College coaches from around the country flocked toward Court 1 Friday afternoon for Sunnyslope vs. Olympus.

It would’ve been difficult to find a better Friday opener for Section 7’s Boys Weekend at Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa.

Each side had names to watch out for, and even though Olympus lost 63-62, it was hard to look away from Gavin Lowe, MaxPreps’ Utah High School 2024 Basketball Player of the Year.

Lowe topped the Titans in scoring with 25 points, and acted as a surefire captain for an out-of-state group with only six on the roster and no head coach in attendance. The few breaks he did get during the game were spent with a clipboard in hand coaching his teammates.

On the other side, Rider Portela, son of Sunnyside head coach Ray Portela, played an important role as well.

Rider made The Republic’s All-Arizona team as one of the top defenders in the state, but on Friday he showed important eyes what he can do when the ball is in his hands.

He led the Vikings’ charge on offense in the second period, when he scored 15 of his 22 points. As if he hadn’t done enough, the lengthy guard was also responsible for a few key steals that gave Sunnyslope the edge.

Post player Darius Wabbington made a nice complement to Rider in the back half of the game, totaling 15 points. Delton Prescott and Kade Snyder, who was titled the Most Outstanding Player at last weekend’s PrimeTime Invitational, stepped up on offense when they were needed.

Sunnyslope’s off to a good start, but Ray wants to make sure the extra attention doesn’t get to his players.

“At our best, we’re a high powered team both offensively and defensively,” Ray said. “We’ve got maybe four or five guys that could legitimately play Division I, but that’s the thing, we gotta keep playing together. We have to consistently play as one and put aside egos for the team’s benefit.”

As Sunnyslope and Olympus left the court, in came the Basha Bears and Folsom.

A solid chunk of the bleachers stayed seated, knowing the next matchup had potential to be another good one.

It was for the Bears, as Basha overwhelmed Folsom, 79-55.

The Chandler squad went up 14-4 early on and never looked back.

As expected, rising senior Mason Magee, who averaged 20 points last season, put on a show. Magee scored 22 points, which easily could have been more if he hadn’t been rested in the final minutes of each period.

“I think the biggest thing as a whole is just being yourself when you play,” Magee said.

“I think when a lot of guys come out here they feel pressure or they feel obligated to do something or be somebody that they’re not. The biggest thing is just doing what you do best and sticking to it.”

Young sophomores Lleyton Leonard and Kingston Montague complete the lethal offensive trio that Basha relied on last season. Leonard added 14, and Montague finished with nine. For Folsom, Joven Dulay and Jack Shull were the highlights.

The two ignored the scoreboard and combined for 37 points (Dulay scored 21 and Shull 16). But Basha’s firepower was too much for the Bulldogs’ defense.

“We need to work on our self-discipline on defense,” said Folsom head coach Mike Wall.

“We need to stay connected with each other, stay committed to each other and we need to be more physical on the boards as well. That’s a physical team. They’re an athletic team. They’re going to punish you for the smallest mistakes, and we made a lot of them.”

After an encouraging start at Section 7, the Bears are eager for the rest of the weekend.

“I think we’re one of the top teams in the state, I really do,” said Basha head coach Mike Grothaus.

“We have a great group of kids. They’re fun to be around. They’re fun to coach. They work really hard. The sky's the limit with this group.”