Millennium/Valley Vista Notes

On Thursday December 15th the Valley Vista Monsoon hosted the Tigers of Millennium in one of the bigger rivalries in girls basketball in the Valley. These two west valley programs have 9 combined state championships in the last six years.

The game started off with Valley Vista jumping out to a 6-2 lead led by their back court of Arvallo and Chavez. Millennium answered with a 9-2 run to end the 1st quarter. Midway through the 2nd quarter Arvallo picked up her third foul and had to sit. This enabled the Lady Tigers to expand their lead to 23-10 at half.

It wasn’t too long into the 3rd quarter that Arvallo picked up another foul and once again had to sit for a substantial amount of time. By the beginning of the 4th quarter the Lady Tigers had expanded the lead to 33-15. The final score ended up being 53-29 with Millennium cruising to an easy win.

Valley Vista is in the rebuilding stages and never got going, which made it even harder without their senior leader Olivia Arvallo Olivia Arvallo 5'2" | PG Valley Vista | 2023 State AZ on the court for much of the game. Elli Guiney Elli Guiney 5'9" | CG Millennium | 2024 State AZ led the way for Millennium in the victory.

Here I take a look at some of the prospects from both teams.

Elli Guiney Elli Guiney 5'9" | CG Millennium | 2024 State AZ Millennium (Featured Image)

Guiney showed why she is one of the better 2024 prospects in the state. She knows how to play the game and in my opinion has a little Diana Taurasi in her game. She can pretty much get any shot she wants whenever she wants. She plays at her own pace offensively and uses good instincts on the defensive end to collect steals. If I’m a college coach I would be following this young lady very closely.

Mia Amundsen Mia Amundsen 5'9" | CG Millennium | 2023 State AZ Millennium

An excellent shooter who is an underrated passer. Even though she’s been labeled as a shooter she showed good floor instincts in looking for open teammates. She also has quick hands on defense.

Bella Barrett Bella Barrett 5'11" | SF Millennium | 2023 State AZ Millennium

Barrett showed good versatility from the forward position. She’s a good rebounder and isn’t afraid to get the ball and push it up court. She can play and defend multiple positions.

Olivia Arvallo Olivia Arvallo 5'2" | PG Valley Vista | 2023 State AZ Valley Vista

The senior leader reputation speaks for itself and is a proven winner. She was unable to get going in this game due to foul trouble but everyone knows what she is capable of. A pure point guard who runs the show by putting pressure on the defense as a scoring threat and a distributor.

Jocelyn Chavez Jocelyn Chavez 4'0" | C La Joya Community | 2023 AZ Valley Vista

A sharpshooting junior guard had a difficult time getting going due to the Tigers defense but obviously is a leader for the Monsoon. She has a smooth game off the dribble and can shoot it from deep.

Izabella Juarez F 6’0 2026 Valley Vista

The cupboard isn’t empty just yet for Valley Vista as Juarez will lead the youth movement moving forward. The freshman showed good shooting touch from 3 and wasn’t tentative at all. She was also very active on defense.

Deja Strong F 6’0 2026 Valley Vista

Another freshman who has a similar skill set to Juarez. She is strong and has good length from the forward position. The duo form a bright future for the Monsoon.