Arizona high school boys basketball rewind: What we learned from Hoophall West

Perspectives were gained from Arizona's top high school boys basketball teams last week, mostly in the Hoophall West showcase at Chaparral High School, where Perry and Sunnyslope -- the Republic's top two ranked Super 10 teams coming into it -- both went 0-2.

Here are takeaways from Hoophall and around the state:

What we learned

But two of those losses by Perry came against Top 25 teams in the nation. Led by 6-foot-8 junior Koa Peat, the Pumas lost to New York's Archbishop Stepinac (53-50) on Friday night and to defending California Open Division champion Harvard-Westlake (63-51) on Saturday night.

Peat held his own, showing why he's among the top-five ranked players in the nation in the 2025 class. But this is not the same Perry team that won the Open championship last year. It's going to be different without 6-8 Cody Williams, who now starts at Colorado.

The Pumas weren't blown out over the weekend against two nationally ranked teams, as coach Sam Duane Jr. figures out his rotations and who he can count on besides Peat and guard D'Andre Harrison, who had a good weekend. Perry had no bench scoring in the Harvard-Westlake game.

They didn't have an answer against two of the best players in the country -- Archbishop Stepinac guard and Kentucky-commit Boogie Fland and Harvard-Westlake guard Trent Perry.

"I thought we played and defended at a level we need to," Duane said. "We let Friday slip away and we will learn from it.

"I think we can take away from this that we can play with the best but we have to get better in our attention to details and execution. ... By no means are we coming out of this with any negatives."

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Desert Mountain's wild ride

As long as the Desert Mountain Wolves can hang on tight to the House twins, Kaden and Kalek, the duo can take them anywhere. They went 2-0 at Hoophall, beating Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep in OT 83-81 on Friday and outlasting California Sierra Canyon in OT 81-74.

In between that, they lost a non-Hoophall West thriller to Phoenix Pinnacle (98-97), Friday night after Christian Wells drained a corner 3 as time expired. Wells got mobbed by teammates afterward. That happened Friday night, so Desert Mountain showed resolve coming back the next night and winning in overtime.

Both House brothers had 24 points against Sierra Canyon with Kaden House adding 14 assists and three steals. He made 7 of 10 free throws. Kalek House had two blocks and two steals. Against Notre Dame Prep, Kaden House had 35 points and Kalek House dropped 19, as the twins combined for eight steals.

They're all over the court, playing both ends at such a frantic pace it is hard for opponents to react.

Biggest addition

If nobody in Arizona knows about Goodyear Millennium senior guard Sabien Cain, they should after Thursday's incredible comeback effort in Goodyear Millennium's 65-62 overtime win over Sunnyslope, a game that appeared over with four minutes left and Sunnyslope up by eight points and in total control.

Defensive pressure, led by the 6-foot-2 Cal State Northridge commit, sparked Millennium's wild comeback. He had seven steals and 27 points, making 6 of 12 3-pointers. Coach Ty Amundsen won't have to lean so heavily on 6-6 sophomore Cameron Holmes with Cain's ability to score from all three levels and change the game with his long arms on defense. Cain also had five assists and two turnovers, while playing most of the final quarter with four fouls.

He simply took over the game when it appeared lost for Millennium.

Biggest takeaway

Sunnyslope also lost to one of California's powerhouses, St. John Bosco (75-68), getting outscored 22-17 in the final quarter. If nothing else, these two Hoophall West games showed coach Ray Portela and his team the need to finish games strong. But this is still a young team that has a chance to make a big statement Friday night when the Vikings take on Perry in a rematch of last year's Open state-championship game.

Sophomore guard John Mattingly was very good against St. John Bosco, scoring 20 points and adding six assists. And it's obvious freshman guard Delton Prescott has got ice in his veins. He's going to be a major talent during his high school career. He looked good against Millennium and St. John Bosco.

Best turnaround

Chandler Basha, less than 24 hours after losing to North Hollywood Campbell Hall in a close game, came back in Hoophall West to beat Nevada's Coronado (65-47), as sophomore point guard Mason Magee showed off his quickness and ability to get to the rim. He had 17 points in the 71-64 loss to David Grace-coached Campbell Hall, and 19 points in the Coronado win. Elijah Summers-Livingston had 19 points and nine rebounds. Basha was the only team at Hoophall West to play two games in less than 24 hours.

Biggest impression

In non-Hoophall games, Glendale Ironwood made a big impression with a 29-point win over Peoria Centennial and a 36-point win over Phoenix North Canyon. Both of those teams are expected to be good this season, so it shows how potent the Eagles are.

This team might revolve around a Big 3 of Blake Carabio (25 points, 5.5 rebounds a game on the week), Noah Gifft (20.5 points a game) and point guard I'yar Shadowvine (10.5 assists).

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Takeaways from Hoophall, Ariz. boys basketball games across the state