El Paso Week 2 Top Performers

Girl's high school basketball is underway in El Paso, and as week two ends, the top programs are heading out of town for early-season tournaments. In the early week's slate of games, there were some pivotal non-district matchups, and some of the best programs in the Borderland area were matched. Here are the top performers from the early slate of games from week 2.    Riverside had another pivotal non-district matchup against the class of 1-5A basketball in El Paso, Burges High School, and Hazel Veloz and the Rangers came away with a big win. Veloz scored a game-high 22 points and did it in one of the least obvious ways I've seen in a while. All that means is that she forced very few shots, played within the flow of the offense, and did it against a stifling team defense that plays with heavy ball pressure. The game performance backed up a lot of what I have seen on tape with this prospect, she's smooth, under control, and takes advantage of her scoring opportunities.     [player_tooltip player_id='932299' first='Alyssa' last='Morales'] scored 17 points in a loss to a tough Riverside squad and at times it wasn't pretty. However, the sophomore guard is full of potential and flashes offensive brilliance that undeniably makes her one of the best prospects out of the class of 2027. Moreover, she did this while nursing a lower extremity injury. She's still learning how to let the game come to her and forces difficult shots. However, that is to be expected for an underclassman and the reps are going to make her better in the long run. She gets a lot of offensive freedom within the Burges offense and she has a green light to take just about whatever shot she wants. In due time, Morales is going to be one of the best prospects to come out of West Texas.     My initial takeaway from seeing the Eastlake girl's basketball team play is that they are loaded at the guard position. Junior Ari Galvan is among that talented backcourt. She's a bit undersized at 5-2, but she is more than competent playing on and off the ball. Moreover, she impacts both ends of the floor. She's a perimeter scorer who has extended range beyond the 3-point line and will take and make just about any opportunity you give her. On the defensive end, she is a pest, with stifling ball pressure, and plays the passing lanes very well. Arguably the most impressive thing about Galvan is how she seemingly fits in with two other talented guards with overlapping talent. None of these players take away from each other and they have obvious synergy and chemistry.     The Eastwood Troopers were back in action this time against the defending 2-5A district champion Hanks Knights and they did not disappoint. As always, Eastwood gets quality production across the board and Abigail Ortega was at the forefront of that. She led the team in scoring with 15 points, going 3-for-6 from three, and showed off her near-perfect jump shot. From a shooting mechanics perspective, there is very little if anything wrong with Ortega's jump shot, it is one of the cleaner-looking jump shots in the Borderland, on the boys' and girls' side.     Jordan Sapien could make the list of top performers every week because she is so good at the little things that come along with being a true point guard. The Lady Spartans came away with a 40-point win against Andress this past Tuesday and Sapien led the way with a team-high 14 points. She made four first-half 3-pointers and was dynamic, as always, out in transition finding and creating shots for others. Her ability to control the pace and be two steps ahead of the defense is why she is largely considered the best player in the Borderland. I have not found any evidence that contradicts that general sentiment. She might be undersized but anyone who looks at that as a serious limitation isn't doing their homework. Moreover, it's just lazy scouting and player evaluation. This kid can play!

Girl's high school basketball is underway in El Paso, and as week two ends, the top programs are heading out of town for early-season tournaments. In the early week's slate of games, there were some pivotal non-district matchups, and some of the best programs in the Borderland area were matched. Here are the top performers from the early slate of games from week 2.