After three quarters of being down, the North Canyon Rattlers surprised Paradise Valley with a fourth-quarter rally and 75-72 victory Friday night.

North Canyon arrived looking for redemption after last month’s 65-54  loss to PV.

Paradise Valley ended the first quarter with a lead of three points. Junior Nathan Perry stepped in as point guard for the game, with starter Tashon Brown absent from the game. Brown had recently become the third player in Trojan history to reach 1,000 career points.

The Trojans had to adjust and move players into different positions, and coach Corey Bardet said this played a big role in their loss.

“The biggest thing was having guys in different positions,” said Bardet. “You never want to learn by losing but I think we have some guys that learned different spots and different situations they haven’t been in.”

As the second quarter started, the energy picked up. The Rattlers defense made it difficult for the Trojans to move the ball around, but Trojans' fastbreaks made up for it.

With 4:40 left in the second quarte, the Trojans were ahead 21-13. The pace of the game slowed down in the second quarter due to foul trouble for both teams.

“I think the foul trouble played a big role tonight,” said Bardet. “Our point guard fouled out with six to seven minutes to go, so we had a lot of guys in spots they’re not usually in.”

Going into halftime the Trojans were still up 30-25.

As the third quarter started, so did North Canyon’s momentum. Avery Wilkes kept his team in it with his numerous three-point shots. However, with 1:50 left, Trojans completed a 10-point run for a 48-38 lead. This didn’t stop the Rattlers from fighting back.

“We competed the whole time like every game we play,” said Rattlers player Tre O’Guinn. “We just compete and play for each other and it always works out for us.”

In the third quarter both teams struggled with fouls and had trouble keeping possession of the ball. The third quarter came to an end with Trojans up 54-48.

Shortly after the fourth quarter started, the Trojans' Perry fouled out. The Rattlers took advantage and started to cut into the deficit.

“From what we lack in skill we make up with determination and competitiveness,” said coach Mike O’Guinn.

Turnovers and fouls helped North Canyon stay close, and they went ahead 73-71 when Tre O'Guinn made a pair of free throws with a minute to play.

The Trojans never regained the lead.

“Our kids are built for things like this, they’re built to believe in themselves,” said coach O’Guinn. “It was them, not me.”

The Rattlers will face Notre Dame Prep on Tuesday.

The Trojans plan to return to full strength in time for the playoffs and are preparing for their game against Vista Grande Tuesday as well.