Under the Radar: Arizona 5A Southern Region

With the 2021-2022 high school basketball season closing in, let’s take a little bit of time to look back on the last season and some of the elite players that may have fallen a little Under the Radar in the state of Arizona Class AAAAA Southern region. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="214604" first="Anneliese" last="Felix"] - Senior - 5’5" - Sunnyside High School </strong> The five-foot-five point guard for the Sunnyside Lady Devils, [player_tooltip player_id="214604" first="Anneliese" last="Felix"] will be back to make a statement for the last time for her high school team. The captain is coming off of a successful junior season where she averaged 8.7 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and 3.4 assists per game. She is one of the top playmakers for her team and in the region as a whole, so there is no doubt that she had all eyes on her once she stepped onto the floor. Felix was also awarded the MaxPreps Player of the Game award twice during the 2020-2021 basketball season for her outstanding performances against Palo Verde (8 points, 4, rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal) and Cienega (12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals). She also made the All-Region 2nd Team for the year. #32 will be one of the top seniors to watch this season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137281" first="Alani" last="Encinas"] - Senior - 5’8" - Buena High School </strong> Alani has been playing for the Buena High School Lady Colts since her freshman year and will be returning to the court one last time for her senior season. The five-foot-eight captain averaged 13.8 points per game throughout the 2020-2021 basketball season for a total of 124 points scored for the year. She also finished with 30 three-pointers and shot 60% from the free-throw line. In a blowout in February against Desert View, Encinas had 22 points and 18 of those came from behind the arc. It is safe to say that this combo guard can get the job done anywhere on the court. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="263400" first="Nayeli" last="Nidez-Acuna"] - Sophomore - Sunnyside High School </strong> As a freshman this past basketball season, Nidez-Acuna really stood out above the rest during her minutes for the Sunnyside High School Lady Devils. After playing in all 17 games for the year, Nayeli averaged 7.1 points per game followed by an impressive 9.4 rebounds per game. She was awarded the Max Preps Player of the Game award for her stellar performances against Rincon (17 points, 17 rebounds 1 steal), Gilbert (6 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals), and Flowing Wells (12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block). The long and powerful forward finished off her first season playing at the next level with four double-double finishes. Nidez-Acuna will be a name to remember. <strong>Angelique Palacio - Senior - 5’9" - Desert View High School </strong> After coming off of an injury year, Palacio averaged 11.3 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, and 3.6 assists per game. The guard helped her team in nine games throughout their tough season with a total of 102 points and 75 rebounds. Angelique had three different games in the 2020-2021 basketball season where she finished with a double-double. The first against Pueblo (19 points, 11 rebounds), the following game against Santa Rita (19 points, 10 rebounds), and the last later in the year against Walden Grove (13 points, 11 rebounds). She is the type of player who is going to leave it all out on the court, win or lose. <strong>Kenedie Matthews - Junior - 5’4" - Cienega High School</strong> As an underclassman last year, the five-foot-four combo guard for the Cienega Lady Bobcats put on a show in the Class AAAAA Southern region. She averaged 9.1 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game for a total of 100 points and 45 rebounds on the season. Matthews was selected as the MaxPreps Player of the Game five times during her freshman season with the Lady Bobcats and continued the hype into her sophomore year as well. She was also awarded the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year and All-Region 1st Team. I am hoping to see a lot of confidence and leadership from Kenedie throughout the 2021-2022 basketball season.