By Coach Jess Geeson
The Yucca Valley Lady Trojan basketball team came away with a hard- fought 77-71 overtime win over Twentynine Palms last night in front of a raucous crowd at the Bell Center at Copper Mountain College.
The Lady Trojans were trailing 51-44 at the start of the fourth quarter, but they began to claw their way back, behind the hot shooting of junior Sara Mills, sophomore Chloe McNellie, and freshman Malia Ulery, who combined for 20 of the team’s 23 fourth-quarter points.
Starting overtime tied 67-67, both Mills and Ulery each knocked down a clutch three-point basket in the extra period as the Yucca Valley girls sealed their first win in the second annual Battle of the Ball.
Mills finished the game with 23 points. Senior Coy Smith poured in 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. McNellie added 14 points while Ulery notched 12 points.
The victory pushed the Yucca Valley girls’ Desert Valley League record to 7-0 and overall record to 17-3. The team travels to Desert Hot Springs on Friday for their next game. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.
By Coach Tim Stanford
The Twentynine Palms girls’ varsity basketball team dropped to second place in the Desert Valley League with their loss at the Bell Center in overtime 77-71. Top scorers on the night were Bre Bell with 25 points, Riley King with 11 points, Mary Carbiener with 10 points, and Kate Bobadilla with nine points.
