Division I girls basketball preview

February 22, 2016 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Five of the top eight seeds have survived to the Division I quarterfinals -- #1 Mesquite #2 Valley Vista, #3 Hamilton, #4 Millennium and #5 Desert Vista. Three schools not far down the line have thrown their name in the hat and dare to move on -- #9 Red Mountain, #10 Horizon and #11 Gilbert.

Six of the eight teams in this year's quarters reached the same point or better a year ago. All quarterfinal matchups are the second or third meetings between teams this season. Here's a look at the field, who gather Tuesday (Feb. 23) at Wells Fargo Arena to command future games in the coming week. Semis are Friday (Feb. 26) at Grand Canyon University and the final is Monday (Feb. 29) at Gila River Arena.

#1 Mesquite (23-5): The Wildcats continue to live up to their top-billing. Mesquite ran its winning streak to 14 games in the round of 16 with a 70-49 win over Boulder Creek. Mesquite has not lost since the calendar turned to January. In that streak they've defeated #4 Millennium, # 5 Desert Vista in tight games and bludgeoned most others. They defeated #2 Valley Vista in November and D-III #1 Valley Christian last month. Their only Arizona losses are to D-II #1 Seton, #3 Hamilton and #10 Horizon. All those defeats were in late November and early December. Mesquite is led by sophomores Shaylee Gonzales and Lindsey Vanallen, who have each topped the 1,000-point mark in their first two seasons. They combine for 38 points a game. Seniors Izzy Spruit and Alexis Springfield are averaging nine points a game each. Quarterfinal opponent: Red Mountain, Tuesday Feb. 23, 7:45 p.m. Mesquite won earlier meeting, 75-44.  

#2 Valley Vista (21-6): The Monsoon are playing some of their best basketball at present. They began this year's title quest with 64-42 win over last year's champ, Dobson, in the round of 16. Valley Vista is 11-1 since Jan. 1. The lone defeat was to Millennium. Like Mesquite, Valley Vista has matured into a bonafide title contender led by sophomore guard Taylor Chavez and junior forward Kiara Edwards. Chavez averages 17 points a game and five assists; Edwards 15 ppg and 10 rebounds. Senior Cerena Reeves chips in 11 ppg. Valley Vista sports a 4-3 record against the rest of the quarterfinal field. Quarterfinal opponent: Horizon, Tuesday Feb. 23, 6 p.m. Valley Vista won earlier meeting, 67-36.

#3 Hamilton (23-4): The Huskies have the fewest losses of any team, but two have come in the last three weeks to top-contenders - Valley Vista and Millennium. Something to fret about? We'll see. Hamilton won its round of 16 game handily over Sandra Day O'Connor, 65-44. In its loss to Valley Vista, Hamilton shot poorly, but Valley Vista was better at crunch time. Millennium shot lights out and pulled away in the second half for a rout of the Huskies two weeks ago. Hamilton displays scoring balance led by sophomore guard Maddie Frederick (15 ppg). Senior guard Makayla Filiere (13 ppg), senior guard Payton Whitmore (8 ppg and 4 assists) and junior post Maya Banks (8 ppg and 8 rebounds) can be a tough lineup to defend. Quarterfinal  opponent: Gilbert, Tuesday Feb. 23, 4:15 p.m.. Hamilton won earlier meeting, 64-38.

#4 Millennium (22-6): The Tigers kryptonite the last three seasons -- Dobson -- can't torment them this year. Dobson defeated Millennium each of the last three postseasons in different rounds. The Tigers were runner-up last year and have battled injury perhaps more than any team remaining in the title chase. The last couple of weeks has seen them back at full strength and wins over Valley Vista and Hamilton attest to that. Millennium reversed one of it losses in the round of 16 by gutting out a 32-27 win over Mountain Pointe. Mountain Pointe dealt Millennium a 45-40 defeat in mid-January. Millennium is in the quarters for the third successive season. The focal point is senior guard Raina Perez (18 ppg, 5 rpg and 4 assits). Senior forward Adriana Zelaya (10 ppg, 6 rpg) has missed the most time due to injury and exciting freshman Dominque Phillips (13 ppg, 6 rpg) combine for a solid trio. Quarterfinal opponent: Desert Vista, Tuesday Feb. 23, 2:30 p.m. Millennium won earlier meeting, 46-44.

#5 Desert Vista (19-6): The Thunder have defeated everyone below them, but noone above them in terms of tournament seeding. Desert Vista's four power-ranking losses are to Mesquite, Valley Vista, Hamilton and Millennium. New coach Cheyan Wilson's team got off to a good start with their round of 16 win over Liberty, 49-37. They have a score to settle with Millennium with the loss in last year's semis and a December outing (52-45) earlier this year. Returning players from last year's semifinalist have led the charge. Seniors Tatum Brimley and Toni Davis are the scolring leaders at 15 ppg and 11 ppg, respectively. Brimley adds five assists per game and Davis seven rebounds. Junior Madison Golla and senior Kylee Donahue average 8 ppg. Desert Vista has won its last six games and 12 of its last 13.

#9 Red Mountain (17-11): The Mountain Lions have enjoyed a run of late, winning six oft their last eight games. The latest a round of 16 win over Highland, 47-33. It''s their first trip to the quarters since 2007 when they won the D-I title. Red Mountain got an added bonus as the #9 seed earning a first-round bye, which happened this year because only 23 teams compete in D-I. Senior guard Seneca Richards leads a youthful starting lineup that features a sophomore and two freshmen. Richards is averaging 16 points a game. Red Mountain's Achilles heel is knocking off higher-seeded teams. The Mountain Lions are 0-4 against the quarterfinal field and beat only one top-10 seeded team this season -- Highland.

#10 Horizon (16-12): The Huskies have the worst record of the elite eight, but own a win over Mesquite from early December. They are in the quarters for the second year in a row. Hoirzon's play has been a bit uneven. The second half of the regular season they were 7-6 and have posted tournament wins over Mesa Mountain View (59-24) and No. 7 Xavier (48-37). Guard Leah Goodman is the catalyst. The senior supplies a good all-around game and good perimeter shooting. She's averaging 14 ppg and 4 assists. Senior post Katie Grant is the inside threat (10 ppg and 9 rpg). Three freshmen -- Alyssa Alverez, Jayce Carter and Madison Cabardo -- have boosted the offense combining for 23 points a game.

#11 Gilbert (19-10): The Tigers haven't been in the quarterfinal mix since 2010. This will be their first winning season since 2010. They've won two playoff games -  Chandler (59-37) and Chaparral (63-58 OT). The latter reversed two earlier double-digit lossses to the Firebirds. Gilbert returned four players with significant playing time from last year -- Shayla Huskey, Lucy Guerrette, Tessa Kowalski and Tiffany Hurd. They've been joined by freshmen twins  -- Hanna and Haley Cavinder. The Cavinders are averaging 14 points a game each and supply Gilbert with a potent perimeter threat. Haley Cavinder tallied 26 points in the overtime win over Chaparral. Both Cavinders are shooting 35 percent from three-point range. Kowalski led Gilbert in scoring last year and is next in scoring this year behind the Cavinders. Gilbert is 1-5 against the quarterfinal field with its lone win against Red Mountain.