Section 7 high school basketball tournament hosts largest girls' field in Glendale
The largest field yet of girls' high school basketball teams from Arizona and other Western states will showcase their talents at the annual Section 7 tournament in Glendale later this month.
The girls tournament will begin the weekend of June 15-17, with 12 courts set up inside State Farm Stadium.
"The goal of this event is to provide the most competitive games possible, which obviously provides development for each of these kids." said Matt King, tournament director.
This is the first year that the high-profile tournament will feature girls games on a weekend separate from the boys' tournament. The boys' qualifier will be June 21-22, followed by the tournament June 23-25.
Among the top Arizona girls' participants is Desert Vista High School, which will face Etiwanda High School in a matchup of two state champions. Etiwanda, from Rancho Cucamonga, California, is the reigning Open Division state champions of California while Desert Vista won the Arizona' Interscholastic Association's first Open Division championship this year.
Desert Vista has a star-studded roster including the top ranked incoming sophomore Jerzy Robinson, and Shay Ijiwoye a top-50 ESPN ranked senior. They are also No.1 and No. 5 respectively in The Republic's Elite Girls 50 with Ijowoye coming in as the state's top player.
"That's the thing these kids do very well, these kids respect their opponent, they respect the game, and they play hard all the times." Desert Vista head coach Erin O'Bryan on the preparation for the matchup with Etiwanda. O'Bryan arecently was hired after the departure of David Williams, who resigned after this pas season and later was hired by McClintock.
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This year's tournament will feature 128 girls' teams separated into 16-team brackets. Those brackets will be broken down for competitive balance. Section 7 is an invitation-only tournament and teams apply beginning Feb. 15 and are evaluated throughout their season.
The girls' division having its own weekend will shine the spotlight on the special talents that will be in Glendale.
"In the past couple of months, the girls' game has garnered a lot of attention from the NCAA level to WNBA level and the high school basketball talent is deeper than it's ever been." said O'Bryan.
The 2023 women's Final Four was the most viewed edition in recorded history. The 2026 women's Final Four will be held at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.
"We had over 600 applications for the boys' side, we expect in the next couple of years to have the same type of demand on the girls' side." said King. If the demand grows, that eventually will create the need for a girls' qualifier as the boys now have to narrow the field.
O'Bryan noted that high school basketball events such as Section 7 are important for college recruiting.
"The NCAA has changed their viewing periods from three live periods in July for club basketball to two and moved one to June. Now high schools have a live period in the summer which is different than it ever has been." she said.
There are more than 500 college coaches from all levels expected to be in attendance scouting.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Section 7 high school basketball tournament hosts largest girls' field in Glendale
