- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 414,211
- Reaction score
- 43
For the 35th consecutive year, the Free Press sports department has once again scoured the state for its premier high school girls basketball players, contacting coaches and media from one end of Vermont to the other to craft what we hope is a squad representing the best the state has to offer.
And as always, the task in whittling the list down to first and second teams, plus a batch of honorable mentions, never gets any easier. At the end of the day it remains a subjective process, but one we undertake with great pride and care.
Congratulations to the 40 players named to the Free Press girls basketball all-state team and to Nylah Mitchell, who earned the Free Press' Miss Basketball title for the 2024-25 season.
5-foot-8, senior, guard
• The player: Sabine Brueck earns Free Press' all-state first team honors for the third consecutive season. This year Brueck was surrounded by a young team with her being the lone senior and two juniors on the team. Despite just three upperclassmen, the Falcons advanced to their third D-II championship game. This winter, the guard averaged 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.2 steals and 3.2 assists per game, leading her team in points, rebounds and steals.
• Coach Sarah Roy on Brueck: "As the only senior, Sabine demonstrated confidence in her young teammates to push them to be their best ... she shared her joy of the game with her teammates and left a lasting impact we will carry forward."
5-foot-8, senior, guard
• The player: Peyton Guay has become a household name in Vermont after breaking the state's 37-year-old scoring record, finishing her career with 2,279 points. In her senior year, Guay averaged 21.3 points, 4.5 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game while earning the Vermont Basketball Coaches Association player of the year award. Besides her individual accomplishments, Guay helped West Rutland capture the last four D-IV championships.
• Coach Carl Serrani on Guay: "She's always looking for an open teammate. If a teammate is down about a bad play that they made she was the first one to go over and say, 'Forget about it. We'll get the next one.' She's just an excellent teammate to have."
5-foot-10, junior, guard
• The player: Vermont's Gatorade player of the year, Charlotte Jasmin helped Hartford advance to the quarterfinals of the D-II playoffs before the Hurricanes fell to the eventual runner-up, North Country. Jasmin crossed 1,000 points this year becoming the first girls basketball player at Hartford to reach that milestone. Jasmin, the heart of the Hurricanes team, averaged 24.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 5.6 steals per game.
• Coach Steve Landon on Jasmin: "She's one of the better passers that I've ever seen. It's not like she doesn't share the basketball. I know she scores points, but she can pass the basketball too ... so there's really no weakness to her game but it's not by mistake. She works on all aspects of it."
5-foot-5, senior, guard
• The player: Bree McDonald served as the floor general for the Seahorses in her senior season, directing traffic in particular during the Division I championship-game victory. In her final game, McDonald dished out four assists along with her 20 points on a team that relied on just seven players. The senior guard averaged 11.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.5 steals per game. She finished her career scoring over 1,000 points.
• Coach Bev Robertson on McDonald: "Having her out there to control the narrative and the pace of the game was very important. It was wonderful to see because it's something we've been working towards all year."
5-foot-9, senior, forward
• The player: Nylah Mitchell entered her senior season more focused knowing this was her last shot at winning a championship. Mitchell perfected her shooting in the offseason, and the senior averaged 17.9 points, 16.4 rebounds and 6.5 steals per game. She was key in Burlington snapping its 49-year championship drought. Mitchell earned the Metro Division's player of the year award and will play next year at Emmanuel College in Boston.
• Coach Bev Robertson on Mitchell: "She can guard anyone on the floor and she's athletic enough that she can do that. It's a big plus to have somebody that can play inside a lot against the bigs, but being able to guard a point guard as well."
5-foot-6, senior, guard
• The player: Kate Hadwen, a four-year varsity starter, developed into a complete player and Fair Haven's most consistent starter during her final two years. Hadwen's ability to play both sides of the ball was key in the Slaters back-to-back D-II championship runs. The SUNY Cobleskill commit averaged 14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game this past season while shooting 38% from the field.
• Coach Kyle Wilson on Hadwen: "She rebounds the ball. She plays hard nose on man-to-man defense. She takes care of the ball. Her assist-turnover ratio (1.15) was very good this year ... so when you combine all those tools together it makes her a very good basketball player in the state of Vermont."
