Tournament Of Champions Standouts Pt. 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the week of December 18-21, many of the nation's top girls' high school basketball teams assembled at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa at the Nike Tournament Of Champions. Quite a few teams performed well, including the Bella Vista Bears, going undefeated and winning the Prep division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here, I take a look at some of the standout individuals from Arizona high schools that I personally saw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='591097' first='Gal' last='Raviv'] ([program_tooltip program_id='713210' first='Bella' last='Vista Prep']) <strong>(Featured Image)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The lefty was her normal, steady self during this event. Gal displayed her three level scoring as well as continuously kept her teammates involved. She controlled the tempo very well from the point guard spot, knowing when to play fast or when to slow it down. A lot of people say that <strong>Quinnipiac </strong>got them a steal in Raviv, and that's how it looked during the event. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='203873' first='Shay' last='Ijiwoye'] <strong>Desert Vista</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shay did things that didn't show up in the stats as usual. She often took the lion's share of the opposing team's pressure defense and kept going. She also found time to stuff the stat sheet with points, rebounds, and steals. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='558895' first='Heather' last='Stedman'] <strong>Pinnacle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stedman game improves every time I see her. She looked more comfortable running the pinnacle offense while maintaining her scoring edge. With Pinnacle missing a valuable senior, Heather stepped up and took on even more of a leadership role than she normally has.<br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='443661' first='Olivia' last='Owens'] <strong>Phoenix Country Day</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Owens continued to show why she is one of the hottest guard prospects on the West Coast. Her quick first step, coupled with her ever-improving perimeter shot, made her a difficult cover for every opponent they faced. She showed that she could get hers while getting teammates open looks. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='624028' first='Taylor' last='Sipfle'] <strong>Hamilton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sipfle took advantage of the event to get ready for the regular season in which she's had to sit out due to transfer rules. Taylor left her imprint on multiple games that I watched. She rebounded and contested shots very well and even got on the floor for loose balls. She also shot it well in the interior. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='588763' first='Dylan' last='Swindle'] <strong>Desert Vista</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Swindle played like she was used to playing on the big stage, which she is. She quietly went about her business by playing very good defense and showing off her ball-handling ability when needed. She was possibly the biggest shot maker of the Arizona players that I saw. She hit multiple big shots that quieted opponents, making runs during the game. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='588731' first='Irene' last='Noelle Guiamatsia'] <strong>Xavier</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Noelle should be on the national radar after battling against some of the best players in the country. She's just a sophomore, but she showed that she has the athletic ability, length, and growing skill set to compete with them. She showed a nice touch around the rim and rebounded well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->