players, worked in harmony to get the ball across the court and make baskets.
Boulder City took the top spot in the league after defeating Pahrump Valley and The Meadows School. Now the real test for the Trojans is if they can take second place in the league over Sports Leadership and Management, who is 2-0 in the league like the Eagles.
Good moments
During the Trojans basketball game against the Eagles, Pahrump Valley found moments to pick up the score to stay competitive against Boulder City.
The Trojans offense and defense stunted the Eagles’ efforts at the start of the match. When the Trojans would miss their shot, the players would be ready to receive the rebound. If it got through the pack, the Trojans met the Eagles head-on defensively.
This defense overwhelmed the Eagles, which caused them to miss their shots.
Denton shot from the two-point line and scored the first two points. Martorano would respond to the Trojans shot and tied it at two.
Then with two minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Trojans began to miss their passes, resulting in a turnover or the ball going out of bounds due to a lack of communication.
Boulder City saw this and struck.
On a blocked pass, the Eagles scored twice and by the end of the first quarter the Trojans were down eight points.
After a free-throw shot by Denton and a layup by Saldana, the Trojans’ gap closed to only a five-point deficit. And when Saldana passed the ball to Denton and shot it in the three-point zone, she sunk her shot and it was now 12-10.
But the Trojans would revert to improper passing that resulted in a turnover. Both teams scored 12 points in the second quarter.
Down on the Trojans’ side in the second quarter, the Eagles attempted to overwhelm the team but on an overhead pass, Thompson caught the ball to turn the ball over but the efforts were short-lived as the play resulted in a failed shot attempt.
And with a second left on the clock, the Trojans unleashed a shooting frenzy but it did not result in additional points made.
With an eight-point deficit, the Trojans needed to start reeling in the lead, but it would be tough for the Trojans without one of their key players.
Losing a key player
Midway through the match, the Trojans managed to get the lead down to five points. The Eagles added four points after making all their free throws due to two fouls. This was due to Saldana picking up two fouls on Martorano, one of the Eagles’ best shooters, which resulted in Saldana picking up their fifth foul needing to sit out for the rest of the game.
But the Trojans still stayed above the Eagles in the third quarter by scoring two more points in the third quarter.
Down six points at the start of the fourth quarter, Denton took the ball to the corner of the court and sunk a three-pointer to close the gap down to a three-point game with over seven minutes to go.
And as quickly as the Trojans were able to close the gap, they quickly lost it.
Two points at a time the Eagles would sink their shots as they made their way through the defense with ease. Overwhelmed, the Trojans stopped communicating where simple passes would be lost.
The final score was 47-37.
Up next
The Trojans aren’t done this week, the team will be playing their second league match on Friday in Pahrump.
Pahrump Valley will play at 5 p.m. against Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon (0-2). So far, the Pirates have lost to SLAM and Coral Academy. The Trojans are favored in their game against the Pirates.
The Trojans’ next league match will be next week on Jan. 16 against The Meadows School (0-2) in Pahrump at 5 p.m. The Mustangs lost to the Eagles in a league game by five points and lost to SLAM 58-43.
This could also be a close game for the Trojans, but they will have to make the top two teams if they want to make the state playoffs this season.
Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@pvtimes.com. Follow @JimmyRomo.News on Instagram.