2023-24 Girls basketball all-area team: Freshmen emerge, juniors rise to occasion, seniors shine

QUINCY — From freshmen making an immediate impact to seniors leaving a lasting legacy, the area girls basketball scene featured remarkable individual performances that led to widespread team success.

Eleven players earned all-state honors while six teams won at least 20 games with two regional titles, one district championship and two sectional crowns. It made paring the list of top talent down to 12 players a difficult task, but those making the Muddy River Sports all-area team deserve the plaudits.

Here is the 2023-24 all-area team in alphabetical order:

Jada Brown

Freshman • Forward • 6-foot • Quincy High School

A first-team All-Western Big 6 Conference selection and an Illinois Media honorable mention all-stater, Brown made a huge impact in her first varsity season. Brown averaged 15.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists and shot 65 percent from the field while helping the Blue Devils tie the school record for victories in a single season as they finished 25-7. 

Macie Fisher

Senior • Guard • 5-foot-6 • Canton

Fisher was named the Class 2 District 5 Player of the Year after helping the Tigers. Fisher averaged 11.9 points per game while shooting a team-leading 45.5 percent from the field and making a team-leading 46 3-pointers. Fisher, who has signed to play softball at Kirkwood Community College, also led the Tigers with 85 assists, 72 steals and 14 blocked shots.

Taylor Fohey

Senior • Forward • 6-foot • Quincy High School

One of just four players in program history with more than 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds, Fohey capped her career as a first-team All-Western Big 6 Conference selection and an Illinois Media honorable mention all-stater. She finished the season averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and a team-leading 2.7 assists per game.

Kenzie Kassing

Freshman • Guard • 5-foot-9 • Brown County

Talk about announcing your presence with authority. Kassing broke the Brown County single-game scoring record with a 43-point effort against Lewistown and finished the season with 634 points, the second most in a single season in program history. She averaged 21.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 2 assists per game while earning Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 1A second-team all-state honors.

Candra King

Senior • Forward • 6-foot • Palmyra

A two-time Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 3 all-state selection, King averaged 13.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field. She played in 22 of the Panthers’ 26 games, enduring a late-season ankle injury, but the Iowa State University track and field signee was dominant enough to earn All-Clarence Cannon Conference and all-district honors as Palmyra finished with a 19-7 record.

Mariah Mayfield

Junior • Guard • 5-foot-8 • Hannibal

A first-team All-North Central Missouri Conference and a Class 5 District 4 all-district selection, Mayfield led the Pirates in scoring at 10.3 points, while finishing with three rebounds and two steals per game despite battling injuries early in the season. She broke the single-game school record for 3-pointers when she made seven treys as part of a 27-point effort against Warrenton.

Callie McWilliams

Junior • Guard • 5-foot-6 • South Shelby

McWilliams helped the Lady Birds win their third consecutive district championship and reach the state quarterfinals before suffering a loss to Centralia. The Class 3 all-state selection led South Shelby in three significant statistical categories — 15.5 points, 4.9 steals and 4.2 assists per game. She also grabbed 5.8 rebounds per game and made 35 3-pointers.

Lauren Miller

Junior • Forward • 5-foot-10 • Central-Southeastern

Miller led the Panthers to a 29-3 record, a sectional championship and a Class 2A elite eight berth. A three-time All-West Central Conference selection, she averaged 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 3.1 assists, while shooting 55.3 percent from the field. It led to first-team all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and second-team all-state honors from the Illinois Media.

Karly Peters

Junior • Guard • 5-foot-9 • Central-Southeastern

An Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 2A special mention all-stater, Peters anchored the Panthers’ backcourt with her defensive intensity and 3-point shooting. She led the Panthers with 4.1 deflections and averaged 3 steals per game. She scored 11.9 points, dished out 2.8 assists and grabbed 2.8 rebounds, while making 49 3-pointers.

Reagan Reed

Junior • Forward • 5-foot-9 • Illini West

A three-year starter for the Chargers, Reed became the focal point of the offense this season. She averaged 17 points per game, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.8 steals per game, while shooting 74.1 percent from the free-throw line in earning second-team all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

Sage Stratton

Junior • Guard • 5-foot-8 • Quincy Notre Dame

Stratton led the Raiders to a No. 3 state ranking in Class 3A, a 28-5 record and a Sweet 16 appearance. An Illinois Basketball Coaches Association third-team all-stater and an Illinois Media honorable mention all-stater, Stratton averaged 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.3 steals per game. She shot 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range. 

Lillie Woodworth

Senior • Guard • 5-foot-8 • West Hancock

The Lincoln Land Community College signee was named a Class 2A special mention all-stater by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association after guiding the Titans to a 23-win season. Woodworth averaged 17.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and was among the area’s top 3-point shooters with 81 made treys. She also snared 3.4 steals.