Pahrump Valley girls basketball tournament

The Pahrump Valley girls basketball team has returned from their first tournament, the Brickhouse Classic, which was held last weekend in Reno Valley.

After their first non-league game against Arbor View, the Trojans took a nine-point loss to a 5A team that is 0-2 in their league. This team is different from previous girls’ teams as this year is a big rebuild year, according to head coach Robert Hopkins.

This year, the girls were able to win two out of the three games the girls played over the weekend.

So far, the Trojans have had some standout players that are racking points up for the team. Sophomore Riley Saldana (20) is starting her second year on the varsity team and is less than 15 points away from surpassing the number of points she scored last year.

Saldana is one of the highest point scorers for the team and has the most rebounds picked up for the Trojans. Last week, Hopkins said that one of the team’s hurdles is getting the ball up the court, but once they make it to the other side, the girls can score.

Senior Ryleigh Denton (13) joined the team this year and has already made a name for herself as she leads the team with the most points per game, 13. She has also scored the most points for the team, with a total of 52 points.

Denton has one of the highest free-throw percentages at 67.

Junior Savannah Thompson (11) starts her second year with varsity experience with the Trojans. She also has one of the top points per game scores of seven on the team.

Here’s how the Trojans performed in northern Nevada.

EnCompass Academy

The Pahrump Valley team took the ball and seemingly never let it out of reach as the team scored big in the first quarter. The Explorers are coming back to the league after leaving it for two seasons.

The Explorers were 0-4 after the tournament, and at the end of the first quarter the Trojans took a 23-point lead. Then the Trojans would add ten points, while the Explorers were unable to score. The Trojans were able to secure the advantage in a 36-3 lead.

The Trojans would close out the game with a 64-8 win.

Saldana scored 10 points and made all her free throws, making her the player who earned the most points for the team. Denton and Thompson followed with nine points.

Sophomore Sidney Crotty and freshman Ella Odegard would also stand out by scoring eight points each.

Sparks Railroaders

The Trojans played a close game in their second game of the tournament as they were up against the Sparks, a 3A West League team that finished No. 6 last season.

But the Railroaders have some momentum after an undefeated tournament, starting the season 3-0. At the start, the Trojans would finish the first quarter with a three-point lead. Sparks would nearly come back but would close the first half 18-13.

A five-point lead wasn’t enough for the Railroaders; they built their momentum and tied the game in the third quarter. Down to the final quarter, the Trojans attempted to keep their lead, until Sparks started to come out on top.

The match ended 29-26 after the Railroaders took the lead from the Trojans’ hands.

In this game, Saldana and Denton would be the two highest scorers on the team as they each scored eight points. Odegard scored six points.

Dayton Dust Devils

In their last game of the tournament, the Trojans would hit the ground running against the Dayton Dust Devils 0-3, who were 0-10 in their league last season.

The Trojans scored 21 points in the first quarter and the Dust Devils were not able keep up. By the end of the first half, the Trojans were up 20 points. And in the second half, the Trojans would only score in the third quarter as the Dust Devils were already behind 33 points by the end of the third quarter.

Pahrump Valley picked up their second win with a score of 52-24.

Denton doubled her teammates’ points to 24 in one game with a 61 percent average.

Upcoming

On Thursday evening, the Trojans played against the Coral Academy Falcons in their first league game of the season.

Last year, the Falcons finished in second place in the league while the Trojans finished first. But with a new team, it was uncertain if the Trojans would be able to take their first win against the Falcons.

On Friday evening, the Trojans are playing a non-league game against Moapa Valley in Pahrump at 5 p.m., a competitor in the division, but in the 3A Southern Desert League.

Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@pvtimes.com. Follow @JimmyRomo.News on Instagram.