The girls basketball season drew to a close earlier this month when two Rockford-area girls teams went further than any other, going to battle at the IHSA state tournament, closing it out on the biggest stage.
And now that it’s all over, it’s time to announce the 2025-26 Rockford Register Star’s All Area Girls Basketball Team, as well as the MVP of the season.
It was a strong season for a lot of girls, but one of them left her mark more than any other. And while she wasn’t able to lift her team to new heights, she continued to rack up the points in record-setting fashion.
Here is our MVP.
Soraya Parker, Lutheran (MVP)
Parker and the Crusaders fell to Byron in the regional finals this year, but Byron did go on to the state title game.
Parker, however, set records that none of the other girls from this era will touch.
“I am so grateful for my career at Lutheran,” Parker said. “Winning back-to-back regional championships and playing in consecutive sectional championship games were exciting and memorable experiences. I am also extremely excited for my next four years at Palm Beach Atlantic.”
She was a four-year starter for the Crusaders and averaged over 17 points per game every year, including 22.8 points this season. She surpassed 1,000 points as a sophomore and 2,000 as a junior, being named first-team IBCA All-State after both seasons.
But this was an even bigger year for Parker when it comes to breaking records.
First, she passed Stephanie Raymond to become Lutheran girls’ all-time leading scorer; then she climbed over Thomas Kopelman to turn into the overall scoring leader at Lutheran. But the big one came on Jan. 18, when she passed up the great Sophie Brunner of Freeport Aquin, who ended her career with 2,542 points, to be the Rockford area’s all-time leading scorer.
This year, she also locked in her decision to play college ball at Division II Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Here is the other 15 members of the Rockford Register Star’s All Area Girls Basketball team, in alphabetical order.
Marlee Alderman, North Boone
Alderman averaged 19.6 points and 16.5 rebounds per game for a 12-19 North Boone team, and the 6-foot junior showed just how powerful she can be when she hauled in 30 rebounds in a game early on in the season.
Ryleigh Alexander, Pecatonica
Alexander again led Pecatonica on another strong postseason run, and she wound up as the NUIC North MVP and a third-team IBCA All-Stater after averaging 13 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists per game this season.
Abbie Bracius, Jefferson
In 33 games, Bracius scored 18.1 points per game, even though Jefferson finished below the .500 mark at 15-18. The 5-11 senior power-forward earned a spot on the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All State special mention list.
Macy Groharing, Byron
Groharing was a four-year star for Byron, leading the Tigers to second-place finishes at state as a freshman and as a senior. The first-team IBCA All Stater averaged over 19 points per game this year, but she is another versatile player who could do it all. She also averaged 5-plus rebounds and 3 1/2 assists per contest and shot over 50% from the field. She finishes as the program’s all-time leading scorer and ended with over 2,000 points.
Ainsley Hughes, Hononegah
Hughes, just a sophomore, turned into the biggest star on a team full of stars, scoring 18.3 points per game while lifting Hono to 26 wins and a 17-1 NIC-10 record, which put them first in the league.
Camrynn Jones, Polo
Jones, a second-team IBCA All-Stater at 1A along with Ludwig, averaged 19.8 points, 5.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.7 blocks a game, and was a unanimous NUIC South First Teamer for four years in a row, and was this year’s NUIC South MVP. She finished with a program-record 1,820 career points.
Teagan Lawver, Rockford Christian
While Lawver’s stats were not gaudy this season (six points and 10 rebounds per game), she was one of the more dominant posts in 1A, and she was a key cog to the Royal Lions’ run to a fourth-place finish at state. The sophomore will be a star in the upcoming years.
Peyton London, Freeport
London was recently named an IBCA First Team All-Stater even though her season was cut short (almost in half) due to a torn ACL on Jan. 6. It’s because she averaged 22.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and six steals, and the do-it-all junior star had Freeport poised for a big run.
Shea Ludwig, Rockford Christian
This senior showed her best stuff at the end, leading Rockford Christian to the state tourney, and leading the Royal Lions once they got there and took fourth. She averaged 14.9 points per game on the season.
Malia Morton, Byron
Like Groharing, Morton was one of Byron’s stars for the past four years, and she was quietly one of the best overall players in Class 1A this entire season. She averaged 15.6 points and was a shut-down defender and a steals leader throughout her career.
Destiny Robinson, Auburn
Robinson became one of the NIC-10’s top stars while averaged 21.3 points per game this year for the Knights. The junior went over 1,000 points this season.
Makenna Stuckey, Dakota
Stuckey, just a sophomore, took over for Dakota at times this year, showing flashes of greatness while averaging 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Dailene Wade, Stillman Valley
Wade is a 6-foot junior post player who helped Stillman Valley stayed in contention this year after it graduated multiple stars the year before. Wade averaged nearly 15 points per game and almost 10 rebounds.
Bailey Westlund, Boylan
Westlund averaged just under 20 points and just under 10 rebounds a game this year as a senior, surpassing 1,000 points during the season and setting a new career high with 31 points in a game earlier this year.
Alyssa Zambrovitz, Winnebago
Winnebago won 26 games this year and beat Stillman Valley to win a regional title. The team’s inside force was Zambrovitz, the 5-11 sophomore power forward who earned a special mention spot on the All-State list for 1A after scoring over 15 points a game.
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Meet the 2025-26 Rockford area All-Area Girls Basketball Team, MVP
Reporting by Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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