Trojans’ late rally falls short in 69–61 loss at Sloan Canyon — PHOTOS
Heading into Henderson last Friday in a non-league game against Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon, the Trojans knew they’d have to keep their eyes keen on one player - M.J. Tucker.
The Pirates sophomore captain and Nevada’s leading scorer through three games this season has averaged 38 points per contest, shooting a sharp 56% from the field.
Pahrump’s own top ten leading scorer, ranked 9th in the state, Lucas Gavenda, contributed a double-double and 27 points in efforts to alleviate the 69-61 loss to the Pirates.
“We knew it’d be a different style of play. Their No. 3 (Tucker) had 38 points in the first game, 30 in the second, and 30 again tonight. The plan was to contain him and make someone else beat us,” Trojans first-year program head coach Toby Henry said. “For most of the game we did that. He got hot for about two minutes, and that stretch hurt us.”
Trailing by 21 points with four minutes left in the third quarter, Pirates home fans were ready to pack their bags until the Trojans chopped down the lead to four points with under a minute left in the fourth quarter.
Trojans cut a late 21-point deficit down to 4 points against Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon in a non-league matchup. pic.twitter.com/RADh1aVUv5
— JP (@jaypowers__) December 9, 2025
In what truly felt like a home game for a brief moment, the Trojans stands erupted into a famous “Trojans” chant to rally energy to continue the full-court press defense.
First quarter – slow start puts Trojans behind
Pahrump opened the game at the free-throw line, with Kier Sheppard knocking down two early free throws for a 2–0 lead. The Trojans struggled to convert inside, however, as early misses from Gavenda, Samuel Mendoza, and Sheppard allowed Sloan Canyon to respond with a series of layups.
Gavenda’s putback tied the game 4–2 and later kept PVHS within striking distance, but a run of transition buckets and second-chance points pushed the Pirates ahead 12–4.
Malachi Holland stopped the bleeding with a layup, and Gavenda added a three to cut the deficit to 14–9. Despite a pair of late free throws from Trae Plein and a jumper by Briscoe, Sloan Canyon closed the quarter ahead 18–12.
Second quarter – scoring drought hurts Pahrump
The Trojans opened the second quarter ice-cold, going more than two minutes without a point while Sloan Canyon padded its lead to 20–12.
Turnovers and missed looks inside continued to haunt Pahrump, and the Eagles converted multiple steals into fast-break points to build a 24–12 advantage.
Gavenda finally broke the drought with a layup midway through the quarter with Sheppard adding four straight free throws to bring it to 24–16.
“Our threes aren’t falling right now, so we have to get the ball inside. We’re not a big team, so we have to attack the rim,” Henry said.
Pahrump’s energy picked up after switching to a full-court press, creating a series of scoring chances that brought the Trojans back within five at 29–24.
Sloan Canyon answered with a jumper to take a 31–24 halftime lead.
Third quarter – Sloan Canyon heats up from deep
The Pirates opened the second half with a layup and then caught fire from beyond the arc.
Sloan Canyon’s #3 buried back-to-back threes, extending the lead to 41–28. Gavenda countered with a layup and free throws, but Sloan continued to score in transition and at the rim.
By the four-minute mark, the Pirates had stretched the lead to 54–33, their largest of the night.
The Trojans chipped away late, shrinking the margin to 13 by the end of the quarter, trailing 60–47 heading into the fourth.
Fourth quarter – Trojans spark a comeback
With their backs against the wall, Pahrump responded with their best stretch of the night. Defensive pressure forced turnovers, with T.C Hone, Plein and Gavenda helping slice the deficit to 10.
The biggest spark came when Hone buried a clutch three from the corner, bringing the Trojans within 61–57 with 1:40 remaining.
Despite the momentum swing, Sloan Canyon managed to hold on, converting late free throws and securing enough defensive stops to seal a 69–61 victory.
“TC didn’t play much last game, but tonight he stepped up and hit that big three to cut it to six,” Henry said. “That’s a good Class 4A team. And honestly, I like where we’re at. We’re 0–2, but we’re playing really well for this point in the season.”
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
