Bella Vista Survives AZ Compass

In the Arcadia area of Phoenix, two prep heavyweights went toe-to-toe as Bella Vista Prep Bears hosted AZ Compass Prep Dragons on senior night in a game that had playoff-level intensity from the jump.

Compass came out aggressively early. Eighth grader Alaysia Peace set the tone by opening the scoring, and the Dragons looked comfortable pushing the pace. Bella Vista answered behind junior guard Ylena Gross, who consistently got downhill in transition, and senior Izabella Juarez, who knocked down an early corner three to settle things in. Both teams traded punches throughout the first quarter, with Compass briefly creating separation off of scrappy defense and shot-making from Ashari Emuze. Bella Vista stayed composed, and a late Juarez triple helped the Bears take a narrow 17–16 lead after one.

The second quarter slowed down as both teams locked in defensively. Compass found ways to score inside and briefly took the lead, but Juarez, a Weber State commit, continued to be the steady hand for Bella Vista, spacing the floor and punishing defensive lapses from deep. At the break, Bella Vista held a slim 30–28 advantage, with Juarez carrying the scoring load and Emuze keeping Compass within striking distance.

The game swung in the third quarter. Bella Vista turned defense into offense, with Gross attacking the lane and Mackenzie Buckner, the top remaining unsigned senior in the state, orchestrating and knocking down timely shots despite battling cramps. The Bears began to stretch the floor, and once the threes started falling, the momentum shifted hard. Buckner, Juarez, and Erica McGadney all connected from beyond the arc, and Bella Vista closed the quarter with a statement—a McGadney three at the buzzer that pushed the lead to 61–46 heading into the fourth.

Compass didn’t fold. Zoee Mitchell battled inside for second-chance points, 8th-grade phenom Taiyanna Samuels-Pyles attacked the rim, and Kaliha Norwood sparked a late surge with clutch buckets and a big three that cut the deficit to four. With under two minutes to play, Compass had all the momentum and forced Bella Vista to execute under pressure.

In the end, Bella Vista did just enough. Compass had

a chance to steal it late, but the Bears survived, closing out a hard-fought 68–66 win.

Juarez led Bella Vista with 19 points and 6 rebounds, while Buckner added 16, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, and controlled key stretches of the game. Gross added 12 points for Bella Vista. Compass was balanced, led by Emuze with 15 points and 8 rebounds, Samuels-Pyles with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals, Peace with 12 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals, and Mitchell, who had 8 points and 12 rebounds, 6 of which were on the offensive glass.