Girls Basketball: AF's Mulloy shines for Xavier Prep

Rikki Mulloy knows two things: she wants to go to a good college academically and she wants to play Division I basketball.

Mulloy, a sophomore at Xavier College Prep and Ahwatukee Foothills resident, has the drive to get into a prestigious college. She's aiming to be a pre-med student, and though she lives within the boundary for Desert Vista, Mulloy chose Xavier for its academics.

"I'm really interested in going to Ivy League schools, and I knew Xavier would help me achieve that goal," she said.

If the Deer Valley Invitational earlier this month was any indication, Mulloy has taken major strides in terms of her basketball, too.

During the tournament, the shooting guard averaged 17 points per game and took home MVP honors. She also won the two-day 3-point contest.

"I'm just hoping that all these things will start become more frequent and help me get to the college level," said Mulloy, who is also averaging 15 points per game on the season.

Mulloy also plays for the Arizona Elite, the same club that former Mountain Pointe star and current Desert Vista assistant Holly Johnson played for. It's also produced the likes of Kayla Pedersen (Stanford), Christina Wirth (Vanderbilt), Sybil Dosty (Arizona State) and Dymond Simon (ASU), among others.

Austen Harris, a guard for Desert Vista, and Sara Ellenberger, a forward at Horizon Honors, are also currently in the program.

Recently, Xavier played Dobson, with coaches from ASU and the University of San Diego in attendance.

"I hope to get a scholarship for a D-I, but also a very good academic school, so I can get the whole overall aspect," Mulloy said. "But I'm just focusing on improving my game right now. Hopefully next year, I'll be able to have more of an option about the various D-I schools."