5-foot-11, senior, guard
• The player: A first team all-Metro Division honoree, Cassidy Kittredge was St. Johnsbury's leading scorer as the Hilltoppers advanced to their third straight Division I championship game. Kittredge, who can play all five positions, rarely committed turnovers and does not take bad shots. Kittredge will continue her career at Norwich University. The guard averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 32.5% from beyond the arc.
• Coach Jade Huntington on Kittredge: "She became a pretty good shot blocker the more she grew and learned how to use her length. She's working all the time on her shots and different ways to be able to score as well as being able to handle the ball."
5-foot-10, sophomore, forward
• The player: Mount Mansfield was a balanced a team often with three players scoring 10-plus points every game, but one of those key contributors was Maysa Long. The sophomore forward dazzled with her ability to rebound directly under the basket and score layups. The first-team Metro Division honoree averaged 13.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game. Long recorded 11 double-doubles this year despite getting double-teamed.
• Coach Mark Pfaff on Long: "(She has) an insane desire to go get the ball and gets a good read on the ball coming off (the rim), a lot of kids don't do ... when she gets the ball she combines that with really good footwork inside."
5-foot-7, junior, guard
• The player: Zoey McNabb was the heart and soul of Champlain Valley this winter. The junior grew into her role as a starting point guard and thrived, averaging 18.2 points, 3.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game on a young team. McNabb is also a terrific defender guarding the opponent's best guard no matter the height discrepancy. Behind McNabb, the Redhawks still found a way to advance to the Final Four as she always scored whenever the Redhawks needed a basket.
• Coach Dom Bryant on McNabb: "At times we go when she goes and if she's in a double team she really grew into like, 'Alright I'm going to find my next teammate.' Trusting your teammates was a really big thing. I think she took that role on very well."
5-foot-10, senior, guard
• The player: Macie Stagner will go down in the record books as a top-10 scorer in Vermont history. Stagner, a SVL- B Division first team honoree finished her career with 1,877 points landing her ninth on the state's all-time career list. Stagner averaged 20.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while she was the main focus of opponents. The senior accounted for 63% of Springfield's points this year.
• Coach Pete Peck on Stagner: "Macie is a very unique player because she can play any aspect of the game at a very high level and I don't think I've ever seen anyone in women's basketball with the ability to score and score with speed and contact like she can ... she can break every press on her own and she's just able to read you faster than you can react."
Marlie Bushey, Milton, junior, guard
Isabelle Cole, Fair Haven, senior, forward
Alana Crittenden, Lamoille, junior, guard
Reese Croutworst, Brattleboro, junior, guard
Kyrielle Deuso, Richford, senior, guard
Anna Ebert, St. Johnsbury, junior, guard
Maggi Ellsworth, Oxbow, senior, guard
Brinley Gandin, Rutland, sophomore, guard
Jade Garceau, BFA-St. Albans, senior, guard
Tori Griffin, South Burlington, senior, guard
Mackenzie Griner, Mount Abraham, forward, senior
Adrianna Hever, St. Johnsbury, senior, guard
Taylor Keel, Spaulding, senior, guard
Eloise Lilley, Harwood, senior, guard
Mya Lumsden, Hazen, sophomore, guard
Addie Nelson, North Country, junior, guard
Abby Nystrom, Bellows Falls, sophomore, guard
Braylee Phelps, Oxbow, junior, guard
Evie Pirie, Lamoille, senior, guard
Alexa Rabidoux, Essex, senior, guard
Kelsie Rivard, Hazen, sophomore, forward
Sophia Rockwood, Windsor, senior, guard
Audrey Rupp, Windsor, senior, guard
Bella Schultz-Mitchell, Mount Mansfield, senior, guard
Alyssa Small, Lamoille, junior, forward
Colleen Sonnick, Essex, sophomore, forward
Ashtin Stearns, Vergennes, junior, guard
Meghan Thompson, Mount Mansfield, senior, guard
Clara Wilson, U-32, senior, guard
Mae Yenkavitch, Burlington, sophomore, guard
2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
Contact Judith Altneu at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont H.S. girls basketball: Free Press All-State Girls Basketball
Continue reading...
And as always, the task in whittling the list down to first and second teams, plus a batch of honorable mentions, never gets any easier. At the end of the day it remains a subjective process, but one we undertake with great pride and care.
Congratulations to the 40 players named to the Free Press girls basketball all-state team and to Nylah Mitchell, who earned the Free Press' Miss Basketball title for the 2024-25 season.
