Who is dishing out the most assists in Arizona?

INTRODUCTION: Arizona has a number of outstanding assist stars in 2023. Here's a look at the top five in the state with two coming from the same high school - Willow Canyon.   MIA MARTINEZ - is a 5-6 guard/forward who plays at Willow Canyon High School and currently leads all high school players in the state in assists with an average of 5,9 per game. She also has the lowest assists-to-turnovers ratio in Arizona - 1.38. As selected by Max Preps, she has won the Player of the Game award a total of nine different times in her career, including once as a freshman. In January, against Buckeye High School, she had nine assists. In her four-year varsity career with the Wildcats - a total of 82 games - she averaged 7.2 points per game. Through 25 games this season, she is averaging 9.0 ppg. Her Head Coach, Brandon Scholtz, had this to say about Mia."She knows the system inside and out, She is a great positive leader for the team and someone who can encourage the team every day."   EVALUATION: a four-year starter for the varsity, Mia is clearly the Wildcats leader both on and off the court. The fact that she leads the state not only in assists but in assists to turnovers ratio, speaks volumes. Her offensive presence makes all of her teammates better. To go along with an average of 5.9 assists per game, she is averaging 9 points per game. The Wildcats should make a deep run in the state tournament in February.   MARIAH PRESTON - is a senior guard/forward for Willow Canyon High School and is currently second in the state in assists with an average of 5.8 per game. She is just below her teammate - Mia Martinez - who has an average of 5.9 assists per game. Mariah has won four different Player of the Game awards as selected by Max Preps, all as a senior. In 25 varsity games this season, she is averaging 12.2 points per game, 9.2 rebounds a game, and 5.1 steals. She is new to Willow Canyon but one scout commented on her game: "She brings a lot of varsity experience and toughness and is very strong on both sides of the court."   EVALUATION: a transfer playing her senior year at Willow Canyon, Mariah has already been touted as a clutch player at both ends of the court. In addition to currently being second-ranked in assists in the state, she has developed a strong perimeter jump shot and is averaging over 12 points per game. The fact that she won four different Player of the Game awards this season speaks for itself. Willow Creek has a very deep team this year as they contend for a state championship.   SOPHIE MORALES - is a 5-5 sophomore guard for Seton Catholic High School and is currently third in the state in assists with an average of 5.6 per game. She also plays for her club team, Arizona Elite. She has a 4.0 GPA and plays for Seton Catholic Head Coach Karen Self. The Sentinels have won a dozen state championships under Coach Self. One scout talked about Sophie's game: "She is one of the up-and-coming guards in the state. She can do it all on any given night. She is a lights-out shooter from the perimeter and also a terrific passer. Sophie is averaging 7 points and 5 rebounds per game. She is a rare player that will do whatever it takes to win. If her team needs her to hit a couple of threes, she's capable of hitting the next five. She is a name to watch come playoff time."   EVALUATION: Only a sophomore, Sophie has developed a tremendous all-around game, both offensively and defensively. She is third in the state in dishing out assists and possesses an exciting offensive game, whether it be hitting a jumper or driving to the rim. She is also a great player in transition and defensively she will often guard her opponent's top scorer. Seton Catholic should make a deep run in this year's playoffs.   [player_tooltip player_id='115508' first='ABBY' last='OSTLIE'] - is a senior guard for Chaparral High School who is fourth in the state in assists, averaging 5.5 per game. She was selected as Player of the Game by Max Preps for her performance on January 15 against American Leadership Academy. She has won four different Player of the Game awards for the 2022-23 season. Abby is now averaging 9.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. She played as a freshman but then had back-to-back ACL tears and missed most of her sophomore and junior seasons. Abby's older sister is a freshman on the Boise State women's team.   EVALUATION: Abby is a senior guard who has developed a mature game on both offense and defense. After playing her freshman year, she suffered back-to-back ACL injuries and missed both her sophomore and junior seasons. But she has persevered and come back strong in her last year of high school. Now healthy, her overall game is getting better and better. Chaparral is loaded this year and should go far in the state tournament.   [player_tooltip player_id='550693' first='KAROLINA' last='PADILLA'] - is a 5-8 senior guard who plays guard and forward for Douglas High School and is fifth in the state in assists, averaging 5.2 per game. She is also a member of the Douglas volleyball team. She is averaging over 20 points per game in addition to pulling down 9.8 rebounds per game and 5.3 steals. In a recent game against Tombstone High School, Karolina scored 24 points and had 10 assists. She was named Player of the Game by Max Preps a total of 28 different times during her four-year varsity career. She is over 900 career points and probably will not reach 1,000 because, as a sophomore, Douglas did not compete because of the Covid virus. As a junior, she was awarded the WaFd Bank Player of the week in December of 2021. In her last regular season game, she recorded a triple-double in a win over Rio Rico High School - 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.   EVALUATION: Karolina has developed into an outstanding player at both ends of the court. She is also the vocal leader for the Bulldogs. The fact that she is a 20-point scorer as well as being fifth in the state in assists, shows her overall value. She is a fierce competitor on defense and is an extremely valuable rebounder. She came close to averaging a double-double for the season.

INTRODUCTION: Arizona has a number of outstanding assist stars in 2023. Here's a look at the top five in the state with two coming from the same high school - Willow Canyon.