The Nike Tournament of Champions welcomed 81 teams to the Phoenix area for four days of elite basketball competition that will help sort out the national championship picture.
The host team, Mesquite, held court last. Ranked No. 25 in the most recent espnW 25 Power Rankings, Mesquite is looking to propel itself toward the top this week, starting with a Tuesday game against North Little Rock of Arkansas.
Led by a dynamic back court of Lindsey VanAllen (Santa Clara) and Shaylee Gonzales (BYU), the hosts held on and remained undefeated with a 61-57 victory.
VanAllen and Gonzales started off strong and scored 24 of Mesquite's 35 first-half points.
North Little Rock, though, has a star of its own in TCU signee Yo'Myris Morris, who scored all eight of her team's points in the first quarter. She finished with 22.
Trailing by 11 points with five minutes to play, North Little Rock stepped up its defense, and got three steals to close the game to four points with 2:33 remaining.
But Mesquite hit some crucial free throws to hold on for the win.
"I was proud of my team's determination to play until the end," North Little Rock coach Daryl Fimple said. "They didn't give up."
Gonzales and VanAllen each had 22 points for Mesquite.
"We played to win in the first half and we appeared to play timid, trying not to lose in the second half," Mesquite coach Candice Gonzales said.
Next up for the hosts is No. 17 St. Mary's (Stockton, California), which features Baylor signee and athlete supreme Aquira DeCosta.
Day 1 standouts
We already knew that Centennial (Las Vegas), featuring Justice Ethridge and Eboni Walker, was one of the elite teams in the nation. Now we know there's another reason. Sophomore Aishah Brown, a 6-foot-1 forward, brought athleticism and quickness to Phoenix. She scored 12 points in Centennial's 71-58 win over Windward (Los Angeles), and her impact was nothing short of "wow." Next up for No. 11 Centennial is a showdown with No. 5 Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tennessee).
Speaking of emerging stars. It's time to turn the spotlight on freshman Rayah Marshall of Lynwood (California). She's a 6-3 point guard with a combo game that stretches to the arc. We generally don't like to make comparisons like this, but visions of Kevin Durant danced through our heads.
From Mali to Maryland, sophomore Aicha Coulibaly, a 6-foot combo guard at New Hope Academy (Hyattsville , Maryland) is a must watch. Armed with a college-ready frame and a smooth stroke on a jumper that extends beyond the arc, Coulibaly is a gamer, physical off the dribble and plays with a motor. She's looking to score on every possession.
Day 2 spotlight game
We already mentioned Centennial vs. Riverdale and Mesquite vs. St. Mary's, so we've got to call attention to another super showdown on Wednesday's schedule. No. 2 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, California) puts its undefeated record on the line against No. 6 St. John's College (Washington, D.C.). Mitty is led by Penn State signee Karisma Ortiz and junior Haley Jones. St. John's counters with Northwestern signee Sydney Wood and junior Malu Tshitenge-Mutombo, niece of NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo. And we can't talk about St. John's without talking about Azzi Fudd. Her coach, Jonathan Scribner, had this to say about the freshman: "I have never seen anything like this kid. ... She is, without question, a player that comes along once every 20 years, maybe."
