HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Kristi Daffer, 43, of Pahrump Valley is blocked from the basket, but the senior center scored 13 points as the Lady Trojans downed visiting Las Vegas Durango 51-40 Wednesday. Advertisement

"Now," said Pahrump Valley High School girls basketball coach Jason Odegard, "our destiny is in our own hands."

Odegard said it after the Lady Trojans stunned visiting Las Vegas Durango 51-40 in a Sunset Region Southwest Class 4-A game Wednesday night. The win moved PVHS to 6-3 in the division and kept the Trojans tied with Sierra Vista for third place -- as well as in contention for a post-season playoff berth.

Only the top four teams in each of the four divisions in Las Vegas advance to the Class 4-A playoffs.

Sierra Vista defeated Desert Oasis 47-24 to maintain the tie.

That tie will be broken tonight, when Pahrump Valley plays at Sierra Vista (5 p.m.). Saturday, PVHS and Durango have a rematch; a game postponed by bad weather in mid-December will be played at 1:30 p.m. in the TrialBlazers' gym. Durango was also deadlocked for third, but the Blazers are now 5-4 and in sole possession of fifth place.

Durango trailed 11-10 after one period, but went into halftime ahead 22-18. In the third quarter, however, the Lady Trojans, despite the presence of UNLV signee Mia Bell, held the Blazers scoreless to take a 35-22 lead into the final eight minutes.

Bell, who had averaged more than 30 points per game in her previous five starts, was held to 17 points by an aggressive, in-your-face half-court defense.

Amanda Boucher fired in five 3-pointers in the game -- three in the final period --and also scored 17 points for Durango.

Sophomore forward Casey Scheller had 18 points and senior center Kristi Daffer added 13 points and 13 rebounds to power the Trojans to their 15th win in 25 starts overall.

Toi Simmons supplied eight points and nine assists for Pahrump.

In other Southwest games Wednesday:

Bishop Gorman 79, Spring Valley 17 -- At Bishop Gorman, Aaryn Ellenberg had 20 points and Amber Lane added 14 to help the Gaels cruise past the Grizzlies. Gorman jumped to a 32-3 lead after one quarter. Yahindra Edwards had 13 points and Danielle Diamant 12 for the Gaels. Chynna Wimberly led Spring Valley with six points.

Bonanza 68, Western 44 -- At Bonanza, Christin Figgins and Shirley Pitts each scored 16 points, and the Bengals built a 36-22 halftime lead and routed the Warriors. Melanie Russell led Western with 18 points, all coming on her six 3-pointers.

Sierra Vista 47, Desert Oasis 24 -- At Sierra Vista, Jeanette Jackson scored a game-high 16 points to help the Grizzlies down the Diamondbacks. Savedra Andrade added eight points for Sierra Vista, which held Desert Oasis to one point in the second quarter. Auburn Smith scored 15 points to lead Desert Oasis.

The boxscore:

Pahrump Valley 51

Durango 40

DURANGO (40)

Bell 17, Boucher 17, Gaines 2, Klinholm 2, Tullis 1, Thomas 1. Totals 13 8-13 40.

PAHRUMP VALLEY (51)

Scheller 18, Daffer 13, Simmons 8, Kunzi 6, Lindgren 4, Veloz 2. Totals 20 11-23 51.

DHS 10 12 0 18--40

PVHS 11 7 17 16--51