ROUNDUP: Coronado girls edge Pahrump Valley

Sarah Dexter watched as her Coronado teammates tried and tried, and tried some more to hit outside shots Monday.

Then, in a 93-second span in the fourth quarter, the sophomore point guard showed the Cougars how it’s done.

Dexter made a pair of 3-pointers to start and finish an 8-0 run, helping Coronado hold off visiting Pahrump Valley, 39-36.

“I had an open shot, and when I get an open shot, I just take it,” Dexter said.

Dexter, a 5-foot-2-inch reserve, went 3-for-6 on long-range shots for all of her nine points. Her teammates shot a combined 3-for-18 from behind the arc.

“She’s a good shooter. We told her to step in and take the shot,” said Coronado coach Bill Crego, whose team shot 15 of 70 overall. “Normally, we shoot the ball a lot better than that.”

The Cougars’ game plan was to try to spread out Pahrump’s defense, then work the ball inside. But Kristi Daffer, Pahrump’s 6-1 senior center, thwarted that plan.

Coronado (3-0) scored only 12 points in the paint, and four came on transition layups.

Daffer finished with 20 points and 20 rebounds, but the Trojans simply didn’t get her the ball often enough.

Pahrump (3-2) struggled to pass the ball effectively, committing 33 turnovers and taking itself out of offensive rhythm.

“In the second half, they started double-teaming her, and when they do that, you have to start looking other places,” Pahrump coach Jason Odegard said. “We just have to do a better job of taking care of the ball.”

Still, the Trojans had a chance to tie the game late.

Down 38-36 with less than 20 seconds to play, Pahrump brought the ball up the floor after a blocked shot by Yaundee Otano. But the Trojans turned the ball over before getting off a shot.

Stacy Rapp added a free throw with 8.7 seconds left, and another Pahrump turnover sealed the outcome.

Rapp had 12 points for Coronado. Pahrump’s Alyson Kunzi scored 11 points, all in the second half.