THE FIRST TEAM
SABINE BRUECK
You must be registered for see images attach
North Country Union High School
5-foot-8, senior, guard
• The player: Sabine Brueck earns Free Press' all-state first team honors for the third consecutive season. This year Brueck was surrounded by a young team with her being the lone senior and two juniors on the team. Despite just three upperclassmen, the Falcons advanced to their third D-II championship game. This winter, the guard averaged 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.2 steals and 3.2 assists per game, leading her team in points, rebounds and steals.
• Coach Sarah Roy on Brueck: "As the only senior, Sabine demonstrated confidence in her young teammates to push them to be their best ... she shared her joy of the game with her teammates and left a lasting impact we will carry forward."
PEYTON GUAY
You must be registered for see images attach
West Rutland High School
5-foot-8, senior, guard
• The player: Peyton Guay has become a household name in Vermont after breaking the state's 37-year-old scoring record, finishing her career with 2,279 points. In her senior year, Guay averaged 21.3 points, 4.5 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game while earning the Vermont Basketball Coaches Association player of the year award. Besides her individual accomplishments, Guay helped West Rutland capture the last four D-IV championships.
• Coach Carl Serrani on Guay: "She's always looking for an open teammate. If a teammate is down about a bad play that they made she was the first one to go over and say, 'Forget about it. We'll get the next one.' She's just an excellent teammate to have."
CHARLOTTE JASMIN
You must be registered for see images attach
Hartford High School
5-foot-10, junior, guard
• The player: Vermont's Gatorade player of the year, Charlotte Jasmin helped Hartford advance to the quarterfinals of the D-II playoffs before the Hurricanes fell to the eventual runner-up, North Country. Jasmin crossed 1,000 points this year becoming the first girls basketball player at Hartford to reach that milestone. Jasmin, the heart of the Hurricanes team, averaged 24.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 5.6 steals per game.
• Coach Steve Landon on Jasmin: "She's one of the better passers that I've ever seen. It's not like she doesn't share the basketball. I know she scores points, but she can pass the basketball too ... so there's really no weakness to her game but it's not by mistake. She works on all aspects of it."
BREE MCDONALD
You must be registered for see images
Burlington High School
5-foot-5, senior, guard
• The player: Bree McDonald served as the floor general for the Seahorses in her senior season, directing traffic in particular during the Division I championship-game victory. In her final game, McDonald dished out four assists along with her 20 points on a team that relied on just seven players. The senior guard averaged 11.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.5 steals per game. She finished her career scoring over 1,000 points.
• Coach Bev Robertson on McDonald: "Having her out there to control the narrative and the pace of the game was very important. It was wonderful to see because it's something we've been working towards all year."
NYLAH MITCHELL
You must be registered for see images attach
Burlington High School
5-foot-9, senior, forward
• The player: Nylah Mitchell entered her senior season more focused knowing this was her last shot at winning a championship. Mitchell perfected her shooting in the offseason, and the senior averaged 17.9 points, 16.4 rebounds and 6.5 steals per game. She was key in Burlington snapping its 49-year championship drought. Mitchell earned the Metro Division's player of the year award and will play next year at Emmanuel College in Boston.
• Coach Bev Robertson on Mitchell: "She can guard anyone on the floor and she's athletic enough that she can do that. It's a big plus to have somebody that can play inside a lot against the bigs, but being able to guard a point guard as well."
THE SECOND TEAM
KATE HADWEN
You must be registered for see images attach
Fair Haven Union High School
5-foot-6, senior, guard
• The player: Kate Hadwen, a four-year varsity starter, developed into a complete player and Fair Haven's most consistent starter during her final two years. Hadwen's ability to play both sides of the ball was key in the Slaters back-to-back D-II championship runs. The SUNY Cobleskill commit averaged 14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game this past season while shooting 38% from the field.
• Coach Kyle Wilson on Hadwen: "She rebounds the ball. She plays hard nose on man-to-man defense. She takes care of the ball. Her assist-turnover ratio (1.15) was very good this year ... so when you combine all those tools together it makes her a very good basketball player in the state of Vermont."
