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Wednesday night was more than just a showdown between two 6A Central region foes, it was an ode to not just the state but rather the country that Arizona is in its golden era for hoops. In front of a sold out crowd in north Phoenix, the No. 4 team in the country faced off against the No. 6 team in the country. For many years most would’ve assumed that the valley would once again be hosting a premier out of state event such as Hoophall West. However, this time around for the f

The dog days of the basketball season has arrived and with that comes the heart of region play. A few non region games will be sprinkled in by each team in the closing weeks of the season but the bulk of the final stretch will be programs facing off against one another twice in a little over a month. The biggest battle however will not be for region championships but rather playoff seeding in both the open division and play-in positions. Here’s the updated NextUpAZ rankings.

Catalina foothills controls the tip. Mykael Nunez is called for a foul. The Falcons inbound and miss the shot. Daniel Anumba gets the rebound he gets the shot up misses and again with the rebound and knocks it down for two. Falcons with another miss the following possession. Isaiah Gill drives the lane and makes the two point layup. The Falcons with possession and Jack Van Amburg kicks it out to Albert Efentyev and he makes the corner three. Daniel Anumba misses a three and t

First Quarter Buena controls the tip and Gabriel Padilla knocks down the three. Kristian Del Rio dribbles up the ball and Cienega misses their three-point attempt Jackson Moore gets a steal but the ball gets knocked out of bounds by Buena. Bobby Baltierrez gets the rebound for Cienega and Jackson Moore drives the lane for two. Another steal for Cienega and they score the easy layup. Cienega up 4 to 3. Thomas Welker misses but gets his own rebound, Ricardo Brooks with the ball

The much anticipated 3A State Championship rematch from last season between the visiting #6 Pusch Ridge Christian Academy Lions and the #1 Palo Verde Titans is about to tip off. Both teams will look to and have the ability to make it back to the big game this season. Teams make it on to the court and HERE WE GOOOOOOO. First Quarter Palo Verde turns it over on its first possession. Noah McKinney knocks down a corner 3 for the first basket of the game. The state leader in assis

(left) Kyler Frye (right) Iyzaya Soto On Monday night i attended a region match up between McClintock (2-4) vs Betty Fairfax (4-5). Both teams are looking to start racking up wins and make a push for the playoffs. This game was filled with excitement all night as both teams were trading buckets and going on big runs vs each other. Both teams would faced adversity as Fairfax wing and leading scorer Nickolas Williams (23.6ppg) would miss big chunks of the game due to foul tr

The “Battle for Oro Valley” between rivals Canyon Del Oro and Ironwood Ridge took place at the home of the Nighthawks. The schools are just miles apart. For me personally this is one of my favorite rivalries. I graduated from Canyon Del Oro in 2007 and also had recently spent three seasons on the coaching staff for the Nighthawks. My pregame prediction for this one is 77-68 in favor of the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks First Quarter The Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks control the tip.

(left) Jaydon Hayes (middle) Maurice Carter II (right) Garrison Bambolo A big time 5A matchup with two top five 5A teams looking to prove they are the real deal. Willow is led by two stud sophomores guards Jaydon Hayes and Maurice Carter II, these two make up one of the top backcourts in Arizona and are looking to compete for a 5A title and even a open run. Centennial a dark horse heading in to the year that has stared off hot and has racked up some solid wins lead by a co

Goodyear Millennium showed why they are one of the more complete teams in the state, using defensive pressure and balanced scoring to pull away from Tucson Salpointe Catholic for a 67–44 victory. Salpointe came out aggressive as Aryanna Kollasch opened the game with a three at the 5:48 mark, but Millennium quickly settled in. Mariah Brownlee  answered with a layup that followed a free throw to tie it, and  Jayda Hunt  followed with a strong finish inside to give the Tigers

MJ Cole wins it with a dunk. Chandler---The Lions of Liberty came out like gangbusters with a 7-0 start. But the game slowed down and the Huskies of Hamilton slowed it down and fought back with a 10-9 lead. MJ Cole for Hamilton and Jacob Hunter for Liberty set the tone early that they were going to be a problem to defend all night long. A late 3 by Nicholas Topolosek and a Jake Steele layup at the buzzer gives Liberty a 17-16 lead. Shooters were everywhere The size of Liber

