Meet the Tuscaloosa News Super Five all-area high school girls basketball team for 2023-24

anna snyder, tuscaloosa news

Wed, Mar 13, 2024, 10:12 AM·2 min read

The Tuscaloosa News continues its tradition of honoring the top high school basketball players in West Alabama with its annual Super Five selections.

Here is the Super Five girls All-Tuscaloosa area team for the 2023-24 season, with coach of the year, second-team honorees and honorable mentions:

First team

Player of the Year: Jareah Branch, Hillcrest

Class: Jr.

Height: 6-0

Position: Guard

Branch led Hillcrest to its second-straight Class 6A Final Four appearance along with winning the 6A-Area 6 regular season and area tournament. She averaged 9.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists throughout the season, along with picking up 66 steals.

Mar 7, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Jareah Branch, from Hillcrest High, is the Tuscaloosa News female basketball player of the year.

Ella Wheeler, Sulligent

Class: Jr.

Height: 5-10

Position: Guard

Wheeler averaged 27 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 2023-24. She led Sulligent to a 23-5 finish along with a trip to the Class 2A Sweet 16.

Ryan Bardenwerper, Northridge

Class: So.

Height: 6-1

Position: Guard

Bardenwerper led Northridge, who finished second in 6A-Area 6, with 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 2023-24.

Lailah Hill, Hale County

Class: Jr.

Height: 5-7

Position: Guard/Forward

Hill led Hale County to the Class 4A Elite 8. She averaged 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

Sinaya Gibson, Hillcrest

Class: Sr.

Height: 6-0

Position: Center

The Wallace Hanceville women's basketball commit averaged 10.8 rebounds, 7.4 points and 0.7 assists in 2023-24 along with helping lead Hillcrest to its second-straight appearance in the Class 6A Final Four.

Coach of the year

Nick Browder, Hillcrest

Browder earned coach of the year honors for the second-straight season. In his fourth season at the helm of the Hillcrest program, he led the Lady Patriots to a 6A-Area 6 regular season and area tournament championship along with a trip to the Final Four.