Preview: Pinecrest Academy Cadence Cougars vs. Pahrump Valley Trojans
Pinecrest Academy Cadence has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Pahrump Valley Trojans at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
You can't lose the matchup if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Pinecrest Academy Cadence's strategy against Cristo Rey St. Viator on Wednesday. Everything went Pinecrest Academy Cadence's way against Cristo Rey St. Viator as Pinecrest Academy Cadence made off with a 45-21 win. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Pinecrest Academy Cadence had established a 20 point advantage.
Pinecrest Academy Cadence's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but McKayla Epps led the charge by scoring 20 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Epps has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last five times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Aspen Larson, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Pahrump Valley put the finishing touches on their 18th blowout victory of the season on Wednesday. They really took it to Sports Leadership & Management for the full four quarters, racking up a 57-22 win on the road. Given Pahrump Valley's advantage in MaxPreps' Nevada basketball rankings (they are ranked ninth, while Sports Leadership & Management is ranked 61st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Pahrump Valley got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Paris Coleman out in front who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 11 rebounds. Avery Moore was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with five rebounds and five steals.
Pinecrest Academy Cadence's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-18. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.7 points per game. As for Pahrump Valley, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 25-2 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Pinecrest Academy Cadence have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Pahrump Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Pinecrest Academy Cadence was dealt a bruising 61-14 loss at the hands of Pahrump Valley in their previous matchup back in January of 2023. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Pinecrest Academy Cadence was down 40-3.
