Season Preview: 4A Contenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The AIA is loaded with 49 very talented 4A teams this upcoming. Last years state tournament teams included: Rio Rico, Deer Valley, Shadow Mountain, Estrella Foothills, Poston Butte, Flagstaff, Greenway, Mesquite, Bradshaw Mountain, Seton Catholic, Saguaro, Paradise Honors, Notre Dame Prep, Sahuaro, Pueblo, and Salpointe Catholic. These are my predictions for the top contenders to bring a home a state championship this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1) Deer Valley: The Skyhawks are coming off a 25-3 season and went into the state tournament as the #1 overall seed. They were upset in the quarterfinals by the 9th overall seed Shadow Mountain 39-36. The Skyhawks lost last year's leading scorer in Gaileah Rivero to graduation, but they are returning just about everyone else. This Skyhawks team is experienced, physical and hungry for a state championship. They will be lead by guards: Eliyah Brosseau , Izzy Majarucon, Diamond Simon, and Toyin Akinsipe. In the paint, they will be lead by one of the states top rim protectors in [player_tooltip player_id='208243' first='Michaela' last='Lee']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2) Flowing Wells: The Caballeros will be a new face in the 4A division this year as they were in 5A last season. Flowing Wells went 29-2 at the 5A level and finished as State Runner-Up as they fell to Millennium in the State Championship game. The Caballeros will be lead by one of the states best players in [player_tooltip player_id='208253' first='Navine' last='Mallon']. Mallon averaged 16pts, 11rbs and 3asts a game last year as a junior. This Caballeros team is really good and they are returning 9 of their players from last years team. I don't expect them to miss a beat moving down a division. They are an instant contender in the 4A Division for a state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3) Salpointe Catholic: The defending state champions Salpointe Catholic Lancers finished the season with a 24-4 record. They ended the season on a 14 game winning streak. The Lancers are returning their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers in sophomore Taliyah Henderson and senior [player_tooltip player_id='339073' first='Cambria' last='Medina']. Henderson averaged 11.5Pts and 5Rbs a game as a freshman and Medina averaged 9.5pts and 3rbs as a junior. The Lancers lost a solid core to graduation but are also returning a young talented group for the upcoming season. If the Lancers are able to get peak at the end of the season again, they could very well repeat as state champs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4) Flagstaff: The Flagstaff Eagles are coming off a second place finish at the state tournament with a 29-3 record. The Eagles are returning one of the top guards in the state in Senior [player_tooltip player_id='261416' first='Sage' last='Begay']. Begay averaged 12pts and 5rbs a game last season and I would expect those number to climb this upcoming season. The Eagles are bringing back a big nucleus from last years 2nd place team. They are definitely capable of repeating their success this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5) Seton Catholic: The Sentinels are coming off a 21-7 season where they lost in the State Semi-Finals to eventual champion Salpointe Catholic. The Sentinels will be led by Senior [player_tooltip player_id='65622' first='Amelie' last='Cartagena'] and Sophomore Sophie Morales. Cartagena averaged 11Pts a game as a junior and Morales averaged 7Pts a game as a freshman. This team returns a young core along with senior [player_tooltip player_id='65622' first='Amelie' last='Cartagena']. If they start to click at the right time, they are more than capable of making a post season run come the end of the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->