The Way’s George McCormick picks for the 2023-2024 All-Edmond Star Girls Basketball team from Edmond area high schools including Edmond Public Schools, Deer Creek, and Oklahoma Christian School.
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Edmond North's Allison Heathcock. Photo taken by Drew Harmon. -
01 Williams Edmond Memorial's Janiyah Williams. Photo taken by Drew Harmon. -
06 Hjelmstad Edmond Memorial's Avery Hjelmstad. Photo taken by Drew Harmon. -
Edmond North's Kate Melton. Photo taken by Drew Harmon. -
Edmond Santa Fe's Jerney Bennett. Courtesy of Bennett's social media. -
OCS' Ava McIntyre. Photo taken by Drew Harmon.
From state championships to record-breaking performances, the 2023-2024 high school basketball season saw some of the best hoops action in the entire state take place right here in Edmond.
Now that high school basketball is officially wrapped up in Oklahoma, McCormick selected the 2023-2024 All-Edmond basketball teams.
The criteria used for selections consisted mainly of season stats and postseason awards, as well as McCormick’s assessment of players gathered through extensive coverage this season.
Without further delay, here is The Edmond Way’s official 2024 All-Edmond Girls basketball team. Next week’s issue will feature the All-Edmond Boys Basketball.
Starters
Janiyah Williams - G/F, Edmond Memorial
Rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 21 player in the class of 2025 by ESPN, Janiyah Williams pulled off a record-breaking season while helping to lead Edmond Memorial to a 23-4 record and the Class 6A state semifinals.
Williams was awarded District 6A-3 first team honors as well as Offensive Player of the Year following a junior season that saw her average 16.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. She is committed to play for the University of Oregon.
Allison Heathcock - F, Edmond North
The leading scorer on a loaded Huskies’ squad, senior Allison Heathcock demonstrated a dominant offensive season as Edmond North came up just short of winning a third-consecutive 6A state title. Her final season saw her earn District 6A-1 first team honors as well as district Player of the Year.
Heathcock emerged as one of the top hoopers in the state this season, averaging nearly 21 points per game on the state runner-up Huskies. She’ll be taking her talents to Creighton University following graduation as one of the Bluejays’ top signees.
Avery Hjelmstad - F, Edmond Memorial
Junior Avery Hjelmstad led the 2023-2024 Bulldogs in scoring on a team that featured a top-25 national prospect in Janiyah Williams. At 16.3 points per game this season (18 ppg in the state tournament), Hjelmstad eclipsed the 1,000-career points mark and was awarded District 6A-3 first team while also taking home the District MVP award.
Hjelmstad’s best game came in a 26-point, four steal performance against U.S. Grant, where she sank eight of 11 threes.
Jerney Bennett - F, Edmond Santa Fe
Senior forward Jerney Bennett stepped up to the plate in her final year with the Wolves’ program. Following the transfer of Santa Fe’s second-leading scorer, Kyndal Williams, to Edmond North, Bennett was tasked with taking on a large chunk of the team’s offensive production.
Bennett was a do-it-all weapon for the Wolves in 2023-2024. She led the team in points (13.5), rebounds (7.0), blocks (3.0) and steals (2.1) per game.
Ava McIntyre - F, Oklahoma Christian School
Despite OCS finishing with an 11-15 record this season, junior Ava McIntyre was a guaranteed double-digit scorer for the Saints every night on top being elite on the defensive end of the court. She also joined the 1,000-point club in a loss to Luther on Dec. 15.
McIntyre is primed for an even better season as a senior next year with a majority of the team’s leaders in production returning for 2024-2025.
6th Man
Kate Melton - G, Edmond North
The impact the Huskies’ senior leader made this season extended beyond the stat sheet. Along with fellow senior guard KK Peeler, Melton’s role of a floor general resulted in the Edmond North offense running like a well-oiled machine all season long. She was second on the team in scoring with 10 points per game and is currently committed to play college ball at Rogers State University.
Head Coach
Pete Papahronis, Edmond North
The Huskies’ head man led his team to the 6A state championship game for the third-consecutive season while posting a combined record of 83-4 during that time. Edmond North went 26-2 in 2023-2024 with their season coming to an end by one point in the state title game.
Honorable Mentions: Morgan Massey (Deer Creek), Addy Johnson (Edmond Memorial), KK Peeler (Edmond North), Ella Voskuhl (Oklahoma Christian School), Aniyah Burney (Edmond Santa Fe)