6A State Champions

The season is now officially over and players are already getting settled with their club teams. While the high school season is over, I am still thinking about those state championship games and wanted to take some time today to highlight those teams and their players. <strong>6A - Valley Vista</strong> Valley Vista had a terrific season, going 18-0 throughout the regular season. Through the season, Valley Vista faced some tough competition and had key contributions from [player_tooltip player_id="65617" first="Olivia" last="Arvallo"], [player_tooltip player_id="136266" first="Ava" last="Ferraro"], [player_tooltip player_id="136271" first="Alanis" last="Delgado"], [player_tooltip player_id="135712" first="Sophie" last="Martinez"], Mikela Cooper, [player_tooltip player_id="136251" first="Madison" last="Magee"], and [player_tooltip player_id="137278" first="Saniyah" last="Neverson"]. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="65617" first="Olivia" last="Arvallo"] 5’3 Freshman Guard:</strong> Arvallo really impressed me this season. She didn’t play too often but when she did, she was productive. She can really shoot the ball and has extreme confidence in her shooting ability. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136266" first="Ava" last="Ferraro"] 5’5 Junior Guard:</strong> Ferraro can also shoot the 3 ball, especially from the corner. However, I think her greatest asset is her on-ball defense. When she is in that lock down mindset, she will really pressure you and make you uncomfortable. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136271" first="Alanis" last="Delgado"] 5’5 Junior Guard:</strong> Alanis would be solid throughout the season and then would come up clutch in big moments and knock down some big shots to bring her team back into games. She is steadily getting better as she gets more confidence. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135712" first="Sophie" last="Martinez"] 5’6 Senior Guard:</strong> Martinez missed some time with injury and they looked like a little bit of a different team without her. They really benefited from having her veteran leadership at the point guard spot. <strong>Mikela Cooper 5’10 Sophomore Forward:</strong> Cooper is super athletic and very long. She played very good defense throughout the year, having crazy length and athleticism. As the season progressed, I thought she looked more and more comfortable scoring the ball and took more shots. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136251" first="Madison" last="Magee"] 6’1 Junior Forward:</strong> Magee really did some good things on the defensive side of the game. She frequently turned away shots at the basket and made drivers uncomfortable. In the playoffs and state game, she came up with a few big time blocks that helped her team secure the victory. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137278" first="Saniyah" last="Neverson"] 6’0 Sophomore Forward: </strong> Neverson showed a lot of potential this season. She is still super young but is showing flashes of greatness. Add that with her size and mobility and she could really turn into something special. She was a big presence for Valley Vista under the basket and came up with a ton of rebounds. However, it was no secret who their dynamic duo was. The pairing of [player_tooltip player_id="36790" first="Jennah" last="Isai"] and [player_tooltip player_id="136237" first="Marisa" last="Davis-Jones"] proved to be lethal. When their team needed them in the playoffs and the state title game, these two showed up big time and secured the title for their school. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136237" first="Marisa" last="Davis-Jones"] 6’1 Junior Forward:</strong> In my opinion, MDJ was the MVP of the season. She had a tremendous season and came up big time for her team in the semifinals and the championship game, showing off her clutch gene. MDJ had such an amazing season that she is going to be up for PGH Player of the Year, more on that coming soon. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="36790" first="Jennah" last="Isai"] 5’10 Sophomore Guard: </strong> Isai showed a lot of toughness coming back from her injury and being just as productive as ever. While she did sit out some games here and there, she was electric when she was in. She can attack the basket with force, draw fouls, and make some highlight worthy assists. Really enjoy watching her play and can’t wait to see where she goes from here.