Meet the 2025 Birmingham News All-Region girls basketball team
No program dominates girls big-school basketball like Hoover.
With 11 championships in the state’s biggest classification and another six appearances in the final game, Hoover’s 11 titles ties Pisgah for second-best all-time in AHSAA history, trailing only Lauderdale County with 14.
The Bucs were the only Birmingham area girls team to win a basketball championship this season, earning its fifth straight Class 7A title by beating Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, while five other area teams played at least to the final eight in their class.
Class 6A Chelsea and Class 5A Ramsay fell in championship games while Class 6A Mountain Brook won to the state semifinals and Class 5A Wenonah and Class 3A Midfield fell in regional finals.
Players on The Birmingham News All-Region girls basketball team were selected to first, second, third team and honorable mention along with a Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Coach of the Year.
RELATED: All-Coastal girls team
RELATED: Girls class Player of the Year finalists
RELATED: Girls All-State team
The team is compiled through information from area coaches, staff insights and opinions of experts in the area. It includes players from Jefferson and Shelby counties.
Below are the 2025 selections.
THIRD TEAM
Ramsay’s Camilyah Rowe drives the ball against Scottsboro’s Morgan Perkins during the AHSAA 5A girls basketball final at BJCC Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Will McLelland | [email protected])Will McLelland
Camilyah Rowe
School: Ramsay
Height: 5-foot-10
Class: Sophomore
Position: Forward
The skinny: Averaged 11.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2 assists with 58 steals. She was ASWA Class 5A first-team all-state.
Emma Kerley
School: Briarwood
Height: 6-foot
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
The skinny: Averaged 14.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists with 45 steals and 64 blocks and 44 made 3-pointers. She was ASWA Class 5A third-team all-state.
Zoey Little
School: Shades Valley
Height: 5-foot-11
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. She was ASWA Class 6A honorable mention all-state.
Taniya Smith
School: McAdory
Height: 5-foot-6
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Averaged 16.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists with 49 made 3-pointers. She was ASWA Class 6A third-team all-state.
Maddie Walter
School: Mountain Brook
Height: 6-foot-1
Class: Sophomore
Position: Forward
The skinny: Averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2 assists. She was ASWA Class 6A second-team all-state.
SECOND TEAM
Alabama’s Ashlyn Howard of Hewitt-Trussville pulls down a rebound against Mississippi in the first half of the girls Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala. Howard was named the Alabama MVP. (Mike Kittrell | [email protected])
Mike Kittrell | [email protected]
Ashlyn Howard
School: Hewitt-Trussville
Height: 6-foot-2
Class: Senior
Position: Center
The skinny: Averaged 12.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists. She was ASWA Class 7A honorable mention all-state and earned MVP of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic game. Layla Berry
School: Gardendale
Height: 5-foot-9
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
The skinny: Averaged 20.1 points (1,343 career), 6.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists with 57 steals and 89 made 3-pointers (160 career). She was ASWA Class 6A second-team all-state.
Kaitlyn Gipson
School: Hoover
Height: 5-foot-5
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Averaged 13.5 points (1,906 career), 2.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists with 108 steals. She was ASWA Class 7A second-team all-state and participated in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic game.
Teralyn Hill
School: Parker
Height: 6-foot-1
Class: Senior
Position: Guard/forward
The skinny: Averaged 16 points, 10.1rebounds, 7.4 blocks and 3.3 steals a game. SI.com listed her as the No. 11 most underrated girls player in the nation.
Ellis McCool
School: Homewood
Height: 6-foot-2
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
The skinny: Averaged 15.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists with 27 steals and 43 blocks and 25 made 3-pointers. She was ASWA Class 6A second-team all-state.
FIRST TEAM
Hoover’s Aaliyah Blanchard shoots a free throw against Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa during the AHSAA 7A girls basketball final at BJCC Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Will McLelland | [email protected])Will McLelland
Aaliyah Blanchard
School: Hoover
Height: 5-foot-11
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Averaged 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists with 99 steals and made 33 3-pointers. She was ASWA Class 7A first-team all-state.