The opening action at the Nike Tournament of Champions offered an early snapshot of who was ready to compete when the lights came on. While the event features a deep field of talent across multiple matchups, certain players stood out through their poise, impact, and ability to influence the game beyond the box score. This watch list highlights early standouts from the games observed, focusing on players who made an impression and put themselves firmly on the radar as the tour

Hoophall West has tipped off day two of action at Skyline high school in East Mesa. Already this morning in the opening games of the day Bishop Gorman (NV) defeated Gonzaga Prep (WA) 54-47 and Salesian (CA) defeated TMI Episcopal (TX) 60-53. With the consolation bracket games done for the day, the afternoon brings three EYBL games, a round robin matchup featuring two top prospects in the country, and two winner’s bracket contests that are sure to fill up the Green and Gold gy

“That guy can coach, you can see it” - Chris Paul on Liberty head coach Mark Wood Day one of Hoophall West & Tournament of Champions has come and gone and the talent that was on display did not disappoint. Skyline high school played host to six Hoophall West games which mostly featured out of state teams with Arizona stealing the show in the evening. Tournament of Champions tipped off at five other Mesa school district locations and showcased primarily Arizona teams and some

Rainier Beach set the tone early behind freshman guard JJ Crawford , who opened the scoring with a pretty-looking three-pointer. Duncanville responded immediately, and it was clear from the jump that this was going to be a tempo-driven game. Rainier Beach picked up full court, looking to speed Duncanville up, and an early and-one by  Tyran Stokes  pushed the Vikings out to a 10–3 lead midway through the first quarter. A Christopher Hunt Jr. three-pointer cut the lead to 10-6.

New Year’s Day, for many it’s a date built upon the pursuit of a better future and the ability to hit the reset button and start over. But for the hoop fans and close to 100 teams from throughout the West Coast, it’s the ultimate hoop holiday showdown. Starting today and continuing into the weekend, Nike presents their annual Tournament of Champions featuring Hoophall West. Hundreds of the top basketball players in the country, predominantly from the West Coast have made thei

Column To say that the last week and a half since Thanksgiving have been chaotic would be an understatement. On a personal level, I caught pneumonia and after a strong start in coverage to the 2025-26 basketball season, my coverage has fallen back during my time of illness. But rather than do nothing, I utilized my NFHS Network subscription to continue gathering information to determine who the best teams may be and which players are show stoppers. What I Watched Centennial

Left (Scaren Usate) Middle (Keenan Martin) Right (Sebastian Marrufo) Paradise Honors and Peoria are both rebuilding teams looking to make the playoff's under new head coaches for both programs. Paradise Honors lead by Cain Atkinson and Peoria led by Christopher Gossett put on a show in a 4A conference matchup. 1st Quarter - Scaren's hot start The game started with a big time 10-2 run by Paradise honors. The energy from Scaren Usate was infectious and the team rallied behind h

TEMPE — From the opening tip, Perry made it clear they came ready for a fight. The Pumas opened the game with a defensive statement, shutting out Corona del Sol 9–0 in the first quarter and controlling the early energy inside the gym. Their ball pressure, discipline, and rebounding set the tone immediately. But Corona didn’t fold. The Aztecs regrouped and punched back to start the second, ripping off a 7–0 run that instantly flipped the momentum. Suddenly, the gym was alive a

From the opening tip, St. Mary’s and Basha delivered the kind of entertaining basketball you expect when top talent hits the floor. The Knights opened with a quick 5–0 burst, but Basha settled in behind a Kingston Montague three that immediately halted St. Mary’s early momentum. The first quarter became a feeling-out process as both teams spent the quarter adjusting and countering. After eight minutes, St. Mary’s held a narrow 16–15 edge. The game’s energy shifted early

On Friday, November 21st, the Mingus Marauders made the trip from Cottonwood to Phoenix and left no doubt in their 2025–2026 season opener, dominating the Greenway Demons 67–26 in a battle of 4A squads. Coming off a semifinal run last season, Mingus looked like a team on a mission, while Greenway, who reached the play-in round last year, had no answers for the Marauders’ defensive pressure. From the opening tip, Mingus applied full-court pressure to speed up Greenway, and the