Pahrump Valley boys basketball falls to The Meadows as Trae Plein scores 16

The Trojans knew coming into their home league game against The Meadows Wednesday night that nothing would come easy.

That’s been the case this year for the boys as referees, calls and momentum swings haven’t quite been in Pahrump’s favor.

Amidst the parity, it’s been a pleasure to watch junior Trae Plein stand tall against his opposition no matter the size of the man or the jersey on his back.

Plein’s game is smooth like butter on toast as the guard has been lethal with soft touches inside the perimeter, often flying into contact on his way through the hole.

Leading the Trojans in scoring for the second game in a row, Plein’s 16-point effort and home crowd backing wasn’t enough to stave off the size-differential Mustangs’ dominant 74-49 victory on Jan. 14.

Meadows makes statement

Quickly establishing an 8-0 run, Pahrump was challenged defensively from the jump.

The Meadows have been able to average 63 points a game with their high-powered offense led by junior forward Uzo Nwapa and showed no signs of slowing down.

Pahrump Valley found its first points of the evening on a three-pointer from senior Keir Sheppard, but the Mustangs answered quickly with a dunk by junior Alex Hutchinson and a steady stream of second-chance points.

Trojans junior guard Plein provided an early spark for the Trojans, scoring on a floater and later converting a layup to cut into a seven-point lead while junior Lucas Gavenda added a basket inside.

Despite the efforts and Sheppard hitting a free-throw, the Mustangs closed the first quarter strong, capped by a three-pointer from senior Ryan Kirk to take a 20–8 lead.

Trojans hold Mustangs within arm’s reach

The second quarter saw The Meadows continue to stay aggressive and dominate the glass, as Pahrump Valley struggled to secure defensive rebounds inside against junior Patrick Lewis.

Layups by Lewis and Nwapa were highlighted by a dunk by none other than Uzo, who pushed the lead past 20.

Gavenda and Sheppard contributed from the free-throw line, and junior Samuel Mendoza connected from beyond the arc to keep the Trojans competitive, but Meadows still carried a commanding 37–19 advantage into halftime.

The Mustangs maintained control coming out of the break, opening the third quarter with multiple layups and extending the lead to over 30.

Plein continued to attack the basket for Pahrump Valley, scoring twice in transition and coming up with a steal that led to points.

However, The Meadows consistently answered, using efficient ball movement off steals to score and pressure back on defense to keep the Trojans from building sustained momentum.

The Meadows’ early run, control of the boards, and balanced scoring proved to be the difference as they pulled away for the 25-point road win.

Nwapa lead the Mustangs with 24 points, with eight coming in the second quarter while Moses Plein led Pahrump Valley with 16 points, followed by Lucas Gavenda with 13 and Keir Sheppard with 11.

Mendoza added 7 points, while senior Caden Briscoe finished with two.

As a team, the Trojans totaled 49 points, collected 30 rebounds (eight offensive, 22 defensive), dished out 10 assists, and recorded eight steals.

Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.