The Pahrump Valley High School boys’ varsity basketball team showed resilience and fight on the road Friday, December 12, battling the Virgin Valley Bulldogs in Mesquite and closing the night with a determined 70–51 effort.
Virgin Valley jumped out early in the first quarter, capitalizing on quick buckets and free throws to build an early lead. Josh Slusher opened the scoring for the Trojans with a strong layup, while Caden Briscoe added an inside finish midway through the period. Aydon Veloz made his presence felt defensively with a block, and both Veloz and TC Hone knocked down free throws late in the quarter to help steady the Trojans as they trailed 21–8 after one.
In the second quarter, Pahrump Valley began to find more rhythm offensively. Lucas Gavenda went a perfect 2-for-2 at the line early, while Keir Sheppard connected on a smooth mid-range fadeaway. Gavenda and Trae Plein followed with back-to-back layups, showing good ball movement and attacking the paint. Despite Virgin Valley’s continued scoring from beyond the arc, the Trojans kept pushing, heading into halftime down 33–19.
The third quarter featured some of Pahrump Valley’s most balanced scoring of the night. Briscoe finished inside, Gavenda added another layup, and Briscoe later drained a three-pointer to spark momentum. Sheppard closed the quarter with a three of his own, trimming the deficit and sending the Trojans into the final period trailing 55–32.
Pahrump Valley finished strong in the fourth quarter, nearly matching Virgin Valley point-for-point down the stretch. Gavenda continued to attack inside, Sheppard and Plein added buckets in transition, and Slusher converted another layup. Sammy Mendoza provided a late spark, scoring seven points in the final minutes, including a three-pointer and back-to-back layups that highlighted the Trojans’ refusal to quit. The Trojans outscored the Bulldogs 19–15 in the final frame and played Virgin Valley nearly even over the second half.
Head Coach Toby Henry praised his team’s effort after the game, saying, “I thought the boys played hard. We have to find a way to not get behind so much in games. It’s hard to fight our way back all of the time. We got beat by four in the second half. Our deficit in the first half was too much to overcome. So, we know we can play with the better teams, we just have to clean things up and get off to a faster start. The good thing is that we have two tournaments over the break to work on things.”
While the final score favored Virgin Valley, the Trojans’ strong second-half response and balanced contributions underscored the team’s growth and competitiveness as they continue to prepare for the rest of the season.
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