3A State Champions: Season Overview

Sabino entered the year with one single goal on their mind, state title. After the way things had ended the prior season, the team seemed more focus and locked in than ever. I will say that this team faced the most scrutiny and criticism than any other team I’ve ever seen. The overcame all of that and even more adversity when their star point guard suffered a season ending injury. Sabino finished the year 18-0 and won the 3A State Championship. Lets take a look at some key players for Sabino. <b>[player_tooltip player_id="136239" first="Kiya" last="Dorroh"] 6’1 2021 G/F </b> Dorroh is a highly skilled player who can either play the forward or guard spot, whatever her team needs. She demonstrated a high level of leadership throughout the season and improved upon her play-making abilities. Dorroh has always been a great scorer, being able to finish at the rim or shoot the 3 point jumper. However, her court vision and passing really impressed me during the State Championship. She is a top talent in the class of 2021. <b>[player_tooltip player_id="72620" first="Kamryn" last="Doty"] 5’6 2021 G</b> Doty’s shot was not falling during the playoffs, which was odd because all season long she looked really amazing. However, she did what she did best and got to the basket. Doty has a series of quick dribble moves and is ridiculously strong, which allows her to get in the paint at will. She is a great finisher and can really get the opposing team in foul trouble. Doty had to step up and take on a  bigger role once Kam Rhodes went down and Doty did a great job of leading the team with Dorroh. <b>Lauryn Mannion 5’8 2021 G/F</b> Mannion is an out of state transfer, so look for her to be added to the rankings soon. Her efforts did not go unnoticed. She really brought some energy to the team when they needed it. I thought she did a great job of cutting to the basket whenever Dorroh or Doty would attack, this resulted in a ton of easy lay ups for Mannion. Really good job of putting herself in a position to score. She also showed that she can shoot the 3 ball a little bit. Mannion is super athletic and could end up being a really solid prospect. <b>[player_tooltip player_id="137282" first="Kadie" last="Healy"] 5’10 2022 F </b> [player_tooltip player_id="137282" first="Kadie" last="Healy"] does a lot of things for her team that are likely going to go unnoticed by most. Her efforts on defense is top notch. She is actually a really good on ball defender due to her great length and speed. She is also really dangerous in transition, she fills her lane nicely and gets easy scores for herself. Overall, I thought she did a great job of disrupting the opposing offense, especially down low. Between her and Dorroh holding down the defense down low, it made life hard for the opponents. <b>Ella Berg 5’9 2020 F </b> Berg is another transfer who made an immediate impact. While she struggled offensively, she came up big in clutch moments. Her biggest contribution to the team came on the defensive side of the ball and rebounding. She brought a new level of toughness and physicality to the Sabino defense and hustled for every loose ball or rebound she could. I really admire and respect that in players. You’re giving your all to put your team in a better position to win. Love that! <b>Kam Rhodes 5’5 2022 G</b> While Rhodes did suffer a season ending injury early on, it felt wrong leaving her off the list. Rhodes is a very smart guard who can either score or facilitate for her team. She is a top talent in the class of 2022 and I am really excited to see what she’s got for us when she comes back. Hope for a speedy recovery! <b>[player_tooltip player_id="138100" first="Amelie" last="Buffill"] 5’5 2023 G</b> Amelie didn’t play a ton throughout the season, from what I saw at least. However, when she was in, she did some things that caught my attention. In their game against Sahuaro, she came up big! Amelie knocked down multiple 3’s at McKale Center. In other games, she showed good ball handling and solid shooting. Her game really depends on her confidence. If she’s believing in herself, she will play really well! Of course, she is a freshman so she has a lot of time to grow. Her efforts this season really caught my eye and I will definitely be keeping an eye on her development throughout the years.