Trojans girls basketball moves on to the quarterfinals

After Avery Moore stole a pass from the Sports Leadership and Management (SLAM) girls basketball team she passed the ball to Paris Coleman who ran up and scored the team’s fourth two-pointer in less than two minutes.

The Trojans girls basketball team closed their regular basketball season, but their season isn’t over as they lead in their league and will go to the 3A Southern regional girls basketball playoffs.

Pahrump Valley had a slow start in the first quarter but they were able to be the first to score against the SLAM Bulls on Wednesday night in Henderson. Halfway through, the Trojans weren’t able to prevent many shots, but the Bulls were not able to sink any shots. With Pahrump Valley in the lead 9-4, Moore found any opportunity to steal from the Bulls.

The second quarter was eventful, as in the first 30 seconds Kailani Martinez tripped and hit her head, where she was walked off by coach Robert Hopkins. This seemed to fire up the team as the score grew to 27-8 and with about a minute left on the clock Coleman was fouled but missed both her free throws. She was able to catch her rebound and scored a two-pointer.

By the end of the first half, the Trojans led the Bulls 30-10.

SLAM seemed to regain some rhythm during the second half as Coleman made a two-pointer and the Bulls responded with a two-pointer. The Bulls then scored their free throw and another two-pointer, although that’s where the Bulls’ momentum ended.

In less than two minutes, Moore passed the ball to Heaven Cooper to score two points. Then in the next play, Coleman passed the ball to Moore where she made two points. Emily Gent assisted Cooper as she made another two points. And to top it off, in the third quarter, Moore passed it to Coleman to score the last two points of the quarter. By the end of the quarter, the Trojans’ gap grew to 42-16.

In the fourth quarter, the Bulls weren’t able to keep up with the Trojans as Moore stole a pass and ran it up to score two points. With over a minute to spare, Cooper scooted back and sank the first three-pointer of the night.

The final score was 57-22, securing the win for the Trojans.

Coleman scored 24 points on Wednesday night, as she made 10 two-pointers and four free throws. She also caught the most rebounds on the team.

With 15 points scored, Moore made six two-pointers and three free throws. She also had five steals and three assists, which was the most on the team.

Pahrump Valley is in first place in the 3A Mountain girls basketball league and will be moving on to the quarterfinals next week. The game will be in Pahrump on Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. against Cadence (4-6) who is in fourth place in the 3A Desert standings. If the Trojans win, they move on to the semifinals on Feb. 15.