AIA Open Division Preview: Favorites, Sleepers, & Best Matchups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The post season is right around the corner here in the Arizona girls basketball world. This year the AIA "Open Division" will consist of the best 32 teams in the 4A-6A divisions. Seeding was determined by a regular season scoring system put together by the AIA. The teams listed below are my picks for the favorites, sleepers and best first round one matchups. The Open Division Tournament begins on Tuesday, February 7th at 7PM.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Favorites:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Desert Vista (Open #1): Without a doubt, Desert Vista is the most talented team in the state of Arizona. The Thunder finished the regular season with a record of 23-3. The 3 losses coming from out of state teams. The Thunder are led by freshman sensation guard [player_tooltip player_id='558892' first='Jerzy' last='Robinson'] and ESPN ranked top 50 junior [player_tooltip player_id='203873' first='Shay' last='Ijiwoye']. Robinson is averaging 20 points and 8 rebounds a game while Ijiwoye is averaging 14 points and 3 rebounds a game. The crazy thing is the Thunder have more fire power on their team with Junior [player_tooltip player_id='205646' first='Eanae' last='Dagons'], and Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='339069' first='Michaela' last='Fairwell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='588763' first='Dylan' last='Swindle']. This Thunder team is athletic, skilled and deep. Desert Vista's one weakness is lack of height. If they run into Perry or Millennium, they'll be in a dogfight. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perry (Open #2): The Perry Pumas are coming into postseason play with an impressive 23-2 record. The Pumas are led in the front court by two seniors in Vanderbilt commit [player_tooltip player_id='138098' first='Khamil' last='Pierre'] and 6'4 center [player_tooltip player_id='550689' first='Lauren' last='Crocker']. These two players accumulate an average of over 35 points and 20 rebounds a game. The Pumas will rely on freshman sensation [player_tooltip player_id='589954' first='Sage' last='Henry'] and Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='589986' first='Isabella' last='Ivy'] to handle pressure in postseason play. The Pumas are a well-balanced team with ideal height and size at every position. I see this team making a run at the Open Division title but their journey there will not be easy. Potential matchups of Fairfax, Mountain Ridge, and Millennium will all be tough tasks for this Perry team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Xavier Prep (Open #4): The Xavier Prep Gators come into postseason play with an impressive 17-5 record. The Gators are led by their "Big-3" in [player_tooltip player_id='205638' first='Dominique' last='Nesland'], [player_tooltip player_id='205647' first='Maureen' last='Ulrich'] and Irene Guiamatsia. Nesland is a gamer and is known to hit big shots with the game on the line. The Gators will be in need of Nesland's magic in the open division playoffs to make a run at a Open Division State Title. The Gators will start their playoff journey on Tuesday against Corona del Sol.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Millennium (Open #7): The Tigers come into the Open Division playoffs red hot. They have won 10 of their last 11 games and are starting to peak at the right time. The reigning 5A state champs are hungry for a run at the open division state title. This team is loaded with talent including: Isabella Barrett, [player_tooltip player_id='65613' first='Mia' last='Amundsen'], Cecilia Cabrero, and [player_tooltip player_id='205641' first='Elli' last='Guiney']. The Tigers will rely heavily on the scoring of junior [player_tooltip player_id='205641' first='Elli' last='Guiney'] and senior (University of California-Santa Barbara commit) Isabella Barrett. This team is poised for a state title run with their skill, experience and leadership. I would love to see a rematch between Millennium and Xavier Prep in the tournament and see if Millennium can avenge their loss from earlier in the season. Millennium's one weakness is playing against a team with shooting and more athleticism. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sleepers:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McClintock (Open #21): The Chargers have not been given enough attention this year sitting at a record of 23-2. They are led by sophomore superstar [player_tooltip player_id='558894' first='Aiyanna' last='Perkins'], freshman Lamaiya Woodberry, and senior guard Xaria Culver. Perkins is near the top of all scorers in the state averaging 22 points a night. The Chargers are fast, physical, skilled and well coached group. McClintock has the offensive firepower and defensive tenacity to upset some really good teams in the open division. [player_tooltip player_id='558894' first='Aiyanna' last='Perkins'] is the real deal and is capable of putting this