LOGAN — Cache Valley Media Group is once again proud to present its Region 11 All-Region awards for the 2024 Girls Basketball season. For a fourth straight season, Region 11 saw a team appear in the 4A state championship game and for the third time in those four years, a Region 11 team took home the title as Ridgeline completed a 25-2 season that saw the Riverhawks not lose to a single team inside the state of Utah.
The following awards and All-Region teams were voted on by Cache Valley Media Group’s group of high school broadcasters, including “Hurricane” John Newbold, Rex Davis, Jason Walker, Adam Loertscher, Trent Carter, Josh Theurer, Dave Simmons, “The Patriot” Nick Zollinger, Jake Ellis, “The Coach” John Olsen, Stockton Jewkes, Terrell Baldwin and Eric Frandsen.
REGION 11 SUPERLATIVES
Player of the Year — Emilee Skinner (Ridgeline)
Ridgeline guard Emilee Skinner is once again CVMG Region 11 Player of the year, and despite being one of the top players in Region 11 in both her freshman and sophomore seasons, this was arguably Skinner’s finer year yet as she set new career highs in points (24.0), rebounds (7.7), assists (4.3) and blocks (1.7). She recorded her first career triple-double in Ridgeline’s playoff opener (27 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) and had eight double-doubles, a new single-season career high. Skinner was the leader and driving force behind Ridgeline’s third straight run to the 4A title game and second straight state championship.
“Emilee is the top-ranked player in Utah. She affects the game on both ends of the court; there isn’t anything she can’t do,” Ridgeline head coach Ainsli Jenks said. “She has the ability to make difficult plays look easy. Emilee has been a stand-out player for years, including her time playing youth basketball in the boys leagues. Since her freshman season, Emilee has led Ridgeline in nearly every statistical category each season. But it’s not just the statistics or high basketball IQ that make Emilee special. She’s a competitor, a leader, and a great teammate. Emilee is a generational player and may be the best player Utah high school girls basketball has ever seen. That’s how we feel about Emilee Skinner. She’s still getting better too, her work ethic, genetics, and ability give her an athletic ceiling that we can’t even see yet. Emilee eclipsed the 1500 point mark this season as a junior–such an incredible feat. She doesn’t try to do it all herself, likes to involve teammates, and has a knack for making the right play at the right time. She is also a great student, maintaining a 3.9+ GPA. Just an incredible student-athlete, our program is fortunate to have a player like her.”
Defensive Player of the Year — Emilee Skinner (Ridgeline)
Along with being the overall player of the year, Skinner has also been named the top defensive player. She led the region in steals, averaging 3.5 per game was also among the region (and state’s) best shot-blockers with her aforementioned career-high of 1.7 per game. Skinner had at least one steal in all but one game this season and at least two in all but four. She had six games this season with at least six steals.
Sixth Woman of the Year — Sydnee Zollinger (Ridgeline)
On a team filled with star players, Zollinger found a way to make her mark on a dominant team, being one of the highest scoring bench players in the region despite having high-scoring teammates like Skinner and Elise Livingston. Zollinger averaged 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.8 steals per game.
“Sydnee is such an incredible teammate and is well-deserving of this award,” Jenks said. “She’s been a part of the program since her freshman year. Syd would be a starter for a lot of teams. She has just continued to work and work and show up with a great attitude. Sydnee plays great defense with an ability to slide over screens like they weren’t there. Offensively, she’s a shooter and has hit numerous big-time threes over her career. One that comes to mind was against Rigby during the Tarkanian Classic Championship game, she hit a shot that put us up three possessions in the closing minutes. She is extremely coachable and always has a smile on her face. Never once have I heard Syd complain about her role, playing time, or any of her teammates. She just put her head down, smiled, and went to work. The ultimate 6th man.”
Coach of the Year — Ainsli Jenks (Ridgeline)
Ainsli Jenks was a near-unanimous choice for a second straight Coach of the Year award. Ridgeline didn’t lose a single game to a team inside the state of Utah and didn’t win a game against a 4A team by less than 17 points. Jenks’ team this year was arguably her best yet, driven to never let up no matter the opponent until the state title was in their hands for a second straight season.
