Five Prep Girls Under the Radar for 2021 – Part III

Talent is abundant at all levels of girls’ prep play throughout Arizona. While many student-athletes will be on scholarship to Division I colleges, others are under the radar. Here are profiles of five of them - part III in a series. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="136269" first=<strong>"Chloe"</strong> last=<strong>"Strachan</strong>"]: is a 5-3 senior point guard for the Pinnacle High School Pioneers. She also plays second base on the Lady Pioneers softball team and is a three-sport athlete. For first-year coach Erica Farnsworth, Chloe averaged 8.6 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, and 2.2 steals per game. Pinnacle fell short in this year’s playoffs, losing to Mesa 69-63 in overtime. The Pioneers were down 14 at halftime but rallied to force overtime. Chloe made the All 6A Desert Valley Region second team. She excels on defense with high energy, pushes the pace of the game, and attacks the basket. "She is very good at many things, but is an aggressive defender," said Coach Farnsworth. Pinnacle had their work cut out for them this season, with three players leaving the school for different prep schools. Chloe also plays for Arizona Select, her grassroots team. During last summer and fall, she played in a number of tournaments including the Crash the Boards Tournament, the Las Vegas Summer Showdown, and last October’s Lady X Tournament. Chloe is a gifted athlete that should excel at the next level. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="136279" first="<strong>Julie</strong>" last=<strong>"Diveney</strong>"] is a 5-8 point guard who plays for the Sunrise Mountain Mustangs in Peoria. Sunrise Mountain finished 16-5 and 10-1 in their region while Julie averaged 11.8 points per game, 2.4 rebounds per game, and 2.0 steals per game. The Mustangs lost in the 5A tournament to Verrado High School, 53-40. For her career, a total of 97 games, Julie averaged 11.0 points per game and 2.0 assists per contest. She played on the varsity for four straight years and averaged 8.5 points per game as a freshman. The only senior on this year’s team, Julie took more of a leadership role. In four years she scored over 1,000 career points and hit on 35% of her three-point shots and has a career percentage of 77% from the free-throw line. She was named Regional Defensive Player of the Year. In a game in 2020, Julie hit eight three-pointers against Ironwood, breaking the school record of seven. She has a bright future at the college level. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="218396" first=<strong>"Megan"</strong> last=<strong>"Mattingly</strong>"] is a 5-11 point forward for Tri-City Prep in Prescott. Captain of her team, Megan in 2020 averaged 14.3 points per game, 12.7 rebounds per game. 4.9 steals per game and 4.7 blocks per game. During the 2019-2020 season, she was selected as Player of the Game on two occasions - Against Canyon View Prep and also against Mingus Mountain Academy. The Canyon Athletic Association named Megan All Division I when she was a freshman at the Trinity Christian School. Even as an eighth-grader, Megan was honored by the AZ Central.com sports awards committee. She has improved every year since and is both an outstanding defender and rebounder. She shouldn’t have much trouble playing at the next level. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="218400" first="<strong>Ryan</strong>" last="<strong>Gilvin</strong>"] is a 6-foot point forward for Walden Grove High School. Although her team finished 3-10, Ryan was named the 4A Defensive Player of the Year while averaging 17.2 points per game, 17.9 rebounds per contest, and 4.7 blocks per game. In mid-February, in a loss to Amphitheatre High School, she had an incredible double-double - 27 points and 26 rebounds to go along with 4 blocks, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Ryan plays for Coach Jeremy Maas in the 4A Gila Section. She led the region in points, rebounds, and blocks and won the Player of the Game Award six times in February and March of 2021. Ryan finished third in the state in both rebounds and blocks per game. She has good size and length for the point forward position and performed well over the last year in AAU competition. Although she has completed her eligibility for the Red Wolves, her best basketball is ahead for her. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="113547" first="Morgan" last="Christensen"]</strong> is a 5-10 senior shooting guard with the American Leadership Academy in Queen Creek. In 15 games, she averaged 16.5 points per game, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.4 steals. ALA lost to the Flagstaff Eagles in the 4A playoffs. During her sophomore year - 2018-2019 - Morgan was selected as the Player of the Game on three separate occasions - against Ironwood, Arizona College Prep, and Desert View. Morgan was first-team All-Region in the 4A Desert Sky Region and was second in the region in field goals. She has a scholarship offer from Ottawa University and is a member of the Honorable Mention Sports360AZ All-Academic Girls Basketball team. Her unweighted GPA is 3.2. Playing for Coach Jeff Heggie, Morgan moved to Arizona from Idaho during her sophomore year. "She has lots of talent and can play multiple positions," said Coach Heggie."She has had a major impact on our program." This spring and summer, Morgan will be playing for Team Arizona, her grassroots team. &nbsp; &nbsp;