Basketballs were buzzing during the second stop of the Grind Session Contenders Conference at AAG in Mesa, Arizona November 21-23, 2025.
The three-day showcase featured 20 teams from Arizona, California, Utah and New Mexico all competing for a spot in the Contenders Conference championship in March.
Axis Sports Academy (Arizona), Anthem Prep (Utah) and Albuquerque Prep (New Mexico) all finished with a perfect 3-0 record over the weekend. PHH Prep / National (Arizona) finished at 2-0 while Colorado Prep Black and Premier Prep Tucson both finished 1-0.
The inaugural Contenders Conference was added to the Grind Session league this season which now consists of the Power Conference (17 teams); Elevation Conference (26 teams) along with the new conference.
Top Matchups
Game #1
Anthem Prep (Utah) 87 vs. AZ Compass Prep Grind (Arizona) 86
Anthem Prep (3-0) jumped out to an early 30-14 first quarter lead and it looked like the Utah squad was going to run past Compass Grind (1-1). Sekou Ousmane Bagayoko scored 12 of his 25 points during the first half leading Anthem to a comfortable, 46-33, halftime lead.
Tyree Winston scored nine (all 3-pointers) of his 22 points during the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 68-60 after three periods.
The final quarter got very interesting as Compass and Anthem battled back and forth in front of a packed gym. Compass had an 86-85 lead with less than 10 seconds remaining. Ekeh Mc Bryant hit his only shot of the game as time expired giving Anthem Prep a thrilling 87-86 victory.
Game #2
Albuquerque Prep (New Mexico) 92 vs. Sequoia Prep / National (Arizona) 90
Caden Miller scored a game-high 35 points leading Albuquerque Prep (3-0) to a 92-90 shootout over Sequoia Prep. Brandon Mason finished with 19 points for Albuquerque which had a comfortable, 45-33, halftime lead.
Sequoia Prep (2-2) made a second half run behind Rico D’Alessandro’s 16 points during the final 18 minutes. Sequoia had five players scored in double figures with Rico leading the team with 21 points followed by Isaiah Akuwe with 14 points. Keyuan Martin and Q’wasie Reid both finished with 13 points followed by Steven Lewis with 12 points.
Game #3
The Academy Phoenix (TAP) 86 vs. Team Development Elite (California) 83
Jesse Klinger scored 29 points leading TAP (2-1) to a, 86-83, come-from-behind victory over Team Development Elite (3-1). He scored 14 points during the final two quarters. TAP outscored Elite, 31-15, during the final nine minutes.
Contenders Conference Standings after 2 events
Above The Rim
Top Single Game Performances
36 points / Sebastian Vargas (Eduprize) vs. ABC Prep Red
35 points / Caden Miller (Albuquerque) vs. Sequioa Prep / National
33 points / Logan Hiller (The Academy Phoenix TAP) vs. Mack Attack
31 points / DJ Johnson (Paragon Academy) vs. PHH Prep / National
29 points / Jesse Klinger (The Academy Phoenix TAP) vs. Colorado Destination
28 points / Jashon Morinia (ABC Prep Red) vs. Eduprize
27 points / Chris King (PHH Prep / National) vs. Paragon Prep
25 points / Delijah McAlpin (Team Development Elite) vs. ABC Prep
25 points / Isaac McNair (Premier Prep / Tucson) vs. Colorado Destination
24 points / David Giron (Team Development Elite) vs. Paragon Prep
24 points / Rico D’Alessandro (Sequioa Prep / National) vs. Mack Attack
21 points / Jayden White (Colorado Destination) vs. Premier Prep / Tucson
