Section 7: AZ First Day Matchups
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This week, Section 7, the top scholastic exposure event in the country, takes place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Close to 100 teams and over 1000 players will participate on June 14 and 15. Here I look at some…
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Continue ReadingThis week, Section 7, the top scholastic exposure event in the country, takes place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Close to 100 teams and over 1000 players will participate on June 14 and 15.
Here I look at some of the first day matchups of Arizona high school teams:
Peoria Liberty High School vs Scottsdale Saguaro
Sophomore
Makenna Johnson
Makenna
Johnson
5'8" | SF
Liberty | 2027
State
AZ
and senior
Emma Koker
Emma
Koker
5'11" | SF
Liberty | 2025
AZ
lead Liberty out of the 6A Desert Valley region. Junior Lilliana Welstad is another solid player for the Lady Lions.
Saguaro, representing the 4A Desert Sky region, is led by the dynamic senior duo of
Alexa Simpson
Alexa
Simpson
5'11" | SG
Saguaro | 2025
State
AZ
and
Erica McGadney
Erica
McGadney
5'10" | SF
Bella Vista Prep | 2025
State
AZ
. Senior Jada Mitchell is another nice contributor to the Sabercat’s success.
Page High School vs Peoria Sunrise Mountain
The defending 3A state champions look to continue to build on this past season’s success. They return the senior twins Leikara Yazzie and Lelaura Yazzie Lelaura Yazzie 5'8" | PG Page | 2025 AZ from last season’s team. They have a good crop of young players coming as well.
The Lady Mustangs return most of their scoring from last season’s team. Versatile senior guard
Savanna Dotray
Savanna
Dotray
5'11" | SF
Sunrise Mountain | 2025
State
AZ
and junior forward
Addison Wiemann
Addison
Wiemann
6'2" | C
Sunrise Mountain | 2026
State
AZ
lead them. Senior
Jaden Maza
Jaden
Maza
5'10" | SF
Sunrise Mountain | 2025
State
AZ
is a big part of what they do as well.
Mohave Accelerated Learning Center vs Seton Catholic Prep
Mohave Accelerated, representing the 2A West region, is led by Juniors Megan Jones and Tanner Banks. Haley Leslie also is a solid all-around contributor for the Patriots.
Seton Catholic, one of the better small school programs, looks to make some noise this weekend. Seniors
Carmella Gallardo
Carmella
Gallardo
5'8" | SG
Seton Catholic | 2025
State
AZ
and
Mia DiPuccio
Mia
DiPuccio
6'0" | PF
Seton Catholic | 2025
State
AZ
will lead them. They could be the best 1,2 punch in 3A next season.
Miami High School vs Tucson Sunnyside
The Vandals are a team that should make some noise in their bracket. They return their top four scorers from last season’s 2A title runner-up squad. The ring leader is sophomore point guard Tamia Pietila Tamia Pietila 5'8" | PG Miami | 2027 State AZ and her sister senior Savannah Pietila Savannah Pietila 5'6" | SG Miami | 2025 State AZ . Senior Demetria Dosela Demetria Dosela 5'11" | PF Miami | 2025 State AZ is among the more versatile players in the state.
Sunnyside Blue Devils lost do-everything forward Nayeli Nidez-Acuna to graduation but return plenty of firepower. I expect them to do well in their bracket. They are led by sophomore guards
Ylena Gross
Ylena
Gross
5'6" | PG
Sunnyside | 2027
State
AZ
and
Dora Medina
Dora
Medina
5'6" | PG
Sunnyside | 2027
State
AZ
. Senior
Janae Pritchett
Janae
Pritchett
5'4" | CG
Sunnyside | 2025
AZ
and Junior
Esabella Barajas
Esabella
Barajas
5'7" | SF
Sunnyside | 2026
State
AZ
are also major contributors.
Eastmark High School vs Tucson Sahuaro
The Firebirds represent the 4A East Sky region and return the bulk of their contributors. They return senior forward Anna LaFountain and junior point guard
Ella LaFountain
Ella
LaFountain
5'6" | PG
Eastmark | 2026
State
AZ
. They also have sophomore Kaitlynn Bennett doing damage in the post.
The Lady Cougars represent the 4A Kino region. They are rebuilding after losing three seniors. They do return Seniors Biale Silka and Maggie Boyd.
Glendale Prep vs Dobson High School
The Griffins look to continue the momentum built from an Elite 8 finish in last season’s 2A State Playoffs. They return most of their contributors, including seniors
Senna Smith
Senna
Smith
6'1" | PF
Glendale Prep | 2025
State
AZ
and Maddie Caspers. Look for contributions from Maggie Hawkins, Ally Moore, Sydney Pettingill, Natalie Whipple, and Mikayla King.
The Mustangs will be looking to make some noise in their bracket this week. Senior point guard
Jaziah Billey
Jaziah
Billey
5'4" | PG
Dobson | 2025
State
AZ
leads them. Jaz is among the best passers in the state and will undoubtedly put on a show. Dobson also has sophomore Lana Shirley, junior Aliana Garcia, and rising senior
Amya Malone
Amya
Malone
5'8" | SG
Dobson | 2025
State
AZ
.
Gilbert Highland High School vs Chandler High School
The Hawks return a roster that lost only one senior. They are led by juniors Emilee Searle and Addison Riggs. They also return sophomore
Bailey Williams
Bailey
Williams
5'7" | PG
Highland | 2027
State
AZ
, junior Megan Kalkman, and sophomore Emery Wright. They will also unveil a possible top-5 freshman in the state,
Peyton Jacobsen
Peyton
Jacobsen
6'0" | SF
Highland | 2028
AZ
.
The Chandler Wolves are another young team that looks to build momentum. They also return the majority of their varsity contributors from last season. This list begins with junior wing
Averi Mehlberg
Averi
Mehlberg
5'9" | SG
Chandler | 2026
State
AZ
, among the best shooters in the state. They also return a trio of juniors
Markayla Shirley
Markayla
Shirley
5'4" | PG
Chandler | 2026
State
AZ
,
Karis Hurd
Karis
Hurd
5'8" | PF
Chandler | 2026
State
AZ
, and
Jesminda Garcia
Jesminda
Garcia
5'8" | PG
Chandler | 2026
State
AZ
.
This week, Section 7, the top scholastic exposure event in the country, takes place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Close to 100 teams and over 1000 players will participate on June 14 and 15.
Here I look at some of the first day matchups of Arizona high school teams:
Peoria Liberty High School vs Scottsdale Saguaro
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading