Arizona girls' high school basketball players of the week
It was another week full of standout performances in Arizona girls' high school basketball. These are The Republic's players of the week:
Amaya Bekele, Mesa
Mesa is riding a three-game win streak that has snapped it out of a 1-9 stretch from early December to early January. Bekele had 15 points and nine blocks against Phoenix Pinnacle and 21 points in a rivalry win over Mesa Red Mountain.
Meisha Caserio, Gilbert
Gilbert’s resurgence this season has been made possible by its young talent, but Caserio — a senior — is still the centerpiece here. She scored 23 in a win over Highland on Tuesday and is averaging 14.4 points per game on the season.
Sophia Doromal, Laveen Cesar Chavez
Doromal hit double figures in all three of Chavez’s games this week, including a 27-point outing against Chandler. She was also the star of a 51-48 win over Tucson Sunnyside, scoring 17 points in a game that entrenched 14-2 Chavez as one of the top teams in 6A.
Bri’Ann Felix, Glendale Copper Canyon
Felix broke Copper Canyon’s single-game scoring record with 38 points in a win over Phoenix Washington. She has accounted for 54.3% of the Aztecs’ scoring output this season.
Niya Gamble, Tempe McClintock
Gamble has gradually developed into a crucial part of McClintock’s 5A title aspirations over the course of her freshman year. She hit double figures in wins over Laveen Betty H. Fairfax and Phoenix South Mountain, while also averaging 6.9 rebounds a night.
Shay Ijiwoye, Phoenix Desert Vista
Desert Vista went 2-1 against some of the top teams on the east coast over the holiday weekend. In those games, Ijiwoye averaged 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals, showing why this team can win the Open Division.
Ayla Keefe, Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep
Suddently, Notre Dame Prep looks like one of the best teams in 5A. After starting the year at 1-2, the Saints are now 16-3 and have won four straight. Against Horizon on Thursday, the freshman Keefe led the way with 15 points and 15 boards.
Kayla Mathie, Tucson Mica Mountain
Mathie has been a scoring machine all season, hitting double figures in 18 of 20 games. Her best effort yet, though, came in Tuesday’s narrow loss to Douglas, when she scored a career-high 23.
Sarah Miller, Phoenix Xavier Prep
Another week, another dominant performance for Miller. She paced Xavier Prep with 18 points in Wednesday’s 57-41 win over Chandler Hamilton. The Gators have now beaten six of The Republic’s top 10 teams in the state, with five of those wins coming by double digits.
Audrey O’Connor, Chandler Basha
O’Connor set a career high on Monday, scoring 25 points to help Basha scrape past Tempe Corona del Sol.
Brianna Potter, Tucson Flowing Wells
Flowing Wells had no problem with a good Tucson Pueblo team in a 65-43 win on Tuesday. Potter had a game-high 22. .
Addie Prisciandaro, Prescott
Prisciandaro has scored 25 points or more in four of Prescott’s five games of 2024, including 27 in both outings this week. It’s no coincidence the Badgers are undefeated in that span.
Akasha Prpich, Peoria Centennial
This season hasn’t been friendly to Centennial, but Prpich has shined anyway, averaging 16.3 points and 6.9 assists. She had her best game yet in Tuesday’s win over Glendale Apollo, finishing with 28 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Rachel Roderick, Camp Verde
Down in 3A, Roderick has been doing it all for Camp Verde. This week, she scored 23 against Wickenburg and 26 against Chino Valley, while also averaging 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 8.5 steals on the week.
Lia Sims, Phoenix Central
Sims has become a weekly fixture on this list, even with Central mired at 7-13. She scored 34 and 30 points in Central’s two losses this week and is now up to 28.7 points per game on the season.
Nevaeh Urenda, Tucson Flowing Wells
Urenda did it all in Flowing Wells’ aforementioned win over Pueblo. She made all four of her shot attempts for 11 points, along with 12 rebounds, eight assists and a pair of steals.
Bella Webb, Tucson Mica Mountain
Webb put up a ridiculous stat line against Douglas, scoring 19 points and grabbing 23 rebounds. She followed that up with an equally impressive encore in Thursday’s win over Rio Rico, scoring 22 points with 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Chanel Yellowman, Goodyear Estrella Foothills
Yellowman might not be Estrella Hills’ leading scorer, but the point guard is a key piece of this 20-3 title contender. She recorded the third triple-double in school history with 11 points, 12 assists and 12 steals in a win over Glendale Cactus.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona girls' high school basketball players of the week
