4A-OPEN Finals: 2023 Standouts

March 2nd-4th I watched four State Finals of 4A-OPEN at Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum in Phx, AZ. 

Results

4A #4 Pueblo Warriors 65 #2 Flagstaff 68

5A #3 Sunrise Mountain 52 #1 Canyon View 47

6A #5 Valley Vista 48 #3 Dobson 46

OPEN #6 Millennium 37 #1 Desert Vista 63

Here were some of the Senior Standouts

Mackenzie Dunham Mackenzie Dunham 6'0" | PF Sunrise Mountain | 2023 State AZ Sunrise Mountain

An extremely strong and taller post player with an impressive build/frame. She comes with skill with a nice lefty touch from the free throw line, a drop step move and handles it decently to create her own offense. She sees over the top of the defense to make good passes and is a top of the line rebounder. She had an impressive stat line of 13 points 20 rebounds 4 assists and four blocks. 

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

A bigger wing forward with high skill level and toughness. She is a very good passer and has great hands to catch tough passes in the post and can hit from mid-range. The Santa Barbara commit battled all game despite their loss. 

Aaliyah Garcia Aaliyah Garcia 5'5" | CG Dobson | 2023 State AZ Dobson (Pictured)

A skilled scoring combo guard made some big plays down the stretch. She comes off the pick smartly and gets to her spots. She hit some clutch free throws and has a soft three shot with a tight handle. 

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

A pure point guard is the all time 6A states winner with four rings. She changes speeds and will burst by and throw the dime. She gets into the mix defensively with steals, making them feel uncomfortable and makes open shots from the three point line. One of the top competitors in the class.

Mackenzie Nielsen Mackenzie Nielsen 5'10" Sunrise Mountain | 2023 AZ Sunrise Mountain

A scoring guard from all levels. She has a polished floater game and can give a hard ball fake and will burst by. She likes the mid-range jumper and will hit some big triples. She actually made one four-point play. She unofficially scored 14 points in the final.  

Reena Bhakta Reena Bhakta 5'11" | PF Sunrise Mountain | 2023 State AZ Sunrise Mountain

A tough forward plays physically inside. She can get on the glass and get herself to the free throw line. She plays with a motor and can score it around the basket as well. She actually made 10 free throws with 14 points.

Victoria Cazares Victoria Cazares 5'5" | PG Pueblo | 2023 State AZ Pueblo

Once again Victoria had a big night in the playoffs. She can blow by to score on layups with her dominant right hand and likes the floater game. She hit some big three point shots off the catch or dribble. She is very hard to keep out of the paint and also from going right. She has quick hands and good defensive instincts. She scored 27 points. 

Sage Begay Sage Begay 5'8" | SG Flagstaff | 2023 State AZ Flagstaff 

A skilled scoring guard is a versatile scorer and scrappy defender. She can post up smaller defenders in the post and fade away plus likes the floater game. She is competitive to block shots and can step out and rattle off threes.  

Myla Truitt Myla Truitt 5'4" | CG Pueblo | 2023 State AZ Pueblo

A tough undersized combo guard is fearless. She can get downhill with her thicker build to score in traffic plus is a pitbull defender on the ball. She has quick hands and feet and pesters her opponents. 

Avery Stickler PF 5’9 2023 Canyon View

A tough power forward battles inside versus bigger players. She scores on transition buckets and was that veteran presence all year long on a very young team.