Edmond Memorial, Edmond North and Edmond Santa Fe each saw at least one hooper earn all-state honors
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Edmond Memorial's Addy Johnson fouled by Edmond North's Johari Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Photo by Drew Harmon.
Edmond continues to be a hot bed for some of the top high school basketball talent in Oklahoma.
The 2023-2024 Oklahoma Girls’ Basketball All-State teams were announced by the Oklahoma Girls Coaches Association last week and four Edmond-area athletes were honored among the best in the state.
Girls’ All-State rosters are selected yearly by the OGCA and must be seniors only. Teams are typically separated into East and West regions and by school size (small, middle, large), with all of Edmond’s picks coming in the Large West roster.
This year’s selections mark the 22nd-consecutive year that an Edmond-area player has made an All-State team.
Edmond North saw two of their own make the cut with forward Allison Heathcock and guard Kate Melton, who captained the Class 6A state runner-up Huskies to the program’s third-straight title game appearance.
Heathcock put up nearly 21 points per game as a senior and was named District 6A-1 Player of the Year, establishing herself as one of the top hoopers in all of Oklahoma. Her ability to score from anywhere on offense while being able to guard one through five on defense made her a nightmare to deal with for opponents throughout her entire four years at Edmond North.
Heathcock’s partner in crime, Kate Melton, acted as the Huskies’ main facilitator and a team captain, always making sure everyone was where they needed to be. She was second on the team in scoring with 10 points per game and was named first-team All-COAC.
Edmond Santa Fe’s Jerney Bennett earned All-State honors after a 13.5 point and seven rebound per game senior season for the 15-11 Wolves. She was also a force on the defensive end of the court with three blocks and 2.1 steals per game. The senior forward did it all for Santa Fe, who made it all the way to the Noble Area Tournament.
Edmond Memorial senior guard Addy Johnson rounds out the list of Edmond All-Staters following her 10.1 points and 2.8 steals per game in her final season as a Bulldog. She led the team in steals while acting as a third scoring option behind Janiyah Williams and Avery Hjelmstad, shooting 51% from the field.
Along with those four players, Deer Creek head coach Hope Heinen was named the Large West Coach of the Year.