(pictured Gal Raviv, Adeang Ring, Aiyanna Perkins)
Dream City Christian hosted Bella Vista Prep in Dream City’s Military Appreciation Night to celebrate the Veteran’s Day Holiday. This game was exciting to watch as both teams brought a lot of great energy. To open the game, Bella Vista Guard Grace Strickland hit a three but two possessions later, Dream City Guard Andrea Becerra returned fire with a counter three pointer.
Bella Vista’s Gal Raviv channeled the excitement and energy to spark her team to a 9-0 run. The Bears of Bella Vista would end the quarter with a 25-14 lead. Bear’s Forward Adeang Ring proved to be a matchup nightmare as she stands at 6 ‘5 but can stretch the floor and score at all three levels. To open the 2nd quarter, the Eagles brought good energy on the defensive end.
The pressure disrupted the Bears offensive tempo, which the Eagles cut the Bears lead down to single digits. Eagles Forward Dianalynn Howell emerged to protect the paint, slowing Ring down inside. Late into the 2nd Quarter, Eagles Forward Layla Franklin sparked a run to cut the Bears lead to three points. Her playmaking ability on both ends of the floor sparked a late run. The Eagles would go on to sneak a 1 point lead at half, 41-40.
The Bears utilized half time to settle down. They changed their pace offensively and looked to move the ball more and took great shot selections. Bears Guard Raviv just used the third quarter to take over. She facilitated the offense and got her other teammates involved like fellow backcourt mate Aiyanna Perkins. The Bears would build their lead to end the quarter 67 to 53.
To open the 4th, the Bears opened it up with their 1-2-3 punch of Perkins, Ring and Raviv building the lead to as much as 20. The Eagles seemed to run out of time as the Bears would go on to win 91 to 67.
Here are some of the prospects who stood out to me:
Adeang Ring 6-5 Center 2024 Bella Vista Prep
Ring is impressive as she showed the ability to stretch the floor with her length. She is a solid rim protector with her shot blocking ability and cleaned the glass. Offensively she has a solid shooting stroke and can score from all three levels. The University of Central Florida commit is primed to have a huge season.
Aiyanna Perkins 5-7 Combo Guard 2025 Bella Vista Prep
Perkins transferred over from McClintock where she led the Chargers to a magical open division elite eight run. Her elite athleticism and skill set is what caught my attention. A downhill guard who thrives in attacking the rim and finishing, Perkins also is a lock up defender who utilizes her toughness, athleticism and strength to fluster opponents. She is a solid mid-major prospect with tremendous upside.
Ariella Goren 5-8 Point Guard 2024 Dream City Christian
Goren displayed good playmaking ability on both ends of the floor. She can score from all three levels and displayed good range. A solid sleeper prospect for a small college needing a floor general with good playmaking and scoring ability.
Gal Raviv 5-9 Point Guard 2024 Bella Vista Prep
Raviv is one of the most skilled and underrated guards in the country. She is one of the best players I got to see play so far this season. Raviv has impressive court awareness, IQ, facilitation, and scoring ability. The southpaw has a tight handle and knows how to slice and dice through the opposition. In this game, Raviv got to the cup at will to either finish or dish to open teammates. I am impressed she is still on the board as she has the ability to play at the mid-major plus level.
Grace Strickland 5-6 Guard 2024 Bella Vista Prep
Strickland exploded out of the gate by hitting the game’s first field goal from long range. She is a solid guard who can score at all three levels. Strickland’s play compliments her team as she executes her role off ball. Defensively she does a great job of containing her opponents. Another prospect who will make some noise this season.
Layla Franklin 5-11 Forward 2025 Dream City Christian
Franklin plays aggressively, especially on the defensive end. The Junior Forward stepped up to make some big plays to get key stops to keep her team in the game. Franklin’s play proved to be the x-factor on both ends of the floor. She hit some key baskets and created key turnovers to help the Eagles stay competitive. This prospect has tremendous upside and her stock will skyrocket.
Ysabel Puente 5-8 Combo Guard 2024 Dream City Christian
Puente is one of my favorite under the radar prospects in the 2024 class. This young lady can strike when the iron is hot by making plays and scoring from all three levels. I have been following her career over the last couple of seasons and I believe the best is yet to come for her senior campaign. I expect her recruiting stock to rise as the season continues.