CASSIDY KITTREDGE
You must be registered for see images attach
St. Johnsbury Academy
5-foot-11, senior, guard
• The player: A first team all-Metro Division honoree, Cassidy Kittredge was St. Johnsbury's leading scorer as the Hilltoppers advanced to their third straight Division I championship game. Kittredge, who can play all five positions, rarely committed turnovers and does not take bad shots. Kittredge will continue her career at Norwich University. The guard averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 32.5% from beyond the arc.
• Coach Jade Huntington on Kittredge: "She became a pretty good shot blocker the more she grew and learned how to use her length. She's working all the time on her shots and different ways to be able to score as well as being able to handle the ball."
MAYSA LONG
You must be registered for see images attach
Mount Mansfield Union High School
5-foot-10, sophomore, forward
• The player: Mount Mansfield was a balanced a team often with three players scoring 10-plus points every game, but one of those key contributors was Maysa Long. The sophomore forward dazzled with her ability to rebound directly under the basket and score layups. The first-team Metro Division honoree averaged 13.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game. Long recorded 11 double-doubles this year despite getting double-teamed.
• Coach Mark Pfaff on Long: "(She has) an insane desire to go get the ball and gets a good read on the ball coming off (the rim), a lot of kids don't do ... when she gets the ball she combines that with really good footwork inside."
ZOEY MCNABB
You must be registered for see images attach
Champlain Valley Union High School
5-foot-7, junior, guard
• The player: Zoey McNabb was the heart and soul of Champlain Valley this winter. The junior grew into her role as a starting point guard and thrived, averaging 18.2 points, 3.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game on a young team. McNabb is also a terrific defender guarding the opponent's best guard no matter the height discrepancy. Behind McNabb, the Redhawks still found a way to advance to the Final Four as she always scored whenever the Redhawks needed a basket.
• Coach Dom Bryant on McNabb: "At times we go when she goes and if she's in a double team she really grew into like, 'Alright I'm going to find my next teammate.' Trusting your teammates was a really big thing. I think she took that role on very well."
MACIE STAGNER
You must be registered for see images attach
Springfield High School
5-foot-10, senior, guard
• The player: Macie Stagner will go down in the record books as a top-10 scorer in Vermont history. Stagner, a SVL- B Division first team honoree finished her career with 1,877 points landing her ninth on the state's all-time career list. Stagner averaged 20.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while she was the main focus of opponents. The senior accounted for 63% of Springfield's points this year.
• Coach Pete Peck on Stagner: "Macie is a very unique player because she can play any aspect of the game at a very high level and I don't think I've ever seen anyone in women's basketball with the ability to score and score with speed and contact like she can ... she can break every press on her own and she's just able to read you faster than you can react."
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Marlie Bushey, Milton, junior, guard
Isabelle Cole, Fair Haven, senior, forward
Alana Crittenden, Lamoille, junior, guard
Reese Croutworst, Brattleboro, junior, guard
Kyrielle Deuso, Richford, senior, guard
Anna Ebert, St. Johnsbury, junior, guard
Maggi Ellsworth, Oxbow, senior, guard
Brinley Gandin, Rutland, sophomore, guard
Jade Garceau, BFA-St. Albans, senior, guard
Tori Griffin, South Burlington, senior, guard
Mackenzie Griner, Mount Abraham, forward, senior
Adrianna Hever, St. Johnsbury, senior, guard
Taylor Keel, Spaulding, senior, guard
Eloise Lilley, Harwood, senior, guard
Mya Lumsden, Hazen, sophomore, guard
Addie Nelson, North Country, junior, guard
Abby Nystrom, Bellows Falls, sophomore, guard
Braylee Phelps, Oxbow, junior, guard
Evie Pirie, Lamoille, senior, guard
Alexa Rabidoux, Essex, senior, guard
Kelsie Rivard, Hazen, sophomore, forward
Sophia Rockwood, Windsor, senior, guard
Audrey Rupp, Windsor, senior, guard
Bella Schultz-Mitchell, Mount Mansfield, senior, guard
Alyssa Small, Lamoille, junior, forward
Colleen Sonnick, Essex, sophomore, forward
Ashtin Stearns, Vergennes, junior, guard
Meghan Thompson, Mount Mansfield, senior, guard
Clara Wilson, U-32, senior, guard
Mae Yenkavitch, Burlington, sophomore, guard
RECENT BFP ALL-STATE TEAMS
2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
Contact Judith Altneu at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont H.S. girls basketball: Free Press All-State Girls Basketball
Continue reading...
