Telegraph announces 2019-20 All-Middle Georgia girls basketball team, players, coach of the year

The Middle Georgia basketball season has officially wrapped up, and it was an exciting one for local teams. Macon had a girls basketball team reach the state championship game this year: Southwest girls went on a run through the playoffs with dramatic wins and a heartbreaking loss in the finals to Douglass.

The season saw great play from all over the area. Our race for the staff’s choice for Player of the Year was tightly contested with Ja’Khyla Johnson coming away with over top players like Northeast’s sophomore sensation Jakia Little and Stratford senior standout Nadia Reese.

Gabbi Cartagena from Jackson took home the Fan’s Choice Player of the Year award and would have been a top contender for the staff award had she not gotten the Fan’s top honors.

Willie Goolsby, Southwest head coach for over 40 years, saw a magical run to his third state title end in an all too familiar way but his coaching over the past year is deserving of the top coach in the area.

Those that took home the top player awards were not added to the first and second-team lists as they are already a part of the All-Middle Georgia team.

Here is the Telegraph’s 2019 All-Middle Georgia Girls Basketball Team:

Top Individual Honors:

Coach of the Year: Willie Goolsby, Southwest

Staff Player of the Year: Ja’Khyla Johnson, Southwest

Fan’s Choice Player of the Year: Gabbi Cartagena, Jackson

First Team:

Jakia Little, Northeast

Kennedy Stephens, Rutland

Nadia Reese, Stratford

Avrie Grayer, Southwest

Stacie Jones, Veterans

Second Team:

Mary Elaine Mitchell, Stratford

Jakera Ellerbee, Upson-Lee

Miracle Parker, Washington County

Kayla Shines, Rutland

Stangious Alford, Southwest

Honorable mention:

Dublin:

Brianna McRae

West Laurens

Makayla Murray

Wilkinson County

Ahnila Owens

KeNiya Hall

LaKimberly Smith

Jones County

Lu Woolfolk (girls)

Jada Morgan (girls)

Mount de Sales:

Sydney Iuliucci

Rutland

Kayla Shines

Monique Christian

Southwest

Shygeria Williams

If you have any questions or comments about this year’s All-Middle Georgia team, please email jbaxley@macon.com.

This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 6:00 AM.