Vestavia Hills’ Sarah Gordon shoots a free throw during the Albertville vs. Vestavia Hills AHSAA girls 7A regional semifinal playoff game in Jacksonville, Ala., Monday, Feb. 17, 2025.
(Vasha Hunt | [email protected])Vasha Hunt
Sarah Gordon
School: Vestavia Hills
Height: 5-foot-11
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Averaged 19.8 points (2,168 career points), 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists, shooting 44 percent from 3-point range with region-best 102 made 3-pointers. She was ASWA Class 7A first-team all-state, class Player of the Year finalist and participated in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic game.
Pelham’s Tee King directs the offense during a 2024 game. (Dennis Victory | [email protected])Dennis Victory
Tee King
School: Pelham
Height: 5-foot-7
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Averaged 19.3 points (1,593 career points), 4.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists with 70 steals and 61 made 3-pointers. She was ASWA Class 6A first-team all-state.
Chelsea’s Haley Trotter shoots past Park Crossing’s Maliyah Meeks during the AHSAA Class 6A girls state championship game at BJCC Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, Mar. 1, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | [email protected])Vasha Hunt
Haley Trotter
School: Chelsea
Height: 6-foot
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
The skinny: Averaged 17.4 points, 9 rebounds (program all-time girls leader in points and rebounds) and 2.2 assists with 39 blocks and 78 steals. She was ASWA Class 6A first-team all-state, class Player of the Year finalist and participated in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic game.
Midfield’s Kamiya Webb shoots a free throw during the Saint James vs. Midfield AHSAA girls 3A regional final playoff game in Montgomery, Ala., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
(Vasha Hunt | [email protected])Vasha Hunt
Kamiya Webb
School: Midfield
Height: 6-foot-2
Class: Sophomore
Position: Center
The skinny: Averaged 17.8 points (1,000-plus career), region-best 14.1 rebounds (500-plus career) with 62 steals and region-best 139 blocks. She was ASWA Class 3A first-team all-state.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Wenonah’s Samarian Franklin drives the ball against Jacksonville during the Wenonah vs. Jacksonville AHSAA girls 5A regional semifinal playoff game in Jacksonville, Ala., Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Will McLelland | preps.al.com)
Samarian Franklin, Wenonah
The 5-foot-2 senior guard finished as Wenonah’s all-time leading scorer (girls or boys) with 2,807 points, averaging 24.3 points, 8.2 assists and with 221 steals — third-best AHSAA girls all-time single-season — all region bests this season and 85 made 3-pointers. She was ASWA Class 5A first-team all-state and class Player of the Year finalist.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Shelby County’s Kenna’D Buie readies for action. (Submitted)Submitted
Kenna’D Buie, Shelby County
A 5-foot-7 freshman guard/forward, Buie averaged 15.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Wildcats. She was ASWA Class 5A second-team all-state.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Hoover coach Krystle Johnson signals in during the AHSAA Class 7A girls state championship game at BJCC Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, Mar. 1, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | [email protected])Vasha Hunt
Krystle Johnson, Hoover
HONORABLE MENTION
Hoover’s Kristen Winston shoots a free throw against Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa during the AHSAA 7A girls basketball final at BJCC Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Will McLelland | [email protected])Will McLelland
Kristen Winston, Hoover
Nayla Wesley, Ramsay
Emily Williams, John Carroll
Keyarria Stokes, Pleasant Grove
Ja’Kalynn McGinnis, Vincent
Lauryn Holley, Hewitt-Trussville
Layla Cannon, Hoover
Caroline Kester, Oak Mountain
Destinee Ealy, Thompson
Sydney Coney, Thompson
Jill Gaylard, Vestavia Hills
Grayson Hudgens, Vestavia Hills
Kora Johnson, Calera
Caroline Brown, Chelsea
Kimora Brewster, Clay-Chalkville
Amari Grant, Helena
Ava Robinson, Homewood
Joy Minniefield, Hueytown
Nakyrie Tolbert, Hueytown
Zaryah Johnson, Huffman
Avery Davis, Mountain Brook
Ava Leonard, Spain Park
McKenzie Davis, Ramsay
Ja’Lynn Poole, Fairfield
Jazmin Johnson, Midfield
Lauren Stokes, Midfield
Katelyn Keef, Cornerstone Christian