With winter break upon us and snow on the ground in the Verde Valley, Sedona Red Rock High School basketball is on a well-deserved break. While the boys had only played three games before taking on the Epic Tourneys New Years Classic later this week, the girls are eight games into their 2A “revenge tour,” including a semifinals appearance in the Pepsi Holiday Tournament against a field stacked with big school opponents.

When regular season play picks back up on Jan. 4, both squads will hit the ground running with nine games across three weeks to open play in the 2A Central Region. Before then, let’s take a step back and check out five takeaways from the Sedona boys (0-3) and girls (7-1) teams so far.

More hardware for Medel?

Sedona girls’ basketball senior wing Stephanie Medel already has a full trophy case. Following the 2020-21 season she was named to the 2A All-Conference 2nd Team while making the 2A Central region All-Region 1st team and taking home Region Defensive Player of the Year Honors. She also took home a little award called SRRHS Female Athlete of the Year, given out by the Sedona Red Rock News.

If the first month of the season was any indication, Medel is back on track for those honors. She’s been the defensive anchor for Sedona’s defense, both on the interior and perimeter. Her long frame and wingspan allows her to disrupt passing lanes and block shots, even when she’s the shorter player in her matchup. When Medel and sophomore center Rachel Roderick, who we’ll talk about later, is in the paint, offenses get the choice to either kick the ball out for a three or get their inside shot swatted.

If Medel keeps her play up defensively, not only could she repeat as 2A Central Region Defensive Player of the Year, but she’s in the running for that award in the entire 2A Conference.

Boys back court shows promise

The boys squad has had a tough start to the season, but its youthful back court is showing fans what the future of the program is looking like.

Junior Max Metzger and sophomores Ben Cook and Carlos Gonzalez are all first-time varsity players, but the young trio is starting to come into its own.

Metzger, the starting point guard and primary ball-handler, has shown poise and confidence in the early stages of the season. He’s not afraid to shoot on an open look and he makes the correct reads as the possessions develop, often making strong passes to teammates in the post.

Cook has been one of the biggest surprises for the Scorpions. With each game, he grabs the attention of head coach Pedro Ortega more than the last, earning himself more playing time. Even at 5-foot-8, Cook has shown to be one of the Scorpions’ more consistent scorers with his excellent jump shooting and skilled handling skills. He can get “hot” easily, with the potential to take over the game at almost any moment and unleash a run of buckets on his own.

Gonzalez has been somewhat of a spark plug off the bench. He’s quick and although a bit raw with his ball skills at the moment, shows definite potential to be a full-time varsity starter down the line. His lanky frame makes him a tough defender on the perimeter and his speed makes him a threat in transition.

This trio has shown great promise in just three games so far. Down the stretch in region play, the young guards for Sedona is going to be an intriguing storyline.

A little help from our friends

Going back to last season’s state-championship game run for the Sedona girls, depth was somewhat of an issue. The Scorpions’ had an outstanding starting five full of All-Region players, but head coach Kirk Westervelt was somewhat limited in his ability to change up rotations in the big games.

This year, it is no longer an issue. The Scorpions’ bench unit has been reliable and effective so far, keeping up with the chaotic defensive energy that the starters deliver, while offering something different offensively.

Senior Hannah Lanchbery and junior Leah Pedersen expand the Scorpions’ half-court options when they’re on the hardwood. They’re both lethal shooters from range which forces the defense to guard them well beyond the three-point line. This in-turn opens up the inside lanes for a drive from junior guard Helen Westervelt or an easy bucket from the low-post for Rachel Roderick.

If things aren’t working with their usual “bully ball” playstyle, which uses size-advantages to force the ball inside, the Scorpions could move to a small-ball lineup. Using Lanchbery and Pedersen, they could make their opponents adapt and to create mismatches in other ways. Going forward into region play, expect those two to get more minutes the rest of the way.

The big guy inside

Sitting down to watch Sedona’s boys team for even just a minute is enough to know that senior Dorian Stevens is going to be a matchup nightmare for teams in the 2A Central region. The 6-foot-4 center is built, athletic and physical. His inside presence has been a point for defenders to focus on, leading to open shots for the Scorpions’ guards.

When Stevens’ is at his best, so is his team. He takes charge on the court, coaching up the young players and offering encouragement. The leadership abilities are obvious.

The upside has been there for the Scorpions’ through three games, but what’s been missing has been the consistency. It’s the same for Stevens.’ At times, he can try to do too much, such as going for a one-handed dunk when the easy layup is there, or trying to go through a clogged paint when there’s an open shooter behind him.

But when he’s on, the Scorpions are on. The upside has been there for the Scorpions’ through three games, but what’s been missing has been the consistency. It’s the same for Stevens.’ At times, he can try to do too much, such as going for a one-handed dunk when the easy layup is there, or trying to go through a clogged paint when there’s an open shooter behind him. But when he’s on, the Scorpions are on. The team will improve as a whole once the inconsistency is ironed out.

The girls are in good hands going forward

Now, if there’s a takeaway that could be stamped with an exclamation
mark and could be sent to Las Vegas for easy money, it’s this one: sophomore guard Rachel Roderick is going to be girls’ Player of the Year in the 2A Conference someday — if not this year. Book it.

Roderick has simply been a beast on both ends of the court. Her ability to stretch the court offensively is something that was perhaps missing in her freshman season, but it’s been corrected. She doesn’t just have to be in the paint to score, she can get buckets from anywhere. As soon as her confidence level rises on those shots, her squad will be better from it.

She could also be giving Stephanie Medel a run for her money in the Defensive Player of the Year race.

Her height at 6-foot-3 is menacing to even the other bigs at the 2A level. Teams will avoid the post because of her. Roderick is the type of player that forces teams to change their schemes and play style because of her inside presence.

There are things to fix up, no doubt. Against 4A state-contender Flagstaff at the Pepsi Holiday Tournament, the Eagles successfully drew her outside, leaving her in a “no man’s land” defensively in an attempt to free up the paint for easy layups. But she’s just a sophomore, Roderick will learn the games’ intricacies in time. For now, it’s better to just enjoy one of the better players in 2A as she continues to improve with each game.

The Scorpions come back from winter break Jan. 4, when they open up play in the 2A Central at Scottsdale Prep. They’ll come back home for a pair of games on Jan. 7-8 against North Pointe Prep. and Chino Valley respectively, with the girls games at 5:30 p.m. and the boys at 7.