Meet the Muddy River Sports 2024-25 girls basketball all-area team

QUINCY — The old guard is giving way to burgeoning talent.

That’s the theme the Muddy River Sports 2024-25 girls basketball all-area team seemed to follow. Seniors such as Quincy Notre Dame’s Sage Stratton, Central-Southeastern’s Lauren Miller and South Shelby’s Callie McWilliams piled up postseason plaques and accolades throughout their career.

Brown County’s Kenzie Kassing and Quincy High School’s Jada Brown are just starting to do so as well. It means the well won’t run dry of talent throughout West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri.

Here is the 2024-25 girls basketball all-area team, listed in alphabetical order:

Addy Abell, Guard, Jr., Highland

Abell helped engineer the Cougars’ 24-win season that included winning the championship of the Tony Lenzini Tournament. It was Highland’s first 20-win season in more than two decades. She was a first-team All-Clarence Cannon Conference and all-district selection after averaging 13.9 points, 3.2 steals and 2.2 assists, while making 48 3-pointers. 

Jada Brown, Forward, Soph., Quincy High School

Arguably one of the toughest 1-on-1 matchups because of her length, ability to play with her back to the basket and expanding perimeter game, Brown delivered every night for the Blue Devils. A first-team All-Western Big 6 Conference selection, Brown averaged 19.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4 assists, while shooting 59 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free-throw line to earn special mention all-state from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

Sydney Compton, Forward, Sr., Palmyra

The Quincy University signee showed she’s ready to be a frontcourt contributor in the Great Lakes Valley Conference after averaging 19.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 68 percent from the free-throw line. She also averaged 2.6 steals and 2 assists per game. The first-team All-Clarence Cannon Conference selection scored more than 1,500 career points.

Kenzie Kassing, Guard, Soph., Brown County

Kassing is one of the area’s most gifted scorers with the ability to finish at every level, which explains netting 680 points this season and blowing past the 1,000-point career mark halfway through her prep career. Kassing led the Hornets to a 24-8 record as she averaged 21.3 points to go with 7.8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2.7 assists per game. She shot 51 percent from the field and 68 percent and received Class 1A first-team all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

Callie McWilliams, Guard, Sr., South Shelby

The Lady Birds won their third consecutive Class 3 district championship with McWilliams earning District 6 Player of the Year honors after she also was an unanimous first-team All-Clarence Cannon Conference selection. The State Fair Community College track and field signee averaged 16.9 points per game to go with 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 3.6 assists, while making 50 3-pointers. 

Lauren Miller, Forward, Sr., Central-Southeastern

Miller did many magical things during her prep career, like leading the Panthers to three consecutive small school girls bracket championships at the State Farm Holiday Classic and helping CSE go 30-4 this season. The SIU-Edwardsville signee averaged 20.2 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 2.6 assists. The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 2A first-team all-state selection finished her career as the second-leading scorer in program history with 2,027 points.

Karly Peters, Guard, Sr., Central-Southeastern

Peters was the Pippen to Lauren Miller’s Jordan in the Central-Southeastern lineup, not only running the offense but delivering in clutch moments as well. Peters, who is headed to John Wood Community College, averaged 13 points per game while dishing out 4.6 assists and shooting better than 35 percent from 3-point range. She reached 1,000 career points in the sectional championship game against Pleasant Plains.

Reese Ramsey, Guard, Fr., Pittsfield

Ramsey, who passed away Feb. 11 from injuries sustained in a car accident, averaged 19.5 points, 3.4 steals, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists as the Saukees started the season winning 17 straight games and finished with a 24-4 record. She made 80 3-pointers and shot 78 percent from the free-throw line. Ramsey earned Class 2A second-team all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

Reagan Reed, Forward, Sr., Illini West

A third-team all-state selection by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, Reed became the all-time leading scorer at Illini West as she finished her career with 1,678 points. The John Wood Community College signee averaged 16.3 points, 7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3 steals per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free-throw line. She earned first-team All-Prairieland Conference honors.

Malia Stolte, Guard, Jr., Hannibal

A record-setting season enabled Stolte to reach a career scoring milestone as she eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career in the final game of the season. She scored 577 points this season, setting the program’s single-season scoring average record at 22.2 points per game. An All-North Central Missouri Conference and all-district selection, Stolte also had 165 steals defensively.

Sage Stratton, Guard, Sr., Quincy Notre Dame

Stratton’s prep basketball career can be defined with one word — winner. During her four-year career, Stratton started every game in helping the Raiders go 125-15 with three state final four appearances. Stratton, who has signed with Drury, averaged 15.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists while leading QND to a Class 3A fourth-place state finish. The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association second-team all-state selection made 88 3-pointers and will graduate as the program’s all-time leading 3-point shooter.

Clare Williams, Guard, Sr., Palmyra

No one epitomized leaving it all on the floor better than Williams. The Ottawa University signee was a defensive dynamo, averaging 3.6 steals and 3.4 deflections per game. Offensively, Williams showcased the ability to score in transition or pull up and drain a jumper. She averaged 18.9 points per game to go with 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.6 steals. She shot 58 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free-throw line while earning second-team All-Clarence Cannon Conference honors.