Batson's Ballers: AA ALL STATE Team

Murray County and Josey have been dominant in the AA classification in Georgia for the last few seasons. Both teams rosters have multiple kids on their team that will play in college, which is fairly rare for smaller schools. Murray County was able to climb their way to the mountain top and because of that [player_tooltip player_id='476481' first='Callan' last='Ledford'] was my selection for player of the year. Her sister, Blaklee, was also very deserving and also made the list. Keri Fluellen and Za'Miyah Jenkins of Josey provided of the best one-two scoring punches in the state and led their team to an exceptional four year stretch in their careers. Brooke Shipp had a fantastic senior season for Shaw in Columbus. [player_tooltip player_id='899612' first='Riley' last='Gallagher'], just a sophomore, was one of the top scorers in AA in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='541427' first='Chabria' last='Tate'] was one of the best players in the classification for the Laney Wildcats in Augusta. [player_tooltip player_id='476470' first='Paris' last='Rosser'] consistently filled the stat sheet while leading her Thomson team to a very good season from the point guard position. Congrats to all the player selected. It was a pleasure watching you play this season.    Callan had an outstanding senior season to finish an excellent high school career by winning a state championship, something she and Murray County had come close but failed to do in the last few years. Her play was fantastic, but Ledford impressed me most this season by leading her young, tough, and talented teammates. Those girls would run through a wall for her and their admiration for her was obvious. Ledford has been a standout in AA for a long time and she will be very good in college. We will see over the next few years, but I believe Callan, along with her sister Blaklee, have awoken a sleeping giant in girls basketball in the mountains of North Georgia. She has been a player those kids and others around the state look up to. She will have a lot of folks from the state following her the next four years. The only thing left for her to do is make a decision on what school she will attend and who she will play for in college.     The younger Ledford's personality seems to be a little different than her older sister. Callan wore her emotions on her sleeve and vocally encouraged her teammates, Blaklee seems to be more of a leader by example and all business on the court. She plays with a chip on her shoulder which can be seen in her assertiveness with the ball as she has no fear of bigger posts or contact and does a great job driving into the heart of the defense. She is excellent shooting the ball, particularly off the dribble and between about 10-15 feet. She handles the ball very well and plays with confidence. Ledford is also a very capable shooter from behind the three point line. she handles the ball very well and has good vision when finding open teammates. As good as Callan was, I expect Blaklee and Murray County to continue to be one of the best teams and programs in the state in AA.     The list of accolades and achievements Fluellen earned in her high school career is beyond impressive and speaks to the kind of player and kid she is. Fluellen's resume is about as good as gets in high school ball: AA Freshman of the Year, four time all region selection including three times on first team, was named this year's region player of the year, and was a four time selection of the all defensive team while leading Josey to Four Final Fours. Fluellen was named All State three times and selectected by the Georgia Coaches Association as this year's player of the year. Fluellen is also the salutatorian for her class and will continue her academic and athletic career at Radford University under the leadership of head coach Mike McGuire.     Jenkins is another key part of the success Josey (Augusta) has sustained over the last four years with Fluellen. She finished her career averaging almost 18 points per game shooting a very high percentage from the field. She also averaged over ten rebounds a game while providing a defensive presence in the paint blocking and altering shots. Jenkins played with a lot of toughness and outstanding effort. She outworked most of the other post players she faced with her high motor and relentless effort. Someone should give this kid a look in college with the combination of her size, length, and athleticism. There is always high demand for post players with skill who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty and work.     Tate is another player who does not get the credit or accolades she deserves playing on the border with South Carolina away from other major cities. For those who know however, she is on the better scoring guards in the state and the Junior proved that by averaging 24.5 points per game and totaling a very impressive 563 points scored for the season. That's a career for a lot of people. Tate averaged four rebounds, seven assists, and almost three steals per game leading Laney to a very good 21-8 record before losing to eventual champion Murray County. Tate will be back stronger than ever for Laney and she has a chance to do something that [player_tooltip player_id='476481' first='Callan' last='Ledford'] did this season, go out a deserving champion. Tate will be a highly sought after '27 guard by college coaches in Georgia over the next year.     Gallagher picked right up where she left off last season getting buckets for Lovett. In her sophomore season, Gallagher came back and improved on her standout freshman season averaging over 23 points per game while shooting almost 50 percent from the field (38% from three point range), something that is almost unheard of for a guard. Gallagher is also a standout softball player and the eye-hand coordination, footwork, and toughness definitely translate to the hardwood. She came up just short of scoring 500 points on the season, finishing with 491 which is still extremely impressive for just a sophomore. Gallagher is not just a scorer but has shown skill in every facet of the game. She is a player I look forward to hopefully see play in some travel ball events against strong competition this Spring and Summer.     Rosser is one of the better sophomore guards in a loaded '28 class in Georgia. She is very well-rounded on the court and plays the game with intelligence and poise for such a young player. She did an outstanding job facilitating the offense for Thomson averaging over six assists per game while also making herself a threat to score averaging 13 points per game while shooting almost 40% from the field. Defensively she was stellar averaging almost six steals per game while disrupting opposing teams offenses and creating easy baskets in transition for herself and her teammates. Don't let the size fool you, Rosser is a legit playmaker who flat out got the job done for Thomson this year.

Murray County and Josey have been dominant in the AA classification in Georgia for the last few seasons. Both teams rosters have multiple kids on their team that will play in college, which is fairly rare for smaller schools. Murray County was able to climb their way to the mountain top and because of that Callan Ledford Callan Ledford 5'8" | SG Murray County | 2026 State GA was my selection for player of the year. Her sister, Blaklee, was also very deserving and also made the list. Keri Fluellen and Za'Miyah Jenkins of Josey provided of the best one-two scoring punches in the state and led their team to an exceptional four year stretch in their careers. Brooke Shipp had a fantastic senior season for Shaw in Columbus. Riley Gallagher Riley Gallagher 5'5" | CG Lovett | 2028 State GA , just a sophomore, was one of the top scorers in AA in the state. Chabria Tate Chabria Tate 5'6" | CG Laney | 2027 State GA was one of the best players in the classification for the Laney Wildcats in Augusta. Paris Rosser Paris Rosser 5'2" | PG Thomson | 2026 State GA consistently filled the stat sheet while leading her Thomson team to a very good season from the point guard position. Congrats to all the player selected. It was a pleasure watching you play this season.