Editor’s note: The Player of the Year and All-Area team were chosen by the Herald sports staff based on coaches recommendations, season statistics and first-hand observations.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kaleo Anderson, jr., G., King’s
Kaleo Anderson is The Herald’s 2024-2025 Girls Basketball Player of the Year. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Click here for the full player of the year story.
ALL-AREA STARTING FIVE
Brynna Pukis, sr., G., Glacier Peak
Glacier Peak’s Brynna Pukis tries to make a layup during the game against Lake Stevens on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pukis took a year away from the Grizzlies last season to compete for Elite Prep, and a younger Glacier Peak squad felt the Long Beach State commit’s presence when she returned this year for her final high school season. The Grizzlies improved from 6-18 to 21-9 and finished fifth in the class 4A state tournament despite being the 13th seed. Pukis averaged 18 points, 3.2 assists, four rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting a blazing 44.7% from beyond the arc on over eight attempts per game — making a case for being the most efficient perimeter scorer in the area.
Brooke Blachly, jr., G., Archbishop Murphy
Brooke Blachly is about as pure of a shooter as you’ll find in Washington. The Wesco 3A/2A South Co-MVP hit a whopping 122 3s on 41% shooting from outside during a 19-point, three-steal, three-rebound, two-assist-per-game season as the Wildcats clawed their way to a fourth-place finish in the 2A state tournament.
Zia-Daye Anderson, jr., G., Kamiak
Zia-Daye Anderson followed up a stellar sophomore season in which she netted a Herald second-team selection with a Wesco 4A MVP campaign this year. Anderson averaged 21.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 4.2 steals — getting it done on both ends for the Knights.
Kaleo Anderson, jr., G., King’s
Kaleo Anderson had no shortage of memorable moments this season. From breaking the school’s single-game points record against Meadowdale with 40, to claiming King’s’ all-time scoring mark in a win over Shorecrest, to defeating bitter rival Lynden Christian on a buzzer-beating 3 in the state semi-final, the three-time Emerald Sound Conference MVP made this season one to remember. She averaged 23.1 points, nine rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 steals — as she played as a guard and a post at times for the state 1A runners-up.
Cassie Chesnut, sr., F., Shorecrest
Shorecrest’s Cassie Chesnut yells instructions to her teammates after getting a rebound during the 3A district playoff game against Shorewood on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Shoreline, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
No area post player was as imposing down low as Shorecrest’s Cassie Chesnut this season. Chesnut averaged 22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.5 steals this year, leading the Scots to their first state berth since 2020. Chesnut, a Wesco 3A/2A South Co-MVP with Blachly, shined in the biggest moments, with a 28-point, 18-rebound game to secure a state berth against Shorewood and 19-point, 13-rebound, eight-block masterclass to take down No. 1 seed Snohomish in districts.
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