Charger team on her back in the playoffs. I'm picking McClintock to upset Canyon View in the first round of the open division tournament and then going onto upset Mesquite in the second round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairfax (Open #15): The 21-4 Fairfax Stampede are one of the most electric teams in the entire state. The Stampede's roster consists of 8 sophomores and 2 freshman. Despite being an all underclassmen group, these ladies are forreal on the basketball court. They are fast, smart and insanely skilled. The Stampede are led in scoring by three sophomores: [player_tooltip player_id='558946' first='Mackenzie' last='Buckner'](16.3pts/game), [player_tooltip player_id='509044' first='Saniya' last='Jones'](12.2pts/game), and [player_tooltip player_id='513103' first='Victoria' last='Ballard'](12.2pts/game). Buckner is a division-one talent post player with a super high ceiling. This Fairfax team is capable of knocking off the best of the best come playoff time with their up-tempo style of play. I like the Stampede to win their first round game against Campo Verde and give Perry a fight in round two. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valley Vista (Open #17): The Monsoon are coming into the open division playoffs scorching hot, finishing with a record of 18-8. The Monsoon rattled of 8 straight wins to end the regular season. They are led by a big 3 of junior [player_tooltip player_id='586382' first='Emma' last='Dasovich'](13pts/game), senior [player_tooltip player_id='65617' first='Olivia' last='Arvallo'](11pts/game) and senior [player_tooltip player_id='208237' first='Hannah' last='Young'](9pts/game). This Monsoon team is red-hot and very well coached. They play team basketball that is capable of knocking out some of the more talented teams in the state. Watch out for Valley Vista.. They're a very talented and experienced team that is capable of playing with the best of the best. I'd take Valley Vista to beat Sunrise Mountain on the road in round one. Valley Vista will then go up against Desert Vista in round two. Valley Vista ended Desert Vista's season last year on their way to a 6A title. Can they repeat history by upsetting the #1 team in the open division state tournament?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mountain Ridge (Open #23): The 17-7 Mountain Lions were one of my preseason favorites to make a run at an open division title with the talent they have. They have the talent and experience led by their seniors: 2023 Georgia commit [player_tooltip player_id='208030' first='Miyah' last='Verse'](16pts/game), [player_tooltip player_id='261427' first='Hannah' last='Uhlenhop'](9pts/game), [player_tooltip player_id='261429' first='Janae' last='Floyd'](7rbs/game) and [player_tooltip player_id='590915' first='Alyssa' last='Fraulino'](11pts/game). The Mountain Lions have had some impressive wins on the season against Hamilton, Deer Valley and Pinnacle. On the flip side, they have also had some disappointing losses. The Mountain Lions are definitely capable of making a run at an Open Division title if they can right the ship this postseason. The Mountain Lions will travel to Flagstaff in Round One of the Open Division Tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hamilton (Open #9): Hamilton is a year away from having one of the most experienced teams in the state of Arizona. This season the Hamilton Huskies have put together an exceptional season with a record of 20-7. They have put together some very impressive wins against Millennium, Seton Catholic, and Deer Valley. They also have a couple of impressive close losses to Perry, Mountain Ridge, and Xavier Prep. Hamilton is led by four outstanding Juniors in [player_tooltip player_id='205652' first='Savanna' last='Creal'](14pts/game), [player_tooltip player_id='205673' first='Breanna' last='Sommers'](11pts/game), [player_tooltip player_id='205644' first='Reanna' last='Farrington'](5pts/game) and [player_tooltip player_id='339065' first='Ella' last='Malee'](9pts/game). These Huskies are well coached and play extremely hard on both ends of the floor. They are not going to "WOW" you with athleticism, but they are going to wear you down with their effort and execution. Although, I think the Huskies are a year away from being a legitimate contender they definitely have the skill-set to knock out some really talented teams. Hamilton will host Gilbert for their first round game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best First Round Match-Ups</strong> <strong>(Tuesday, February 7th @ 7PM)</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#19 Catalina Foothills @ #14 Mesa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#22 Deer Valley @ #11 Sandra Day O'Conner</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#23 Mountain Ridge @ #10 Flagstaff</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#20 Notre Dame Prep @ #13 Dobson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#17 Valley Vista @ #16 Sunrise Mountain</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->