The Troy boys basketball team bounced back quickly from its first loss of the season with a 67-51 win over Missoula’s Valley Christian Saturday night at the Troy Activity Center.

The win helped head coach Cody Orr celebrate his birthday as the Trojans (5-1) returned from the holiday break with a 67-47 win Jan. 3 at Plains before losing their first game at Superior, 66-50, Friday.

Senior small forward Dmitrii Walenter led Troy with 22 points, including four 3-pointers. Nolan Morris was next with 19 points and Carson Orr netted 13 points.

The Trojans also saw Emerson Downey and Thomas Guinard each score five points while Mason Crowe had two.

Senior Trevor Guinard gave the Trojans a fun moment late in the game when he was fouled with six seconds left. Guinard, who doesn’t get a lot of varsity playing time, missed the first three throw attempt before his second shot bounced high off the rim and through the net for Troy’s last point, prompting a celebration by his teammates and the home crowd.

Valley Christian scored the first basket of the game, but a barrage of 3-pointers by Morris, Orr and Walenter gave Troy a 9-5 lead, one it never lost, less than halfway through the first quarter.

Entering the second quarter with a 14-10 lead, the Trojans used an 8-2 run in 2:15 to make it 22-12 as Valley Christian called a timeout.

Walenter began the run with a 3, then Downey hit a triple. Orr blocked a shot and Downey scored a layup to make it a 10-point lead.

The Trojans built the lead to 13, 30-17, after Orr scored on a drive and hit four straight free throws.

Valley managed to trim the lead to six points, 34-28, at halftime as it hit a trio of 3-pointers.

But the Trojans only needed a minute to re-establish a double digit lead in the second half, 40-28. Crowe drove and scored to begin the 6-0 spurt, Orr followed with a basket and Walenter scored on a fast break.

Again, Valley answered and cut the Trojan lead to four points, 40-36, with 4:59 left in the third quarter.

But the Trojans responded in the last three minutes with a 10-5 run to get the lead back to nine points, 50-41.

Morris started it with a 3, then he found Walenter for a layup. After a Morris putback, Walenter’s 3 with just three seconds left culminated the run.

Following a Valley miss, another long pass from Morris to Walenter resulted in a layup and a 52-41 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Valley managed to cut the lead to eight, 55-47, at the midway point of the fourth.

But the Trojans’ 11-0 run, led by Walenter's seven points, over the next 2 1/2 minutes put the game on ice for the hosts.

Troy returns to action Friday at Mission, then returns home Saturday to host Victor.

    Troy boys head coach Cody Orr watches his team in a game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against Valley Christian. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
  

    Troy's Nolan Morris works his way around a defender in a game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against Valley Christian. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
  

    Troy's Carson Orr heads upcourt in a game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against Valley Christian. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
  

    Troy's Thomas Guinard passes the ball to a teammate in a game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against Valley Christian. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)