Before we get started please note this is NOT the LSWA (Louisiana Sportswriters Association) all state team but solely Louisiana Girls Rankings thoughts. Again with our platform we are only trying to help keep the conversation going about OUR girls so this is just another way of doing that. Each day for the next ten days we will release an all state team for one of the divisions. The Division IV Select gave us one of the most exciting state championship games as it went into overtime. The matchup between Northwood-Lena and Southern Lab was one we all expected all season long and the game lived up to the hype! The all state selections for Division IV Select classification is listed below:
Division IV Select
MVP
Na'Kiyah Allen - Northwood-Lena - Senior
Na'Kiyah helped lead Northwood-Lena to back to back state championships as the defending state champions won again this year in an overtime thriller! After a late start to the season due to an injury Allen his the ground running as she averaged a monster double double averaging over 20 points per game and 10 rebounds! She's the top skilled post player still available in the 2023 class in our state. A great combination of soft hands and good footwork on the low block allows Allen to excel and dominate inside the paint. Congratulations on a great career Na'Kiyah!
Photo by: One T Photography
1st Team (Alphabetical Order Last Name)
Na'Kiyah Allen - Northwood-Lena - Senior
Rhianna Battles - Northwood-Lena - Junior
McKenzie Deville - Hamilton Christian - Junior
Shaila Forman - Southern Lab - Sophomore
Asia Patin - Southern Lab - Freshmen
2nd Team (Alphabetical Order Last Name)
Laurielle Bias - Central Catholic - Junior
Kinsley James - Southern Lab - Junior
Da'Zya Johnson - Northwood-Lena - Sophomore
Nyasia Moran - Northwood-Lena - Junior
M'kiyiah Olivier - Highland Baptist - Junior
Honorable Mention (Alphabetical Order Last Name)
Madison Alcerro - Southern Lab - Sophomore
Kiara Comeaux - Highland Baptist - Senior
Sabrina Fisher - Northwood-Lena - Junior
Anna Dale Melton - Ouachita Christian - Senior
Journi Singleton - Hamilton Christian - Senior
Coach of the Year: Lashonda Smith-Cooper / Northwood-Lena High School
- When you look up adversity in the dictionary it may have a picture of this years Northwood-Lena season and most would say winning the championship through that much adversity makes things even sweeter! From taking over a winless program to winning two state championship when even a district championship seemed so far watching the rise of Northwood-Lena Lady Gator basketball has been a lot of fun. Coach Cooper is our coach of the year as all the hard work and challenges along the way have paid off with back to back state championship trophies and several young ladies having the opportunity to play in college!