“I feel blessed to coach such a special group of young ladies,” Jenks said of being named Coach of the Year. “We had 14 girls practice with us every day and 2 more join us in preparation for state. Each of them are girls that I care deeply about. They are fun to be around, they make me smile, and they make coaching basketball an enjoyable experience. I also couldn’t do this without the support of my family; especially my husband, kids, and parents. This award should actually be given to my entire coaching staff. From freshman-varsity it takes great coaches to help teach girls and help them fall in love with the game. I am grateful for Heidi and Trimble, who work with our younger groups. For Danielle who also helps with our younger kids and spends so much time helping me do the things behind the scenes that most people don’t ever see. And especially for Scott, who I say is my associate head coach. He keeps me and the program steady when we are treading rough waters. So thankful to have the staff, players, admin, parents, and supporters that we have surrounding this program. It wouldn’t be possible to achieve what we’ve achieved without all of them.”
FIRST TEAM ALL-REGION
Emilee Skinner, Jr, Guard (Ridgeline)
24.0 Points | 7.7 Rebounds | 4.3 Assists | 3.5 Steals | 1.7 Blocks
See above MVP section for season profile
Elise Livingston, Sr, Guard (Ridgeline)
14.7 Points | 1.8 Rebounds | 2.6 Assists | 2.6 Steals | 0.3 Blocks
Livingston’s been a contributor for the Riverhawks ever since she was a freshman, and a full-time starter for each of the last three seasons. And like her teammate, Skinner, this year was arguably her best. Livingston average a career-best 14.7 points to go with 1.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 steals. She scored 20 points six times this year, including a team-high 20 points in Ridgeline’s win over Snow Canyon in the championship game. Her accomplishments this year and throughout her career have paid off as she’ll be playing basketball at the next level for Utah Valley University.
“Elise is a player who from the first day her freshman year in the program has put in more work outside of practice than any player I’ve ever coached,” Jenks said. “It often goes unnoticed by outsiders. She absolutely loves the game, loves her teammates, and loves to compete. Elise eclipsed the 1,000 point mark this season, just the third player in school history to reach that mark, and we’ve had some good ones come through. She comes to practice every day ready to work and compete in every drill. She can often be seen watching film and always finding ways to improve her game, as a result, she’s gotten better every single season. Often during games Elise would ask coaches how she could do something better/different and loved learning. We will certainly miss Elise next season and are so grateful for her impact on the program. We look forward to cheering her on at UVU.”
Janalynn Blotter, Sr, Guard (Green Canyon)
13.5 Points | 3.8 Rebounds | 1.5 Assists | 1.4 Steals | 0.2 Blocks
Blotter led Green Canyon in scoring, helping the Wolves to a quarterfinal berth. She won CVMG Girls Prep Player of the Week back in early December, a week where she scored a career-high 25 points against Morgan. It was one of three 20-point games of the season for Blotter and one of nine games where she scored at least 15 points.
“Janalynn is the ultimate competitor and teammate,” said Green Canyon coach Tyson Mortensen. “This season she took on a bigger role as a mentor and leader and made winning plays for our team in crucial moments. ‘J’ led our team in scoring and offensive rebounds and impacted every game by making hustle plays. She was a consistent and reliable force each and every night.”
Kali Jones, Sr, Forward (Mountain Crest)
12.0 Points | 10.3 Rebounds | 1.2 Assists | 1.6 Steals | 0.6 Blocks
Jones has quietly been arguably the most dominant interior force in Region 11 for multiple seasons and this year showed exactly that. She was the only player in the region to average a double-double, recording 10 games of at least 10 points, 10 rebounds. That included a near 30/20 game where Jones had 34 points, 19 rebounds against Weber back in December. Jones did have a 20-rebound game, an evening where she grabbed exactly 20 boards at Bonneville while scoring 11 points. For her senior year, the Mustangs were able to finish second in the Region 11 standings, the highest during Jones’ time at Mountain Crest.
“We’re extremely proud of Kali Jones,” MC head coach Jaycee Carroll said. “We think did an unbelievable job. It’s super-rare to get a high school girl that averages a double-double. Unbelievably good job for us.”
