What's ahead in 2nd half of East Valley hoops season

January 3, 2017 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


East Valley boys and girls basketball teams are enjoying a brief breather from holiday events. However, when most resume this week it's a steady diet of region play.

Here are some observations based on what's taken place to date:

BOYS

Basha has made a statement locally and in 6A overall -- its 17-0 record is proof. They Bears have won a couple close, low-scoring games. They've posted some blowouts. Perhaps the most impressive win was  their final game at the Visit  Mesa Challenge late last week. That was 75-44 triumph over Apollo, a team noone would expect to be beaten by that margin. Defense is Basha's calling card -- the personification of coach Mike Grothaus. Gabe McGlothan and Terrell Brown are the senior leaders. Senior Coleson Struhs, a backup last season, has emerged from the perimeter. Struhs averaged 12 points a game at Visit Mesa and connected on 14 of 24 three-point field goals. All that leaves little to dislike about the Bears chances of playing deep into February. Basha opens region play Jan. 4 visiting Brophy and plays Hamilton at home on Jan. 6

Basha's region -- the Premier Region -- actually looks stronger than it did when the season opened. Hamilton has opened eyes at 12-4 and its strong showing at McClintock's Holiday Shootout  in the title game against  Shadow Mountain furthered the Huskies' rise. Brophy has been steady and nipped Chandler for third at McClintock. Chandler stumbled out of the gate, but looks better now that January is here. Perry is capable of playing every region opponent tough and  has a win over Chandler. The Pumas have to be at their best every night to prevail.

The 6A East Valley Region looks to be a horse race among Mountain View, Red Mountain and Mesa. Mountain View opened with question marks with a vastly inexperienced varsity lineup.  Consistent offense from Nick Sessions, solid defense supplied by last year's lone returning starter Matthew Clark and a glimpse at times of other players stepping up to help in the scoring department has the Toros a contender.  The Toros gave Basha its toughest game of four at Visit Mesa in a defensive struggle. Red Mountain indeed has received a shot in the arm from the arrival of Teddy Allen. Allen had to sit the first nine power-ranking games due to the new transfer rule. In five games he's played, the Mountain Lions are 4-1. Andre Harris seems to have taken the most advantage of Allen's insertion since foes concerns have shifted more to defending Allen. Mesa High can go toe-to-toe with Mountain View and Red Mountain. The Jackrabbits split two region games with Red Mountain -- winning against the Allen-less Lions and losing when Allen made his debut in a two-point outcome. Mesa is led by DJ Henderson, Mark Hatch and perimeter threat Zach Hobbs. Red Mountain visits Mountain View on Jan. 5 for their first of two region matchups.

The 6A Central is led at this point by Corona del Sol and Desert Vista. Not a surprise. Alex Barcello and Saben Lee are doing their thing for the Aztecs. Desert Vista is led by Wesley Harris, Noah Baumann and Caleb Simmons. Mountain Pointe already gave Desert Vista a scare last month in the teams' region opener. The Pride are capable of knocking off anyone in the region. Gilbert, Desert Ridge and Highland lack the star power of Corona and Desert Vista. That makes it tough, not impossible, to pull off an upset if  they are taken for granted by the top dogs.

Valley Christian finished the first half of the season 10-2 with losses to Flagstaff and Queen Creek, schools one and two conferences larger, respectively. The Trojans battle Yuma Catholic  and Fountain HIlls for supremacy in the 3A Metro Region. They are led by senior Matthew Svorinic, who is averaging almost 15 points a game.

GIRLS

Defending 6A champ Hamilton has played well. The Huskies only 6A loss is to fellow title contender Valley Vista on a buzzer beater. Hamilton played the last six games before the break without leading scorer Maddie Frederick. Frederick sat out three weeks with a broken toe that bothered her many games prior before the break was discovered. The Premier Region is likely a two-team race between Hamilton and Xavier Prep with the advantage in Hamilton's favor with its added experience in Maya Banks, Courtney Colleary and Hanna White. Basha, Perry and Chandler will have a hard time taking down Hamilton or Xavier.

The strength in the 6A East Valley Region resides at Red Mountain, Dobson and Mesa High. Red Mountain has momentum from a 4-0 showing in its invitational last week and has won six games in a row. That's after winning its first four and losing the next four. One of those wins in the current six-game streak was over Dobson. The region's best player arguably is Red Mountain junior Amaya West. Dobson has continued to improve in this second season under Henry Bribiescas. The Mustangs are 11-6 so far after a .500 season last year and  paced by Shauna Bribiescas. Mesa High's top returnee Diamond Fuller makes the Jackrabbits a contender in the region. Mesa opens the second half with games against Red Mountain and Dobson.

Glbert and Mountain Pointe are riding high at present in the 6A Central Region with Highland hoping to keep pace as region play kicks in. Desert Vista and Corona del Sol are next in line with Desert Ridge battling to keep up in the most competitive of the three 6A regions in the East Valley. The Cavinder twins, Haley and Hanna, lead Gilbert's veteran lineup sitting at  12-2. They pair are averaging 33 points a game between them. Mountain Pointe at 12-5 has played a tougher schedule with three power-ranking losses to Hamilton, Xavier and Valley Vista. Seniors Jenise Strover and Baily Osmer are sharing 28 points a game for the Pride. Gilbert and Mountain Pointe don't play until Jan. 17 and then again in their regular-season finale on Feb. 7. Highland  is 12-6, but ended the first half of the season going 1-3 at the Nike TOC. The Hawks are led by Alyssa Navarrete, Kamryn Brown and Airiana Madanski.

Mesquite is the powerhouse of 5A. The Wildcats won the second-tier bracket of the Nike TOC with a strong showing led by all-tourney selections Shaylee Gonzales and Lindsay VanAllen. Mesquite won't be challenged in San Tan Valley Region play by any of their East Valley foes. Mesquite faces one marquee game before the regular season concludes. That's Jan. 9 at home against Sierra Linda.

The same can be said for the 4A favorite to win state - Seton Catholic. Seton (13-2) lost twice in the elite bracket at the Nike TOC witha two- and three-point losses to Grandview, CO and Centennial, NV. The Sentinels will waltez through their eight games in the Desert Sky Region. Their matchup of note in the second half  takes place on Jan. 20 when they head to Cactus Shadows for a rematch of the last year's D-II championship game.

Valley Christian found life in the Nike TOC to be a challenge. The Trojans were 1-3 with one of the losses to Hamilton. Valley Christian is a solid favorite to win the 3A Metro Region with its top competition coming from perhaps Yuma Catholic or Fountain Hills. Bethany Wolph, Megan Timmer and Anna Gorman are the Trojans' mainstays.