Pahrump Valley hasn't had much luck against Virgin Valley recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Pahrump Valley Trojans will be taking part in a tournament against the Virgin Valley Bulldogs at 2:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Pahrump Valley will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up 18 points on Friday, then bounced right back against River Valley on Saturday. Pahrump Valley enjoyed a cozy 56-42 victory over River Valley. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 83rd in Nevada, while the Dust Devils are ranked 235th in Arizona), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Pahrump Valley to victory, but perhaps none more so than Keir Sheppard, who posted 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tramaine Burras, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Virgin Valley came into Saturday's game having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. The stars were shining brightly for them in a 54-36 win over Fernley on Saturday.
Virgin Valley's win came from a few key players Pahrump Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Reece Leavitt, who had 17 points. Another player making a difference was Destry Tobler, who posted eight points and six rebounds.
Virgin Valley's victory bumped their record up to 3-4. As for Pahrump Valley, their win bumped their record up to 3-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Pahrump Valley has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Virgin Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Pahrump Valley lost to Virgin Valley on the road by a decisive 58-40 margin when the teams last played back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Virgin Valley's Elian Pinto, who went 8 of 10 on his way to 16 points and four steals. Now that Pahrump Valley knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
