Thursday Standouts

On Thursday, November 16th, I was able to take in a couple of home openers. First, I checked out Central, visiting Xavier, and then followed that up with Desert Ridge taking on Desert Vista.

Here are a few of the standouts that I saw from those games.

Sarah Nakamura Miller Sarah Nakamura Miller 5'11" | CG Xavier College Prep | 2024 State AZ Xavier

Miller looked as if she’s back in top form after missing last season with an injury. She ran the floor well, rebounded well, and hit cutting teammates for easy looks. On offense, she easily kept defenders off of her with her strong frame.

Shay Ijiwoye Shay Ijiwoye 5'6" | PG Desert Vista | 2024 State AZ Desert Vista

Shay showed why she is the top player in the state. She was all over the court on both ends and flirted with the rare quadruple-double. If the full-court pressure had been applied the whole game, she could have had 15 steals.

Lucy Sanford Lucy Sanford 5'3" | PG Xavier College Prep | 2025 State AZ Xavier

Even though she was playing with the second unit, Sanford showed what she will need to bring to the table this season for the Gators. She ran the offense nicely and hit the open three with ease. Lucy will be an important part of the team’s success this season.

Trinity Jones Trinity Jones 6'0" | SF Perry | 2027 AZ Desert Vista

The transfer by way of South Carolina was as advertised. She showed a very nice mid-range game offensively. Even her misses looked good. She passed the ball very well and was a ballhawk on defense.

Saige Miller Saige Miller 5'11" | PF Desert Ridge | 2024 State AZ Desert Ridge

Miller came to battle with the defending champs. She was tough inside, getting a bunch of rebounds and blocking shots. On offense, she finished through contact despite being double-teamed. She even stepped out and showed the range of her jump shot.

Eanae Dagons Eanae Dagons 5'3" | PG Desert Vista | 2024 State AZ Desert Vista

Even though the senior guard was shooting at a high rate, she still let the shots come to her instead of forcing things. On defense, she gave her normal terrific effort, making it extremely hard for those she was guarding to get where they were trying to go.

Dominique Nesland Dominique Nesland 5'10" | PG Xavier College Prep | 2024 State AZ Xavier

Nesland looked like a kid in a candy store with all of the weapons around her. She hit her teammates in stride for repeated easy layups. She had to have close to 10 assists while also doing a little scoring of her own.

Dylan Swindle Dylan Swindle 5'6" | PG Desert Vista | 2025 State AZ Desert Vista

Another one of the fantastic Thunder guards that played extremely well. Swindle played at her own pace and never got sped up. She had some beautiful assists while also knocking down some threes when the ball came her way. Defensively, she also played the passing lanes well and attacked the opposing ball handlers.