Arizona Athletic Grounds (Mesa) - The Contenders Conference welcomed a special guest from Australia. When the final whistle blew, the Australian team completed the three-day showcase unbeaten with an impressive 4–0 record.
Five of twenty teams went undefeated: AUNZ Prep (Aus) (4-0), Premier Prep Tucson (3-0), Dream City 1 (AZ) (3-0), ABC Red (NM) (3-0), and AZ Elite Panthers (2-0) topped the standings.
Top Matchups
Game #1 – ABC Prep Red (NM) 78 vs. Dream City 2 (AZ) 75
Gabe Trujillo contributed 23 points to guide Albuquerque (ABC) to a narrow 78-75 win over Dream City 2 of Arizona.
ABC (3-0) took control early, leading 25-16 after the first quarter with Trujillo contributing eight points. Dream City narrowed the gap to 43-37 by halftime and trailed just 56-55 heading into the final quarter.
Dream City's Yo Yo Ajawin topped the scoreboard with 28 points, while teammate Ruan Kennedy contributed 15 points and Dreson Evans chipped in with 11.
Game #2 – AZ Compass Grind (AZ) 74 vs. Anthem Prep (UT) 72
Jeehzus Pagon recorded a game-high 20 points, guiding AZ Compass Grind to an impressive, 74-72, come-from-behind victory over Anthem Prep of Utah.
Anthem Prep (2-1) jumped ahead with a 22-17 lead after the first quarter and extended their advantage to 36-28 by halftime. However, AZ Compass (1-1) came back strong in the final quarter, outscoring Anthem 28-17 to clinch the victory.
Sidy Diakhate scored 17 points to lead Anthem Prep, while Sambe Ousseynou contributed 15 points. Sekou ‘Rooney’ Bagayoko also made an impact with 14 points.
Game #3 – AUNZ Prep (Australia) 73 vs. AZ Compass Grind (Arizona) 71
Maper Maker led the team from “Down Under” to a 73-71 win over AZ Compass Grind with a game-high 35 points.
AUNZ (4-0) prevailed over Compass by overcoming a 58-47 deficit at the end of the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 26-13 in the final period. Maker contributed significantly, recording 17 of his 35 points in the last nine minutes of play.
William Gordon scored 13 points for Compass (1-1), while Nizir Cannady and Tyree Winston added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Above the Rim (Top Single Game Performances)
37 points / Jaden Nassar, Five Star Academy vs. Axis Sports Academy
37 points / Jaden Nassar, Five Star Academy vs. Skyline Prep HS
37 points / Sebastian Vargas, Eduprize vs. ABC Prep Red
35 points / Maper Maker, AUNZ Prep vs. AZ Compass Grind
30 points / Zack Vendrell, Sequoia Varsity vs. Uplay Scholastic
30 points / Rhys Wallcot, Axis Sports Academy vs. Dream City 1
29 points / Kur Lual, AZ Panthers Elite vs. Paragon Prep
29 points / Daniel Lurrinoutoh, Dream City Christian 1 vs. TAP
28 points / YoYo Ajawin, Dream City Christian 2 vs. ABC Red
27 points / Gabe Trujillo, ABC Prep Red vs. Eduprize
