Vote now: Who should be the WaFd Bank Arizona High School Boys Basketball Athlete of the Week?
Here are the candidates for the WaFd Bank Arizona High School Boys Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 30-Feb. 5 as nominated by coaches, fans and readers.
Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email brittanyabowyer@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at @bbowyer07. You also can tag us on Twitter or Instagram at @sbliveaz.
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
—
Nicholas Amador, Sophomore, Yuma - Tied for the second-most points in Wednesday’s game against Shadow Mountain with 23, Amador also had nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals for an all-around phenomenal performance to help Yuma pick up an 88-75 win.
Darius Anderson, Senior, Dysart - Posting 21 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals on Monday, Anderson led the game in scoring to help the Demons defeat Coronado 73-49.
Demarion Anderson, Senior, Agua Fria - Tying his career-high of 36 points, Anderson had a great game against a tough Cactus team. He also picked up two rebounds, an assist and two steals on the night despite the team’s 80-70 road loss. He followed it up on Wednesday with 23 points, one rebound, seven assists and two steals to help Agua Fria narrowly defeat Estrella Foothills 58-57.
Caden Bass, Sophomore, Peoria - Stepping up for Peoria once again without leading scorer Andrew Camacho, Bass finished Monday’s game with 27 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double, as well as two steals to help the Panthers take down, Estrella Foothills 64-56.
Cota Benson, Senior, Mesa - Averaging 86-percent from the field on Friday, Benson had 39 points in the 99-37 victory over Skyline, as well as three rebounds, eight assists and six steals to help run away with the win.
Andrew Bhesania, Sophomore, Boulder Creek - Boosting Boulder Creek to a 81-75 victory on Tuesday, Bhesania had 26 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Jonathan Byaus, Junior, Combs - In a bit of a rivalry game on Wednesday, Byaus helped Combs defeat Poston Butte 66-61 with 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block for a stellar night on the court.
Adam Chaffin, Sophomore, Trevor G. Browne - Closing the season out strong, Chaffin dropped 30 points along with five rebounds, two assists, five steals and a block to help the Bruins defeat Alhambra 70-36 on Thursday.
Andrew Cain, Senior, Ironwood Ridge - Bringing an end to his final regular season, Cain dropped 36 points on Friday, as well as 16 rebounds for a double-double, an assist and two steals to help Ironwood Ridge defeat Tucson 71-60.
Masai Dean, Senior, Cholla - Helping to lift Cholla to a 58-54 victory over Mountain View - Marana on Wednesday, Dean led the game in scoring with 25 points next to six rebounds, seven assists and three steals. He followed it up on Friday with another outstanding performance despite Cholla’s 67-58 loss to Cienega, putting up 40 of the team’s points that night.
Darius Evans, Senior, Youngker - Going out with a bang on Friday, Evans had 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists, seven steals and a block to help Youngker close out the season with a 79-58 home win over Glendale.
Devan Fowler, Junior, Cortez - Contributing all across the court on Monday, Fowler finished the night with 21 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals to help the Colts defeat Apache Junction 50-41 on Monday. On Wednesday, he followed it up with 28 points, a rebound and three steals to help Cortez edge out Coronado 47-46. Fowler also notched 1000 career points this week to close out the season.
Carter Gittens, Senior, Sunrise Mountain - In Sunrise Mountain’s’ 80-72 victory over Paradise Valley on Wednesday, Gittens had 26 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
CohenJ Gonzales, Senior, Mesquite - Mesquite’s 63-45 victory over Arcadia on Monday was led by Gonzales, who had three rebounds, two assists and three steals in the game.
Weston Haebig, Senior, Sabino - Going out strong, Haebig posted 28 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals to help Sabino pick up a 87-32 victory over Sa Miguel. He followed it up Wednesday with 26 points along with four rebounds, an assist and four steals to help the Sabercats defeat Empire 86-47 on Wednesday.
Bradey Henige, Junior, Cactus - Dropping a double-double on Monday for the Cobras in the 80-70 victory over Agua Fria, Henige also had 13 rebounds, three assists, four steals and five blocks on the night.
Caden Hunter, Senior, Liberty - Helping Liberty close out the regular season with a 61-49 win on Friday against O’Connor, Hunter had 22 points, eight rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block on the night.
Keaton Johnson, Junior, Westwood - Playing most of the night for the Warriors in their 61-47 victory over Red Mountain, Johnson posted 22 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block on the night.
Isaiah Kai, Senior, Campo Verde - Leading Tuesday’s game against Higley with 26 points on the night, Kai also had six rebounds, nine assists, a steal and two blocks to help Campo Verde pick up a 70-56 win. He followed it up on Thursday with another 21 points, as well as nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block to help Campo Verde take down Williams Field 64-39.
Payton Lapping, Junior, Desert Ridge - In a close battle against Desert Vista on Tuesday, Lapping led the game in scoring with 21 points while also posting six rebounds, three assists and a steal to help the Jaguars sneak past the Thunder 73-72.
Jerry Leyva Jr, Senior, Buckeye - Closing out his senior season with a bang, Leyva dropped 51 points on Tuesday in Buckeye’s 96-71 victory over Youngker, while also notching five rebounds, three assists and five steals on the night.
John Mattingly, Freshman, Sunnyslope - Stepping up for Sunnyslope on Friday in the Vikings’ final home game of the regular season, Mattingly led the game against Boulder Creek in scoring with 25 points on the night. He also had five rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block to help secure a 69-50 victory.
Nate Morales, Junior, Dysart - Dysart was able to pick up an easy 75-42 victory over Vista Grande on Wednesday behind a powerful performance by Morales. He finished the night with 26 points, five rebounds, three assists and six steals on the night.
Khalil O’Bannon, Senior, Tucson - Playing his best game of the season, O’Bannon helped Tucson defeat Rincon/University 63-51 on Tuesday with 19 points, 12 rebounds, an assist, two steals and two blocks.
Devon Pless, Sophomore, Mesquite - Stepping up for Mesquite on Wednesday against Marcos de Niza, Pless had 22 points along with eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks to help the Wildcats pick up a 71-62 victory.
Uriah Tenette, Sophomore, Prescott - Finishing Monday’s game with 24 points, four rebounds, seven assists and six steals, Tenette led things on the court for the Badgers on Monday to help pick up a victory.
Mason Tippett, Senior, Cienega - Helping Cienega pick up a 67-58 victory over Cholla at home on Friday to close out the regular season, Tippett had a double-double with 22 points and 24 rebounds, along with an assist and two steals on the night.
Noah Sowunmi, Junior, Paradise Valley - Despite a tough loss for the Trojans on Wednesday, Sowunmi had a stellar night, posting 29 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a block.
Rhys Walcott, Sophomore, Eastmark - Leading the game in scoring on Monday with 19 points, Walcott also had five rebounds, and two assists to help Eastmark pick up a 71-55 victory over Poston Butte.
Ivory Washington, Senior, Coconino - Tying his career high of 25 points on Wednesday, Washington also had five rebounds, an assist, and two steals to help Coconino defeat rival Flagstaff 61-49.
