Top players of the postseason in Arizona girls high school basketball
After nearly a month of thrilling games all over the state, the Arizona girls’ high school basketball playoffs wrapped up this weekend with four championship games at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Here are the top performers from those tournaments, from the inaugural Open Division all the way down to 1A:
Open
Jerzy Robinson, Desert Vista
Here’s a scary thought: Imagine Jerzy Robinson as a senior, three years from now. Robinson was already outrageous as a freshman. She had 21 points and nine rebounds despite sitting most of the fourth quarter in Saturday’s championship game blowout over Millennium. In the semis, she dropped 32 on Xavier Prep.
Shay Ijiwoye, Desert Vista
Ijiwoye’s stats might not blow you away, because Desert Vista splits the scoring throughout its rotation. But her playmaking throughout this postseason was key to the Thunder’s success. She’s one of the silkiest players in Arizona.
Elli Guiney, Millennium
Guiney’s 20-point first half against Perry in the semis was a stunning display. Everything that came off her hands seemed to fall, helping lead Millennium to the Open’s most surprising upset. In the championship, Desert Vista had to center its defensive efforts on her to stop the Tigers.
Khamil Pierre, Perry
Pierre wasn’t at her showstopping best against Millennium, but she still scored a team-high 21 points to go with 14 rebounds. That came one game after she scored 38 in the quarterfinal against Pinnacle.
Dominique Nesland, Xavier Prep
Nesland finished her season having scored in double figures in all but one contest. She averaged 18.3 points and 5.0 assists in Xavier Prep’s run to the semis.
Aiyanna Perkins, McClintock
No. 21 seed McClintock’s dream run ended in the Open quarters, but Perkins produced some heroic performances to get that far. She scored 20, 42 and 26 in the Chargers’ three upset wins.
Taliyah Henderson, Salpointe Catholic
Henderson had three straight double-doubles to lead Salpointe to the Open quarters, where its season ended at the hands of Desert Vista. Normally, that type of run is the domain of post-players. Henderson did it as a ball-handling wing.
Mia Singstock, Pinnacle
It was a quietly dominant season for Singstock, who averaged 19.4 points per game. The Open was no different, as she scored 31 in the first round and then followed that up with performances of 22, 21 and 23.
More:Desert Vista dominates Millennium to claim first girls' Open title
6A
Olivia Arvallo, Valley Vista
Arvallo had a nice postseason from start to finish, but her shining moment came in the final seconds of the 6A championship game. That’s when she went alone, driving coast-to-coast to scoop home an acrobatic layup and give Valley Vista its fourth-straight title.
Ahdiayh Chee, Dobson
It takes a special player to post a career-high on the biggest stage they’ve ever played in. That’s what Chee did in the quarterfinals against Mountain Ridge, when she scored 29. She also had a team-high 17 in the championship loss to Valley Vista.
Savanna Creal, Hamilton
Creal averaged 17.8 points per game in Hamilton’s first four games across the Open and 6A playoffs. She eventually helped lead the top-seeded Huskies to the 6A semis.
Meisha Caserio, Gilbert
Caserio scored 15 and 17 in the first two rounds of the 6A playoffs. The latter was particularly impressive as it came in a thrilling 51-50 upset win over Sandra Day O’Connor that sent Gilbert to a surprising semifinal appearance.
More:Valley Vista wins fourth-straight 6A championship in thriller over Dobson
5A
Mackenzie Dunham, Sunrise Mountain
Dunham’s impact in the 5A title game can’t be overstated. When she was off the floor due to foul trouble, Canyon View went on a 24-10 run. When she was on the floor, Sunrise Mountain led, 42-23, just enough to eke out a five-point win. Dunham finished with 13 points and 20 rebounds.
Mackenzie Nielsen, Sunrise Mountain
Nielsen’s 3-point shooting was the perfect complement to Dunham’s interior presence on Sunrise Mountain’s run. She finished her career with 14 points in the championship game.
Jaila Flowers, Canyon View
Flowers led Canyon View with 14 in the championship, but her most impressive outing came in the semifinals when she scored 30 in a 72-62 win over Catalina Foothills.
Reilly Clark, Catalina Foothills
In the same game in which Flowers scored 30, Clark dropped 32. She averaged 23.0 per game in the playoffs.
More:Sunrise Mountain wins first girls' basketball title in school history
4A
Bella Burcar, Flagstaff
Burcar — the daughter of NAU men’s coach Shane Burcar — had an incredible freshman season, averaging 12.6 points per game. She scored a team-high 19 in the championship game win over Pueblo.
Victoria Cazares, Pueblo
Cazares capped a fantastic career in style, scoring 27 in the championship game and nearly leading Pueblo to the first championship in school history.
America Cazares, Pueblo
Pueblo will miss Victoria Cazares next year, but the Warriors are in good hands with her younger sister, America, who scored 18 in the championship game. She was one of the best freshmen in the state all season and capped her campaign off by averaging 15.4 in the playoffs.
More:Flagstaff finds redemption with first girls' basketball title in 31 years
Small schools
Jenieth Sanchez, Alchesay
Much like No. 8 seed Alchesay did as a team, Sanchez seemed to find her groove in the playoffs. After averaging just over 10 points per game on the season, she led the way with 18 in the 3A championship game, helping the Falcons to a second-straight title.
Aila Kaibara, Phoenix Country Day
Kaibara scored an efficient team-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the 2A championship game, helping PCDS to its first title in 23 years.
Olivia Owens, Phoenix Country Day
Owens, meanwhile, was the rebounding force for the Eagles. She had 33 total rebounds in the final three rounds, while also adding a scoring punch with 17 in the championship.
Ashlynn Chlarson, Pima
Despite Pima’s losing effort, Chlarson was the star of the show in the championship game, scoring 29 points. She scored at least 20 in three of four playoff games, averaging 21.8.
Anna Begay, Rock Point
Begay’s biggest outing came in the semis, when she scored 36 in a win over St. Thomas. She then followed that up with a tidy 13 to help Rock Point claim its second 1A championship in a row with a 49-45 win over Joseph City.
For subscribers:The Republic's final high school boys basketball Super 10 for the 2022-23 season
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Top players of the postseason in Arizona girls high school basketball
