For the 10th year, West Valley Preps has announced honors for the best girls basketball players it covers in the West Valley. With so many quality players in the West Valley, a third team was necessary.
Here is the All-West Valley Preps girls basketball team:
First team
F — Savanna Dotray (Junior), Sunrise Mountain
C — Emma Dasovich (Senior), Valley Vista
W — Elli Guiney (Senior), Millennium
SG — Aaliyah Rogers (Sophomore), Canyon View
PG — Shainelle Mallory (Sophomore), Kellis
Second team
PF — Jaila Flowers (Sophomore), Canyon View
F — Thalia Daniels (Senior), O’Connor
W — Audrey Bhesania (Sophomore), O’Connor
PG — Jocelyn Chavez (Senior), Valley Vista
SG — Diamond Stevenson (Senior), Deer Valley
Third team
W — Madison Pond (Senior), Estrella Foothills
PF — Michelle Kogbara (Junior), Peoria
C — Addison Wiemann (Sophomore), Sunrise Mountain
PG — Morgan Van Dyke (Junior), Paradise Honors
SG — Akasha Prpich (Senior), Centennial
Underclassmen to watch: Kaliyahna Baldwin, G, (Sophomore), Mountain Ridge; Bernadette Carranza, PG, (Sophomore), Canyon View; Mollie Childress, W, (Sophomore), Deer Valley; Brooke Elliott, C, (Sophomore), Deer Valley; Jayda Hunt, C, (Freshman), Millennium; Makenna Johnson, G, (Freshman), Liberty; Tysyn Johnson, PG, (Sophomore), Valley Vista Izabella Juarez, F, (Sophomore), ALA-West Foothills; Sarah Karnitz, G, (Sophomore), Willow Canyon; Danica Lindemann, G, (Sophomore), Shadow Ridge; Braya Neal Tiffany, G, (Freshman),Valley Vista; Star Nwabichie, C, (Sophomore), Paradise Honors; Bella Overlock, SG, (Sophomore), O’Connor; Dashia Richardson, G, (Freshman), Millennium; Luz Marian Santos Mas, W, (Sophomore), Kellis; Ava Schooler, G, (Freshman), O’Connor; Kylie Seifried, PG, (Freshman), Northwest Christian; Nemo Sidhu, SG, (Freshman), Estrella Foothills; Azalee Tellez, G, (Sophomore), Canyon View; Mia Wolfe, SG, (Freshman), Kellis; Chanel Yellowman, G, (Sophomore), Estrella Foothills; Abbie Zerbe, G, (Sophomore), ALA-West Foothills
Player of the year
Elli Guiney, Millennium - This was by far the easier pick of the two individual awards. Guiney finished her career averaging 21.8 points per game on 53 percent shooting, dragging a team with two freshmen and upperclassmen who barely played in 2022-23 into the 5A semifinals. Robbed of a chance to team with fellow elite guard Destiny Lunan, Guiney did a little bit of everything to keep this inexperienced team relevant, leading the Tigers to road playoff wins at Mesquite and Notre Dame Prep.
Runner-up: Savanna Dotray, Sunrise Mountain - Dotray doesn't bring the statistical heft like Guiney. She didn't lead her team in points, rebounds, assists, steals or blocks. She was second in every category for the Mustangs, except steals , where she tid fellow junior Jaden Maza for the lead. Her 14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2,2 steals a game are nothing to sneeze at. Most importantly a rebuilding Mustangs squad went from 5A quarterfinalist (at best) to seconds away from repeating as conference champion mainly because Dotray played point guard for the first time in her life. Opponents can no longer press at will.
Second runner-up: Shanielle Mallory, Kellis - The Cougars' sophomore dynamo was most responsible for Dotray's move, as Mallory has six steals in Kellis' 64-37 rout of the Mustangs. Mallory averaged a whopping 5.5 steals a game. With more talented young teammates as a sophomore, she was more selective with her shots but still led Kellis with 18.3 points and 4.7 assists per game. A region title and near miss against Sunrise Mountain in a wild quarterfinal will motivate the face of Cougars basketball.
Coach of the year
Jen Tolle, Sunrise Mountain - Truthfully, Tolle entered the playoffs at around fifth or sixth in this list. Along with the final three listed here, Shanelle Balark (Kellis), Brooklynn Hinkens (Valley Vista) and Noel Hachtel (Estrella Foothills) were all worthy of recognition. Tolle earned it for nearly repeating as 5A champion despite losing her three best players from 2022-23 to graduation and top defensive player to an ACL tear. Wiemann moved in from Tennessee to give the Mustangs hope of contending. But Sunrise Mountain didn't get until Tolle moved Dotray to point guard to handle pressing defenses and senior Kylee Inman as a high post forward. The Mustangs nearly won a state title with zero bench minutes played in regulation of the final game.
Runner-up: Charles Wilson, O’Connor - The second-year coach handled some moving parts this year, blending returnees Daniels, Bhesania and Taeja Bartee with freshman Ava Schooler and transfers Bella Overlock and Kamara Moss. Likely starting guard Savannah Helms had to sit out a year because of her club ties with Wilson. So this team, while talented, was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. Wilson got the Eagles to buy in on defense and that carried O'Connor while the team came of age in a semifinal slugfest at Dobson. Then the offense clicked to beat Perry for the 6A title. This is only the beginning for Wilson and O'Connor girls hoops.
Second runner-up: Desirae Carranza, Canyon View - Did Canyon View have the best roster in 5A? Yes. But the Jaguars were young and two significant injuries bookended the season. Flowers missed the first 10 games while her knee healed. In her first game back, a one-point loss to Williams Field, starting point guard Bernadette Carranza tore up her knee and was lost for the season. Her mom adjusted, and even more than winning the state title Canyon View cleared its Millennium hurdle, beating the TIgers to end the regular season and again in the 5A semifinals.
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