The Pahrump Valley High School Trojans boys’ varsity basketball team showed grit, heart, and unwavering determination on Friday, December 5, as they traveled to Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon. Despite falling behind early and trailing by as many as 25 points, the Trojans stormed back in the second half, ultimately closing the deficit to just four points before the Mustangs held on for a 69–61 win.
PVHS came out with energy to start the night, winning the tip and getting on the board immediately as senior Keir Sheppard drew a foul and sank both free throws for a 2–0 lead. Moments later, Lucas Gavenda attacked the basket and earned a trip to the line, and Sam Mendoza came up with a steal to keep the Trojans’ defense active. Sloan answered quickly, tying the game and pushing ahead as both teams implemented an aggressive full-court press from the opening minutes.
Josh Slusher put up an early shot that Gavenda cleaned up for a putback, giving PVHS a 4–2 edge, but the Mustangs settled into rhythm, stringing together scoring possessions to move ahead 11–4. With hustle plays continuing on both ends, Malachi Holland powered through traffic for a basket that made it 14–6, and Gavenda buried a three-pointer from the corner to cut it to 14–9. A foul on Caden Briscoe sent him to the line for a point that tightened the score to 16–10.
The Trojans’ bench provided a lift as Aydon Veloz and TC Hone checked in, bringing fresh energy to the floor. Trae Plein immediately made an impact with a clean steal and two made free throws, pulling PVHS to within 16–12. Sloan responded, but the Trojans stayed right with them, ending the first quarter down 18–12.
In the second quarter, the starters returned and continued working to close the gap. Gavenda scored inside, Sheppard knocked down two free throws, and Veloz finished a play off a crisp assist from Briscoe. Mendoza added another strong basket, helping the Trojans inch closer at 29–24 before Sloan answered just before halftime to take a 31–24 lead into the break.
The Mustangs opened the third quarter with a run, pushing the lead into double digits. Gavenda kept PVHS in the fight, earning trips to the free-throw line and finishing inside, but Sloan capitalized on turnovers during the press to widen the margin to 60–35 by the end of the quarter.
Instead of folding, the Trojans unleashed their best basketball of the night.
Aydon Veloz opened the fourth quarter with a putback to reach 60–41, and PVHS began chipping away possession by possession. Gavenda continued his strong night at the line, Plein added another bucket, and Sheppard drew fouls while attacking the rim. With three minutes remaining, Plein was fouled on a jump-stop layup and hit both free throws. Hone then stepped into the corner and drilled a momentum-shifting three-pointer, bringing the Trojans roaring back to within 63–57.
The PVHS bench erupted—chanting “defense” and “let’s go Trojans”—as the momentum swung sharply.
Defensive pressure created a turnover with under a minute remaining, and Plein scored again to make it 63–59 with 45 seconds on the clock. Moments later, PVHS forced another violation, giving themselves a chance to make it a one-possession game. Though a travel wiped away a made layup that would have cut the deficit to two, the Trojans continued to battle until the final buzzer, with Gavenda scoring in the closing seconds before Sloan sealed the game at the line for the 69–61 final.
After the game, Head Coach Toby Henry praised the team’s effort and mentality.
“Our guys played well again. We started out slow and were down 25 points at one point,” Henry said. “Our guys fought back and cut the lead to 4 points with 39 seconds to go in the game. We then got a steal and made a layup to cut the lead to 2 points but we got called for a travel. So, all in all, our guys fought like crazy against a pretty good 4A team.”
Henry noted that Friday’s rally shows the potential of this year’s squad.
“For Monday, we have to learn how to fight like that the whole game,” he added. “There is nothing easy about winning. If we work for 4 quarters we will get the outcome we want.”
Despite the loss, the Trojans’ fourth-quarter surge demonstrated resilience, teamwork, and confidence—qualities that will serve them well as the season continues.