Claire Fischer, Jr, Forward (Sky View)
9.4 Points | 8.0 Rebounds | 0.7 Assists | 1.9 Steals | 1.2 Blocks
Despite being on an early-season minutes restriction due to injury, Fischer became a dominant force in the paint for Sky View. She racked up rebounds and blocks in droves late in the season. She had a career-high eight blocks against Green Canyon on Feb. 13 and recorded six double-doubles after December. And over the last eight games, Fischer scored in double figures seven times, including a 24-point, 19 rebound performance against Green Canyon on Jan. 23 (which helped her earn the CVMG Girls Prep Player of the Week).
SECOND TEAM ALL-REGION
Macie Brown, Sr, Forward (Ridgeline)
7.3 Points | 7.7 Rebounds | 2.8 Assists | 1.7 Steals | 1.0 Blocks
(Ridgeline head coach Ainsli Jenks on Brown) – “Macie is often a player that gets overlooked by outsiders. She is a special player, she can fill up a stat sheet, but she also does so many little things for us that help us defensively and offensively. She’s such a versatile player that can make plays inside or outside and defend posts or guards. Many of the things Macie does are things that don’t have stats attached to them. She has a great basketball IQ and understands what coaches are asking at both ends. She is an incredible teammate and this year was a rebounding machine. Macie has started for Ridgeline every single game since her freshman year–the very first Riverhawk to ever do this in our program. She has not missed a single practice or a game in four years, that fact alone is incredible! She has been someone teammates and coaches could count on. Her teammates love her sense of humor and look up to her because of her knowledge and understanding of the game. Macie will be greatly missed. We look forward to cheering her on as she plays for College of Southern Idaho.”
Marissa Best, Sr, Center (Green Canyon)
11.5 Points | 6.4 Rebounds | 0.8 Assists | 1.7 Steals | 2.0 Blocks
(Green Canyon head coach Tyson Mortensen on Best) – “Marissa was an anchor for us defensively with her ability to protect the rim. She finishes her career at Green Canyon as the all-time blocks leader. Her experience, composure, and leadership throughout the season steadied our team. Marissa has the special ability to impact the game in numerous ways. Whether it was stretching the floor with the ability to shoot the ball, scoring from inside, finding open teammates, or controlling the game defensively, her impact could be felt on both ends of the floor each night.”
Hallee Smith, Sr, Guard (Ridgeline)
6.9 Points | 3.3 Rebounds | 2.7 Assists | 2.6 Steals | 0.2 Blocks
(Ridgeline head coach Ainsli Jenks on Brown) – “Seeing Hallee play is like watching the energizer bunny that never slows down. It is actually incredible the effort Hallee puts into the game. She can be exhausted or in pain, but still goes 100% for 100% of the time she’s on the floor. I don’t know of any player that plays with more heart than Hallee Smith. Her defensive effort is frustrating for opponents to play against, her constant pressure generates turnovers for her and her teammates. Her hustle shows up in the offensive end of the court as offensive rebounds. Truly amazing how many extra possessions were a direct result of Hallee’s effort on both ends. She is a player that I have truly loved coaching and will miss her enormously next season. We are so lucky to have had Hallee in our program.”
Lily Smith, Jr, Guard (Mountain Crest)
6.0 Points | 3.4 Rebounds | 4.0 Assists | 2.0 Steals | 0.1 Blocks
(Mountain Crest head coach Jaycee Carroll on Smith) – “We depend on her a lot to get our offense going. To get our team going and she is extremely unselfish as she tries to find her teammates to get open and get them the ball so they can score.”
Sydnee Zollinger, Sr, Guard (Ridgeline)
3.0 Points | 1.8 Rebounds | 0.8 Assists | 0.5 Steals | 0.2 Blocks
See above 6WOY section for season profile
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-REGION
- Karlee Allen (Sky View)
- Kenzie Flaherty (Sky View)
- Makena Smart (Sky View)
- Aubree Fry (Bear River)
- Chloe Sadler (Green Canyon)
- Talyssa Nelson (Green Canyon)
- Anne Wallace (Ridgeline)
- Brinley Wiese (Ridgeline)
- Aspen Leishman (Mountain Crest)
- Bella Carroll (Mountain Crest)
- Paige Egbert (Mountain Crest)
