The Republic's 2023-24 All-Arizona girls high school basketball team, coach of the year
Here is The Arizona Republic's All-Arizona girls' basketball team for the 2023-24 season. The 12 members of the All-Arizona team are nominees for girls' basketball Player of the Year, which will be announced at the Arizona High School Sports Awards, sponsored by Diamond Kitchen & Bath, on June 17 at Arizona Financial Theater in downtown Phoenix. The show is produced in partnership with Western States Home Services.
Meisha Caserio, Sr., G, Gilbert
Gilbert’s 24-5 season, which included a run to the Open Division quarterfinals, was made possible by adding a pair of star underclassmen — Aspen McClees and Caia Campbell — but Caserio was the centerpiece of this program. She averaged 13.8 points and 4.2 assists per game, earning All-Region offensive player of the year honors in a region that included Phoenix Desert Vista.
America Cazares, So., G, Tucson Pueblo
Pueblo wasn’t the same dominant outfit it was a year ago, when Cazares and her sister, Victoria, led the Warriors to the 4A championship game. But with Victoria having graduated, America Cazares made this team her own. She averaged 26.4 points per game — the third-most in the state — and willed Pueblo to the postseason. The highlight came on Dec. 13, when she scored a big school record 59 points against Tucson Palo Verde.
Savanna Creal, Sr., F, Chandler Hamilton
Hamilton earned the No. 1 seed in the Open with its balance and depth, but Creal nonetheless stood out as the Huskies’ best player all season long. Creal averaged a team-high 12.0 points per game to go with 4.4 rebounds. She had one of her best performances of the year in the Open quarters against Gilbert, scoring a game-high 17 to lead Hamilton into the semis.
Eanae Dagons, Sr., G, Phoenix Desert Vista
Dagons might be undersized at 5-foot-5, but she was one of the most athletic players in the state this year. She’s a defensive force — earning region defensive player of the year honors — and a weapon from deep, where she shot 44%. Despite finishing fourth on Desert Vista with 10.5 points per game, she was a crucial piece of the Thunder’s run to the Open final.
Irene Noelle Guiamatsia, So., C, Phoenix Xavier Prep
Xavier Prep and Desert Vista players are everywhere in this year’s awards season for a reason. They were the best teams in the state all winter and met in a well-played Open final, which Xavier Prep won, 60-53. Guiamatsia was incredible in that game, with 16 points and nine rebounds on 70% shooting. Her growth throughout the year enabled Xavier Prep to lessen its dependence on Sarah Miller and Dominique Nesland, turning the Gators into a well-rounded team and, eventually, a champion. On the year, the 6-foot-4 Guiamatsia averaged 12.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
Elli Guiney, Sr., F, Goodyear Millennium
For a program so accustomed to championships, this year was a disappointment at Millennium, which went 19-12 and lost in the 5A semifinals. That, though, had nothing to do with Guiney. The UNLV commit averaged 22.0 points per game on 52% shooting, earning her third straight All-Arizona honors.
Taliyah Henderson, Jr., F, Tucson Salpointe Catholic
Henderson missed much of the season with a knee injury, but returned in January to remind opponents that she is one of the top players in the state. She averaged 15.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game, leading Salpointe Catholic to its second 5A championship in three years. She had a game-high 18 in the championship game win over Gilbert Mesquite. Her list of college offers includes top-tier programs like Iowa, Louisville, Arizona and Michigan.
Shay Ijiwoye, Sr., G, Desert Vista
Ijiwoye is the definition of a player who makes things happen. She can dominate a game with her scoring, court vision, creative passing, handles or defense. That showed up in Desert Vista’s 24-6 record and in the stat sheet, where she averaged 14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.6 steals per game. She will begin her college career at Stanford next year.
Sarah Miller, Sr., G, Xavier Prep
Miller returned from the ACL tear that sidelined her for all of 2022-23 and immediately showed what Xavier Prep was missing, leading the Gators to a state title. The Penn commit averaged 13.2 points per game and was named the player of the year in the 6A Premier Region — the state’s toughest region. She was the best player on the floor in Xavier Prep’s championship game win, scoring a game-high 23 points.
Sophie Morales, Jr., G, Chandler Seton Catholic
Morales was the key cog for Seton Catholic in its run to the Open quarters. With her at the helm, the Sentinels became the only team outside of 6A to reach that stage in each of the first two iterations of the tournament. She averaged 11.2 points per game, but stood out with her passing, averaging 6.4 assists to lead the state. Morales was also named the defensive player of the year in 4A, stifling nearly every opponent she faced, including Ijiwoye in that quarterfinal defeat.
Dominique Nesland, Sr., G, Xavier Prep
Nesland is an elite facilitator, setting the tone for everything Xavier Prep did on offense this year. She led 6A with 5.8 assists per game while also scoring 14.3 points per game. In the Gators’ four-game run to the Open title, she averaged 16.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists, making life easier for Miller, Guiamatsia and the rest of Xavier Prep’s scoring threats.
Heather Stedman, Jr., F, Phoenix Pinnacle
Stedman has steadily improved in each of her three years at Pinnacle. The product was a junior season in which she averaged 16.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, leading the No. 6 seed Pioneers on a run to the Open semis. She was a beacon of consistency all season, scoring in double figures all but three times, including a 15-point performance in Pinnacle’s quarterfinal win over Surprise Valley Vista.
Honorable mentions: Sidney Anderson, Salpointe Catholic; Audrey Bhesania, Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor; Caia Campbell, Gilbert; Carmella Gallardo, Seton Catholic; Jocelyn Chavez, Surprise Valley Vista; Ahdiyah Chee, Mesa Dobson; Thalia Daniels, O’Connor; Jaila Flowers, Waddell Canyon View; Navae Guidry, Canyon View; Sage Henry, Gilbert Perry; Callie Hinder, Hamilton; Trinity Jones, Desert Vista; Aila Kaibara, Phoenix Country Day School; Tianna Knighton, Phoenix Arcadia; Maggie Luba, Phoenix Sunnyslope; Aspen McClees, Gilbert; Norah Moo, Pinnacle; Ava Pautz, Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep; Olivia Owens, Phoenix Country Day School; Aniyah Riddell, Desert Vista; Lia Sims, Phoenix Central; Mia Singstock, Pinnacle; Dylan Swindle, Desert Vista; Hannah Williams, Salpointe Catholic.
Coach of the Year
Jennifer Gillom, Xavier Prep
Seven seasons into her second stint at the helm, Gillom led the Gators to their first ever state championship. She got the most out of her senior stars, combining them with a growing group of young players to forge the state’s most dominant team from November to March.
Also considered: Erin O’Bryan, Desert Vista; Trevor Neider, Hamilton; Karen Self, Seton Catholic; Desirae Carranza, Waddell Canyon View; Joseph Luevano, Salpointe Catholic; Sean Newland, Phoenix Country Day School.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The Republic's 2024 All-Arizona girls high school basketball team
