Meet the GameTimePA 2024 YAIAA girls' basketball all-stars, player of the year
What a fun girls' basketball season.
We had upperclassmen who stepped up and underclassmen who stepped out. Teams that made program history and others that made expected deep runs.
Players shot lights out to hit milestones and defenses tightened up to stuff opponents.
And now it's time for the GameTimePA staff to pick our all-stars. Enjoy our choices.
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Player of the Year
Janay Rissmiller, York Suburban, 5-6, sr.
A Sunday morning non-conference game in January told you everything you need to know about Rissmiller. Needing 23 points against Obama Academy to hit 1,000 for her career, the University of Mary Washington recruit instead passed to teammates with better looks in the early going. She hit the milestone just before halftime, after the game was well in hand and she could let loose a little bit. Trojans coach Jess Weaver describes Rissmiller as “one of the most humble kids I have ever coached, but also one of the most competitive.” Weaver calls her a “team-first” kid who is always more concerned with the team’s outcome than her personal stats. And that’s exactly the kind of player you want running the point. She is like the consummate chess player, always planning ahead, but keeping track of what is going on in real time. Rissmiller’s vision and reflexes force her teammates to stay in the game because she’ll anticipate an opening and shoot a pass to them in a split second. She is a fluid player who can switch from quarterback to receiver with a quick pass. Rissmiller averaged 12.1 points per game, but could drop 20 without breaking a sweat. And don’t turn your back on her when she’s on defense. She’ll pick your pocket clean and take it to the other end for a quick two points. Best of all, she’s not afraid to mix it up down low against players much taller. You won’t find a tougher athlete. She shrugged off losing a toenail on her big toe one day to play in a district final the next day. York Suburban lost that final, but it provided the motivation the Trojans needed to return to Giant Center and win this year’s Class 5A title. “She’s a great basketball player, she’s a really great person and has been a great role model for my program. I’m lucky to get to coach her,” Weaver said.
First team
Mikayla Coleman, Northeastern, 5-8, sr.
Coleman was one of three seniors who averaged around 12 points per game for a Bobcats team that advanced to the state Class 6A tournament. She is equally adept at running the point or working the wing and don't think about losing track of her when she's on defense. Next thing you know you'll be bouncing air and she'll be taking off with the basketball. Coleman had three games with at least 20 points, hitting her high of 23 against Mechanicsburg, when she had five 3-pointers.
Megan Jacoby, Delone Catholic, 5-5, jr.
Jacoby knows what it's like to run an offense. A setter on the volleyball team, she was the basketball team's starting point guard for the second straight year. Averaging nearly a dozen points per game, she was also named the league's Div. III Player of the Year for the second time. Jacoby was deadly beyond the arc, hitting nearly a third of her field goals from 3-point land. She was also very proficient at the free-throw line, canning 67 percent of her 70 attempts.
Praise Matthews, Dallastown, 6-1, jr.
Matthews was the only player to average double digits on a Wildcats team that scored nearly 50 points an outing. The forward handled the low post duties and consistently battled with the opposition's biggest player. But that doesn't mean the above-average rebounder could only score from the inside. She also knocked down more than 25 3-pointers. Matthews is a dominant defender, and her long reach makes it difficult for opponents to get a clean look at the basket.
Arianna Seitz, Eastern York, 6-0, sr.
Seitz has been the league's most prolific scorer for the past two seasons and was named the Div. II Player of the Year for the second straight season. The Clarion recruit was the only York-Adams player to finish with an average of more than 20 points. Thrust into a different role this season, she still managed to hit at least 25 points in 10 games as the Golden Knights reached the state tournament.
Faith Walker, West York, 6-1, sr.
Walker looks like the prototypical combination shooting guard/small forward. She has the height to dominate around the basket, but also has the silky touch to hit short-range jumpers. And don’t give her an opening beyond the arc because she can knock that down, too. The Duquesne recruit averaged more than 18.2 points per game, second in the league, to finish with more than 500 points this season. Walker scored more than 30 points three times this season, hitting a high of 33 against Lampeter-Strasburg. She reached the 1,000-point milestone with her first bucket in a District 3 Class 5A win over Mechanicsburg.
Coach of the Year
Jess Weaver, York Suburban
One look at Weaver on the sideline and you will know exactly where the Trojans stand in the game. She's unapologetically emotional and doesn't hesitate to use that fire to encourage her team when they need it. "I coach with a lot of passion, but it’s because I love my kids. I love this team. They come hard to work every day. They deserve that from me. It’s a fun group and they’re a blast to coach," Weaver said after a big win this season. Weaver knew she had key pieces returning from last year's District 3 Class 5A runners-up. But she was also missing the glue that held them together. All Weaver did was introduce a crop of freshmen to her brand of basketball and elevate the returning players to create the program's first district champion.
Second team
Alonna Dowell, Dallastown, 5-5, jr.
Dowell, a point guard, was one of three Wildcats to play in all 29 games this season. She got started right away with 11 points in the first game of the season, en route to scoring nearly 10 points per game. Known more for scoring on drives and mid-range jumpers than beyond the arc, she still knocked down 11 3-pointers. Dallastown is known for a tight defense, and Dowell provided a lot of glue to that defense.
Ciarra Gibbs, York High, 6-0, sr.
Coaches and players knew Gibbs was going to be tough. A true low post player, Gibbs was dominant on both ends of the court. She gets position, blocks out and usually ends up with the rebound. Gibbs averaged 13.1 points per game and scored more than 20 points four time to lead the Bearcats to the PIAA tournament for the first time in program history.
Carly Louey, South Western, 5-9, so.
Louey knows all about putting points on the board. After leading the league in goals scored as she was named the YAIAA Div. I girls' soccer player of the year, the sophomore found her groove on the hardwood. She averaged nearly 14 points per game, finishing in the top six in scoring across all league divisions. Louey, a guard, scored at least 20 points four times with a high of 25.
Alivia McCaskell, Central York, 5-7, so.
McCaskell knew she would have to bump up her scoring this year for a Panthers team that graduated last year's GTPA player of the year and their high-scoring point guard. She averaged just over 10 points and nearly 7 rebounds per game, but had her season cut short by a knee injury. McCaskell was named the Division I Player of the Year by league coaches.
Lydia Powers, York Suburban, 5-7, jr.
Powers was the perfect yin to Rissmiller's yang for the District 3 Class 5A champion Trojans. A guard who plays bigger than her height, she hits from inside, outside (24 3-pointers) and dropped 67 percent of her free throws. Powers hit 25 points twice, and was there when the Trojans needed her most.
Breana Valentine, Fairfield, 5-8, sr.
It was no surprise Valentine finished among the league's scoring leaders, because it was the second straight season the guard averaged more than 16 points per game. She finished with at least 20 points six times this season, including a season-high 29 against Littlestown. Valentine will join Rissmiller at the University of Mary Washington to create a fun backcourt next season.
Honorable mention
Brielle Baughman, Delone Catholic
Kacie Boyer, Spring Grove
Tori Bross, Bermudian Springs
Reagan Doll, West York
Colleen Finnegan, Northeastern
Paige Garner, York Suburban
Le'Icessess Harrison, York County Tech
Lauralye Kennedy, Northeastern
Grace Masser, Red Lion
Lucy Peters, Bermudian Springs
Kylie Rebert, Central York
Julia Sedora, Red Lion
Mariah Shue, York Catholic
Kaitlyn Schwarz, Delone Catholic
Riley Stigler, Hanover
Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email mstallsmith@ydr.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @ShelStallsmith.