HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Darius Dolly of Pahrump Valley races upcourt during the Trojans' 59-8 conquest of Nye County rival of Round Mountain in a Times Trojans Cage Classic victory Thursday. The Trojans lost 78-71 to Las Vegas Bishop Gorman JVs in the championship game, after winning their first five starts. HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Kristi Daffer of Pahrump Valley works against a Bishop, Calif., defender in one of six victories the Lady Trojans achieved, enroute to the Times Trojans Cage Classic basketball tournament title. Advertisement

Pahrump Valley's girls and boys basketball teams won 11 of 12 games -- played over three days -- in the Pahrump Valley Times Trojans Cage Classic.

The girls, from the Southern Nevada Class 3-A League, emerged as champions for the fifth time in six years with a 49-46 conquest of the Las Vegas Bishop Gorman Junior Varsity in the finals, played in the Ninth Grade Academy gym Saturday.

Earlier Saturday, the Gorman JVs edged a hard-charging PVHS team 78-71 to win the boys' championship.

Other Nye County teams did not fare well in the tournament, which included 38 games played over the three days in the Academy and Rosemary Clarke Middle School gyms.

The Beatty girls and the Amargosa Valley Horizon Academy boys had the top performances; coach Aimee Senior's girls advanced to the tournament quarter-finals with a 48-38 conquest of Tonopah, before bowing 68-23 to Pahrump Valley.

The Horizon boys, led by all-tournament team choice Ben Upton, led Pahrump Valley 38-36 with three minutes to go in the third period. After Upton was injured, however, Horizon was outscored 31-2 down the stretch and fell 67-40 to the Trojans in the semifinals.

Because the tournament had an open-class format, there were more one-sided games than normally occur in such an event. Pahrump Valley's Class 3-A boys defeated 1-A Round Mountain 59-8 and 47-12, while 4-A Gorman had its way Beatty 89-28 and Henderson International School 76-40.

The Pahrump Valley girls overwhelmed Las Vegas Trinity Christian 68-7, holding the Thunder to no field goals and just seven free throws.

In the girls' championship game,coach Bob Hopkins' Pahrump Valley team led 12-7, 27-23 and 40-33 at the quarters. The Gaels, led by 5-9 freshman guard Ashlin Gross, rallied to tie it at 45-45, before PV hit 4 of 8 free throws down the stretch to clinch the win -- its sixth in three days and third on Saturday.

Gross, who moved with her family to Las Vegas from Fayetteville, Ark., finished with 27 points. Another freshman guard, Amber Lane, added 12 points.

Kristi Daffer, Megan Meads and Casey Scheller, who combined for 59 points in Pahrump Valley's 69-50 semifinal victory against Boulder City, scored 32 against the Gaels.

In the boys' finale, Bishop Gorman led by as many as 16 points, but each time the Gaels appeared to be ready to turn the game into a rout, the Trojans came charging back.

Leading the charge were point guard Darius Dolly and wing Marvin Weekly, along with Daveon Fisher.

In the fourth quarter, the Trojans closed the gap to 72-69, after they had trailed 18-10, 38-29 and 58-52 at the quarters.

Dolly scored nine of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter, while Weekly came up with several key steals and rebounds. Fisher, in his first season playing organized basketball, did not score in the final eight minutes, but his 17 points in the first three periods helped keep PVHS close.

Taylor Spencer paced the Gaels with 24 points. Jim Carter added 16 and Tanner Susa 11 for the Gaels.

The Trojans shot 44 free throws in the game, making 25. The Gaels were 11 for 22, but they were able to fight off Pahrump Valley down the stretch to protect their sixth win in as many starts in the tournament.

NOTES -- The all-tournament team included Horizon Academy guard Ben Upton, easily the Game-Breaker Player of the three-day event ... That was never more evident than in Horizon's semifinal game against Pahrump Valley ... Upton had scored 24 points in 21 minutes before he was injured ... When he left the game, Horizon led the Trojans 38-36; the Amargosa Valley team scored only two points in the final 11 minutes and lost 67-40 ... Gross was the flashiest player for the Lady Gaels, but one of the stronger competitors in the tournament (outside of a talent-rich PVHS squad) was Megan Smith of Faith Lutheran ... Upton and Smith were the only non-finals players to be named to the all-tournament teams ... Faith Lutheran, out of the Southern Nevada Class 3-A League, lost 58-45 to Bishop Gorman in the girls' semifinals ... Caiti Forrester had a big game against Pahrump Valley, scoring 27 points and getting several steals for Boulder City, another 3-A club ... Henderson International School had a scrappy team, but a lack of depth prevented the former Warren-Walker High School club from being a contender. ... The Beatty and Round Mountain girls played with a purpose and gave all of their opponents problems; the lack of numbers and size shut down the Hornets and Knights, both members of the Nevada Class A Central Division ... Another Central team, Tonopah had Kristi Glover inside, but the 5-11 Lady Mucker didn't have another big girl in the lineup to cover her back.